the heir's secret

jealousy

I feel my feet slide from underneath me and suddenly my whole body falls down to the ground. My side falls into the mud with a loud squelch, pain shoots through my body. Elizabeth roars with laughter as I try to pick myself up. What a fool! I have embarrassed myself terribly. Suddenly I feel a hand on my arm and I look up to see Robert Dudley. He is dressed in green silk with his chignon tied closely to his neck. I notice instantly that his beard is trimmed in the latest fashion. He smiles at me and that is when I notice my dress. It was a beautiful blue silk with delicate stitching and pearls and now it is Brown with slushy mud all over it. I pull myself up refusing his arm for help. Elizabeth runs over, holding her stomach with laughter, I glare at her. She has always made Embarassing situations worse she just can't help herself. Once I had fallen over at a dance in front of the entire court and she had laughed so much that I had to leave because of embarrassment.

Finally she stops laughing so hysterically and smiles at me. "You silly fool, what we're you doing running in the mud?"

"I wasn't running in the mud." I reply with distaste, "I was running and didn't notice that there was mud before me." Elizabeth bursts out into laughter again making me feel like smacking her.

"I am sorry, Kate," Robert pipes in with a huge smirk on his face. "I assume you were running to tell her I was here."

"No I was not." I reply while glaring at him. " Actually I had no idea you were here."

"Come now." Elizabeth says stopping my knife sharp glare. "What is it you wanted, Kate?" I grab Elizabeth's arm pulling her away from Dudley. I move far enough so that he cannot overhear a word we say. I notice she tries to keep a small distance away from the mud covering my dress.

"You have a reply." I finally tell her as I take a sealed letter from the pocket of my dress, a small splash of mud on the paper. Slowly Elizabeth opens the letter and reads its contents. As she reads it I look over at Robert to see that he has now walked over to Elizabeth's maids and is obviously flirting with them. I really do hate that man. Finally Elizabeth folds the paper and looks at me. "What did he say?" I ask as soon as she looks up from the paper in her hands.

"He thanks me mainly, and says he will make me queen." I pause as I think about what to say but before I can say anything Elizabeth looks down at my dress and smiles again, a little chuckle escapes from her lips. "We must get you a new dress." She takes my hand and we walk back indoors this time walking around the mud and leaving Dudley outside. When we reach Elizabeth's dress room I decide to burn the letter in the flame from a candle leaving no reminiscence of the paper left.

"What about this one?" She asks making me turn around. She is holding up one of her favourite dresses, her purple one made of the richest material with each bead painstakingly sown on one by one, Queen Catherine Parr had sown on the beads for Elizabeth, it had been her birthday present. Catherine had been such a wonderful woman, it was so horrible what had happened to her.

"No, Elizabeth it's yours."

"Its not my colour." She replies as she holds it up before me in front of a mirror. I smile at what I see. I have never liked delicate things but the woman I see in the mirror looks utterly beautiful. Elizabeth smiles beside me.

"I knew it would suit you. Put it on."

"No, I don't want to." I reply and walk away from the dress. Elizabeth pauses at my abrupt change of mind.

"What's wrong?" She asks as I grab a goblet in order to pour myself some wine. "Is it because I invited Robert?" She asks after I don't reply. I take a big gulp, pausing while letting it drip down my throat.

"You always discard me when he's here." Elizabeth lets out a long breath. We have had this conversation so many times and it was getting tiresome. I don't even know why it angers me so much.