~Of Another Name~

September, 1473, Wensleydale....

"What is she thinking?" Richard asked quietly as he came to stand beside Catherine, a look of concern on his face as he watched his wife. She was standing at the edge of one of the hills, her heavy velvet cloak pulled tightly around her as she stared blankly at Middleham Castle in the distance.

She found it strange that she did not feel as happy as she wanted as she looked upon what had come to be her home. The sun still shone, despite the late autumn chill that filled the air, and the same vibrant green swept the grass of the valleys and fields. But felt only a subdued happiness as she gazed upon it. 

"She's afraid" Catherine stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, smiling to herself as she noted Richard's surprised expression "we Woodvilles have always been able to read one another like books" she explained, for it was true "and although Leena and I have been apart in recent years....I can still see how she feels"

"So she is not angry?"
"No" Catherine said softly with a shake of her blonde head "she's not angry, merely afraid.... afraid and worried....see how she picks at the skin on her fingers?" Richard tilted his head, his brows furrowing as he noticed the red rawness of the sides of Eleanor's thumbs. They were picked clean of skin, in danger of bleeding if she was determined to keep up her habit, which she seemed to "She's always done it" the young Duchess explained "whenever she is in a time of stress, confusion or fear her poor thumbs and fingers often pay the price"

"I confess, I never noticed before" Richard murmured, contemplating walking over to Eleanor that instant to prevent her from stripping her flesh bare of all skin. Catherine smiled again.

"Perhaps she has simply never done it before when with you?" she suggested, suddenly anxious to soothe her brother in law as she saw the plain concern for her sister on his face. He had taken to twisting his rings on his fingers, a habit of his own which the young Duchess noted.

"Perhaps" he replied, absentmindedly "She's hardly spoken to me the past few weeks yet she clings to me more than ever during the nights"
"Another symptom of her fear" Catherine pointed out with a small shrug "she has hardly said two words together to me during our days travelling apart from when she told me of this.... rather inconvenient situation"

Nodding silently at the disapproval in the young Duchess' voice, Richard turned to the guards that were resting by trees that scattered the hill, their horses drinking from the babbling brook nearby.

They had sent the rest of the baggage train on at Eleanor's request, letting her simply stop and stare for a while with the excuse that she wished to show her sister her home from that particular view. With a commanding wave of the Duke's hand, the men jumped to attention, as did Anais, who had been sitting contently on a log watching a solitary grasshopper, only for Marie to pull her back down again with a shake of her head and a sharp reprimand to remind her that she 'was not a soldier'.

"We wait for our Duchess, chérie" Marie told her firmly, despite the soft endearment "not Duke Richard"
"But surely his grace has the command here" Anais argued only to let out a small gasp as she found Richard staring down at her an amused smile forming on his lips as she had to be tugged to her feet by Marie to curtsy.

"You are under her grace's jurisdiction, Lady Anais" he said with a nod to Marie who merely looked away, her heart sure that he was the reason her beloved mistress appeared so distant, so unhappy "and it would not do for you to defy her....stay with her always" he moved away with another nod and Anais stared after him, arching an eyebrow.

"Je me souviens quand tu as dit que c'était un cul, Marie" (I remember when you said that he was an ass, Marie) she said thoughtfully while her fellow Lady gave a small snort of laughter that she quickly smothered with a well timed cough "Bien qu'il semble avoir rendu notre Eleanor heureuse?" (Though he does seem to have made our Eleanor happy?)

Marie scoffed at that, taking Anais firmly by the arm to guide her towards their Duchess, quietly tutting to herself as she always found herself doing with the younger woman around.

"C'était comme ça que ça se passait" (it seemed that way) she admitted with a frown before shaking her head, placing a protective arm around the younger woman's shoulders "Ne vous embêtez pas avec de tels problèmes, petit" (do not bother yourself with such troubles, little one) she sighed, coaxing a small smile from Anais for she was always far gentler in her native tongue.

