the heir's secret

the queen has arrived

I look up to the sky and feel the light cool breeze on my face. The slight chill of the air make my cheeks shine bright red. Suddenly I hear horses hooves approaching and look to see Elizabeth coming back from her ride with Lord Dudley with a smile on her face. She has not smiled in such a long time that it looks strange, I notice that a strand of hair has escaped from her gable hood, this would usually annoy a person so obsessed with her looks as Elizabeth but at this moment it does not seem to mind her at all. Robert Dudley helps Elizabeth get down from the horse and almost falls in doing so making her laugh but her laugh has a sudden stop as she looks out across the field. I look to see a whole court load of horses approach Heveningham house and realise it must be important.

"Kate, come with me we must go back." She says as she climbs back onto her horse. I climb quickly onto the back and hold onto her tightly, I have never much liked horses. Quickly we gallop back to the house leaving Lord Dudley and Elizabeth's ladies behind and reach the main hall just as lady Mary Tudor walks in with her riding gloves and hat still on. Elizabeth and I bow as low as we can as she approaches.

"Dearest sister." She says as a servant approaches to take off her cloak

"Mary." Elizabeth replies. My whole body tenses as I hear what she said. Everyone knows that Mary wants to be called your majesty and by not doing so Elizabeth had just told everyone that she believed Jane was the rightful Queen of England. She is walking on treacherous ground. For a while Mary does not reply. But then she takes a deep breath and goes back to how she was before.

"I am to go to London tommorrow, as I assume you have already guessed. This is not easy for me to say but I want you to ride into London by my side, the people love you, you have father's spirit and I think your presence may draw people towards me." I can feel everyone's tension in the room as we wait for Elizabeth's answer.

"I am honoured, your grace," Elizabeth answers with a confidence that reminds me so much of her father, "But I do not wish to go against my cousin, I will feel too guilty. I hope your grace will understand." The whole room goes silent as everyone tries to hold in their gasps. Nothing is said for a while as Mary glares at her sister who kneels on the floor before her with her head bowed and I see a moment of pride as she realises that the child born from the woman who was the cause of her mother's downfall is kneeling before her and triumph lights up on her face.

"Then do not expect a place at court when I am made Queen. You will stay here, and here you will stay until I have a son." And with that she leaves with the door slamming behind her. Elizabeth stays on the floor in shock for a few moments then rises slowly like a chick emerging from its shell.

"Poor Jane." Is all she says before she runs out of the hall. I follow her down the corridor but her chamber door is slammed in my face and I hear cries from within. My heart aches as I realise the pain that she is going through. Mary is cruel and everyone around her knows it. When she does become Queen I know for a fact that she will not make England great like she so claims she will easily do but instead she will be digging the hole for England to fall.

I wake up in the coolness of the morning and look around my room. I did not sleep well last night as all I had heared was Elizabeth's weeps of despair in the room opposite mine. After enduring it for an hour I had got up and knocked on her chamber door, begging her to let me inside but she had not answered. But as I sit here now I hear nothing but a few birds from outside and servants laughing as they cross the grass to the kitchen. I rise from my bed and without getting dressed first I exit my room and stand outside Elizabeth's chamber. I hesitate for a while as I strain to hear any cries or sounds from within but there is nothing but silence so I knock on the door. Still there is no answer but I assume she is sleeping, so I turn on my heels and walk back to get dressed. But what if she isn't sleeping? Suddenly panic flows all the way down my body and I stop walking. I run back to her door and bang it with my fists.
"Elizabeth!" I scream as I try to smash down the door with my fists I repeat this until I feel my hands going red. Suddenly I feel the door knob turn and the door flies open. I jump back as quick as I can so I do not have a door smashed into my face. There before me stands Elizabeth with her clothes all ruffled with sleep and a look of pure anger on her face. Before she can speak I run into her arms and put my arms round her neck, crying into her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She asks as my tears dampen her nightgown sleeve.

"I thought you... I thought...."

"Hush" she interrupts me. "I'm fine. Come on stop those tears." As I raise my head and look into her eyes I see no more anger just a tiredness from not alot of sleep. Elizabeth looks behind me and a little giggle escapes from her lips. I look around and see about ten servants just peering inside with a look of utter shock on their faces, they must have came over when I had been screaming but I had been so absorbed in what I was doing that I hadn't even noticed them. Suddenly they realise what they are doing and quickly scurry away making me and Elizabeth laugh as they try to pretend they were never there.

"Would you like some wine?" Elizabeth asks as she shuts the door behind us.

"Please." I reply while wiping my eyes. "Elizabeth, I am so sorry for what I just did, I didn't mean to cause a scene." Elizabeth laughs as she replies.

"Servants are people, they are just as curious about a loud noise just as you and I are."

"I know. I hope I haven't embarrassed you." I reply as she hands me a silver goblet filled to the top with red wine.

"The only person you have embarrassed is yourself. Though I wouldn't worry about it." She sits down beside me and takes a long sip from her goblet. "What did you think I did?" She asks, looking me in the eyes all the while I wonder if she can truly see what I am feeling just by looking at my face. "Did you think I had killed myself?" She says without waiting for my reply for her last question. I look down into my lap with shame of what I had assumed without fully thinking about it. I had made a fool of myself.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. At least I now know that you are truly a loyal friend, and I do not have many of them and never have." She walks over to the window and opens it allowing the cool morning breeze to creep through and cool the large room. She pauses as she breaths the fresh air from outside. "Let us go for a ride. I so wish to feel the wind through my hair." She pauses as she releases her beautiful ginger hair from her nightcap "I am so sick of feeling trapped."