The Other Henry VIII

Rumours Begin

If Henry had known that he would pass the Westover residence, Dashwood Castle, then he would have certainly have at least tried to wash off the sweat and road-dust. However, he had not been aware at the time that he and his men would be staying on the Dashwood estate, so consequently he arrived at the main castle dirty and speckled with horse hairs. Leia's home.

The King, wondering if Leia was married yet, instructed his men off to the surrounding houses and cottages, before leading his inner circle towards Dashwood Castle. They were greeted by the equerry and a few stable hands, who lead their horse towards the stables, and presently a page approached the party.
"Your Majesty,"he said humbly, bowing, "His Grace Sir Robert Westover welcomes you to his home. He asks that you are shown to your chambers, and hopes that you will join him and his family at dinner tonight."

"Well, of course,"said Charles Brandon brightly, "we shall gladly join Sir Robert at dinner. Please show us to our rooms." The other six men nodded their heads, and so they all followed the page inside.

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The King, after being washed and dressed by some nervous pages, made his way down to dinner at 6, taking in every detail of Dashwood Castle. It seemed beautiful enough, but there was no sign of Leia anywhere.
The grand table was laid for 16 people, in a magnificent gold-decorated hall, with velvet-upholstered chairs and candles lit on the sides. Sir Robert sat at the head of the table, alone but for an unknown pale girl sitting in the middle.
"Your Majesty,"he greeted, gesturing to the opposite end of the table, "welcome. I hope your stay at my humble castle will be pleasant." Henry sat down, just as  two of his men talking animatedly to three pretty girls entered.
"Charles! John!"cried out the King merrily, "Charles, you may sit next to me. John—two seats to his left."
As the diners built up, and speech became louder, the King stood up with his goblet in the air.
"I raise a toast to Sir Robert Westover, who's generosity is the reason we are all dining here tonight instead of under a tree!"
"Hear, hear,"said Francis, and the men laughed.
"To victory!"said Henry.
"To victory!"echoed his men and Sir Robert. The other side of the table, where four girls and two young men were seated, remained silent.
"Ah, Your Majesty,"said Sir Robert, "may I present my two sons Henry and Edmund?" The two young men nodded respectfully, their tussled blond hair matching perfectly.
"And these are four of my five daughters, "Bridget, the eldest." The girl closest to her father smiled, "Mary, Anne, and Katharine, my youngest. Only 13!"
A bright-eyed young girl looked at him shyly, her long eyelashes nearly hiding her blue eyes.
"Don't be silly Father,"said Anne, rolling her eyes, "His Majesty only wants to know where Leia is." The King raised his eyebrows, thoughts rather scattered in his brain. The silence, broken only by the little 'clink' as forks touched dinner plates, was harrowing.

"Anne, they are rumours,"scolded Sir Robert sternly, glancing worriedly at his guests, "you must not believe the lies on the tongues of commoners—"
"It's true."
Every man and woman seated at the table dropped their cutlery and stared. Even the surrounding servants stared.
The King stood up without another word, waving away the men who stood up also, and marched out of the dining room.

Sir Robert was smirking in his mind. This dinner had gone exactly as planned, he thought. So the rumours were true. The King did have an interest in Leia. He surveyed the dinner table with satisfaction, noting the questioning whispers of his daughters and the quiet sniggers of the King's men.
The plan really had worked. Now all that was left to do was replace that horrible Westerly woman with his own daughter, and all would be complete.
It was time to call Leia back.