~Visions Sharper than a Thousand Knives~

October 1474, Westminster Palace....

"Do we have to go, ma Mère?" Isabella whined as her nurses packed around her, safely stowing away gowns, jewels and other costly possessions in the numerous coffers she and little Cecily would take to Eltham with them.

"You do, my dearest" Constance replied, holding Cecily on her hip while the little girl babbled to herself, playing with her Mother's jewels.
"Mama!" She gurgled and Constance smiled.
"Yes, darling!" She looked back to Isabella as she sat on her bed "You will like Eltham, you like it already!"

"But you not there!" The little girl argued, clambering up beside her "No you, no Papa!" She could speak far better than any of her siblings had been able to at her age, she could understand better too and wasn't keen on being made to do things she didn't like. For a two year old, she could argue rather well!

"You will see us, little one" Constance assured her, the thought of being separated from her girls making her heart hurt, but she had to be cheerful for them "Most royal children have their own households, your brother does! It's so you are safe!"
"Safe?" Isabella repeated "Papa keep me safe! Keep Cissy safe! And you!"

Her Mother sighed, gently setting Cecily on the covers between them and cupping Isabella's face.
"Ton Père et moi te protégerons toujours, mais nous ne pouvons pas toujours te protéger du poison de la cour, mon amour, c'est pourquoi tu vas ailleurs" 'Your Father and I will always protect you but we cannot always protect you from the poison of court, my love, which is why you are going somewhere else'

"Marie n'est pas" 'Marie is not' She pointed out, switching from one language to the other as easily as she breathed and her Mother smiled again.

"Marie est plus âgée" 'Marie is older' She replied "Elle comprend, elle a grandi dans cette mare de poison qui, à certains égards, la rend immunisée. Maintenant que nous sommes en paix, ni vous, ni vos frères et sœurs n'avez besoin de faire face à cela. Marie n'aurait pas dû, mais elle devait le faire" 'She understands, she has grown in this pool of poison which, in some ways, makes her immune. Now we are at peace, neither you, nor your siblings need to face that. Marie shouldn't have but she had to'

Constance sighed, pressing a kiss to Isabella's forehead "Serez-vous bon? Pour moi et ton Père?" 'Will you be good? For me and your Father?' After watching her for a moment, the girl nuzzled into her hand, nodding.

"Je serai bon" 'I be good' She promised and that was good enough for her Mother.

༻᯽༺

"I miss them already and they've been gone but a day!" Constance sighed as she sewed by the fire, Beth opposite her. The Duchess smiled, placing down her own work down and trying not to knock her belly which was slowly returning to normal after the birth of her seventh child, Humphrey, a month earlier.

"You miss your children when they're out of sight, sister" She chuckled "As do I but women of our station are not destined to be with our children as they grow, it is the way of things! We each have duties and must carry them out, there is often little room for our babes" She sighed "It still tugs at the heart though"

Constance nodded, thinking of how she'd seen her little daughters into their carriage with their nurses, making sure their cloaks were securely around them, peppering their faces with kisses. It was a hard farewell but the Princesses were happy enough and they would be at court for Christmas.

"Marie gave them gifts before they left!" She recalled fondly "Little necklaces to remember her by" She had commissioned them with her Father and bestowed them on her sisters the night before their departure. On golden chains hung white roses, melded to the centre of bejewelled crucifixes, emerald for Isabella, sapphire for Cecily "She is an exemplary sister"

"She is exemplary in everything!" Beth replied "Whether it be lessons in language or dancing, she surpasses all. She will make a fine Queen"
"Ned is determined to make all of our daughters great in the eyes of the world but from the moment Marie was born, he's said he will make her a Queen"

"She is his favourite"
"Aside from Neddy, yes, she is his favourite and if you asked him, I don't think he'd deny it! Unless he was with the others, of course"

"You know, sister" Beth raised her gaze to the Queen's face, a mischievous smile on her lips "I think you should inform my brother of the little Prince or Princess growing in your womb right now" Constance's eyes widened.

