The Rose Without a Thorn Read online

  “You mean, I am going away … from home?”

  It had suddenly become very dear to me, with all its squalor and deprivations—and its comforting freedom.

  “You will look back on this place and wonder how you could have endured it.”

  I was surprised that she could talk thus of her new home and the family which she had willingly accepted as her own; or was it willingly? Had the Troyes thought it good for their daughter to marry into the Howard family? Even to such an impoverished member of it?

  “I would rather stay here,” I said.

  “My dear child, you speak with folly! The Duchess has a fine establishment in Horsham. She also has a mansion in Lambeth, but it is to Horsham you will go.”

  “Oh, no … please …”

  “It is your father’s wish. He has long been anxious about you children, and hoped that one of the illustrious members of your family would help in this way.”

  “But why me?”

  “Because Her Grace took a liking to you. Come. You must not be foolish. You must rejoice in your good fortune.”

  “I like being here with my brothers and sisters.”

  “There is not one of them who will not envy you.”

  “Must I go?”

  She nodded. Then she laughed.

  “Oh, you are indeed foolish to be the smallest bit downcast. This is great good luck for you. You will grow up as a Howard should. I know it is great distress to your father that he could not give his family what by right of birth should be theirs. You must never forget that you belong to the Howard family, which is one of the foremost in England. The Howards have been close friends of kings and would have remained in favor if they had not been true to the House of York. They have always been loyal upholders of the Crown, and if York had not been defeated by Tudor, they would have continued in their glory. It was a Duke of Norfolk who carried Richard III’s sword of state at his coronation.”

  “I know,” I said. My mother had told me that many times. Were they not always reminding me of the importance of the family?

  She was not to be diverted. I expected she had had to listen to such talk when she had been persuaded to marry a man who could offer her, along with a ready-made family and a life of poverty, a famous name.

  “Your grandfather was committed to the Tower because he was loyal to a king to whom he had sworn allegiance, and you know he was robbed of his titles and estates because of this. Fortunately for him, King Henry VII was an astute man and recognized his qualities, and after Flodden, he restored him to favor.”

  It had been told to me many times, I reminded her.

  “Your grandmother, the second wife of this illustrious Duke, is now offering you a home with her. You cannot be so young and ignorant as not to realize what this means. The Duchess would be received at Court. Who knows, there might be a time when you could go there. Imagine that—especially now, when your cousin might be very highly placed. So you are a foolish child indeed if you do not rejoice in this great good fortune which is to come to you.”

  “When am I to go?”

  “The Duchess is already sending those who will conduct you to her house. You will not take much with you.” She smiled ruefully. “What have you to take? Not those patched gowns of yours, certainly. Oh, you will find it very different in the household of the Duchess! She is sending grooms and there will be a woman to look after you. It is all settled and soon you will have said good-bye to all this.” She waved her hand disparagingly. “You will be living the life which will be right and proper for a young girl of such a family as that to which you belong.”

  * * *

  I was of a sanguine nature and, after the first shock, I began to look forward to the change.

  My brothers and sisters were clearly envious. “Our grandmother of Norfolk,” they said. “Why, this could mean you have one foot in the Court.”

  I tried to imagine what it would be like at Court. Dancing, singing, fine clothes and a glimpse of the King who, so I had heard, was big, strong and handsome. There was talk about a “secret matter,” which must be very exciting, particularly because my own cousin Anne was involved in it.

  Of course, my grandmother would be there. She had changed in my imagination from the formidable old lady and become young and beautiful, exquisitely gowned, taking me to Court with her. I must make the deepest curtsy I had ever made to the King … and the Queen, the lady from Spain, who had been married to the King’s brother before he died. I was surprised that I could remember so much of that, for I had listened only vaguely in the past.

  So, I forgot my fears and basked in the envy of my siblings, and on that day when the little cortège arrived at Lambeth, prepared to take me on the journey to Horsham, I was in a mood of eager anticipation.

  Nights in the Long Room

  I WAS OVERAWED BY THE GRANDEUR of my new home and, as we approached the great stone edifice with its battlemented towers and embrasures, I felt a touch of nostalgia for the one I had left.

  We passed through the gates and were in a cobbled courtyard. There seemed to be people everywhere, chattering, laughing, and all very interested in our arrival.

  One girl cried out: “’Tis Her Grace’s granddaughter. She is come!”

  They clustered round me, laughing, familiar, friendly.

  “Her Grace did say that Mistress Katherine Howard should be brought to her as soon as she arrived.”

  “Marry, she did,” said another.

  One of the men lifted me down from my horse. I felt tired and a little unsteady after riding far that day; but I was very excited.

  They surrounded me as we went into the hall, which was like ours at Lambeth, built in the same style, extending, I imagined, the whole length of the house; but the timbers in the roof here were more elaborately carved. At one end of the hall was a dais on which was a long table; and there were big windows looking out over lawns. The weapons on the walls were highly polished and, as I looked round and compared this hall with the one I had just left, I realized afresh how dingy and neglected ours had become.

