Read Cor Rotto: A novel of Catherine Carey for Free Online Page B

could,” he said wistfully.
    I was taken aback. How could he know I was the king’s daughter? Then I remembered the conversation between Lord Lisle and Stafford back in Calais and it dawned on me that the rumours had probably run rampant since I arrived at Court. It was impossible to deny the physical similarities and now that my cousin, the Lady Elizabeth, had been to visit, it was even more evident. She and I looked more alike than her recognised sister, the Lady Mary. My sadness turned to anger, and I leapt from my seat.
    “Who? Who has he chosen?” I spat out. I could feel my rage boiling to the surface. I could never choose anything. I would have to suffer the same restraints as Mary and Elizabeth, with none of the benefits of being recognised as a royal bastard. No household, no precedence, no dynastic marriage. I would always be under suspicion and the order of the king.
    Richard wrapped his arms around me. Stroking my hair he whispered, “Catherine, please be calm. I know that you are angry, but this is the life you have been given. The king has chosen a fine man for you. Since I have been at Court, I have come to know Francis Knollys. He is kind and generous. He is loyal to the king and, unlike the other men here, he does not connive in dark corners or play sides. He came to the stables today and as I prepared his mount he could not cease talking about you. He told me that the king is waiting for Stafford to come back to Court to tell you. I realised then that we would have to stop our visits.”
    I knew Stafford had gone to Cottered to help my mother move to Rochford Hall. My great-grandmother had died and she had finally received her inheritance. I had missed her since I left Calais and was looking forward to Stafford’s return because he would be bringing her with him. Now I knew why they would be making the journey to Court and I began to dread it.
    I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, the rough stubble brushing my lips, soft and swollen from my crying, and then I pulled away from Richard, though everything in my heart begged me not to.
    “I have to go,” I whispered. “I have been careless. If anyone found me my reputation would be in question.”
    Richard nodded sadly.
    The situation was hopeless. I tried to put on a brave face but I was dying inside. “This may be for the best. My love for you has made me reckless and I can’t bear to put you in danger. I must do as my father bids. I wish the best for you Richard, and I will always hold you in my heart.”
    I turned from him and ran back into the castle without looking back. I knew that if I did not leave, I would lose my resolve and I cared too much for Richard to put him in danger. I slipped quietly back into my bedchamber. Nan was snoring softly across the room, Ursula’s arm was hanging off the side of her bed, but my own was empty. Where a sleeping Katherine should have been there was a pile of pillows. It seemed that I was not the only one of the queen’s ladies to be slipping out into the night. I put my shift back on and climbed under the quilted counterpane. I tried to fight back the tears but they came anyway and eventually I found release in sleep.
    I spent the next few days in a haze. I went about my duties with all the other maids-of-honour, but my heart was not in it. Every evening that we ate in the great hall I scanned the faces, seeing if I could spot the man I was to marry. After three days of this, Nan Bassett elbowed me at the table.
    “What is the matter with you?” she whispered, concern written all over her face.
    “I will tell you later,” I murmured, straightening my posture and forcing a smile. I had to contain my sadness or I would be the subject of more rumours than my paternity.
    Later that night, Nan and Katherine cornered me as I readied for bed.
    “Catherine, are you all right?” asked Nan, arms crossed, foot tapping. “Why have you been acting so strange?”
    “Where were you the other night?” asked