CHAPTER 2

THEking was planning a gala Christmas wedding. His mood was gayer than many had ever seen it. The festivities would be held at the monarch”s favorite palace of Greenwich. There would be twelve full days of joyous celebration following the marriage ceremony. The new queen would make her formal entry into the capital city of London on the first day of January. Her coronation was already tentatively planned for February second, the feast of Candlemas. Westminster had been chosen as the site for the coronation ritual.

The king was currently at Hampton Court. Each day he issued more orders regarding his wedding and the convivial days that would follow it. Henry Tudor had thrown himself wholeheartedly into the preparations. Several times each day, and always in the presence of others, he would draw Holbein”s miniature of the Princess of Cleves from his tunic, where it nested against his heart, gaze dramatically upon it, and sigh gustily like a young lad seriously involved with a woman for the very first time. The king fancied himself in love again. This Anne, he declared to his intimates, would be far different from the other Anne. This Anne would be gentle, wise, and loving. She would ease his old age when it finally arrived in some far distant future. Perhaps he would even have more children by this pretty German princess with her sweet face. That would be to the good, he assured them. Some among the court wished the king well in this new marriage. Others silently thought him a fool that he continued to believe in romantic love at his age.

A messenger arrived at Hampton Court on the fifth day of November. The Princess of Cleves had departed her brother”s ducal seat at Dusseldorf, and would arrive in approximately three weeks, or by the end of the month at the latest, according to all reports. She traveled with a large, stately retinue of 263 people, along with 228 horses. There were coaches for the ladies, and over fifty baggage carts. The progress of so great a retinue was very slow, however. The king finally sent to Calais for news of his bride”s arrival when word came that she was overdue. Now it was believed she would reach Calais by the eighth of December. The king”s brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and the lord admiral, the Earl of Southampton, Sir William FitzWilliam, departed for Calais to escort the bride across the Channel to England. The Duke of Norfolk and the king”s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, were ordered to stand by to greet Anne of Cleves at Canterbury.

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, was not pleased by the match. Most, including Bishop Gardiner, believed it was because the bride was a German Protestant. Actually, Duke Thomas hated Cromwell, and equally disliked being out of the intimate power structure surrounding the king. The Duke of Norfolk was England”s premier noble. He was used to being part of the decision-making process of the Privy Council. He had opposed this marriage from the start, for it was Cromwell”s great plan. It would be Cromwell, responsible for lifting this German princess from obscurity, who would influence this new queen, not Thomas Howard, whose foolish niece, Anne Boleyn, had once worn England”s crown. If Anne had but taken his advice, she would yet have her crowned head.

He sighed deeply. Was it not bad enough that he had seen Anne replaced by that whey-faced Jane Seymour? That he had been forced to endure the arrogance of Jane”s two brothers, Edward and Thomas Seymour, those upstarts from Wolf Hall? That he had seen a Seymour succeed where a Howard had failed? At least this bride was royal. It was his only consolation. That, and the fact he had miraculously managed to retain his position as Lord Treasurer, despite his family”s failures and the king”s displeasure.

The retinue from Cleves did not reach Calais until December eleventh. They were escorted into the town with much grand celebration, but once there, they were detained for the next two weeks by storms of horrendous proportions that were wracking the coasts of France and England. It was simply not possible until December twenty-sixth to make the comparatively brief crossing from Calais to Deal.

Anne whiled away her time learning to play cards. She did not know how, but quickly picked it up. Her teacher, the Earl of Southampton, had told her that the king loved to play cards. Anne was eager to learn all things that would endear her to her husband. The court of Cleves had been a somber one. Cards and music and dancing were considered frivolous. Anne wondered about it. She found gaming, particularly for money, most stimulating.

THEREhad been hundreds of applications for the designated places in the new queen”s household. More were disappointed than pleased by the king”s appointments. Nyssa Wyndham, arriving at Hampton Court on the fifteenth of November, could scarcely contain her excitement. It fortunately overwhelmed her nervousness, which had grown with each passing mile that took her fromRiversEdge. She watched her aunt Bliss carefully, aping her every move; and refused to be disconcerted by her young male relations, who found her new behavior hilarious, to say the least.

Knowing that there would not be room for them at the palace, Owen FitzHugh had rented a small house in the village of Richmond. Decent lodgings were at a premium. He had had to outbid several others to obtain it. When he and Bliss had been younger and very much involved with the court, it had been different. There had always been a place for them. It had been years, however, since they had been a part of all of this. He grimaced. Court was too damned expensive these days, it seemed to him. Not only had he had to rent lodgings for them here in Richmond where Hampton Court Palace was located, but he had had to rent a house near Greenwich as well. At least his two brothers-in-law had contributed generously to the expenses he would incur with all of this. After all, he would not have come had it not been for Nyssa and the lads.

”Will we live here while the court is here?” Nyssa asked her uncle as they arrived in Richmond-on-Thames.

”You will live at court,” Bliss answered before Owen even had the chance to think. ”Philip and Giles will live there as well, but our young Owen and Edmund Kingsley will live here with us.”

” ”Twill not be easy,” the Earl of Marwood told his niece. ”You”ll be lucky to have a bed, and will probably share one with another girl. You”ll have little space for your possessions, and will have to leave most of them here with us. You”ll be on call to the queen ”round the clock, and have little time to claim for your own. You”ll eat and sleep on the run. Your brothers too. ”Tis not easy to be in the royal service.”

Nyssa paled slightly, her look plainly asking why no one had told her all this before. Being a maid of honor suddenly sounded awful! She wished now that she had stayed at home.

Bliss, divining her thoughts, said, ” ”Tis hard, I”ll not deny, my child, but ohh, the advantages to being here at court! Everything happens at court. ”Tis where the power and the excitement lie, Nyssa. And the gentlemen. ” Bliss drew her hood up, and taking the hand proffered by the footman, stepped from their carriage. She looked hard at the residence her husband had rented for them. ”Surely this cannot be right, Owen. It is practically a cottage, my lord. Are you certain this is the house that you obtained for us?” Nyssa had alighted from the vehicle, and took her aunt”s hand in hers. Bliss gave her a quick smile.

”We are fortunate to have any lodgings at all,” the Earl of Marwood replied testily. ”Coming to court under normal circumstances is not easy. Coming to court when the king is about to remarry is impossible, madame! I know several who fought over accommodations in barns. Perhaps you would prefer to share your quarters with the cows?”

Nyssa giggled. Uncle Owen could be so forceful when he chose to be. Usually he pretended to allow Aunt Bliss her way in all things, not fully realizing that Bliss had wrapped him about her little finger years ago. The young girl strove to ease the situation. ”I think the house sweet. I have never lived in town.”

Bliss, finally realizing the situation, said, ”I am certain that you have done your best, Owen, but why are we standing in the street? Let us go and see exactly what it is we do have.”