  There was little time to dwell on comparisons, for I was hustled through a door and, with a girl on either side of me, taken up a staircase, through a gallery and up more stairs until I arrived at what I guessed to be the Duchess’s apartments.

  She was seated and seemed as regal as she had in the hall at Lambeth. She looked as though she had just awakened from a doze.

  One of the girls who had escorted me remained beside me, the other left us.

  The girl who was with me curtsied to the Duchess and said: “Your Grace. Mistress Katherine Howard is come.”

  The Duchess yawned and looked about her as though not quite sure where she was. Then she said: “Ah, Katherine Howard.” She seemed as though she were trying to recall who I was. “So, here you are. Pretty child. Tell me, how old are you?”

  “I am ten years old, Your Grace.”

  “Very young. But it was no place for you in your father’s house. You’ll be better here.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  “Yes, you do have a look of your cousin. It is hard to say what, but it’s there. The Howard look. We can hope you do as well as she has.” She laughed. “You could not do that, of course, but I see a bright future for you. Too young to go to Court yet.”

  She laughed again suddenly. “You lack the grace of your cousin. You may see her one day. Then you will understand what I mean by that. But you do have a look of her. The Howard look. I saw that at once. You could have stayed there in your father’s house and been passed by. You’re too pretty for that.”

  She yawned again and half closed her eyes. I did not know what I was expected to do, and suddenly I wanted to be back with my brothers and sisters—even with my elder brother, who despised us younger ones, and my domineering sister Margaret, who did everything better than I did. Yes, I was already thinking lovingly of the squalor and dingy hangings, the unpolished furniture, the meals that were never on time and scanty
when they did come.

  My grandmother seemed to remember why she had sent for me, for she suddenly said to the girl who had brought me to her: “Isabel shall look after her. Go and bring Isabel to me.”

  The girl disappeared and my grandmother half-closed her eyes again, and there was nothing else for me to do but study the room while I awaited the arrival of Isabel.

  Through an open door, I saw the bedroom containing a large four-poster bed with bed curtains in elaborately embroidered material. I could glimpse an ornate carved chest. The walls of the room in which I waited were covered in tapestries which depicted battles, in which I presumed members of the family had taken part and scored successes. There was a painting of a very splendid gentleman, whom I guessed to be my grandfather, the second Duke of Norfolk.

  I studied him intently, remembering that he was my father’s father, who had been a prisoner in the Tower of London until Henry VII, the present King’s father, realized he should be working for him instead of being his prisoner, and then he had won the Battle of Flodden Field and worked with the King ever since.

  The girl who had brought me to the Duchess then came in with another young woman of about seventeen years of age, buxom and lively looking; she had light green eyes, closely set together, and rather thin lips that were not in accord with the rather frivolous nature with which I was to become familiar.

  Isabel made a deep curtsy to my grandmother and said: “Your Grace sent for me.”

  “Ah,” said my grandmother, rousing herself from what seemed to have been a delightful dream which she was reluctant to leave. “Isabel, this is my granddaughter, Mistress Katherine Howard. She is come to live with us. You will see that she is looked after as becomes her rank.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.”

  “You will show her where she will sleep.”

  “Your Grace will have given orders.”

  The Duchess yawned again and nodded. “You will look after her and show her the customs of the household. Now, you may take her away.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.”

  Isabel looked at me and smiled, and we both made a deep curtsy to my grandmother. We went out together, followed by the girl who had first taken me to my grandmother’s apartment.

  As soon as the door shut, Isabel and the other girl laughed silently, and Isabel said: “Mistress Katherine Howard, of the great Howard family, I shall be your guide and I shall make it my pleasure to attend you.”

  We had moved away from the door as the girls’ laughter was no longer silent. I thought this was all rather odd, but it seemed jolly, and I said: “Thank you, Isabel.”

  “I am going to show you how we live here, Mistress Howard. We have good fun, do we not?” she asked of the other.

  There was a nodding of heads and secret smiling.

  “We shall have to remember that you are Mistress Katherine Howard, of course.”

  That made them laugh again, and then they put on rather prim looks, which I understood were not to be taken seriously.

  I expected to be taken to my apartment, but Isabel quickly discovered that none had been prepared for me and that I was to sleep in the Long Room.

  That seemed to amuse Isabel. In fact, I was discovering that a great deal amused her.

  My memories of that day are a little hazy. I ate dinner at a long table in the hall near the kitchens. Isabel sat beside me and there was a great deal of chatter among the young people. Isabel told them that I was the Duchess’s granddaughter, Mistress Katherine Howard—one of the family and “please do not forget it,” she added, at which they all laughed.

  They were friendly enough and some of the men—and one of the girls—told me I was very pretty; and one of the men added that I should find much that was interesting here; and that seemed to amuse most of them. All I had to do, they said, was grow up … just a little … but not too much.

  A good deal of what they said seemed to have a hidden meaning which I could not understand but which to them seemed very funny: and I was so fascinated by all these people that I forgot to be homesick.

