The Dracula Chronicles: Bound By Blood - Volume 2 Page 29

  “If he has something to say to me then he can say it with his own mouth.”

  “As his nominated delegate I do speak with his voice. And his authority.”

  “You are nothing to me.”

  “My status is equal to yours, my Lady.”

  The man’s arrogance defied belief. “I am your Queen!” she shouted.

  “No. You are not,” he said, looking her straight in the eye.

  She offered him a confused look. What on earth is he saying? Maria saw her struggle for an answer. She spoke up instead. “How dare you come in here and say such a thing.”

  “But it is true,” Norfolk spoke up.

  “How can it be true?”

  “The King has married the Lady Boleyn.”

  Catherine’s legs went from beneath her. Only for one of her male servants she would have hit the floor. He caught her in his arms and led her safely to a chair. Maria dabbed her brow with a wet cloth until she could recover from the shock. Even when she had she could not speak.

  The king’s men would have left there and then if they did not have more to add to their message. They waited for their former queen to speak.

  When she did not Suffolk took the lead once more. “In light of this you are no longer the Queen. A new title has been given to you.”

  Catherine sat upright at last. She did not want these men to see how hurt she was. A voice from within told her to be strong. No matter what they said to her she had to show she did not care. They would not take away her dignity. “On what grounds did my husband do this?”

  “I assume you are seeking justification in law?”

  “At least have the good grace to address me properly. I am still the Queen of this country until God tells me otherwise.”

  “God has no power in this matter.”

  For the first time she felt really angry. “Do not dare belittle His name in my house!”

  “This is the King’s house.”

  “It is my house! And you can leave it at once!”

  He looked at her in a way that chilled her. “I will leave when I have delivered the King’s message. Not a moment before.”

  “Then say what you must and get out!”

  “If you need a reason in law the relevant acts have been passed. The Pope no longer has any authority in England. The King is the new head of the Church.”

  “Then England has become a nation of heretics! Shame on you all!”

  “But you are no longer queen. Of that you can be sure.”

  It felt to her that he wanted only to hurt her. With everything he said he just drove the blade deeper into her heart. But she knew her husband had finally cast her aside. He had locked her away in this house and left her with nothing. She did not even have a happy memory of him to draw upon. All she had now was the bitterness in her heart. She could not forgive him for it. Nor would she ever.

  She decided to rise above it. “So what is my new title? You said I had one.”

  “You are to be known as the Princess Dowager of Wales.”

  “Then my status still exceeds yours. So show me the respect I deserve, you cur!”

  Her reaction brought half a smile to his face. It made her anger boil even more within. She only wished she had the strength to strike him down.

  “Pay him no heed, my Lady,” Maria said. “He does not know any better.”

  “I know,” Catherine said, still glaring at him. “The breeding here is not quite what it is in Spain.”

  His half smile grew into a smirk. He openly flaunted his lack of regard for his former queen. “You may keep your household staff,” he said. “But if you do it has to be at your own expense.”

  This did little to impress her either. “And how am I meant to do that?”

  “Your family rules half of Europe. Surely it cannot be that difficult.”

  She raised her fist to him. “Get out of my house! However the King and I feel about each other, I doubt very much he would like the way you are speaking to me.”

  Norfolk nodded to him to wait outside. Suffolk shrugged and left the house. “I am sorry, my Lady,” Norfolk said. “And for the news we had to bring.”

  She nodded a thank you for his kind words. “I gather there is more?”

  “Yes, my Lady. The King has said that should you submit to his will then he will provide generously for you.”

  “What does he need me to submit to? He has what he wants.”

  “He wants your blessing. And for you to accept the way things are.”

  “What? To ease his conscience? I am sorry, but I will not do that.”

  Norfolk bowed. “Very well, my Lady.”

  “The guilt he carries for what he has done is his own. I am, and will die, a married woman. That will never change. Good day to you.”

  Norfolk bowed again. “I wish you well, my Lady.” He then turned and left.

  In that same week Cranmer received the go ahead to rule on the king’s marriage to Catherine. A month later he declared it null and void. He used the grounds that it contravened divine law. He followed it soon after with a proclamation that the marriage of the king to Anne Boleyn was valid. On the first day of June she was crowned Queen of England.

  The Pope made a swift response. He excommunicated Henry at once. This had little effect on him. He cared only for the pending birth of his son. When Anne had a daughter in September, it crushed him. Fate had denied him once more. He put as brave a face on it as he could. Anne fell pregnant again before the end of the year.

