In which Nora of Lancaster continues to fight for her family and their rightful place on the throne of England, despite all that she has lost already.
THE WHITE PRINCESS
BOOK TWO IN THE COUSIN'S WAR SERIES
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In his chambers, Henry sat at his desk, placing his royal stamp on the letter he had just written. His mother stood in the door, trying to convince him to have the christening now, even with Lizbeth still forced to be in confinement.
"The christening must take place at once. Whatever doubts the people have will be forgotten when they see God smiles on you," Margaret explained as she walked toward Henry, a smile on her face.
"They cannot wait till Lizbeth's been churched?" He asked, still not looking up at his mother.
"It is not the custom," Margaret tried to convince her son, despite knowing it was a lie, "And she has no function at the service, no reason for being there."
"She is Arthur's mother and the Queen, of course, she has reason to be there," Henry reminded his mother, who was annoyed by his constant need to defend Lizbeth.
"England must know sooner rather than later that you have an heir. We simply cannot wait until the girl has been churched," Margaret explained, finally looking up at Henry.
"She is not the 'girl', Mother, she is the Queen," Henry argued in a stern tone, "And we cannot or you cannot?" He asked as he stood up from his seat, "I will consult with Lizbeth, the queen."
"You..." Margaret trailed off, frowning as she watched him walk past her, "You are taking counsel for your wife?"
"Yes. And need I remind you once more, she is not only my wife, she is crowned queen as jointed rulers with me and she knows the will of England far better than I do. She is the mother to the child as well. Unless I am mistaken," He explained, just before walking away.
Margaret felt angered, watching as Henry walked away with a smile on his face.
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In the main throne room at the palace in Burgundy, Mary sat with Maximilian and Cecily, along with her children as Jasper and Lord Strange stood before them.
Behind a nearby curtain, Margaret and Nora stood alongside one another, eavesdropping on the conversation.
"It is good of you to take the time to see us, Your Graces," Jasper spoke up in polite tone.
"Well, you have come all this way," Mary remarked, smiling as she exchanged a look with Maximilian.
Maximilian snapped his fingers, leading to a servant walking over with wine. "Will you take some wine?" He asked kindly and Cecily began to smile widely.
"We have so much to drink," She boasted and Nora found herself smiling in amusement from behind the curtain.
As a glass of wine was handed to both himself and Lord Strange, Jasper began to glance around. He stopped, however, when he looked through an opening in the curtain to lock eyes on whom he knew for a fact was Nora.
