The King's Artist

Ch 52: Margaret Beaufort's Letter

Adelaide watched Henry carefully as he read over the letter delivered from his mother, Margaret Beaufort. She had been their primary source of information over the past few months and had been diligent about writing to them every little detail about the events transpiring in England at the moment.

She rarely had any good news.

With the changing of the weather came letter after letter bearing ill news. It had been Margaret that had informed them that Duke Richard had declared his nephew illegitimate and was steps away from successfully stealing the throne for himself. And though Margaret couldn't confirm it, she was fairly certain that the young twelve-year-old King Edward and his younger brother Richard were dead, since no one had seen or heard from the princes after they arrived at the Tower of London.

From the sour look on Henry's face, this letter was no different from those. He handed it to Adelaide without a word and turned away from her to look out the window. The soldiers could be seen training out in the fields, but Henry's gaze didn't appear to be focused on them. His gaze didn't appear to be focused on anything. His brown eyes were glassy and hollow as if they were the eyes of a dead man.

Adelaide hesitantly read through the letter, taking in Henry's mother's words carefully. She had initially addressed it to Jasper, who had read its contents first, but his expression hadn't been any better. He currently sat at his desk with his head in his hands.

Adelaide glanced over at Kayden and Charity who were in the room with them. Kayden looked worried, but he was doing his best to keep a collected demeanor. Charity sat near the hearth with a sleeping Roland curled into her side. She was uncomfortable. She had been present when the letter had first been delivered but had lost her chance to excuse herself.

"Addie," the girl asked softly. Her eyes wavered nervously and she tightened her arm around Roland. "What does the letter say?"
Adelaide gritted her teeth as her eyes roamed over the words. She felt numb as she read. By the end, she had to resist crumbling the paper up in her hands and throwing it into the fire. She wanted to scream. She wanted to break something. She wanted to cry.

But, of course, she couldn't do that. Not here.

"Henry's mother," she began in a steady voice, "has started working with Elizabeth Woodville in order to help Henry take the throne."
Charity's lips parted slightly as she looked towards Kayden. The soldier's face was stiff, but he didn't look away from Adelaide, who was still looking at the paper in the hands.

"Elizabeth Woodville," Charity echoed. The previous Queen of England. "Why would she form an alliance with Lady Beaufort?"
Neither Adelaide nor Henry spoke.

Finally, Jasper raised his head. His eyes were sunken and tired, and he seemed regretful as if the situation was his doing. His tone was heavy as he spoke. "Elizabeth Woodville has agreed to support Henry's claim to the throne on the condition that he marry her eldest daughter."

The room fell quiet.

Kayden's fits tightened at his side as he turned his stent ion from Adelaide to Henry who was still wordlessly staring out the window. Charity's face twisted in horror and her mouth hung open wordlessly. She looked towards Adelaide with pity in her eyes, but the other girl couldn't tear her gaze away from the letter. Adelaide's eyes hurt as she stared at the name scrawled at the bottom of the page.

Elizabeth of York. So that was the name of the woman who would take Henry from her. Adelaide knew this day would come eventually, but now that it was here she wasn't sure how she was supposed to act. It was an advantageous marriage, after all, with the former Queen of England. It would unite the Yorks and Lancasters under the Tudor name. There were now far fewer obstacles in Henry's way, but Adelaide couldn't find it in herself to even be slightly happy for him.

"If you'll excuse me," Kayden said abruptly. He bowed to Jasper and Henry, and strolled towards Adelaide, his green eyes dark and unwavering. Adelaide was too fixated on the paper to resist. She could barely feel Kayden's grip on her wrist as he pulled her from the room.

Nothing came into focus as they walked through the halls. Eventually, they arrived at Adelaide's quarters and Kayden secured the door firmly behind them before turning to face her. For a long time, though, all Adelaide did was stare at the letter while standing in the middle of her room.

"Adelaide," Kayden said gently, taking a step towards her.

"You must be happy," she said abruptly, finally lifting her head. Her blue eyes were steely and hard, filled with anger and rage that she was barely containing as she looked at Kayden.

"Why would I be happy?" He asked, his voice heavy.

"Because you never wanted me being with Henry in the first place," she spat, her tone suddenly harsh and venomous. "Weren't you looking forward to the day he would leave me?"

"Adelaide," Kayden tried again, but she cut him off.

"You love me, don't you?" She asked, her words biting into the soldier like they were a physical attack. Kayden's face abruptly burned red, but he didn't back down and refused to look away from her.

"Yes," he answered honestly. "I do."

"Did you think once Henry married someone else I would be yours?" Adelaide hated the words as soon as they left her mouth. She knew she was being cruel. Kayden had been nothing but kind to her since they had first met, and yet here she was taking out her anger on him. She wanted to yell at someone, to hurt someone as badly as she was hurting.

"No," he said solemnly. He took the last step towards Adelaide and forced her to look him in the eyes. "I do love you, Adelaide, but all I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. I don't need anything from you. I know things have been awkward between us, but I'm still your friend. I'm still here for you."

Adelaide's vision became blurry as she looked at Kayden. It was as if his eyes were telling her it was okay to cry. It was okay to break for a moment.

And break she did.

Adelaide crumbled into Kayden's arms, sobbing. She grabbed the front of his shirt, crumbling the letter in her hand as she did. Her legs gave way and Kayden sunk with her to the ground, holding her tightly as if the pressure of his arms would somehow keep her together. He stroked her hair and muttered comforting words into her ear despite knowing that there was nothing he could do or say to ease her pain. Because if there was an absolute truth in this world, it was that Adelaide loved Henry. And Henry was going to marry someone else.