Arthur

Chapter 26

Arthur, Prince of Wales; Ludlow, Wales, England. January 1502

 

The first month of the year is finally on its end, and my wife has, at last, found full comfort in our new house. As I had predicted, Lady Margaret Pole and Catalina grew much fond of each other. They had left the room that day smiling and laughing, as they had been friends from a long date.

Lady Margaret became Catalina’s main advisor and tutor, which visibly displeased Doña Elvira. During the days, while I was absent meeting ambassadors and tutors, Catalina would sit with Lady Margaret on her chambers where she would learn English. They would also discuss geography, history and religion, for much their amusement and much the ladies-in-waiting despair. Everyone expected my wife to be more festive in our first year of marriage, and daily throw balls, dances and all sorts of entertainment. However, Catalina was much more interested in learning about the country she would rule one day. The talks about our navy and ships would amuse her, as well as how the weather affected the plantations and creation of cattle. It surprised my young bride how the water was abundant, while in Spain they needed to make ducts to transport water from long distances. She tried to understand the gardening techniques we had, but it was not enough for a girl who had grown up surrounded by the marvelous and rich gardens of Alhambra. I knew she still missed her home very much.

Catalina never grew fond of the food we had. She would eat very little and would barely touch the ale. After I inquired her about it, she confessed she was not very fond of meat, and that in Spain she had been raised in a vegetarian diet. It could not have surprised me more to imagine people eating raw plants and fruits. Catalina laughed and explained that they would wash them with clean water and boil before eating, and that fresh fruits would taste better than the crystalized fruits we used to have.

“It is healthy and avoids stomach pains as well as many diseases.” She insisted, one night.

“Well, it’s bizarre! Who told you that?”

“The Moors.” She replied. “Who better than them to know? They are the healthiest people you can ever meet. And they believe health begins at what you eat.”

“You know, Catalina, I don’t understand it sometimes.” I confessed. “Your parents sent the Moors away for being heretics, but you always mention how their knowledge is broadly used among the Spanish court. How can that be?”

“They are heretics.” Catalina explained. “They have no limitations. They would do anything to obtain knowledge, even violate a dead person only to know what there is inside them. This knowledge is sinful and must be banned, because God would not want us to do this.”

“However, there are useful knowledge that were not obtained by sin. We reckon that the Moors went ahead in many senses; there are no better maps and carts than the Moorish ones, no better medicines and treatments. You won’t find anyone who knows better about plantations, weather and geography matters. They even know the best way to wash clothes, which fabrics can be washed and how to preserve them! We allowed those who agreed to convert themselves to the only Faith to keep practicing those.”

“They agreed to convert?”

“Not all of them. Most simply ran away.”

“They sound fascinating.”

“They have their qualities,” she conceded. “But unless they don’t agree to follow God’s will, then they should be treated as any other heretic.”

“I can imagine how much my Lady Grandmother would like them.” I smiled, making Catalina laugh.

“Does she like anybody?” She asked. “She seems so distant from everybody…”

“I don’t think she does, no. She sees people, including my father and I, as instruments for her work.”

Catalina nodded, as she had already come to that conclusion.

“What about your other grandmother?”

“She has passed away years ago.”

“I know that. But how was she like? Did she love her children, or were they simply instruments for her work?”

I paused before answering that. Truth be told, I had heard many different theories about my other grandmother’s motivations. Most of them had been told me by my grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, but I knew it was of little credit due the fact she could not stand her. She would often call Queen Elizabeth ‘a woman of a poor lineage’ and ‘worldly, vain and ambitious.’ My mother’s recollections of her own mother, however, were filled with mixed emotions: some of love and fondness, and some of anger and bitterness.

“I had very little contact with Queen Elizabeth Woodville.” I said. “But I remember her as a caring, loving and beautiful woman. Her smile was contagious, though she would not smile too often during her last years. I know she never gave up on any of her children until her last day on Earth. I would say she loved them all very dearly. However, she was also a Queen. It is difficult to conceal your feelings when you carry the weight of a crown. Despite that, she knew how to love, that’s out of question.”

My wife listened carefully, and seemed to be very thoughtful about that.

“What is it, Catalina?”

“I wonder what would happen if, by chance, her sons had survived.”

I sighed. “I myself have thought about it many times. But it does not matter. They are long gone.”

“Are they?” She asked, mysteriously, as she put her head in my shoulder. “Oh, are they, really?”