Read Online The Flawed Mistress (The Summerville Journals) by Margaret Brazear - Free Book Online

have had the east wing separated from the rest of the house,” he told me,
“so that I can be in my own house without scaring my wife.  Do you not
find that an amusing state of affairs, My Lady?”
       
He was being facetious, of course, mocking himself I
think and my heart went out to him. 
       
“I find it a very sad state of affairs, Richard,” I replied.  “You do not
have to suffer a loveless marriage.  We talked about it before.”
       
“And you agreed with me that it was unfair,” he replied quietly.
       
“I did, but she must understand why it is necessary.  She will be relieved
to have the marriage annulled, surely, and you must remarry.  You must
have an heir.  I did not understand when it was done to me; I was but ten
years old.”
       
There, I had said it and now I wished I had held my tongue.  He looked at
me with a frown of curiosity, and I was very much afraid he was going to ask
questions, want to know why a ten year old should be subjected to such an
examination.  Of course, he did not.  He was far too empathic for
that.
       
“I will consider it,” he finally replied with a sigh.  “To tell you the
honest truth, I thought I could do this, keep my promise, but now I am not so
sure.  I am beginning to resent her, even wish her dead.  Is that not
a terrible thing to think?”
       
“I cannot tell you how many times I wished my late husband dead,” I
replied.  “And my father.   If wishes could
kill, he would have been the first one to go.”
       
Once more I saw the compassion in his eyes as he looked at me.
       
I reached out and touched his arm, and I realised that I had never before made
any overtures of affection, that I had always been afraid that any sign of
affection would be misconstrued.  But he merely turned and studied me for
a few moments and I knew that I was in no danger.  I hugged him then, something
that I had never done nor wanted to do before.  I really, really loved
this man, and I so wanted to help him for all he had done for me.  He was
like the brother I never had.
       
“I have to return to Summerville,” he said.  “I would like very much for
you to come with me, but I feel that would be unfair to Rosemary and heaven
knows what my mother would have to say about it!”  He laughed then, and it
was a joy to behold.  “I have kept my relationship with my wife a close
secret from her.”
       
“What would she do if she knew?”
       
“I believe she would march into Rosemary’s chamber and tell her to grow
up!  I think she would subject her to a long lecture about the duties of a
wife and scare the life out of her.”  He gave a little smile, probably
imagining his mother’s outrage at her handsome and charming son being rejected
by his own wife, when women all over London
were falling over their feet to invite him to their beds.  I suppose it
was an amusing scenario, when one thought about it.
       
So he went back to Suffolk
and I did not see him again for many months.  I had no reason during those
months to leave the house, but I had a new maidservant whose job it was to wait
only on me and she was a girl who knew precisely what was going on in the city
outside.
       
She turned up on my doorstep late one night and proceeded to curl up there to
sleep.  When I was told, I naturally took her in and found she was
homeless and hungry.  I needed a maid and more than that, with Richard
gone, I needed a friend and I could feel an affinity with this girl that I
could not have felt with the other servants.
       
She was grateful for the position and I did not believe she would try to rob
me.  Her name was Lucy and she was always cheerful and bubbly and if I
wanted to know anything, I had only to ask.  What she did not already know
she would go and find out.
       
Queen Jane had died just twelve days after the birth of the much longed for
prince and a new marriage had been arranged for King Henry.  This