Chapter 189: You Cannot Do That
"She has no reason to feel threatened by me," Livia said. "I do not want the King."
Bella nodded. "I understand. I shall not speak of it again. I only hope we can still be friends."
Livia’s expression softened at once. "Of course, Bella. Why would we not be?"
"Because I was part of this."
"You may come to me whenever you wish," Livia continued. "The Queen Dowager has me hidden away in Covent Garden. We can continue your French lessons there."
Bella gave a sad little smile. "French lessons. After all this?"
"Why not? If the palace insists on making us miserable, we may as well find ways to have fun and I promise this time, I will teach you words to take the princess down."
That drew another soft laugh from Bella, though it faded quickly. Her fingers tightened around Livia’s. "What do you mean to do about all of this, Diana?"
Livia looked toward the fire. She thought of the terrible softness in his voice when he asked whether she would ever forgive him. "I have not figured it all out yet...But I am not going to sit quietly and be owned all over again. I only have to make certain I repulse His Majesty enough that he lets me go."
Bella’s face went pale. "You cannot do that. The King may be a good man," Bella said, voice trembling, "but he is still our sovereign. He can do anything." She swallowed. "You want to fight the King of England?"
"I have nothing left to lose," Livia said.
"I wish I had your strength, Diana," Bella said. "I truly wish I did."
Livia almost laughed at that. People did not see the ugly parts of strength. The nights spent swallowing screams. The mornings spent rising because there was no one coming to carry you. The way a woman learned to harden.
Still, she did not correct Bella.
Instead, she tilted her head. "Bella, why can you not be queen?"
Bella blinked. "Me?"
"Yes. You."
The question seemed to unsettle her more than anything else Livia had said. Bella pulled her hand back slightly. "Because I am not of royal blood. Nor am I from a house powerful enough to make such a marriage acceptable."
"Neither am I," Livia said, raising a brow. "Yet you thought I could be queen."
Bella’s cheeks coloured faintly. "I was counting on the King’s love for you."
Livia’s smile faded.
"I thought," Bella continued carefully, "that if he loved you enough, he might force the world to make room for you. But when His Majesty told me about..." Bella stopped, shame catching her voice. "You know."
"The brothel," Livia said.
Bella flinched.
"It is all right," Livia told her. "You do not have to weigh every word when speaking to me. I lived it. The word cannot wound me more than the place did."
Bella’s eyes shone again. "It would make it almost impossible for you to be accepted as queen with that past."
"I have no interest in being queen."
"I know."
"I only want to marry one man."
Richard’s name did not need to be spoken.
"And that cannot happen, so..." Livia looked around the chamber. "I am to stay with you until morning. How about we get some air? Take a stroll around. I’d like to clear my head."
"Of course," Bella said at once. "I shall have supper ordered before we go, so it will be ready by the time we return."
Bella moved toward the bell-pull, then paused and looked back. "Is your maid here?"
"No. The Queen Mother refused her entry into the palace when we arrived."
Bella’s eyes widened slightly. "Why would she do that?"
Livia hesitated, then a reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. "Because I had asked Tabitha to refuse the Queen Mother entry into the house at Covent Garden when she came there this morning."
Bella simply stared.
Then she whispered, "You refused the Queen Dowager?"
"What?" Livia asked, the smile growing. "It was not as difficult as you make it sound. I merely stayed inside and let Tabitha stand at the door."
Bella pressed a hand to her mouth. "God help us."
"Tabitha rarely budges and she can be quite frightening when she chooses."
"No one is more frightening than Theodora. That woman has made mighty men soil themselves where they stood."
Livia laughed. For that small moment, the palace lost some of its teeth. She bowed her head slightly, still smiling as Bella handed her a shawl to wrap around her shoulders.
*****
Theodora stood in Henry’s bedchamber, answering his summons. The King had dined alone. That much pleased her. Maybe he was rethinking this dance with the girl. The empty dishes were still being cleared when she arrived. Stephen directed the servants as they removed the last remnants of supper and withdrew one by one.
When the door finally closed, silence settled over the chamber. Henry remained by the table for a moment, one hand resting against the carved edge. He had changed out of his merchant clothes into something casual and freeing. A dark robe, open at the front with loose pants.
Henry rose and crossed the room toward her. "First," he said, his voice controlled, "I should thank you for removing Livia from Richard’s reach."
Theodora inclined her head. "It was simple enough."
His eyes narrowed faintly at her satisfaction. She had done what he wanted, even if he lacked the courage to name it plainly. "Do not mistake my gratitude for permission."
That gave her pause. He stepped closer, and there, at last, was the King deciding where the boundary lay.
"You will stay away from her," he said. "You will not visit her. You will not speak to her. You will not command her household, her physician, her servants, or her movements. You will not have her instructed in my name."
Theodora’s face remained composed, but irritation slid beneath her skin.
"Your task is done," Henry finished.
"Understood, Your Majesty."
(brought to you by Janelle Fox 2/2)