"How did you know?"
Beth laughed, shaking her head.
"I've had seven children, Connie, and you can tell whenever any women of the court are with child! Besides, I fetch your monthly rags for you! Did you truly think I wouldn't know?"

"I was foolish if I did!" Constance laughed, letting her hands rest on her belly, still flat as she was only two months along "I do not know why I haven't told him, I'm truth, but ever since Edmund passed to the Lord, my fear of childbirth has....spiralled a little out of control" Her sister sighed, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"How could it not? Watching your babe die in your arms is one of God's greatest punishments and one you did not deserve but" She gave a quick nod "you have borne healthy babes before and shall do so again! Go! Tell Ned!" A smile twitched at the corners of Constance's lips. She'd wanted to tell him, she'd wanted to tell him for days, weeks!

"He will be pleased" She said "I know it will lift his spirits and take his mind off George pressuring him to invade France....."

"Then go!" Beth cried through a laugh, taking her hands and raising her to her feet, almost pushing her towards the door "I shall call for the others and we shall ready your things to retire, that is" She winked "If you return before dawn!" Unable to refrain from giggling, the Queen left her rooms with a lightness to her step and excitement thrumming in her heart.

Edward would be more than pleased, she told herself, he always was when he found she was with child and, especially with all of their children but one away from court, this would surely bring them a beam of joy! The journey to the King's rooms felt quicker than her pounding heartbeat and she stepped inside without even acknowledging the guards bowing to her.

Her feet took her through the reception chamber and she paused a second, smiling to herself as she placed her fingers on the handle of his bedchamber door before entering.

But she was not met with the welcome she'd been expecting.

Naked on the bed a young woman slowly rose and fell, rolling her hips against the King's as she rode him. Her auburn hair shimmered down her back in perfect ringlets and her small, pale breasts were firm under the candlelight. A sensual smile graced her pink lips from which soft moans fell.

Constance's breath caught in her throat. There was another woman, in her place in Edward's bed, the place only she had ever occupied. He had bedded Elizabeth around the palace, she was sure, but never, never had he had her in his rooms, in his own bed. Their bed.

The scene broke her heart but she couldn't look away as Edward rose from the covers and his arms wound around the woman as easily as they wound around her. Their lips met in a kiss she knew by heart, watching the way they moved against one another with something more than lust, something that crushed her soul to see - affection.

"Ned...." The woman whispered as he kissed her neck, one hand cupping her right breast and he moaned against her alabaster skin.
"Jane...."

A sob escaped Constance's lips and she stumbled, legs quaking, catching the door to keep her upright. Two pairs of piercing blue eyes flew to her, one filled with shock, the other with the same then a flood of guilt. The woman instantly removed herself from the King, scrambling to cover herself and leave the bed to curtsy.

Constance hardly saw her, her vision blurring with hot tears.

"Constance...." Edward began and his deep voice snapped her from her trance. Her feet pushed her from the room and she turned and ran, ignoring the shout of her name he gave. Not caring who saw her, she dashed through the palace, tears streaming unbridled down her face until she reached her chambers again, crashing through the bedchamber doors.

Her ladies looked up in surprise, none of them expecting her and frozen in the middle of their tasks.

"What is the matter your grace?" Margaret breathed and Constance blinked, looking over their faces almost like a bewildered child.
"It seems....it seems the King has found another whore...."

And with that, she sank to the floor in a heap of silk as Margaret flung down the hairbrush she held and immediately rushed to her aid. Kneeling, she took the Queen into her arms and the others followed suit, sitting in a pool of satin and velvet as their arms wound around the Queen, weaving a sisterly shield as she cried at the centre of them.

༻᯽༺

One week later....

She did not quarrel with him, she did not scream and shout, she was silent. She avoided Edward all she could, staying in her chambers or the gardens and pleading ill when dinner came about so she didn't have to attend.

The one night she had, she'd almost melted with embarrassment as she watched the redheaded woman she'd seen with her husband. Why hadn't she noticed her before, she thought to herself as she watched her chatter happily to a group of friends. Why hadn't she seen Edward with her? Why hadn't she known?

