The Lady of Ripley and the Earl of Essex set out from the north bank of the River Thames with two squires on the road to Devon in the southwest. Since the Marquess of Exeter I and Henry Courtney, Earl II of Devon, were executed by Henry VIII for treason in 1538, and the title and domain were withdrawn by the Crown, Isabel and William's trip to Devon was not necessary to visit the Earl of Devonshire.

On the peninsula at the southwestern tip of the island of Great Britain, Cornwall, adjacent to Devon, was the dukedom forever belonging to the eldest son of the monarch of England. There is no doubt that the current Duke of Cornwall is none other than the Duke of Richmond's half-brother, Prince Edward. Prince Edward Tudor, who holds the titles of Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester and the title (never made Prince of Wales), still lives in Whitehall. Therefore, Isabel and the two were also exempted from the need to visit the Duke of Cornwall.

On the way to Plymouth in Devon, Lady Ripley avoided talking to the Earl of Essex about emotions as much as possible, instead focusing on the two royal nobles, the Earl of Devon II and the current Duke of Cornwall. Since his sister became Queen of England and Ireland, William Parr, Earl of Essex, has become familiar with the personal affairs of some members of the royal family.

The Count, riding on the back of a sturdy, scarlet (maroon) Iberian horse, said with interest, "Actually, Lord Exeter is the grandson of Edward IV, the cousin of His Majesty the King, and a very close and good companion. ”

Isabel, who still didn't know much about the affairs of the royal family, looked at the count's face and asked curiously, "Since he is His Majesty's cousin, why would His Majesty execute the Lord for treason?" ”

William Parr shook his head with a light smile, "Lord Exeter's death is inseparable from His Majesty's Reformation, and the First Secretary of State at the time (Thomas Cromwell). ”

In fact, by the late 1530s, the Marquess I of Exeter was a very influential court minister at court, overseeing much of the southwest of England in his own name and in the name of King Henry VIII. At the same time, the Marquis was also a political rival of the First Secretary of State, Thomas Cromwell, and the two are said to have little sympathy for each other.

In 1536, Cromwell, the first minister of Henry VIII's side, issued a decree through Parliament to close the monastery and confiscate the monastic property, destroying "the last safe haven for papal politics". In order to preserve the dignity and authority of King Henry VIII, the First Ministers led to the closure of a large number of monasteries in the southwest of England and the confiscation of property.

The Marquis of Exeter, who was given the task of overseeing the south-west, did not turn a blind eye to the numerous friars, nuns, dervishes, and missionaries who had been expelled from the monastery. The fact that the marquis's second wife was still a Roman Catholic led to a change in the marquis's attitude towards the first minister. Two years later, the Marquis of Exeter became involved in a rebellion in the southwest.

In early November 1538, the Marquis and his wife, eldest son, Edward Courtney, were arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. On December 3, 1538, the Marquis was tried in the Star Chamber Court. Although there is no sufficient evidence of his involvement in the alleged Exeter conspiracy rebellion. However, due to his act of correspondence with the cardinal of Rome, the marquis was ultimately found guilty.

After the Marquis was beheaded on 9 January 1538, all titles and large estates in Cornwall and Devon were confiscated by the Crown, and his wife and eldest son were stripped of all rights. In 1540, the Marquise was released and allowed to leave the Tower of London.

Subsequently, the Marquise maintained a long-standing friendship with Her Royal Highness Princess Mary Tudor, the eldest daughter of Henry VIII. When Her Royal Highness Princess Mary succeeded to the throne as Queen Mary I, the eldest son of the Marquis was released on 3 August 1553 and was re-granted the title and title of Earl of Devon.

The death of the Marquis of Exeter, who still had royal blood, was one of a series of consequences of Henry VIII's Reformation. In this regard, Isabel only expressed a helpless attitude towards the death of the marquis. And William Parr is just a new aristocrat who is attached to his sister whose status and status has been changed, and it seems that he will not do much. In the face of such a mediocre aristocrat who accompanied her, she had no desire to speak her heart to him.

On the afternoon of the second day after their trip, Isabel and William's party arrived outside the town of Newbury, a town in Berkshire, England. In the evening, a large group of travelers set up a resting camp for the two in an ancient forest west of Newbury. After dinner, Isabel and William walked through the ancient forest and said, "William, what do you think of Your Majesty's Reformation?" ”

William Parr, dressed in earl's attire, glanced at Isabel beside him and smiled lightly, "Isabel, do you want to know if I have sympathy for the Anglican sect, of which His Majesty is the religious leader, or do you want to know about it?" ”

"William, Her Majesty the Queen has asked me such a question. Still, I'm sure you remember the fact that I was a Catholic. Isabel does want to know whether the other side is a conservative or a Protestant, because this is a very serious question.

"Isabel, I... Just to tell you that my father and I have the same opinion: not against Protestantism. ”

In fact, William Parrlian himself could not say whether he was inclined to convert to Protestantism. However, the Protestant religion founded by Henry VIII brought him the advantage that he could apply to Parliament for a divorce from his wife. Once the Parliament has approved his divorce application and granted him permission to remarry, he will be able to marry Lady Ripley in the open.

Judging from the various laws related to religion promulgated by Henry VIII over the years, Henry VIII was not a devout religious believer. The fundamental purpose of his religious reform was only to suppress the clergy and strengthen the power of the king. Not only did he make few changes to the doctrine, but he also killed many Protestants who disagreed with him later in the Reformation, including Thomas Cromwell, the Chief Secretary of State, who had previously played an important role in the Reformation.

Isabel now has plenty of time to think about religion. Of course, in the current complex religious situation, sticking to the Catholic faith can at least ensure that her life will not be in danger.