Inside, Bliss found the house not quite as bad as she had anticipated, but certainly not as good as she had hoped for. They stepped into a narrow hall to ascend equally narrow stairs up a flight to the first floor of the house.

”The library is in the front, a family hall in the rear,” the earl said quietly. ”On the lower floor there is a kitchen, although most of our meals will come from the public cook house nearby. On the next floor up are three bedchambers, and the top floor will house the servants. A garden and a stable come with the house as well. ”Twas the best I could do under the circumstances.”

Bliss nodded. ”We”ll be going to Greenwich shortly,” she told them hopefully. ”It isn”t as if we had to live here forever.”

”The house in Greenwich is larger,” the earl said with a smile. ”Someone had already rented it, but there was a near-death in the family, so of course they could not come to court. I arrived at just the right time to snap it up. I rented it through April. Even if we have to go up to London, the Greenwich house will be convenient for us. It sits in its own little park, my dear. Did I tell you that?”

”No, you did not, my lord,” Bliss answered him slowly. ”Your description, however, will make our time here in Richmond easier.”

They had moved into the small family hall as they talked. A cheerful fire was burning in the paneled room, lit by the house”s caretaker, who had been expecting them. The furnishings were plain, but everything seemed clean, which was a relief to Bliss.

”When are we to report to court, Aunt?” Nyssa asked nervously.

”Not until tomorrow,” her aunt reassured her. ”Sir Anthony Browne”s wife will be supervising the maids of honor, I am told. She is very strict, but fair, I have heard. The pages too will be in her charge, I believe.” She fixed her Wyndham nephews with a stern look. ”You two will have to behave,” she warned them. ”You, in particular, Philip. As your father”s heir, you must not disgrace the Langford earldom. The king has done your mother a great favor in placing you in Queen Anne”s household.”

”I have certainly been taught the social graces, Aunt,” Philip Wyndham said loftily. ”I know well what is expected of me. I would hardly disgrace myself, or my family”s name.”

”And you shall make us all proud,” Owen FitzHugh said heartily, clapping his nephew on the back and avoiding his wife”s outraged look.

Bliss, however, was not to be thwarted. ”You must be more careful, Philip, and think before you speak,” she chided him.

A wink from his uncle encouraged young Lord Wyndham to hold his tongue. ”Yes, madame,” was all he replied.

It was now late in the day. Bliss ordered a simple meal served, that her brood might retire early. ”Even though the Princess of Cleves has not yet arrived,” she warned them, ”this will likely be the last full night of sleep you have for some time.”

The four male cousins were to share one of the bedchambers. Nyssa would have a small room barely large enough to contain a bed and her baggage. The little serving maid who had come with her from RiversEdge was to sleep on the bed”s trundle.

”It ain”t much, Mistress Nyssa,” the girl, who was called Tillie, said plainly. ”Me dad”s dogs have more room in their kennel.” Tillie”s father was the head gamekeeper at RiversEdge. She was an outspoken girl, small of stature, with a pleasant but plain countenance. Her flaxen hair was neatly plaited into a single braid that hung down her back, and her brown eyes were sharp with a look of intelligence.

”We won”t be here for very long, Tillie,” Nyssa promised.

”The countess”s woman says you will be going to court first thing in the morning to pay your respects to the king and meet the mistress of the maids. We”d best decide what you”re to wear now. There will be precious little time come morning, I”ll warrant.”

Nyssa nodded. Tillie was a sensible and practical girl. She had been in Nyssa”s service for ten months now, having been chosen by her mother”s own beloved tiring woman, Heartha, who had personally trained the girl in her duties. Tillie was Heartha”s niece, and had been raised at RiversEdge. She was the same age as her mistress.

”Now we”ll want to make a good first impression,” Tillie said thoughtfully, ”but we don”t want to look bold, do we?” She shook her head, answering her own question. ”The burgundy? Nay. The apple-green? ”Tis not quite right, I”m thinking.”

”What about that lovely violet-blue that matches my eyes?” Nyssa asked her maid. ” ”Tis very flattering, Tillie.”

”Aye, but you”ll attract too much attention in it, being a newcomer, I”m thinking. ”Tis not the kind of impression you”ll want to be making, mistress.” She furrowed her brow in concentration, and then suddenly it cleared. ”The peach velvet!” she said. ” ”Tis just the thing! You”ll wear it with that wonderful cream and gold damask underskirt, Mistress Nyssa. I”ll unpack them right away and get the wrinkles out. You”ll look as you should, a beautiful, well-to-do young lady. You get into bed and go to sleep. We have an early start before us. You”ll have to bathe in the morning, and I must do your hair. Here, let me help you to undress, and then I”ll be about my business preparing your gowns and petticoats for the morrow.”

Nyssa didn”t think she could sleep. She was far too excited, yet the moment her head touched the pillow, she was off. When Tillie awoke her in the morning, it was yet dark, and the room, without a fireplace, was freezing. She snuggled beneath her coverlets, protesting as Tillie fussed at her to get up.

”I”ve got a tub ready and waiting for you, Mistress Nyssa,” Tillie said. ”The water will not stay hot in this place for long. You had best hurry, or ”twill be as icy as the room itself.”

”I don”t care,” Nyssa muttered defiantly, and burrowed deeper beneath the down. It was so cozy in her bed. She shrieked as Tillie yanked the covers from her. ”No!” She struggled to grab them back.

”Into the tub with you,” Tillie said firmly. ”You”ll not be disgracing the Wyndhams of Langford by coming before the king and his grand court with the stink and stain of the road upon you, mistress! Why if my aunt Heartha learned of it—and believe me, that gossiping Maybelle who serves Lady Bliss would be quick to tell her—Aunty would tan the hide right off of me. You wouldn”t want that to happen, Mistress Nyssa, would you?” she wheedled. ”Lord knows I try to do my best by you.”

Nyssa laughed. ”And you do, Tillie,” she assured the servant. Climbing from her bed, she pulled off her nightgown to get into the small, round, oaken tub. She sat down in the warm water, shivering slightly. Sometimes Tillie sounded like Heartha, and far older than her years, but at other times she was such fun.

”I”ve got to do your hair,” Tillie warned her apologetically. ” ”Tis filled with dust from the road.” Before Nyssa could answer, Tillie poured a small bucket of warm water over her mistress”s head. ”You do the rest, and we”ll be done the faster,” she said.

”Hurry!” Nyssa said through chattering teeth. The room was terribly cold, and with wet shoulders, she felt it all the more. Taking up the small cake of hard-milled soap, she quickly washed herself, gasping as Tillie poured another bucket over her head to rinse the first washing away.

Tillie scrubbed her lady”s head a second time, rinsed it vigorously with her bucket, then finally ordered, ”Quick, get out, mistress!” She wrapped a large towel about Nyssa and began to vigorously dry her hair with a second towel.