  By evening time I was very sleepy. Isabel had been my companion all through the day. She showed me the house and the grounds, and introduced me to people always with the words: “Mistress Katherine Howard, the Duchess’s granddaughter.” And she always added: “Pray, do not forget she is a Howard.” Then they would laugh. I could not understand why.

  Isabel noticed how tired I was.

  “Marry,” she said, “’Twas a long journey. You need to sleep.”

  “Thank you,” I replied. “Will you be so kind as to show me my bedchamber.”

  “I have learned,” replied Isabel, “that you are to sleep in the Long Room with the rest of us, as no separate apartment has been prepared for you. The Duchess must think you are so young that you need me to be near you in case you should need anything. Did you sleep alone in your home?”

  “No. With my sisters.”

  “So you have sisters. And brothers?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did they sleep in the same bedchamber?”

  I saw that look in Isabel’s eyes which I already knew meant she was enjoying some secret joke.

  “Oh no,” I said. “Just my sisters.”

  “Well, you will not be lonely in the Long Room, I promise you. I will take you now. Then you can fall asleep before the others come to bed.”

  “What others will there be?”

  “The other ladies. All those of us who attend upon Her Grace. We have one large room in which we sleep. The Long Room. I will show you.”

  She took me up some stairs. The Long Room was almost at the top of the house.

  I looked at it in amazement. It was indeed long, and there were two rows of beds in it. On some of them lay garments.

  My first thought was one of relief. I had imagined myself sleeping in some ghostly chamber alone. I should have plenty of company here.

  I turned and smiled at Isabel and she returned my smile.

  “Here you will have some amusement,” she said. “And, Mistress Katherine Howard, I believe you are of a kind to enjoy the fun. This will be your bed. Here … at the end. I shall draw the curtains about it so that you will not be disturbed when the others come to bed. Then you will quickly recover from your long journey.”

  “I am sure I shall, and, to tell the truth, I like not to sleep alone.”

  That amused her again. “No, you are not of that kind, Mistress Howard.” She hesitated. “Some of the girls can be very merry. Heed them not. Just sleep tonight, and tomorrow you will feel as fresh and well as you ever did, I’ll warrant.”

  Isabel had drawn the curtains. I was exhausted by the long journey and my new experiences. I soon fell into a deep slumber, completely unaware that the first step toward my ultimate doom had been taken.

  It is not the following days which live in my memory … but the nights; and it was on my second one that I first witnessed some of the strange scenes which occurred in the Long Room after the household had retired.

  I had gone early to bed and lay there with the curtains drawn, as Isabel had advised, because, she said, the ladies were apt to forget how late it was when they came to bed and when others, like Mistress Katherine Howard, might be wanting to sleep.

  I was not so tired as I had been on the previous night, yet it was my custom to fall asleep as soon as I lay down, and this I did, to be awakened some time later by the sound of low laughter.

  I opened my eyes. I could see the light of some candles through a gap in the bed curtains, and I lay there listening.

  People were talking in low voices; there was a good deal of giggling and what I imagined to be suppressed laughter. I lay in my bed, wondering what was happening beyond my curtains.

  I guessed that several of the girls were awake. Certain sounds made me wonder whether there was some sort of feast. I could contain my curiosity no longer. I must see what was happening out there.

  I slipped out of bed, stood close to the bed curtains
and, very cautiously, parted them.

  It was a strange scene. A number of the girls were sitting up in bed. I could not believe that I saw aright, for the girls were not alone. Young men were there. Some of them were lying on the beds, their arms about the girls.

  I had been right. They were eating and drinking. Several held goblets in their hands and it was clear that they were having a very happy time.

  I could not understand why the young men were there. They had their own apartments, surely. Some of the men were familiar to me, for I had already seen them about the house. The Duchess had a big retinue of people to serve her, and among these were the young men and women of lesser houses whose parents sought to introduce them into a ducal establishment.

  They were whispering together and, young as I was, I was old enough to know that they were doing something which, if it reached the ears of those in authority, would bring dire punishment upon these men and girls. I was stunned, shocked; and I knew they must not catch me spying.

  I went silently back to bed and lay there shivering—not with cold, but with fear. I was asking myself what I ought to do about this startling discovery.

  The next day, Isabel said to me: “I saw you last night. You were peeping through the curtains. What did you see?”

  I felt myself blushing.

  “Come, Mistress Howard,” urged Isabel. “You must tell me.”

  I stammered: “I saw the women … in their beds.”

  “Yes. What else?”

  “I saw the men … beside them.”

  “It was just a little gathering … of friends. An entertainment. You understand? It is the sort of party people have when they are grown up.”

  “I did not know.”

  “Of course you did not. You are not grown up, are you? You did not live in a great house like this one. There is much you do not know, but you will see and learn here. Have you told anyone what you saw?”

  “No. No one has asked me.”

  “If your grandmother should …”

  “I did not see my grandmother.”