"C'est mon devoir de m'embêter" (tis my duty to bother) The blonde replied stoutly as they reached Eleanor, dipping down into curtsies once again though they doubted she would notice if they didn't, so far away she seemed. She only really acknowledged their presence when Marie lay a hand on her arm, jumping slightly and shaking her head as if she had just been snapped from a trance.

"Is it time to continue?" She asked and her ladies both nodded, following after her as she went to her horse and allowed a page to lift her into her saddle, fiddling with the reins.

"I cannot wait to see Henry's face when I appear at his door" Cat said with a small giggle, though the dislike for her husband was clear to anyone who caught her grim expression "you can expect at least an hour of shouting and protests!"

"Should I come to defend you?" Eleanor asked as the small party began to ride towards the castle. Catherine nodded in thanks but then merely shrugged.

"I'm sure that I can handle him" she sighed "besides, by the time we return to his mother we will have a common cause to fight for. She wants us to produce an heir. We most certainly do not want to produce an heir!" An airy laugh passed her lips as her nose wrinkled in disgust "God I want to do anything but lie with him! He shall not set a foot in my bedchamber as long as I have any say in the matter!"

"If you hate him so then why are you coming to collect him?" Eleanor questioned and her little sister sighed.

"He has so attend to his lands and duties as the Duke of Buckingham, he can't spend all his time frolicking among the trees up here!" She explained "as much as I hate to admit it I cannot run the household all by myself! Still" she forced a smile onto her face, shaking a few loose strands of hair away from her young face "we must press on with life, must we not?" She nudged her horse into a faster trot, eager to find her husband to get their shouting match begun and finished before the sun set, leaving Eleanor staring admiringly after her.

She dismounted almost as soon as they entered the courtyard, waiting for her horse to halt before she slipped from the saddle and made for the stairs. She had thought that Katheryn and John would be outside waiting and was relieved when they were not, leaving her to walk indoors without anyone stopping her, heading straight to her chambers.

A relived cry left her as she shut the door firmly behind her and saw Anne sitting by the fire, Bess playing on a rug with Isabel and little Matilda in her arms, all safe and sound.

"Mama!" Bess screeched at the top of her little lungs as she saw Eleanor walking towards her, scrambling to her feet as she tried to run to her. Eleanor caught her little daughter in her arms, sweeping her from the floor and cradling her against her chest as she felt tears flood to her eyes, an overjoyed laugh escaping her.

Pulling back slightly she gazed adoringly into Bess's rosy face, smiling as a little fist reached out to curl around the ruby and Pearl necklace she was wearing.

"You shall have it" she declared, reaching around to unclasp the pendant before she handed it to her little one who stared in wonder at the jewels before trying to bring the piece to her mouth "darling!" Eleanor giggled indulgently, whisking the necklace away before the delicate stones could meet Bess' lips "you mustn't do that!" She placed it down on her dressing table while Bess' began to wiggle, wanting to go back to her friend.

Her mother watched with a loving smile as she toddled back over to Isabel, plopping herself happily back down on the floor, before she walked over to Anne who was holding a sleeping Matilda. Eleanor gasped slightly as she gazed upon her babe, reaching out a hand to brush a finger across the silky soft curls that had gown and thickened during the months she had been away.

"Tilda is a little Angel" Anne said softly, clearly enamoured with the little child she held as she passed her to the Duchess. She had missed having Eleanor around, more than she had expected if she was being truthful with herself.

She had come to depend upon the Duchess, just as she had once depended upon her own sister Isabel and had grown to view Eleanor just as she had viewed Issy, as her saviour with whom she would follow into hell and back if need be "How are you?" She asked quietly as Eleanor kissed her daughter's forehead "only....I know the news of Katheryn and John must have been a shock to you. I admit, their arrival was a shock to me, it was the middle of the night...."

Her soft voice trailed away as her friend sat down opposite her, the joy in her green eyes fading, though they did not leave Matilda's peaceful face.