Nyssa rubbed herself with the rough fabric until her skin began to glow. Then at Tillie”s suggestion she climbed back into bed to get warm once again.

Tillie handed her the smaller towel. ”Keep getting that water from your hair, mistress,” she said. ”I”ll go downstairs and see if I can find you something to eat before we must dress.”

Nyssa pulled the coverlets as high up as she could, trying to ward off the chill of the room. She rubbed her long dark hair until at last most of the bathwater was gone and her hair was merely damp. Across the small room her bodice, gown, and petticoats were spread neatly over a chair. There wasn”t a wrinkle in them. Tillie must have been up half the night, Nyssa thought guiltily, pressing them out so that her mistress would make a good first impression at court. What a treasure the maidservant was. Her mother had always said a good tiring woman was invaluable, but Nyssa hadn”t given it much thought until now.

Tillie bustled back into the room with a tray. ”Well, I didn”t have much hope when I went downstairs,” she said matter-of-factly, ”but lord bless me if there wasn”t a one-eyed old woman in the kitchen who said she was the cook for this place. She gave me a nice bowl of oat porridge, some bread fresh from her ovens, butter, honey, and mulled, watered wine for you, mistress.” Tillie placed the tray on Nyssa”s lap. ”Now you eat it all up. From what Maybelle tells me, you”ll be lucky to get fed the rest of the day. They don”t eat much at court, she says.”

”What about you?” Nyssa asked her servant. ”Did you get something for yourself to eat, Tillie?” She spooned porridge into her mouth.

”I”ll eat when you”ve gone, mistress,” Tillie told her. ”Maybelle says you”ll probably be back here for the next few nights since the new queen ain”t arrived yet. The maids with family nearby will usually come home to rest. Once the queen has come, though, ”twill be a different thing, Maybelle says.”

”I”m glad Maybelle is such a font of information,” Nyssa said, her eyes twinkling with humor.

”Pea-green with jealousy, she is.” Tillie giggled. ”Oh, her mistress is a countess, but at court countesses are a ha”penny a pound. Lady Bliss ain”t never served a queen, but my mistress will be serving a queen. Poor old Maybelle is torn between envy and her natural inclination to tell me what to do because I”m just a girl like yourself, mistress.”

”Glean what knowledge and gossip you can from her, and any others you may become friends with,” Nyssa instructed her serving maid. ”I”m not very wise in the ways of the world, Tillie, as you well know. I think I will have to become so to survive at the court. Mama has said this is such a wonderful opportunity for me. I cannot disappoint her.”

Tillie nodded her head sagely. ”Don”t you worry, Mistress Nyssa. We”re going to do just fine here at court. Now, finish up your breakfast before your aunt is in here scolding us both for being late.”

Nyssa swallowed the last of her bread and wine then climbed from her bed. The room was still cold, but she felt better now that she was clean and fed. Tillie helped her into a soft linen chemise with a standing collar edged in lace. Then she slipped a pair of delicately knitted stockings on her mistress”s legs, gartered with silk rosebuds. Next came a satin corset and several petticoats over which was set a shakefold, a delicate wire frame with stiffened pads. Her cream satin underskirt, which was embroidered with gold thread dragonflies and daisies, fell over the little hoop, spreading itself out smoothly. Next came the peach velvet divided overskirt, which displayed the underskirt to its best advantage. Finally Tillie fitted a peach velvet bodice embroidered with gold thread, pearls, and tiny, glittering topaz over her mistress”s corset. The bodice had a low neckline and wide bell-like sleeves turned back at the lower edge.

It was the fashion for young girls to wear their hair parted in the middle and loose. For neatness” sake, not to mention elegance, Tillie fitted Nyssa”s long hair into a pretty gold caul. Then the maidservant bent to fit narrow, round-toed shoes of cream-colored kid upon the girl”s feet.

Tillie stood up to survey her handiwork, and nodded, pleased. ”I”ll just get yer jewelry casket, mistress. ”Tis all that”s needed now to supply the finishing touch to your garb.”

When Tillie returned with the jewel case, Nyssa chose two beautiful strands of pearls of a creamy hue. One was longer than the other, and they hung below the neckline of her gown. She slipped two rings, one a pearl, the other a topaz, on the fingers of her right hand, and then closed the box. ”Put it away, Tillie,” she said. ”I have what I need for today. It is not too much, is it?”

Tillie tucked the box back into her mistress”s trunk, saying as she did so, ”Nay, Mistress Nyssa. ”Tis just right.”

There was a knock upon the bedchamber door, and Maybelle stuck her head in. Her eyes widened at the sight of Nyssa. ”Ohh, and don”t you look pretty, little mistress,” she said admiringly. ”Yer aunt is awaiting you downstairs. They”re ready to go.”

Tillie picked up a light brown velvet cloak lined in rabbit”s fur for her mistress, and handed Nyssa her gloves. ”Come along, my lady,” she said briskly, moving so swiftly that Maybelle was forced to give way at the door. Tillie winked at Nyssa as Maybelle, swept aside, sputtered irritably, running behind them to catch up.

They moved quickly but carefully down the staircase. Nyssa took in every elegant bit of her aunt”s attire. Bliss was, at thirty-three, still an outrageously beautiful woman. Her deep blue velvet gown, embroidered with gold and silver threads as well as pearls, matched her sapphire-blue eyes. In defiance of fashion, Bliss wore her daffodil-blond hair in a chignon, held by gold pins at the nape of her neck.

”I see no reason to hide my beautiful hair beneath those ugly headdresses,” she often said. Then she would turn and smile at her doting husband. ”Owen would not like it,” she would finish, as if his opinion in the matter were really of great import to her.

This morning she carefully scrutinized her niece with critical eyes. Finally she smiled approvingly. Both Tillie and Nyssa let out a collective breath.

”Very nice, my child. You look absolutely pure perfection. Elegant, but not gaudy. A young woman of means and good family; not some opportunistic little wench come husband-hunting to court, eager to attract the attention of some foolish gallant.”

Nyssa”s eyes twinkled. ”I thought I had been sent to court to find a husband,” she teased her aunt, and her uncle Owen guffawed.

”You have come to court to serve the queen,” Bliss said in smooth tones. ”Now, if you should just happen to find a gentleman who takes your fancy, steals your heart, and pleads for your hand in marriage, and if he is suitable, that is an altogether different matter, child.”

Nyssa laughed. ”Is that how you caught Uncle Owen”s fancy, at court?”

”I met your uncle in your father”s house,” Bliss replied primly.

”It was your mother”s sixteenth birthday,” the Earl of Marwood said, taking up the story. ”Bliss and Blythe and your aunt Delight came to RiversEdge to celebrate the occasion. One look at your aunt, and I was lost to her, just as Nick Kingsley was as taken with Blythe.”

”You fell in love at first sight?” Nyssa had never heard the story, but it sounded so very romantic.

