Since Catherine Howard became Queen Anne's lady-in-chamberlain of Cleves, Henry VIII did shift his gaze from Queen Anne to Catherine. In less than 6 months, it evolved from attention to love, and from love to pursuit. While courting the lady-in-waiting, who was still a child, he gave her a beautiful dress and land as gifts for pursuing her. Of course, this is just the pursuit.

By this time, at the suggestion of Isabel, the Earl of Surrey had made a bold decision on behalf of his father, the Duke of Norfolk III. He decided to make his cousin accept His Majesty's courtship and take the initiative to have premarital sex with His Majesty in the shortest possible time. If the cousin could conceive a prince before Her Majesty rescinded her engagement to Queen Anne, the Norfolk family would be the most prominent family in all of England and Wales.

After making his decision, he hurriedly wrote a letter to his father and told him all about his thoughts. On the question of how to overthrow the Earl of Essex, the Keeper of the Seals and First Minister of State, he suggested that his father should make use of the "Six Articles of Faith" enacted by the king, and falsely accused the Earl of Essex of opposing the king's decrees and insisting on carrying forward the Reformation.

After writing a letter to his father for the servants to send out quickly, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, recalled what Isabel had said about herself. Then I thought of a delicate relationship between her and the Duke of Richmond.

Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, was recognized as a bastard of Henry VIII's illegitimate son. Since entering the Northern Council three years ago, he has actually become a highest-ranking nobleman who controls the northern aristocracy and army.

With his relationship with the duke from childhood to adulthood, he was very confident that the illegitimate duke would never be his enemy. Therefore, the army of the northern nobility under the control of the Duke of Richmond could well help him to achieve his will in certain matters.

At this moment, a terrible thought flashed through Henry's mind. If Henry VIII had fallen ill and died before Prince Edward came of age, the Howards would have been the regent of the kingdom. Even if Prince Edward's mother's family, the Seymour family, objected, he could have the Duke of Richmond send the Northern Army to jail all the members of the Seymour family.

Thinking about this, Henry shook his head and looked out the window at the garden, he was incredulous that he would have such crazy thoughts. He stood up and walked to the window to look at his wife and eldest son, Thomas, who were pacing through the garden, and Isabel Walton from the north.

"Someone." Henry turned his head to the door of the study.

"Yes, my lord, do you have any orders?" A steady manservant stood in the doorway, saluting and asking softly.

"You go to the armory room and get the sword that was sent the other day."

"My lord, is that sword made in the Greenwich Royal Workshop?"

"Well, go ahead."

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A dinner that is not prepared on a fasting day is quite hearty and tempting. The Earl and Lady of Surrey, the owners of Surrey Manor, invited Isabel to this sumptuous dinner, and then invited her to the drawing room.

The three of them sipped red wine and chatted happily. No politics, no conspiracy, even the count's cousin who served in the court rarely talked about it. It was only natural that Mrs. Surrey would talk about going to Sussex with Isabelle.

As Frances put down her glass, she looked cautiously at her husband, "Henry, your sister, the Duchess of Richmond, has written a letter home for Miss Isabel to pass on to your father and mother. Well, because the young lady has to go to His Highness's new territory to inspect the completed manor, I think... Can you deliver the letter to your father's castle yourself? ”

The Earl of Surrey knew that the two men were on good terms, and he guessed that his wife had gone to deliver the letter herself, probably for an outing. After taking a sip of red wine, he smiled slightly, "Madame, it would be better if you took our eldest son to visit my father and mother." ”

"My God, is this true?" Lady Frances of Surrey opened her eyes wide in disbelief and raised her hands to her lips. Then, when she saw her husband nodding, she immediately lowered her hands and burst into a crisp, melodious laugh like a silver bell.

Isabel, who was sitting on one side, looked at her in surprise, but she turned her head to look at her female partner, "Isabel, after you and Hans Holbein have discussed the painting, we can leave for Sussex." ”

"How can you be so happy to go to the southern county for a trip?" Isabel smiled and said, "Okay." So, are you going to ride in a carriage or on horseback? ”

Frances replied without thinking, "It's all right." ”

After a short sitting, the Earl of Surrey turned his attention to the business in which he was special. Glancing closely at the saber Isabel tied to her waist, she stroked her beard again, "Miss Isabel, I noticed that you are wearing a 15th-century half-sword, right?" ”

Isabel smiled and nodded, "Yes, Your Excellency. Not only me, but there are many people in the north who are used to using a half-hand sword. ”

"I admit that the Hand Half Sword is a sword that is very suitable for knights. No matter what time of the day, you can easily deal with the enemy. The Earl of Surrey took another sip of wine, put down his glass, and explained: "In fact, after England entered the 16th century, nobles, knights, ministers, and commoners began to wear swords to show their status and status. ”

"Miss, I think you must be familiar with duels. Therefore, this sword is also suitable for duels. ”

"God, it turned out to be the kind of sword that appeared in The Three Musketeers. Well, that kind of sword is really good for duels. Isabel thought for a moment and nodded, "Your Excellency, I see what you mean." However, I do not think that the bayonet is suitable for use in the northern regions. ”

Frances was no stranger to the swords her husband spoke of, at least she found that the nobles, knights, and squires who came to visit her husband on the manor wore almost all of them. While her husband didn't speak, she interjected, "Isabel, Henry is right. After all, the half-hand sword was a weapon of the last century, and most of the time it didn't quite fit into the current costume, status, and status. ”

How could Isabel not understand the truth of this, she only vaguely remembered that this duel weapon was developed and matured in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The relevant swordsmanship system was not perfected until the early 17th century.