The Yorkist Rose

The queen stormed into Her husband’s chambers, as she had feared he was not alone and neither he nor his guest was dressed. Their eyes met for a moment and her husband looked away not hesitating to push the young woman away he whispered some almost silent words, the girl giggled, kissed his cheek and caught the gown Elizabeth threw to her. “Put it on outside, you can walk like the whore you are till then.”
“Dress before you leave” Edward’s eyes were on the girl who followed his command dressing, her gown sill loose, the king’s doublet over her shoulders for warmth, Hasting’s showed her out closing the doors behind him, this could only mean trouble.
“What do you think you are doing?”” her voice showed little respect, all anger.
“You ask me that? You do not enter here without my say!”
“I knew you were with her, I tell you to have her leave and you do not.”
“You are my wife! My wife! You do not give me, your husband and your king orders.”
“You are supposed to lay with me Edward, supposed to make love to me, not to lay with some whore with a prettier face and nicer bosom.”
“You are quite fine, only you avoid me.”
“I avoid you because you lay with her!”
“Elizabeth.” He stepped forward, closing the gap between them she stepped away, turning away.
“You barely noticed my mother’s death for that whore, you pay my brother more attention than me for that whore, you leave me alone for that whore. What has happened between us? Are you not the same man and I not the same woman as met when we were young lovers?”
“Much has happened. I have grown up.”
“And so you do not love me?”
“I love you fine, you do not love me.”
“You are wrong.”
“I cannot change your mind Elizabeth.” He was already backing away, he sighed and sat upon his bed his eyes not fixing on her, they settled on the floor, as though he did not wish to look at her.
“I worry Edward, you are blinded, Hasting’s sees it, I see it your mother and brothers see it. We are drawn apart by ambition, pried apart by others. Hastings has spent more time around you than I, and I am your wife, I gave you two healthy son’s what more could I give?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why?”
“Because it is my right Elizabeth, if it pleases me to take mistress, if it pleases me to take six, there is nothing you or any other woman can do about it.”
“She loves you and has told you, hasn’t she?”
“This is outrageous, no.”
“Edward, I see the look in your eyes, she has told you she loves you.”
“That does not mean I love her.”
“It does.”
“No.”
“Even now you cannot tell me the truth.”
“I speak the truth.”
“Of course husband. Of course, until you see what you are doing to me, our children and until you see you shame only yourself and that poor girl I will not lay with you, we shall have no more children and you will experience no wifely companion in me.”
He looked at her, his eyes fixing on her his hand reached for her grabbing her pulling her toward him fast his lips kissed hers. “No more children?” She was about to object, his fingers moved quickly and without a word from either she had lied to him, nine months later the last York girl lay in her arms. From then she stuck to her words, they were not close, only in royal appearance, they dined together without quarrel,. Saw their children without objection, played the role of king and queen as they always had, they shared a bed to please his mother but at no point did their eyes meet, their hands wander or their bodies touch, when alone they spoke no words, the love they had once had was baron and lost. Elizabeth, warm with content noticed as her husband, the once determined man, brave warrior, conqueror of their nation and dominant political figure, the lover of arts, the expert of trade and more than all the tall and handsome lover slipped into a state of cool depression, where he spoke to no one but himself of his pain where he spent the most of his nights alone, cold and away from eyes. She wanted to help him, she could not.