”At first sight,” her uncle said softly. His eyes swept to his wife. ”Did I not, puss?”

Bliss had a look in her eyes that her niece had never before seen. ”Aye,” she drawled. Then, remembering herself and where they were, she snapped, ”Why are we standing here in this draughty hallway? We are due at court shortly.” She turned to Tillie. ”You”ve done well, girl. I”ll give my sister a good account of you when I write her next. Heartha has trained you well and can be proud.”

”Thank you, m”lady,” Tillie responded, bobbing a little curtsey. Then she put the cloak over Nyssa, settling it smoothly and turning her mistress about to fasten the gold frogs that held the garment shut.

”Where are the boys?” Nyssa asked as they exited the house.

”Awaiting us in the coach,” her aunt replied. ”Edmund and my Owen will ride with the coachman. ”Tis not far.”

Her two cousins scrambled from the carriage and climbed atop the coach box with their driver as the two women reached the vehicle”s door. Nyssa saw her brothers, seated with their backs to the coachman. They were more elegantly dressed than she had ever seen them. Philip was dark-haired and light-eyed like their father; Giles, fair like their mother. They wore haut-de-chausses of black velvet, the slashings in the fabric showing white satin beneath. Their stockings were striped black and white, and their black leather shoes had rounded, narrow toes. Their doublets were of black velvet, embroidered with pearls, over which they wore identical sleeveless jerkins of white doeskin with shoulder puffs. The jerkins hung to their knees. Each boy wore a small gold neck chain from which hung a medallion with the family”s coat of arms. Small jeweled daggers hung from their girdles, and each wore a flat bonnet of black velvet with ostrich tips atop his head.

”You both look very fine,” she complimented them, surprised.

”As do you, sister,” Philip Wyndham told her in return.

”Look, Nyssa,” Giles said excitedly. ”I have my own dagger!” He proffered the bejeweled weapon for her to see. It was studded with garnets, tiny diamonds, and seed pearls.

”You must never draw it in the king”s presence,” she warned him. ”Or the prince”s either. Remember, Mama told you that was treason.”

Giles nodded, his blue eyes wide. ”I won”t forget,” he said.

Philip, however, looked irritated at his elder sister”s admonition. ”If you tell me once,” he said archly, ”I remember. It is not necessary to repeat it, Nyssa.”

”Your apologies, my lord,” she mocked him, settling her skirts about her. ”I don”t know why I always forget how wise you are, Viscount Wyndham. How terribly remiss of me to have done so.”

Giles giggled, and even Philip was forced to smile at the barb.

”There must be no squabbling amongst you,” Bliss warned.

Nyssa folded her hands meekly and became instantly silent, as did her two brothers. The coach pulled away from the house and headed down the road to Hampton Court. Soon the traffic was very heavy. Nyssa found herself fascinated by it all. Other coaches surrounded theirs, some of them even more elegant and rich-looking. There were ladies and gentlemen mounted upon fine horseflesh wending their way amid the carriages. Everyone was going, it seemed, in the same direction—to Hampton Court.

Hampton Court had been erected by Cardinal Wolsey, the king”s counselor. It had been built on land acquired from the Knights Hospitalers of St. John in 1514. The Order of St. John, however, would not sell the cardinal the land. They rented it to him instead for ninety-nine years, at a nominal fee of fifty pounds. Building had begun in the spring of 1515. Although the king and Katherine of Aragon were entertained there in May of 1516, the palace was not completed for several more years.

It was built around three courts: the Base Court, the Clock Court, and the Cloister Green. The buildings were of red brick, decorated with blue-black patterns in a diamond shape. All the turrets were crowned with lead cupolas. The exterior walls of Hampton Court were decorated with the cardinal”s coat of arms, as well as a set of terra-cotta roundels which had been a gift from the pope. There was a long, windowed gallery where the cardinal walked on inclement days, and a garden where he would sit each evening. The palace had a thousand rooms, of which 280 were guest chambers. There were two kitchens, and in a room between them sat the master cook, garbed as elegantly as any courtier, directing his underlings grandly by word and the waving of a wooden spoon, his badge of office.

Bliss explained this all to her niece and two nephews as the coach slowly traveled along the crowded road.

”Mama met the cardinal once,” Nyssa told her aunt.

”I know,” Bliss replied. ”He was a man to be feared in his heyday. He climbed long, and high. His fall was swift.”

”Mama always said he was a loyal servant of the king. Why was he executed?” Nyssa wondered aloud.

”The king grew angry with him because he could not seem to get the pope to agree to a divorce for him from the Princess of Aragon. The cardinal knew that the king wanted to marry Anne Boleyn, and the cardinal did not like her. He wanted the king to marry Princess Renee of France. It is possible the Princess of Aragon might have given way to a princess of France that the king have a male heir; but Wolsey had no intention of her giving way to Tom Boleyn”s girl.

”The cardinal had many enemies. Very powerful men always do. They saw this rift between the king and the cardinal as a chance to pull Wolsey down. The cardinal”s rather extravagant way of life was suddenly questioned quite vocally. A rather scurrilous rhyme was circulated. It set the king to wondering who was really in control of his realm: himself or the cardinal. The king does not like being eclipsed.

”I know the rhyme!” Nyssa said excitedly. ” ” Why come ye not to court? To which court? To the King”s Court or to Hampton Court? Nay, to the King”s Court! The King”s Court should hath the excellence but Hampton Court hath the preeminence.” ”

”The author had to seek sanctuary at Westminster,” the Earl of Marwood told them. ”The king was very angry, and became even more so when a Franciscan monk visiting court saw the magnificence of Wolsey”s court and asked, ”Have they not in England a king?” I heard it myself, as did those who were quick to report it to the king himself. Poor old Wolsey! The king”s vanity was sorely pricked. He called the cardinal to him, demanding to know why he had built so magnificent a house for himself at Hampton Court. I will give Wolsey credit, for he as quickly answered the king, ”To show how noble a palace a subject may offer to his sovereign.” He then turned the place over to the king, lock, stock, and barrel,” Owen FitzHugh finished.

”You mean lock, stock, tapestries, and carpets,” Bliss said with a laugh, and then she explained to the others, ”The cardinal had a passion for tapestries. One year he ordered one hundred and thirty-two of them. As for carpets, he had all kinds. Foot carpets, table carpets, window carpets. In one shipment from Venice there were sixty carpets alone just for Cardinal Wolsey. How he loved beautiful things!”

”Mama says he was going to be tried for treason,” Nyssa said. ”What treason did he commit?”