  Cranmer then issued a new decree. It limited the Pope still further. He now had no more power in England than any other bishop. His new title in England became the Bishop of Rome. The break had been gradual. When it came it met with little or no opposition.

  The New Year saw the passing of the Act in Absolute Restraint of Appeals. It put into force the Act of 1532. This law removed all payments to the Pope. Instead they transferred to the Crown. It also declared Henry second only to Christ himself. No other man could assume the title of the Supreme Head of the Church of England over him. Henry was to choose also all the future abbots and bishops for election.

  A second law soon followed. They called it the Act Against Peter’s Pence. Peter’s Pence was a sum of money paid each year by the king to the Pope. The Act dispensed with it. It also abolished all other payments the Pope might receive. Henry also reserved the right now to visit and reform any of the religious houses in the country. The Pope had lost all power within the realm.

  Next came the Act of Succession. This law excluded Mary as an heir to the throne and declared her a bastard. Henry could now only be succeeded by a child born to him through Anne Boleyn. The Act stated the king’s first marriage was invalid. By the same token it declared his new marriage as legal. It forbade all opposition to it. Anyone who did would suffer severe penalties. This was the case whether they did so openly or in secret.

  Within this Act was the Oath of Succession. It bound every man and woman in the land to take it. Those that did not incurred a charge of treason. Catherine refused to take the Oath. Soon she began to fear for hers and Mary’s lives. She would only eat food prepared by her most trusted servants. She even grew suspicious of anyone who came to visit her.

  John Fisher and Thomas More refused to take the Oath. Cromwell had them both arrested. Henry then moved his ex wife to Kimbolten Castle. He made her a virtual prisoner there and forbade her visits from any of her friends. It left her isolated and totally alone in the world. With each day that passed she felt more and more desolate. Secretly she longed for an end to it all. Even if it meant death.

  News of this reached Castile. Charles was more than furious. He swore to invade England. Catherine caught wind of his notion. She sent him a letter in which she begged him to refrain from such action.

  For the first time in her life Catherine felt really old. Although only forty-eight she could have been a hundred. Nobody wanted her any more. The people too had as good as forgotten her. She lay on her bed an
d cried. Even the warm summer night did little to ease her misery. She thought back to her days as a child in Castile. She also thought of Radu.

  He too had not forgotten their time together. She owned his heart even now. Her plight was not lost on him. After moving to Venice he paid spies to keep an eye on her. They reported to him on a regular basis. Dracula was still in England. He had only kept a distance because of his brother and the others. But she needed him now more than ever. He decided to return, whatever the cost.

  When next Catherine looked to the window she saw him there. She rose up on both hands, not sure if she had imagined it. “Radu?” she asked, her voice tinged with hope.

  He stepped into the room. A smile lit up his face. “Yes, my love. It is I.”

  She looked deep into his large green eyes. He was so beautiful. Tears of joy streamed down her face. She looked up and clenched her hands together. “Dear God, thank you. Thank you for bringing him back to me.”

  England. Kimbolten Castle.

  June 1534.

  Radu held her in his arms for some time. Seeing her again gave him the most wonderful feeling he had felt in years. He loved her just as much now as he ever had. This was the only woman he ever would love.

  She smelt just as he remembered. Everything about her was the same as before. The only difference he saw was the sadness in her eyes. She had not had the best time while he was gone. It showed on her face. But still he found her beautiful.

  “Am I dreaming this?” she whispered, pressing against him.

  “No, Catherine. I am here.”

  “It has been thirty years, my love.”

  “I know, my love. And I am sorry.”

  “Why so long?”

  “I had to go away. I hurt you in our last moments together. Through my shame I could not bear for you to look upon me.”

  “I forgave you in a moment. You should have come back to me.”

  “That is because you are a pure soul.”

  “There have been so many times since that I have needed you.”

  “I know. I will never stray too far from you again.”

  “You are going to stay? I have always belonged to you. But you know that. I hope you have always known that.”

  “And I belong to you too.”

  “Then why did you not come back? There was another reason?”

  “You must know from that night I am not a real man.”

  “I barely remember it. Only the beauty of your face.”

  “Did you hear what I said, Catherine?”

  “Yes, Radu. I heard you. How can that be? It is not possible.”

  “It is true. I died many years ago, but was brought back.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “My brother was spared death by the Dark Side. He wanted his revenge against me and so had me brought back from the grave.”

  She broke from their embrace and looked at him. “You are telling me the truth?”

  “Yes. You have not seen me in thirty years. Yet, have I aged a day?”