"It was a shock" she admitted, glancing up as Bess and Isabel gave a shriek of laughter as their tower of wooden bricks fell over "and I was angry at first....at Richard, though I know it is not his fault, he did not know this would happen....in all I do not really think I had a right to be angry....it is my own fault I did not think about them earlier....but now....now I'm just afraid"
"But afraid of what?" Anne asked, adjusting the heavy woollen blanket that she had on her lap "they are children, Leena!"

"I know!" Eleanor cried only to hush herself as Matilda squirmed, beginning to wake at the sound of her mother's raised voice "and that's why I feel so ashamed! I'm not angry or sulking Anne, I'm ashamed of myself! God you should have seen how I reacted when Richard first told me! I even declared that I wanted the children to be kept separate from Bess and Matilda! It hardly bears thinking on! That I should be threatened by children! They are innocents and yet are the object of my rage and my hate even though I know they shouldn't be! They are worries that I have that I should not be placing on the shoulders of two little ones!" She stood abruptly as the voices of a man and two small children were carried into the room through an open window.

"Eleanor, you shouldn't...." Anne began but Eleanor had already strode across the room, heart pounding as she peered hesitantly out of the window and down into the courtyard. She felt her chest tighten as her eyes settled on two small children that were being led towards Richard by Francis.

The little boy, with hair as black as his father's, sat happily in Lord Lovell's arms while the little girl skipped by his side, one hand wrapped around his own with the other holding tightly to a small stuffed rabbit. He had been tending to his horse but as soon as he saw his children, Richard handed the reins to a squire and went down on one knee before them, holding out a hand.

Katheryn let out a small squeal and bounded towards him, ignoring his hand and throwing her little arms around his neck instead, nuzzling into the collar of his burgundy doublet. Eleanor knew that her husband had not seen Katheryn since she had been but a babe, had never seen his son before now, and was rather surprised that she appeared to know him now yet she fitted into his embrace as naturally as if she had been made to be there.

After a while, she let go, stepping back to stare at her father and attempting a small curtsy that made him laugh, reach out to ruffle her chocolate brown curls that bobbed around her shoulders. Richard rose to his feet, a small gasp escaping him as he looked upon his son for the first time.

A pair of deep blue eyes identical to his, stared back at him, swimming with curiosity and caution as he reached out and took the two year old from Francis' arms.

"Come here my son" he murmured, pride blossoming inside his heart as John made no fuss at being moved, simply began to play with the chain of office around his Father's neck "my son" he repeated, almost not believing the words until he felt a little tap on his leg and looked down to see Katheryn staring up at him.

"Father?" She asked before holding up her small arms in a silent command for her to be lifted along with her little brother. Richard quickly obliged, lifting her into his embrace as he detached one arm from John and grinning as she once more locked her small arms around his neck.

Eleanor looked away from the scene below her, her eyes widening a little when she reached up to her face only to find tears wet her cheeks. She could not fathom why the sight of Richard and his children made her react so and yet she did.

They were a reminder of Kate. Of the love that he bore her, that bound him to her forever. But why should that mean that she should blame the children? They were surely innocent in this, she at least knew they did not deserve her anger.

She made herself smile as at her side, dabbing away her tears with her sleeve.
"I don't know what to do Anne....but I think that I will dine in here tonight, if you would be so good as to join me? Then I can figure out a plan" She said, sighing gratefully as Anne nodded.

Turning back towards the window she watched with baited breath as Richard walked inside with Kate's children in his arms and she shook her head. Perhaps it would be best if she went down to meet them? She knew that it most likely would be, that she should place her feelings aside for the children were not the ones at fault here.

But as she stared at her door, contemplating the idea she suddenly felt the urge to run, to hide and found herself clutching Matilda a little tighter to her. She slowly made her way back to the fire, staring listlessly into the flames while Anne watched her, a saddened expression on her pale face.