It seemed everyone else did, she could feel their eyes on her, hear their whispers from behind ringed hands and shame washed over her, though she knew she'd done no wrong.

All night she watched the redhead, scrutinising every step when she danced, how her lithe figure moved with unmatchable grace, how her green damask dress was the perfect shade to compliment the hue of her hair, how her eyes, hidden beneath pale lashes looked demurely up to the royal dais when she passed, glancing at the King.

There was nothing demure about her, this Jane Shore (as she'd discovered) Constance thought as she watched Edward gaze back, she was a scheming whore, just like Elizabeth was. Her train of thought was only hardened when Edward rose and danced with her. He danced with many of the ladies at court but their dance was different, Constance could see the affection they bore towards one another, just as she'd been able to the night she found them and it cleaved her in two.

She retired soon after that.

Seven days after her heart had been shattered into a million splintered pieces that made her hurt all over, Lizzy arrived at her chambers with a message.
"His grace, the King, has requested your presence in his private chambers, my Queen"

Constance glanced up from the book she was reading (one of her Father's) by the fire, fiddling with the ties on her bed robe. She could hear the rain hammering on the windows, as if God himself felt her heartbreak and wept to see her cast down, she could feel the heat of the fire that agreed with her rage, encouraging it.

How could he expect her to set foot in those chambers with hardly a word passed between them since that awful night? How could he expect her to go to him, ever his dutiful little wife? Perhaps he expected it because that's what she'd always been, she thought and her nails dug into the leather binding of her book.

She returned her eyes to the pages.
"Please inform my Lord husband that I am weary and wish to retire alone for the night"

Nodding, Lizzy curtsied and went on her way, leaving Constance and her other Ladies in waiting to their quiet evening activities. Beth and Anne sewed, Katherine watched the rain and Margaret prayed, all of them letting the Queen decide when the silence of her chambers would be broken.

All too soon, she heard the thud of Edward's footsteps approaching her bedchamber, the doors opening and revealing his tall figure which each of her ladies curtsied to. She didn't look up from her book.

"My ladies, would you leave us?"
"Of course, your grace" Anne murmured, motioning for the others to exit before she did, performing another deep curtsy "Call upon us when you are ready, my Queen"

Constance continued her reading, until Edward came to stand before her, though she kept her eyes to the book.

"Are you well?" He asked and she could hear the tension in his voice "Lady Parr said you would not come to me"
"I am perfectly well, thank you, my Lord" She replied, keeping her eyes on her book "I did not desire to come to your rooms, to your bed"

"Why?"
"I need to rest alone, as does the babe"
"You're with child?"
She felt a certain smugness at the hitch in his breath; the surprise in his voice. She hoped it had hit him hard, far harder than the rain hit the windows.

"Yes" She answered nonchalantly, turning a page "And? I wish to sleep alone"
"Don't lie. You always sleep with me when you carry out babes. Always. Connie, what is wrong with you?"

Anger sparked in her veins, sending a river of raging fire through her body. She slammed her book shut, tossing it aside so it landed with a thud on the floor as she stood, looking up defiantly into her husband's eyes.

"What is wrong with me?" She demanded sharply "I come to tell you I am carrying our child only to find you lying with a whore and you have the gall to ask what is wrong?" Edward sighed, the same guilt she'd seen a week ago clouding his gaze.
"She is only...."

"No, Edward!" She yelled, cutting his words short "It does not matter what she is to you, it does not matter if you choose to fuck her one minute and discard her the next, what truly matters is you choose to defile my honour in our own bed and parade your little red-headed whore around with you! My ladies tell me that when you hunted this week, you were with her, putting your arms around her in full view of all under the guise of showing her how to use a bow, and when we feasted last night, you danced with her, you watched her, everyone could tell you would rather be bedding her than sitting beside me!"

Edward's eyes widened and he made to take her hands. He'd never had nor expected such an outburst from her before and it clearly took him by surprise. Perhaps she should've done this much sooner, she thought.
"Constance, I'm....."

