The hall of the Winchester House, with its high ceiling and a blooming, delicate rose painted on the ceiling, is still as full of divine tranquility as it is on a daily basis. Isabel Walton, from the family of Baron I of the North, sits reservedly on a bench with a backrest intended for visitors.

William Parr, Earl of Essex, did not sit on the count's throne, but sat next to Isabel and silently fiddled with the wine glass in his hand. William pondered how to get Isabel to accept that she could not and could not get rid of her first marriage. At this time, the baron's daughter spoke, "William, you can't divorce your wife, does this mean that I can only be your lover?" ”

William turned his head to look at Isabel, who had no expression on his face, and nodded silently, "I'm sorry, Isabel, I can only give you this." Here, of course, inside the Winchester residence, you are the only hostess. ”

"Mistress?" Isabel snorted softly, shook her head and looked at some of the furnishings across from her, and said, "Perhaps, if your wife had come back one day and found out that the hostess was another woman, I think I would have fled here in panic like a hunted deer." ”

"Isabel, this... It's not going to happen, I... I can swear to God. ”

"No, William, no one knows what will happen tomorrow, including you and me."

William still knew Isabel better, and he knew that this noble woman from the north was very different from other noble women. It would be very difficult to make her her lover outside of marriage. Moreover, even if she was willing to be a noble lover, I am afraid that she would have already become the lover of the Duke of Richmond.

Staring at each other's faces, it took a long time before he said, "Isabel, you... Love me? ”

Isabel turned her gaze back to the face of the man she liked, stared at the other party for a long time and then nodded slightly, "William, I can be sure of the relationship between me and you... It is the love between a man and a woman. But ......"

William was a little afraid of what else she would say, so he hurriedly said, "Isabel, I love you too." If we could all look at each other with genuine love, I hope you can make some changes for me. ”

Isabel looked at him helplessly, but said, "The Bible says, 'The wife has no authority to assert her body, but her husband; Neither does the husband have authority over his own body, but over his wife. 'William, are you asking for one of your lovers with a request for his wife?' ”

William Parr gently placed the wine glass in his hand on the small table on the side, then turned around and reached out to hold one of the other's hands, looking at the other party affectionately, "Yes, Isabel, the parliament will agree to my divorce bill after all." Then, as the Bible says, 'The wife is anxious about the things of the world and how to please her.' ’”

At the moment, Isabelle's mind was level-headed, and she was sure that she had not yet developed an unforgettable affection for William Parr. However, she is unwilling to easily give up a man she has liked for a long time. This time, she didn't break free of the other party's hand, just looked at the other party, "If Your Majesty the King still doesn't pass the divorce bill after going to Heaven, what do you want to do?" ”

The Earl of Essex also considered such a problem, but he wishfully believed that no one would dare to stop the edict of the new king, Edward VI. Smiled lightly with confidence, and while gently stroking the hand of the "lover" with both hands, he said, "No, it is impossible, no one dares to oppose the order of the new king." ”

The Earl's words meant that Isabel would remain a lover for two more years before she could officially become the Countess of Essex after Edward VI inherited the throne. But who knows what will happen in those two years. Isabel did not directly disagree with William's statement, but said, "William, the new king will probably be on the throne many years later. Do you think that nothing will happen to you and my love during this time? ”

William never seemed to think about such a question. As he pondered the other man's words, his mind flashed with the face of his sister's unmarried maid, Elizabeth Brooke. The lively, beautiful, and kind-looking unmarried maid in her head looked at him with an unforgettable look in her head, and said softly, "Lord Essex, Her Majesty, who is also your sister, has often complimented you in my presence. My God! It is my pleasure that God will let me know you. ”

William Parr hurriedly stabilized his mind and looked at the daughter of the northern nobleman formally and with some seriousness, "Isabel, I'm sure nothing will happen. Unless... Unless ......"

Isabel immediately heard some facts from the other party's words that she might not want to see, and asked the other party, "Unless what?" William, tell me, do you already have a favorite noble woman in the court? ”

"No, Isabel, many people love the young, beautiful Elizabeth Brooke, who is one of my sister's maids-in-waiting. I... I often see her in Her Majesty's palace. William suddenly became a little flustered, and said a lot of words to defend himself.

"Well, Her Majesty's unmarried maid?! William, do you want to say that perhaps you will fall in love with a young unmarried maid at court? ”

"Isabel, I... I ......"

Isabel stared at the other party intently, suddenly withdrew her hand from the other party's hand, and said with a sneer, "Lord Essex, it seems that I should go back to the north." Since you can see the young, beautiful lady-in-waiting of the queen every day, don't miss the daughter of a nobleman far away in the north, do you agree? ”

William's original intention was to arrange for Isabel to enter the palace as his sister's unmarried maid. Artificially shortening the distance between the two can naturally make the love between the two stronger. He ignored the other party's cynicism, and just said his thoughts, "Isabel, if you agree to be my sister and your good companion's maid, I will not let other women take your place in my heart." ”

At this moment, a valet entered the hall and informed the two of them that lunch was ready. Isabel stood up and looked coldly at the Earl of Essex beside her, "Your Excellency, would you still like to invite me to your luncheon?" ”

William looked at her as he stood up, "Isabel, I hope you'll consider my suggestion. ”