”None, child,” Bliss told her, ”but never repeat it. Wolsey simply made too many enemies. When he fell from favor, he was exiled to York, where he was archbishop. Had he lived quietly, and piously, perhaps he would have escaped his detractors, but the cardinal was not capable of it. He once again set up a sumptuous court. The king heard of it, and allowed himself to be persuaded that Wolsey might be in league with foreign powers. After all, the cardinal had always been able to gain the king what he desired, until now. With regard to the king”s divorce from the Princess of Aragon, he seemed helpless. Or was he? He was arrested at Cawood Castle, and died in Leicester Abbey on the road to London.”

”The king wields great power, doesn”t he?” Nyssa said softly. ”I think I am afraid of him now, and I was not before.”

”You are wise,” her uncle told her, ”to fear Henry Tudor. He can be the best of friends, kind and generous; yet he is a deadly enemy, Nyssa. Your mother survived her tenure at court because she was clever. She never allowed anyone to draw her into a faction, nor did she flaunt her privileged position while she held it. You would be wise to model your behavior after hers.”

”Perhaps I would be better off going home,” Nyssa said, and her brothers groaned in disgust at her cowardice.

”Nonsense!” Bliss said. ”You have an envied appointment, Nyssa Wyndham. As a maid of honor to the queen, you will be sought after by many eligible gentlemen. Once you find a husband, you will marry and live happily ever after. That is the whole purpose of your coming to court. I am ashamed that my sister”s daughter would be so weak-livered as to want to run away. You will be seventeen at the end of next month, Nyssa. Need I remind you you are practically considered too old for a first marriage? Blaze does not need you mooning about RiversEdge. She does not need to worry about you when she has your two little sisters to get safely through their infancy, and your younger brothers to bring up and find rich wives for, child. You, Giles, and Philip have been sent to court to find your destinies. To flee home is unthinkable!”

Philip and Giles Wyndham looked as if they wanted to burst into laughter, but they did not. Instead they watched as their elder sibling grew pink with embarrassment and outrage at her aunt”s words.

”I am not weak-livered!” Nyssa said angrily. ”This is all very new to me. Please remember, Aunt, that when you first came to court, you came with your husband. You came to play. I, however, have been asked to serve a queen. I have no experience in the court. I am terrified lest I shame the family, but I am not weak-livered!”

”No, you are not,” her uncle agreed. ”I remember when I first came to court as a lad, Nyssa. I was to be a page to Prince Henry, now our king. I was only six, and I had never before been away from home. It was a terrifying prospect. I know just how you feel, but do what I did. For the first few days be very mannerly, and watch, and ask. Do not be afraid of seeming stupid. Better you ask than make an embarrassing error later on. Besides, the new queen has not yet come, and will not arrive for a few weeks yet. You have plenty of time to learn your new duties. The Mistress of the Maids will help you. Your good performance reflects well upon her. She will want you to learn.”

”Thank you, Uncle Owen,” Nyssa told him. ”I am glad you understand my fears.” She glared angrily at her aunt, but Bliss was not affected by it.

Their carriage had now arrived at the palace, and footmen in royal livery ran forward to open the doors to the vehicle so that its occupants might quickly dismount, and the coach be parked in order that room for the next carriage be made. As Bliss stood shaking the wrinkles from her gown, there was a nearby shriek of delight.

”Bliss! Is it really you? I cannot believe it!” A plump woman with dark hair, a pretty face, and lively brown eyes flung herself at the Countess of Marwood and hugged her enthusiastically.

”Adela? Adela Marlowe? Why indeed, it is you!” Bliss responded.

Adela Marlowe laughed. ”I”ve grown as plump as a shoat with childbearing, haven”t I? But you! You look the same as ever!”

”Only a true friend would say such a thing,” Bliss said, laughing in return. ”I”m not quite the slip of a girl I once was, Adela.”

Adela Marlowe swung her gaze to Nyssa. ”Is this your daughter?” she asked, obviously assessing the girl. Young. Innocent. A good dowry.

”Nay, ”tis Blaze”s eldest daughter,” Bliss answered. ”This is my old friend, Lady Adela Marlowe,” she told her niece. ”This is Lady Nyssa Catherine Wyndham, Adela. She is to be a maid of honor to the new queen. Blaze”s two eldest boys have places as pages.” She nodded to her nephews. ”Philip, Viscount Wyndham,” she said, ”and Giles Wyndham.” To her absolute delight, both boys bowed elegantly, impressing Adela Marlowe.

”Are you betrothed, child?” Lady Marlowe asked Nyssa.

”Nay, madame, I am not,” was the soft response.

”Ahh, then, you must meet my son Henry,” replied Lady Marlowe.

”What a fine idea!” Bliss enthused.

”Bliss, my dear,” her husband interjected, ”we had best present Nyssa to Lady Browne. She is expected, and should not be late. That would not, I fear, make a good impression upon the lady.” He took his wife”s arm in a firm grip.

”Owen is correct,” Bliss said regretfully, and then she kissed her friend upon both cheeks. ”We”ll see each other later, Adela, and catch up on all the gossip,” she promised with a smile. Then her attention was caught by her son. ”Young Owen, you get right down off that coach box! Where is Edmund Kingsley? Have we lost him already? Ohh, perhaps it was not a good idea to bring all these lads to court after all.”

Her husband smiled archly. ”They are your responsibility, puss,” he said wickedly. ”You did volunteer to bring them.”

Bliss glared at her husband, but with a smile he turned to go, and she was forced to quickly gather her brood and follow him.

Lady Margaret Browne was the wife of Sir Anthony, a gentleman-in-waiting, and the King”s Master of the Horse. Her husband stood very, very high in the king”s favor. He was a hardworking man whose sole interest was the king”s interest. He never involved himself in the political infighting that went on among the different factions of the court. His loyalty was to Henry Tudor alone, and his wife echoed his sentiments. Sir Anthony”s behavior had recently been rewarded by huge tracts of land in Surrey, formerly in the possession of Chertsey Abbey, Merton Priory, St. Mary Overey in Southwark, and Guildford Priory. His wife had been appointed the new queen”s Mistress of the Maids, a most coveted position.

Lady Margaret”s apartments were near those that would belong to the new queen. She greeted the Earl and Countess of Marwood cordially.

”It seems only yesterday that you came to court a bride, Lady FitzHugh,” she said to Bliss. ”You do not, I think, suffer time too greatly. How many children living have you?”

”Three sons and a daughter, madame,” Bliss replied.

”Are these they?” Lady Browne asked, peering myopically.

”Only one is mine, madame. Young Owen, make your bow,” Bliss commanded her son; smiling, pleased, when he did so. ”Allow me to present Edmund Kingsley, the eldest son of my sister Blythe, and her husband, Sir Nicholas Kingsley. And these two lads are Philip, Viscount Wyndham, and his brother Giles, the sons of my eldest sister, the Countess of Langford. The king has appointed them pages in the new queen”s household. I was told to bring them to you, madame.”

The three boys bowed in turn as they were introduced, and Lady Browne nodded, obviously delighted by their good manners. ”And the lass, Lady FitzHugh. Who is she?”

