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here, as this older woman was her last connection to the safety and predictability of Horsham. Once Dorothy left, she would be entirely on her own.
    “Can you not come with me for just a little while?”
    “They will feed us and give us time to rest. Then the dowager duchess made us promise to be on our way back to Horsham directly,” she said in a kind, understanding tone. “This is something you must do on your own, child. Your uncle would not want me with you. I certainly do not present the right image.”
    Catherine felt the sting of tears in her eyes. “Forgive me for being angry these past few days. I know you have only ever tried to help me.”
    Dorothy moved nearer and pressed a gentle kiss onto Catherine’s forehead. “You have been like a daughter to me, Cat, and I sometimes have behaved too much like a mother for my own good. Take care, dear girl. Watch yourself here. Behind all of the elegance are ruthless people, many of whom will see you as a threat to their own plans.”

    “How could I be a threat? I am here hopefully as a maid of honor to the queen.”
    “Never forget who your cousin was, or how she met her death.”
    With that, Lady Douglas interrupted them. “Follow us, if you please, Mistress Howard.”
    Catherine turned back one final time, unable to see Dorothy for the tears that now clouded her eyes. “I shall write to you.”
    “No, you won’t, child.” Dorothy smiled. “But I understand.”
    Catherine followed the two noble nieces compliantly then, without looking back again. She could not at that moment bear to see the familiar face a final time. They went through the open door and into the vast, cold north wing of the palace, then quickly climbed a wide stone staircase brightened by stained-glass windows bearing images of crosses and shields in red, green and blue. In the silence, with only the sound of shoe heels and the swish of skirts, her heart began to pound.
    I really am on my own now, Catherine thought.
    There would be no turning back.
    The queen’s apartments were a crowded, jumbled mix of German and English voices, which Catherine heard as she was shown into the stately presence chamber. The room itself was large and cold, with rich, intricate paneling on the walls and ceiling, and two great leaded glass windows curtained in sapphire blue velvet bearing the king’s coat of arms woven onto the fabric in gold thread. The furnishings, however, were clearly German pieces that Anne must have brought to comfort her. They were heavy and ornate in style, darker wood than anything English, and adorned with brightly painted flowers and words Catherine did not recognize. Two women sat in a corner near the fire in high-backed chairs before a small table, silently sewing. They did not look up as she and the king’s nieces passed them.

    “Now then, you will attend Her Grace here along with us. She takes dinner every day at this hour, often with the king, and if you are not one who is chosen to accompany her to her meal you will remain here to dine with the rest of us. Then you are free to read, play cards or sew, as we all do, until she returns. Queen Anne is a fair and generous woman who likes her ladies happy, so I trust you shall not find your role among us too taxing,” said Lady Douglas.
    “Have I particular duties for the queen?”
    For the first time, Margaret’s rosy Tudor smile bore a spark of arrogance. “Maids of honor are companions to the queen, Mistress Howard. We are here for her pleasure, to accompany Her Grace in prayer, on walks, or to dinner, if it pleases her. Surely your uncle explained all of that to you.”
    “Or perhaps your cousin before her death?” chimed Frances with surprising condescension.
    “I did not know the previous Queen Anne,” Catherine replied, struggling to keep the tone of self-defense from her voice. Showing fear with sophisticated women like this could do her no good.
    “We sleep with Her Grace in shifts, at her pleasure as well, one