When Henry VIII died in January 1547, William Parr, Earl of Essex, thought the opportunity to regain his freedom had finally arrived. Who knows, when he applied to the new king Edward VI for permission to divorce and remarry Baroness Boucher, he was rejected by the Duke of Somerset I, who was the "Lord Protector" at the time.

Meanwhile, William's sister, Catherine Parr, married Sir Thomas Seymour, brother of the Lord Protector. Catherine died on 5 September 1548 after giving birth to her only child, Mary Seymour, on 30 August 1548. With the death of Henry VIII's last wife, William, who had been made Marquess I of Northampton, greatly diminished his influence and status at court.

William struggled for three years in a tormented marriage, and his close friend, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, took advantage of a series of events to remove Duke Somerset I from his regency in 1549, and in early 1551, he was imprisoned on trumped-up charges and sentenced to death the following year. It wasn't until March 31 of the same year that Parliament passed a private bill that annulled the marriage of Parr and Anne Boucher.

In the absence of Isabel Walton, the council would have accepted and approved Elizabeth Brooke, the unmarried maid of the court, as William's legal wife. Later, William and his second wife lived in Winchester House, a residence outside London. Winchester House is located in the Southwark area on the south bank of the River Thames, across the river from the City of London. In 1892, London South Bank University (a public university) was founded about 0.2 miles southwest of London. However, the Winchester house at that time has long since disappeared into the history of the City of London, leaving only the land on which the house was built.

However, the marriage of the Marquess of Northampton I was not entirely over. On 1 October 1553, after Henry VIII's eldest daughter Mary was officially crowned Queen of England, she ordered William Parr to return to his first wife. It was not until after the death of Mary I and Elizabeth became Queen of England that William's request for divorce and remarriage was granted.

William's second wife died on April 2, 1565, at the age of 39. Five years later, William married a 16-year-old Swedish girl who looked very much like his second wife. On January 8, 1571, William's first wife, Anne Boucher, died. On October 28 of the same year, William Parr, the Marquess of Northampton, who had been troubled by marriage all his life, also ended his life in the secular world.

At this time, William Parr had not really fallen in love with his second wife, Elizabeth Brooke. She was then the commander of the English territory in Calais (a port city in France) and the daughter of Baron IX of Corberm. However, Elizabeth was not what one would see—the daughter of a minor nobleman who did not know anything about the world.

Elizabeth and her father, Baron IX of Corberm, played a role in the plot to usurp the throne of Jane Grey, the "Queen of the Nine". Later, it was even believed that Elizabeth was the instigator of the conspiracy, planning to replace Mary I with Lord Jane Grey.

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William Parr was forced by his father to marry his first wife, Anne Boucher, and planned to marry Isabel far north after the divorce. And his wife, in order to get her own lover, marriage and children, put these ideas into action before marrying William. From this point of view, the two have the same thoughts, lying in the same bed but thinking about their respective lovers and future marriages.

Now, Anne Boucher has eloped with her lover, leaving William alone in the empty room. William accepted the fact that his wife had eloped with another man, and continued the marriage in name only according to the decision of the council. Of course, he hoped that Isabel would come to London as soon as possible to take care of his family affairs. With all the supply work of his lover in the rear, he was able to devote himself to the complex and passionate life of the court.

Isabel stared at the Earl of Essex, who was kneeling on one leg in front of her, and then glanced at the hall of the Durham residence where the two were located. She suddenly felt like a married noble lady who was considering whether to accept an extramarital affair, and she pulled out the earl's hand gently, and said softly, "William, can you take me somewhere else?" ”

William Parr looked up at her and nodded thoughtfully, "Well, after all, this is a palace that princes love, and it is not suitable for a couple of cheating men and women. ”

"Cheating?" Isabel stood up and gave him a somewhat contemptuous look, "Legally, I am still the unmarried daughter of Baron Walton. The word cheating is more appropriate for you. ”

Later, William and Isabel and several attendants sailed to the Southwark region on the south bank of the River Thames. After disembarking on the dock near the Blackfriars Bridge on the South Bank, the two men mounted their horses and led their attendants through the large houses on the South Bank to the outside of the luxurious Winchester residence. Isabel walked into the hall of the house and looked around and said, "William, doesn't your wife live here with you?" ”

The Earl of Esser, who lived alone in his Winchester residence, was still ashamed to tell the fact that his wife had eloped, and nodded when he glanced at Isabel, "My wife is a noblewoman with little education and a love of country life. So, now it's just me living here. ”

After a few glances at the Winchester House, which was similar to the other aristocratic residences, Isabel stood on the throne of the earl belonging to William and thought without speaking. William came to her side and looked at her with concern, "Isabel, are you okay?" ”

Isabel turned her face to look at the Earl of Essex and said slowly, "William, I need you to tell me the facts, why does the council not allow you to remarry?" Does this have anything to do with your divorce case with your wife? ”

For William Parr, the county earl, the fact that his countess had an affair with another man and gave birth to a child was a scandal that could not be told of the story. William was hesitating, always hesitating to say it to Isabel. While pondering, he looked at each other from time to time.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, "My wife, Anne, has gone with the man she loves, and... And also gave birth to... Child. ”

Isabel was shocked again and looked at each other for a long time. After a while, he said slowly, "Now, what are you going to do?" ”