”This is Lady Nyssa Catherine Wyndham, madame. The daughter of the Earl and Countess of Langford. She is to be a maid of honor.”

Nyssa curtsied prettily.

”A maid of honor?” Lady Browne exclaimed, and her face registered her distress. ”Oh, dear, not another one! Every young woman of good family has come to court to be a maid of honor. There are simply not enough places! I wish I could help you, Lady FitzHugh, but I cannot.”

”I have not made myself clear,” Bliss said in an apologetic tone, but her husband recognized the iron beneath it. ”Nyssa has already been appointed to her position by the king himself, when he visited Nyssa”s home last October and stood godfather to her newborn twin sisters. Nyssa is the daughter of Blaze Wyndham, Lady Browne. We are here today because she was summoned to court by the king. Nyssa”s appointment is not a tentative one, madame.” She smiled, but there was determination in her eyes. No one would take this position away from Nyssa!

”Oh!” Lady Browne answered. ”I did not know. Blaze Wyndham”s daughter, you say? The name is familiar, but I cannot quite place it.” The girl was pretty and had good manners, but she was a total nonentity. There were fully a dozen families petitioning her for places; families of much more importance, who would be willing to show her their gratitude in most substantial ways. The king had probably already forgotten his appointment of this pretty creature. She had to be put off.

”My mother was called the ”Quiet Mistress,” madame,” Nyssa said suddenly. She had seen the look in Lady Browne”s eye, and reacted instinctively to it. ”Mama”s tenure was brief, but I am certain you will remember her. She remains to this day the king”s most loyal servant, and friend.”

”You must not be so forward, child,” Lady Browne said sternly, but when she sighed, both Bliss and Nyssa knew she was beaten. ”Have you ever been to court before?” Lady Browne asked, but knew Nyssa”s answer even before she spoke it. ”Well, then, you have much to learn, and precious little time in which to learn it, I fear. Beginning tomorrow you will report to me after mass each day that we are here at Hampton Court. You will have to sleep at your family”s lodging temporarily, as it is impossible to find accommodations right now in the palace. The Maidens” Chamber is filled with guests, since it is not needed for the new queen”s use presently. When we move on to Greenwich, however, that will all change. You must then remain with the queen unless she gives you permission to go elsewhere.”

”Yes, madame,” Nyssa said, and she curtsied.

Lady Browne nodded then turned to Bliss. ”The same instructions apply to the pages as well, Lady FitzHugh. They have not been from home before either, I imagine. I hope they will not become homesick, and weep about it. I cannot be bothered with weeping boys.”

Both Philip and Giles looked extremely indignant at her words.

”Come, children,” Bliss said. ”We shall show you about the palace, for you will need to know where everything is.”

”An excellent idea!” Lady Browne approved. ”Do not forget, Nyssa Wyndham. First thing after mass in the morning!”

”I shall not forget, madame,” Nyssa replied, and she curtsied again.

When they were safely away from Lady Browne”s chambers, Bliss said, laughing, ”If she could have frightened us off, Nyssa, she would have.”

”I wonder if we should not have let her,” Nyssa said thoughtfully.

”Nonsense!” Bliss replied sharply. ”This is a wonderful opportunity for you, Nyssa Wyndham. Your mother would be furious if you came home with your tail between your legs. Besides, it would take more than Lady Browne to frighten us off. She was only thinking of what she might gain from others, eager to place their daughters as maids of honor. Anything can be bought and sold, child. Your mother paid for your position in full many years back. The king owed her a debt and he knew it.”

Nyssa was silent for the brief time it took to make their way into the public rooms of the palace. There, Lord and Lady Marlowe were waiting for them. Indeed it seemed to Nyssa as if Lady Marlowe had deliberately planned to meet up with them again as soon as she might. With the Marlowes was a young boy with a blotchy face, who shifted his feet nervously and looked extremely uncomfortable. He flushed, embarrassed, as his mother trilled out,

”Over here, Bliss! Here we are!”

While Lord Marlowe and the Earl of Marwood renewed their old acquaintance, Lady Marlowe proudly introduced her son Henry to Bliss. It was quite clear that she had a match between her son and Nyssa in mind. The male Wyndhams and their cousins were highly amused.

Owen FitzHugh decided to take matters into his own hand, saying to Lord Marlowe, ”I say, I was just about to take my lads to see the tiltyards and the tennis courts. Why don”t you and young Henry come along with us?”

”Excellent!” Lord Marlowe enthused, even as his son eagerly agreed.

”How old is Henry?” Bliss asked her old friend as the gentlemen departed. ”He is a quiet boy, much like his father, I think.”

”Twelve,” Lady Marlowe said, and sighed deeply. ”Aye, he is like John. Even more so, I fear.”

”Nyssa will be seventeen on the thirty-first of December,” Bliss said, and then went on to gently deflate her friend”s hopes. ”We mean to make a good match for her here at court. There is none yet to have engaged her heart. She is a considerable heiress, you know. She has her own estate, Riverside; lands from her late father; and her stepfather has settled a goodly sum on her. She is the apple of his eye, and to be frank, the only father she remembers, her own having perished before her second birthday. She is quite a headstrong girl, I fear, and will need the firm hand of an older husband to guide her.”

They were speaking as if she were not even there, Nyssa thought irritably. She said in her own defense, ”Why, Aunt, were you not headstrong in your youth? I do seem to remember hearing stories from Mama.”

”Headstrong? Me? I do not recall being headstrong at all,” Bliss replied, but her friend and her niece laughed at her denial.

They had found a quiet spot in which to settle, and the two women seated themselves.

”Tell me about your family,” Adela Marlowe said. As they began to catch up on each other”s lives over these past years, Nyssa grew restless.

Seeing them well-engaged, she slipped off, threading her way carefully through a noisy throng of chattering courtiers. Through the windows Nyssa could see a garden, and when she spied a small door in the same wall, she opened it, stepping out into the crisp morning air. Although it had been cloudy and gray earlier, when they had come to Hampton Court, the skies had finally cleared. The heavens were blue now, and the sun shone brightly down. She drew a long, deep breath. Court was very crowded. Her nose told her that not all the elegantly garbed ladies and gentlemen peopling it were as scrupulous about bathing as she was. It was good to be outdoors, away from them.

Nyssa began to walk slowly about, exploring her surroundings. The garden was filled with many small ponds, each one ringed with heraldic stone beasts set upon pillars. The wood railings edging the flower beds were painted green and white, the Tudor colors. They were empty now of blooms, but neat, and ready for the spring, when it finally would come again. She quickly discovered she was not alone in the garden. A young boy came toward her smiling, and bowed before her.

”You are new at court, lady,” he said, and then he grinned mischievously. ”I know all the pretty girls. I am Hans von Grafsteen. I am the ambassador from Cleves”s personal page.” He swept his velvet bonnet off his blond head and bowed again most politely.