"No!" She cried, once again cutting him off and striding away from the fire "I will not listen to your pitiful excuses! I will not endure it! I endured six years of Woodville rule in this court and I am not about to accept a Shore one although I doubt your new harlot has a clan that could rival the witch's! What must I do? What do I need to do, Edward, to have my peace? To have my dignity?" Reaching her bed she turned sharply, glaring at her husband.

"Do you not understand that everything I do is for you?" She demanded "That my entire life depends on you and your position, on your power and security? I have given everything that I have and everything I am for you to be King, to keep our children safe! I have been a good wife to you, for fourteen years I have been good, I have been biddable! I have laboured to carry out your will from sunrise to sunset. I have borne your children, I have suffered the pain of losing babes and yet carried more so you could have an heir!" Letting out a humourless laugh she glanced up to the painted ceiling before finding Edward again.

"When Warwick took you captive, who stood by your side? Who led an army to his gates to set you free? I did. When you were forced into exile, a King without a crown that would soon be a memory if Warwick had had his way, who stood by your side? I did. When you broke sanctuary to slaughter your enemies, when you smothered an old man in his bed I stood by your side again. Is that not enough to win your respect? Must I beg on my knees for you to stop twisting the knife you drove into my heart long ago?"

Where would he be without her help, she wondered, had he ever thought of that? Did he truly recognise her worth, how much she had brought him? She'd aided him and his rule from the start, convincing the mayor of London to bar the gates to Lancaster. Would he have claimed the throne in the first place if it were not for that?

"Con" He tried, stepping towards her "I am sorry for what you saw, this is not like you! Where is the girl I know? The girl I met in France?" She rolled her eyes, an irritated sigh leaving her.

"The girl you met in France? In case it escaped your notice, she grew up! I was fifteen when I married you, Edward, fifteen! I was just what you named me, a girl! Now I am twenty nine, I am a woman, a Mother, a Queen. Time has changed me, just as it has changed you!"

"Me?" He demanded, his voice becoming heated too and she nodded.

"I wish it hadn't because it has not changed you for the better! Now you do not only seem to care little for me but for my position! Where is the boy that asked me to ride to London with him to show the people that I was his wife? He is certainly not before me, he is not the man who fucks his mistress in the space where I sleep!" She crossed her arms, staring at him cooly "I will sleep there no longer" She declared "I will sleep in the Queen's rooms for that is where I belong because I am Queen, perhaps this will finally make you remember that fact"

He strode across the room, narrowing his eyes slightly and they were suddenly face to face.
"That boy grew up just like you!"

"Well I wish he would grow back down again, he had more sense than you!" She hissed "I thought the world of you Edward, is that why you prefer your whores? Because they will simper and smile and look at you as if you are the sun, not caring if they go blind? Well" Pushing him aside, she walked back to the hearth again "some men do like to bask in the admiration of their inferiors rather than face their equals...."

For a moment, the only noise in the room was the crackle of the fire before Edward sighed again.
"So, what do you intend to do?" He asked, the anger gone from his voice. Constance stared into the flames then turned to him.

"I will stay by your side, ever good and biddable to the court, to maintain the facade you so pride yourself on polishing but my heart is closing to you Edward, I am growing cold. I will let you into my bed again once this child is born but only as a duty because I will not forget my duty even when it causes me pain. Remember that when you look upon your whore as you fuck her, remember in bedding her you break me, remember that in adoring her in public you slight me and you slight my family. Remember what Warwick once said, you insult me, you insult my House and the entirety of France. That has never been more true as it is now with my brother, Peter, married to King Louis' daughter, Anne"

Edward's eyes narrowed again and he stepped towards her.

"Don't ever threaten me" He said, voice low and she walked to meet him, staring up into his face.
"I would never threaten you" She answered calmly "I only warn of the storm you yourself will conjure if your actions give it command to rise"

The two stared at one another, chests rising and falling, words in their minds that would never leave their lips, words of anger and words of peace. Tilting up her chin, Constance turned away and one hand came to rest over her heart as she heard Edward leave, slamming the door behind him.

She remembered a time her marriage was the most loving, most secure union she could imagine but now, it seemed broken, perhaps beyond repair.