Two days later, the Duke of Richmond received a letter from his arrival in Hertfordshire. After showing the letter to Isabel, Henry said with some strange feeling: "Isabel, Mary begs my forgiveness for saying in the letter that she is not in good health and is not fit to meet visiting guests. Do you know why she is like this? ”

What else can Isabel say, if she is not suitable for a visitor, she will not see. Isn't it beneficial for both parties to respect other people's privacy without embarrassing themselves?

The situation is different now. Henry Fitzroy was the illegitimate son of Henry VIII and was at least half related to Mary Tudor. Despite the fact that one had the surname Fitzroy (only the king's illegitimate son could use this surname) and the other had the surname Tudor, the two could still be considered half-siblings.

Isabel didn't want to make Henry feel bad, so she comforted him and said, "Henry, Mary's mother has just died, and I think she may still be in a great grief for the loss of her mother. ”

"I think you also know that Mary and His Majesty the King are still in a hostile relationship. Well, the word hostility is not appropriate, and it should be a relationship of disregard. ”

Henry snorted and put the letter on the desk and stared out the window, "You're right. However, I think Mary probably thought I was an illegitimate child, so she didn't want to meet with me. ”

"Really? What do you mean? Isabel looked at him curiously.

"There is one thing you don't know, the year before last, His Majesty deprived Mary of all titles and all the rights that the princess should enjoy through the 'Succession to the Throne Law', and publicly declared Mary to be an illegitimate daughter."

"Well, that's probably the origin of the title 'Mary Duyi', right?" Isabel guessed what she thought.

Henry glanced at her with a smile: "You are right. However, Mary never admitted that she was an illegitimate daughter, and her relationship with Her Majesty deteriorated. His Majesty even annulled all of Mary's future marriages, including Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor) and King François of France. ”

Isabel shook her head and said with some sighs: "Since she has been publicly declared an illegitimate daughter, it seems reasonable to cancel all the marriages appointed for her by the royal family. ”

Henry took a sip of wine from his glass, and as he put it down, he said, "I think there is another reason, probably because His Majesty did not allow her to attend the funeral of her mother at Peterborough Cathedral. ”

"Fuck it, there's still a father like this in this world?!" Isabel scolded Henry VIII in her heart, but her expression still looked a little angry.

"Isabel, what makes you so angry?" Henry noticed that her face was not right.

"It's okay, I'm wondering why His Majesty did this." Isabel crooked the corners of her mouth.

Henry didn't speak, just quietly looked out the window. A living room manservant came to the door of the study with a cat-like footstep and knocked softly three times.

"Come in." His lord's voice came from inside the door.

"Your Highness, Lord Surrey requests an audience." The manservant bowed his head slightly and said in a very clear voice.

Henry immediately took his gaze back: "Oh, Henry is here, let him in." ”

Without waiting for the manservant to lead the Earl of Surrey into the study, Henry Howard, who was only two years older than Henry, strode into the study. When the Earl saw Henry for the first time, he hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, "Most honorable Duke of Richmond and Somerset, how honored it is for me to see you again!" ”

Isabel had learned from Henry that the eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk III was his best boy buddy. In her mind, the relationship between teenagers and buddies should be this: going to class together, leaving school together, and riding a bicycle together on the way home. Crazy speed tests come at a cost, and whoever loses has to lend the latest comic book "X-Men" to the other party indefinitely.

If you meet a beautiful girl from the same school on the road, both of you are encouraging each other to say hello to the girl. On the contrary, the teenager who didn't say hello liked this beautiful girl more. He was fantasizing about whether he could invite a beautiful girl to his home and show the girls the handmade models he had made in the handicraft class that had been appreciated by the beautiful female teacher......

Duke Henry and Earl Henry smiled happily at each other and hugged each other warmly. At this time, the Earl of Surrey saw Isabel Walton standing on the side of the desk. The Count did not ask who she was, but accepted the duke's invitation with great pleasure and sat down in the long chair in the reception area.

The Earl of Surrey didn't look at the wine that the manservant brought him, but looked at the young companion and said, "This time you are back to Windsor, are you here for your marriage to Mary?" ”

Henry smiled lightly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty's edict cannot be unacceptable. ”

Henry, who was two years older, was still smiling, but said with some surprise: "Henry, I feel a trace of helplessness from your tone?" ”

"No, I just feel like you're more of a family now."

"There's nothing wrong with being like a family. What's more, we have been a family since Edward I. ”

"Lord Surrey, it's not the 13th or 14th century, it's the 16th century! Why do you always have to make me remember 'Long Legs' Edward? There was a palpable sense of boredom in Henry's tone.

"Duke, it's not that I want you to remember, it's because it's true." The Earl of Surrey's gaze at Henry naturally revealed a sense of pride and conceit of royal blood.

The Duke of Richmond shook his head, stood up and looked at Earl Henry: "Lord Surrey, the weather is fine today, let's go for a walk in the garden." ”

The two men went down to the garden, followed by their respective valets, and the Earl of Surrey smiled and said, "Henry, you have brought your lover here before the marriage ceremony with my sister has been completed?" ”

The Duke glanced at him: "Lord Surrey, she is the daughter of my retainer Sir Augustine, Miss Isabel. ”

"It turned out to be a knight's daughter. I'm sorry, Henry, I thought she was yours..."

"It doesn't matter. Henry, I'm afraid you have come here today for something other than to congratulate me, right? ”

The Earl of Surrey lowered his voice and said, "Henry, the people of the Seymour family already know that you have come to Windsor. ”

The Duke of Richmond looked at him sideways and said with a smile: "Henry, I went to meet Queen Jane Seymour when I entered the palace a few days ago, don't you think she is from the Seymour family?" ”

"No, I'm referring to Sir Thomas Seymour, the Queen's brother."

"Thomas Seymour?! Henry, what do you think of this knight of the Seymour family? ”

The Earl of Surrey looked at the Duke, who was two years younger than him, and said with a smile: "Sir Thomas is a courteous, courteous, generous, and wise knight. ”