She curtsied to him. ”I am Lady Nyssa Wyndham, sir, come to court to serve the new queen. The king himself has appointed me a maid of honor.”

”She vill like you,” Hans said. ”You are young, and not so stuck-up as many of these ladies are.”

”Two of my brothers have come with me to be pages in her majesty”s household,” Nyssa volunteered. This young boy was not as intimidating as all the other people she had seen inside. ”How old are you?” she asked him. ”I think you are close to my brother Philip”s age, but not quite as old as he is; yet you are older than Giles.”

”How old are your brothers?” he countered.

”Thirteen and nine,” she said.

”I am eleven,” he told her. ”The ambassador is my uncle. He is my mother”s eldest brother, and that is how I obtained my place. Who are your people, my lady Nyssa?”

”I am the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Langford,” she answered him. She did not think it was necessary to explain that Anthony was her stepfather.

”That is not a great name, I think,” Hans said. ”How did you obtain such a coveted appointment as maid of honor to my lady Anne?”

What on earth am I going to tell him? Nyssa wondered briefly. Then a little voice inside her said, Tell him the truth. ”My mother was the king”s mistress many years ago,” she answered him. ”They have remained good friends. When she asked him for this appointment, the king gladly complied.” She was relieved to see that Hans von Grafsteen did not seem in the least shocked by her bold revelation.

Rather, he asked frankly, ”Are you the king”s get, lady?”

Nyssa blushed to the roots of her dark hair. ”Ohh, no, sir! My father was Edmund Wyndham, the third Earl of Langford. I am trueborn. My mother was a widow when she came to court to meet the king.” She would now have to explain everything. ”My mother afterward married my father”s nephew, who was his heir. The only father I can remember is my stepfather.”

”Ahh,” Hans said, smiling. Now it made sense to him.

”Tell me about the lady Anne,” Nyssa said. ”I am told she is fair of face and kind of heart. I am pleased to have been chosen to serve her. What is she really like? What language shall I speak to her?”

The boy looked amused, and then he said, ”Do you speak High Dutch, my lady Nyssa?”

”High Dutch?” She looked puzzled. ”Why, no,” she replied.

”Then you vill not be able to speak to the lady Anne, for it is the only language she knows. In Cleves, vomen, even highborn vomen, are not educated as you English educate your vomen. God and the house; that is vhat the vomen of Cleves know, my lady Nyssa.”

”How will she speak to the king?” Nyssa wondered aloud.

”I think it vill not matter,” Hans said frankly. ”She comes to cement an alliance, and to haf babies. She need not speak for that.”

”Oh, you are wrong, I fear, Hans,” Nyssa told him. ”My mother always told me how greatly the king values an intelligent woman; a clever woman; a woman of wit. He loves music and dancing and cards. Any woman hoping to please him must conform to these standards. Beauty is not enough for the king, although he appreciates a pretty woman.”

”Then my lady Anne is doomed on all accounts,” the boy said. ”She is not really pretty, and knows neither music, or cards. She cannot dance, for dancing and many other such pastimes are thought to be frivolous by the court of Cleves.”

”Ohh, dear,” Nyssa said. ”What will happen to the poor lady if the king is not pleased with her? Hans, you must teach me some words and phrases of High Dutch, so I may help the lady Anne learn to acclimate herself to her new country, and to our ways.”

How kind she is, the boy thought. None of the other women appointed to the lady Anne”s new household had thought to inquire if there was a way they could make their new queen comfortable. Well, he would help Nyssa Wyndham. He had been at the English court for several months now, and he had quickly decided that his poor princess would have a very difficult time of it. Her upbringing had been so strict and sheltered. The English court was going to be a shock to her. ”I vill help you to learn my language, lady. Vhat other languages do you speak?”

”Just French and Latin,” Nyssa admitted, ”although I can read Greek. I was raised in the country, you see, and never thought to come to court.”

”Vhat else did you learn?” he asked, curious.

”Simple sums; I read and write a legible hand; and I know some history.” She smiled at him. ”The languages came easily. The sums were harder, but Mama says a woman must know enough to be sure that she is not being cheated by her servants or the tradesmen.”

He laughed, his bright blue eyes crinkling at the corners. ”Your mama sounds like a practical voman. In Cleves ve like practical vomen. The princess is a practical voman.”

”She will need to be, I fear, if the king does not like her,” Nyssa said. ”Poor lady. It cannot be easy coming from so far away to a strange land with all new customs, and a new language. Do you think she will be able to learn English, Hans?”

”She is not stupid,” Hans replied, ”and although it vill be hard for her at first, I think she vill like England, and its many freedoms. My uncle, who knows her vell, says she is a high-spirited voman, although they haf tried to beat it out of her. A voman should be meek and modest in her behavior.”

Nyssa giggled. ”Not an English woman,” she told him.

He stared at her. ”You are very beautiful vhen you smile,” he said seriously. ”Alas I am too young, and of not high enough stature for an earl”s daughter. Still, ve can be friends, can ve not?”

Nyssa was startled by his frankness, but she managed another smile. He was really very sweet, and she felt safe with him. ”Aye, we can be friends, and I will introduce you to my brothers. Perhaps you can teach them some of your language as well, so they may be of true help to the princess, ah, the queen. She is to be the queen, and we must think of her that way, Hans von Grafsteen.”

”Come,” he said, and he offered her his arm. ”I vill escort you back into the palace. It is becoming vindy, and you must not get sick, or another vill leap forvard to steal your place.”

”Indeed she will,” Nyssa agreed, taking his arm. ”Lady Browne tried to frighten me off when I reported to her this morning, but I have come to serve the queen, and serve her I shall, as loyally and as dutifully as I know how.”

When they reentered the palace, Nyssa found her aunt and Lady Marlowe still engaged in conversation. She had not even been missed. She introduced the ambassador”s page to them, but Adela Marlowe, it seemed, already knew of Hans, and gently corrected Nyssa.

”Baron von Grafsteen, my lady Wyndham,” she said with an arch smile. ”Am I not correct, sir?” She beamed at him.

He nodded, annoyed. He did not like being a baron, but his father had died two years before, and he was the eldest son. There was no help for it. He wished that automatic wealth had at least come with the title.

”Hans is to teach me High Dutch. The lady Anne speaks no other language,” Nyssa informed them. ”I must have lessons with him every day until the queen arrives. I will be more of a help to her if I can at least communicate with her. Do you not think so, Aunt?”

”Indeed,” Bliss said, pleased with Nyssa for her quick thinking. She would wager none of the other girls appointed maids of honor would bother to learn the queen”s tongue. She patted her niece”s hand approvingly.

