The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor Read Online Free PDF Page B

speak in private. Would he, Harington asked his host, ‘make friendship’ with Thomas Seymour? Dorset did not know Thomas well, but Dorset appeared ‘inclinable and glad to be friend and familiar’ with him, words that Harington rushed to convey to his master. The servant would later claim that he had acted on his own authority in making the meeting, but it got Thomas thinking. His future as the boy-king’s uncle held a palpable promise of power. He began to form plans for Dorset and, more particularly, for Dorset’s eldest daughter – Jane Grey.

    Henry VIII slipped quietly away at 2 o’clock on the morning of 28 January 1547. But no sign was given to the outside world. 40 Within twenty-four hours, Ambassador Van der Delft was receiving whispered words that the king had died (‘may God receive His Grace’), yet ‘not the slightest signs of such things were to be seen at Court’. The middle-aged diplomat, who had reported on the old king’s rages and his melancholy, itched to tell his master, the Emperor Charles V. But the roads out of London were closed and guarded, and all ships confined to port. Instead, he waited.
    The Earl of Hertford had no such difficulty in travelling. As soon as Henry’s death was confirmed, he set out northwards for the county town of Hertfordshire, where his young nephew, the new king, was staying. He had already laid the political groundwork for the regency, but he needed to act quickly. Parliament had been sitting daily during Henry’s final illness, with Hertford occasionally in attendance in the House of Lords. He had not liked what he had heard. There was some suggestion that Edward be placed in the government and possession of the state. 41 Nonetheless, he was confident as he rode out on 28 January, accompanied by Sir Anthony Browne. Only a select few were even aware that England had a new king, and he would soon have the king’s person in his possession.
    He approached Hertford Castle by way of icy roads that January day. A convenient distance from London and ‘a competent lodging’, the castle had been used by Henry as a nursery. 42 All three of his children had stayed in the apartments, which were arranged around a large courtyard, and the old king had spent considerable sums on the building to ensure that it was comfortable for his precious only son. It had strong walls, although the domestic buildings into which Hertford was now shown were timber, slotted within the mighty fortress as if as an afterthought.
    The earl passed through the gates, close to strong round towers, before crossing the courtyard and entering the galleries to await his nephew. He greeted the boy as Prince of Wales and ordered the child’s household to prepare to move to London the following day. Hertford had slept very little in recent nights. He was still awake at 1 o’clock that morning when a letter arrived from Paget. He drafted his reply in the small hours, handed it to a messenger and commanded him: ‘haste, post haste, haste with all diligence, for thy life, for thy life’. 43 It was past 4 o’clock when Hertford finally snatched a few hours of rest.
    Although separated by some miles, Paget and Hertford had agreed to coordinate their actions in the hours following the king’s death. Their main concern was Henry VIII’s will, which, although it placed them at the centre of power, did not name anyone to stand in overall control. Its existence was widely known, and so it could not be concealed; but both men were concerned to agree, as Hertford put it, ‘how much thereof was necessary to be published’. 44 Hertford was anxious that ‘for divers respects’ much of the content should be concealed. The document could, he believed, be carried to Parliament, ‘to show that this is the will’, but closer scrutiny should not be permitted. It was sufficient that only the names of the executors should be provided, those in whom ‘the king did specially trust’. As a token of his own faith