"Isabel, what time is it?" Katherine Howard asked softly, standing a little bored in front of the short wall south of the top floor of the castle.

"Queen, it's past 9 o'clock in the afternoon. The sunrise and sunset times in the north are still relatively punctual. Isabel watched coldly where Queen Catherine stood.

Had she never known what had happened to Queen Catherine before her marriage to Henry VIII, she would have regarded this young, longing girl for love as her best friend. Unfortunately, it was already too late, and everything that should have appeared came one after another.

"What would happen if you pushed her down from here?" Isabel looked at Catherine, who was leaning on the short wall and looking down, and imagined an evil thought.

Queen Catherine looked down at the two rows of forest-like facades on the south side of the castle that were shrouded in darkness from top to bottom, and asked curiously, "Isabel, it's so dark outside, how do you go back to the knight's manor?" ”

"Pushing her down and falling to her death, she could rightfully wear the crown of the Queen of England and be buried in Westminster Abbey as queen. It was also the last resort to preserve her reputation. Isabel muttered in her heart, calmly answering the queen beside her, "Your Majesty, Your Highness has arranged a sleeping room and an office room for me in the castle. So, I don't have to go back to my father's estate tonight. ”

Lady Rochford, the lady-in-waiting, took two steps forward and looked at the queen's back, "Your Majesty, the wind on the top floor of the castle is a little strong, you better go back to your room and rest early." ”

Isabel glanced sideways at the lady-in-waiting, "After Catherine was beheaded, probably the noble lady was also sentenced to death. ”

Catherine turned to look at the lady-in-waiting, and smiled softly at Isabel, "Look, I'm not lonely anymore, but there are countless more 'duchesses' around me. ”

Staring at this innocent face, Isabel muttered again, "For the sake of her honor, I and all the members of the family will have my heads cut off, and the Duke of Richmond will be imprisoned in Windsor Castle indefinitely." Is it really necessary to pay so much for her? ”

"Your Majesty, I'd better accompany you back." Isabel didn't do anything but look at Katherine Howard respectfully.

Three days later, Henry VIII and Queen Catherine left the illegitimate son of Sherif Hatton Castle with a large procession of kings, and continued their tour of the northern counties. As soon as the king and queen were gone, the somewhat weary Duke of Richmond did not convene a council of his lords or the members of the Northern Council, but rested in his castle, drank wine, and did all that he liked.

One sunny afternoon, the Duke of Richmond and Isabel walked slowly outside the forest-like curtain wall to the south of the castle, followed by a valet and a few armed guards. The Duke of Richmond put his hands behind his back and glanced at Isabel beside him, "Isabel, now I have two messages, which one do you want to hear?" ”

"Henry, I'm guessing a piece of news is bad news, isn't it?"

"yes, so do you know what the bad news is?"

Remembering the large number of southerners who had appeared in and around the castle a few days ago, Isabel smiled lightly, "You have spent at least thousands of pounds on the reception of Her Majesty the King and Queen this time. ”

The Duke of Richmond laughed and muttered with a wry face, "yes, do you know how much money I spent?" A full 4,000 pounds, 4,000 pounds! ”

Isabel nodded, "It's a lot of money indeed. The annual remuneration of a hired employee is 6 pounds, which requires a hired employee to work continuously for more than 666 years to earn. ”

The Duke of Richmond directly threw out what he wanted to say, "You are the supervisor of my territorial affairs, how do you think I should compensate this money back?" ”

By this time, Isabel was about to guess that there was another piece of information that had not yet been told to her, and that news must have something to do with property, land, or title. As he walked slowly on the grass, he pondered how to answer the Duke's words. Later, he said categorically, "Henry, take back the manor and land you gave me, so that I can get a sum of compensation for the extra manor and land." ”

The Duke of Richmond didn't expect her to answer like this, and looked at her with some surprise, "Isabel, you... I have never thought of it that way, and it would be grossly unfair to you. ”

Isabel shook her head, "Henry, can you tell me another piece of news now?" ”

"Well, well, I ask Your Majesty to bestow your father a title of nobility and a domain."

"I am very grateful for the generosity of His Majesty the King and His Highness."

"Why, aren't you happy to hear such news?" The Duke of Richmond stopped and stared at each other.

"Henry, of course I'm very happy. I think it's a kind of compensation from you, because you always want to make it up to me. It seems that Isabel's smile is still very calm. However, she is very happy in her heart, and the layout and hard work of so many years have finally paid off.

The Duke of Richmond wanted to hug each other, but there were still many guards behind the two, so he had to nod his head reservedly, "Now, I finally have a chance to compensate you." ”

Isabel looked at the few tenant farmhouses in the distance to the west of the castle and smiled slightly, "Henry, His Majesty must be interested in me, isn't he?" Especially when I was your advisor, private secretary, and steward of the realm. ”

The Duke of Richmond did not intend to tell her what he had said that night with his father, but only said briefly, "You know, Your Majesty used to be very fond of Anne Boleyn before her marriage, so Your Majesty saw Queen Anne in you. ”

Isabel walked over to a huge beech tree and turned to look at the duke, "His Majesty wants me to do something for you, is that so?" ”

The Duke of Richmond felt that he could hardly hide anything from the elegant and intelligent Isabel. He walked up to her and whispered in French, "Your Majesty wants to put my name in your will, so I hope you can be my best companion." ”

At this moment, Isabel understood it all. If you were a man, you might not get so many benefits. It is precisely because she is a young and unmarried woman that Henry VIII thinks about many aspects for the sake of her son. Looking at the duke, who wore a silk hat to cover his red hair, and a noble hood outside, he nodded heavily.