The Earl of Marwood returned with Lord Marlowe and the young gentlemen. They were introduced to Hans von Grafsteen, and immediately the youngsters became friends. Nyssa felt very much out of place. Her brothers and cousins seemed already at ease in their new surroundings; and her aunt had settled in as comfortably as if she had never left the court at all. Perhaps when the queen came, and she was able to do something other than just stand about, she would feel better. Then suddenly she felt eyes upon her. Looking up, she saw she was being stared at from across the room by a richly clad gentleman. He made her most uncomfortable, and she felt her cheeks grow pink with the heat of embarrassment. She tugged at Lady Marlowe”s sleeve.

”Who is that gentleman staring at me?” she asked her.

Adela Marlowe looked quickly across the chamber, and then she too blushed. ”God”s bones! ”Tis the Earl of March. He”s one of Norfolk”s grandsons, though born on the wrong side of the blanket, I”m told. He”s notorious, my child! A dreadful womanizer! Do not look back lest he believe you to be encouraging him. No maiden of good reputation wants to be seen with Varian de Winter, and a girl seen alone in his company is ruined!”

”He is very handsome,” Nyssa said softly, and she didn”t think he looked like a villain.

”Indeed he is,” Lady Marlowe admitted, ”but he is a dangerous man. Why, I”m told most reliably that. . .” She lowered her voice and whispered to Bliss so that Nyssa could not hear them.

Bliss paled. ”Holy Mother!” she exclaimed.

”I do not suppose you want to tell me,” Nyssa said with some humor.

”You are too young,” her aunt said emphatically.

”I”m old enough to find a husband,” Nyssa teased her.

”There are some things a woman is always too young to know,” Bliss said firmly, ”and this is one of those things.”

The two women went back to their gossiping, and Nyssa snuck another look at Varian de Winter. He was now speaking with a distinguished gentleman, and fortunately did not notice her. He had a hawklike face with strong features. His hair was very black, and she wondered what color his eyes were. Unexpectedly, he turned his head and looked directly at her. Placing his fingertips to his lips, he blew her a kiss, his smile wicked. Nyssa gasped and quickly turned away, her cheeks burning. Ohh, he was bold! She did not dare to gaze back again, to see if he was still looking at her, but the hair on the back of her neck felt all prickly.

DURINGthe next few days she came to Hampton Court each morning after mass and reported to Lady Browne. Nyssa was introduced to the senior ladies-in-waiting chosen for the queen”s household. Two, Lady Margaret Douglas and the Marchioness of Dorset, were the king”s nieces. The Duchess of Richmond was his daughter-in-law, being married to Henry, Duke of Richmond, the king”s bastard son by Elizabeth Blount. There were two countesses, of Hertford and of Rutland; and Ladies Audley, Rochford, and Edgecombe, plus sixty-five other women of lesser rank. Nyssa was presented to the Earl of Rutland, who had been appointed Lord Chamberlain of the new queen”s household. The management of that household would be his responsibility. She met Sir Thomas Denny, to be the queen”s chancellor, or chief secretary, and Dr. Kaye, the kindly cleric appointed the queen”s almoner, or chaplain.

There would be a dozen maids of honor, of which only the Bassett sisters—Katherine and Anne, who were the daughters of Lord Lisle, Governor of Calais—and Nyssa Wyndham could be certain of their appointments. There was a list from which the other girls would be chosen, and of course, the new queen would have maidens with her. Most of them would eventually return to Cleves, making places for other English girls, but certainly one or two would remain with Anne. As the available places were so scarce, there was some grumbling about the appointment of a girl unknown to the court.

The king silenced the carping by greeting Nyssa effusively her second day at court. Spying the girl with Lady Browne, Henry called to her, and Nyssa dutifully came forward to make her curtsey to the king. Henry raised her up himself, kissing her on both cheeks.

”So, my young lady Wyndham, you have arrived safely. What think you of this court of ours? Is it unlike anything you have ever seen?”

”Indeed, Your Grace, it is! I have never been anywhere as grand. Lady Browne is working hard to teach me all I must know to be of true use to our gracious queen. I am even learning High Dutch!”

The king beamed with obvious pleasure. ”Is she not every bit as sweet as her dear mother, my friends?” he demanded of his companions. ”You remember Blaze Wyndham, my little country girl? This is her daughter, Lady Nyssa Catherine Wyndham. She is my personal choice to serve my new queen. I have promised her mother that I would keep her safe here among us, for Blaze was most reluctant to let her go.” He patted Nyssa”s slim hand. ”Run along now, my sweet child, back to Lady Browne.”

Nyssa curtsied once again beneath the king”s approving gaze.

”Well,” murmured Lady Rochford to Lady Edgecombe, ”that”s one place that is well-secured. He has made it quite plain to us all, has he not?”

”Assuredly,” Lady Edgecombe agreed. ”I fear it shall quite pique Lady Browne. Twelve places to fill, and at least half will be from Cleves. Margaret had hoped to benefit from the other six, and here the king has filled three of them with girls who cannot be overruled.”

”I can see places for the Bassett girls,” Lady Rochford said. ”After all, Anne served in Queen Jane”s household, and Katherine with the Duchess of Suffolk, but this Wyndham chit is a nobody. Just because her mother was the king”s plaything all those years ago . . . ” Lady Rochford”s dark eyes grew round with speculation. ”You don”t think the king is interested in the daughter now, do you?”

”Don”t be ridiculous,” replied Lady Edgecombe. ”He”s about to be a bridegroom again, and is already enamoured with the new queen”s portrait. He has no time right now for another woman. Besides, the chit is young enough to be his daughter.”

”The new queen is also young enough to be his daughter,” Lady Rochford noted meanly. ”She is but five months older than Princess Mary.”

Lady Edgecombe looked horrified. ”You are mad to voice such a thing aloud!” she said. ”Are you not satisfied to have been restored to favor despite your unfortunate connections?”

”Connections by marriage only, and I am widowed now,” Jane, Lady Rochford said. ”Remember that I am related to the king himself on my mother”s side, although being related to Henry Tudor is certainly no guarantee of personal safety.”

Winifred Edgecombe paled. ”You will end up without your head one day, Jane,” she warned. ”As for Lady Nyssa Wyndham, the king has remained friends with her mother. And the girl, I am told by Lady Marlowe, is an heiress.”

”So, the chit has something to recommend her besides her beauty,” Lady Rochford noted. ”Still, only the highest born should serve the queen. It was that way in Queen Jane”s time . . . and before. ”

She was referring to her late sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn. Jane Rochford had had an unhappy marriage to Anne”s brother, George; but Anne, who adored her sibling, could see no wrong in George. In the end, Jane had had her revenge on them both. They were dead, and she was in favor again. Lady Rochford smiled coldly. She gazed across the room at Nyssa Wyndham. She was young, and beautiful, and rich; but it took a great deal more than just those attributes to survive at court. You will have to be clever, little one, she thought. If you are not clever, you will not survive. Yes, you will have to be most clever, I think.