“Yes,” Norfolk answers. His face is wrought with tenderness. His hand twitches at his side. He wants to reach out to her, I deduce.
“Who is this little creature?” she asks, and a wistful smile plays upon her thin lips.
She lifts my chin with two velvet fingertips. I manage to lower my eyes in respect.
“May I present my daughter, Mary,” Norfolk answers.
“Ah, so you have brought another Howard girl to court,” she tells my father. She removes her hand from my chin. “To ensure we do not run out?”
Norfolk does not answer.
The queen emits a small, mirthless laugh. “I must attend Mass now. Do you and your little girl wish to accompany me, my lord duke?” She does not wait for him to respond. “No, I suppose not. Attending Mass with the queen has grown quite out of fashion of late, I think.”
She moves on and my mother joins her small assemblage of ladies. Norfolk bows, holding the position until she has long since passed.
When he rights himself his eyes are shimmering with unshed tears.
I avert my head, realizing with a pang that while my father is avowed to Mother and enthralled with Bess, it is Queen Catherine of Aragon he respects.
It is an esteem I, too, hope to earn.
About the Author
Darcey Bonnette is a history major, singer and keyboard player. She makes her home in Central Wisconsin with her husband, their four children and a menagerie of pets. To learn more about her, check out her website, www.dlbogdan.com, and her blog at www.dlbogdan.blogspot.com.
Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction.
AVON
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First published by Kensington Publishing, New York, 2012
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Copyright © Darcey Bonnette 2012
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Source ISBN: 9780007490738
Ebook Edition © October 2012 ISBN: 9780007488070
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