  “No you have not.”

  “That is because such things do not affect me. I am immortal.”

  “Immortal? You mean you will live forever?”

  “I might. Unless my brother manages to kill me again. Which he will strive to do every chance he gets.”

  “That is why you went away for so long?”

  “Yes, Catherine. He has been here the whole time, advising the King. All the bad that has happened to you, is through him.”

  She stepped away for a moment to think about it. “I am sure God will deal with him when the time comes.”

  “God has given that task to me.”

  “He wants you to destroy your brother?”

  “Yes. Even God has to abide by certain rules. That is the agreement he made with Lucifer. So the task has been passed to me.”

  She gasped in shock. “God made a deal with the Devil?”

  “They called a truce. To end the war between the angels. They agreed a set of rules to keep the peace, however fragile that may be.”

  She nodded that she understood. “So you can fight him? Your brother I mean.”

  Radu shrugged a little. “I will not know for certain until I face him. But I will have to face him at some point in the future.”

  “You do not seem so sure.”

  “He is one of six. I stand alone. I do not feel quite ready, but soon. If ever I go again it is because he is close. But I will always return to you. I vow that on my love for you.”

  “I hope so,” she smiled. “I truly need you in my life.”

  “You have me for as long as you want me.”

  “That will be until I die. I have been denied you for so long.”

  He kissed her for the first time since she was eighteen years old. Her body tingled all over. She felt things Henry had never aroused in her. That alone told her Radu was her true love.

  “I love you, Radu,” she said. “I always have.”

  “I love you too,” he whispered, gazing long into her eyes.

  They lay on the bed. There they kissed and touched for hours. She did not once feel nervous, as his hands explored her again. It just all seemed so natural.

  “I want to make love to you,” he said softly in her ear.

  “And I want you to. But I cannot.”

  He pulled away for a moment. “Why not?”

  “I swore a vow to my husband. Only he has ever known me in that way. By the laws of God only he ever will.”

  “You are not married, Catherine. That vow no longer binds you.”

  “In the eyes of God I am.”

  “You have one of the purest souls of anyone in this world. It is not a sin to give yourself to your true love. Believe me. He will not frown upon it.”

  “You do not know that.”

  “I do. You are free of your vows to Henry. It is he that has sinned. Not you.”

  She did not resist when he slid her nightgown up over her head. He very slowly kissed her entire body. It made her feel things she never knew possible. She gave up all her inhibitions. When she felt his tongue between her legs she was totally his.

  A quick jolt of fear raced through him. He sensed something wrong in her blood. What it was he did not quite know. But it was bad.

  For a moment he thought his bite might have caused it. But soon he realised it was not that at all. If he had given her the virus then her body had killed it. There was something else lurking inside and it was sucking the life out of her. He knew at once it was this that had made her so ill for so long. While she writhed beneath him he scoured his mind for a way he could help her. Perhaps I could remove the bad in her blood. Then her body might fight this and replace it with the new.

  He told her of his idea. For a long time she had sensed something wrong inside her body. As time passed it had indeed got worse. It scared her when he confirmed it. She hesitated at first. An old memory shot through her mind of the time he had bitten her. She feared such a thing again. He said he could relax her mind. Then while they made love he would begin to take the bad in her blood away.

  She opened her eyes on his command. He held her gaze with his own. With his soft words of love her eyes closed again. He hoped that by hypnotising her she would feel no pain. He repeated over and over that she would not. In time her mind came to believe it.

  The moment they had both waited thirty years for finally came. He eased inside her. Although in a trance she felt every bit of him. She groaned hard as he filled her inside. When he pushed into her a second time she moved her body against him.

  The act was pure ecstasy for them both. Their bodies melded together as one. They both knew they should have enjoyed a lifetime of this. But they felt it worth the wait.

  Her body shook gently from within. It told him the moment was close. Just as she opened her mouth to cry out, he slid his fangs into the old wounds on her neck.

  She groaned hard at the ripples that flowed through her. The bite caused her only a short
sharp pain. She felt nothing of it now, as her blood slowly passed into his veins. When he felt he had taken enough he stopped. Already he felt he was going to be sick. His instincts had not deceived him.

  She drifted off into a deep sleep. When she did he left through the open window. He flew straight to the woods. There he was violently ill. Uriel watched him from afar. He realised Radu was only trying to help her. The fact that she had survived the virus thirty years before gave her an immunity to it now. For that reason he did not react to him biting her.

  Radu spotted a deer that had stopped nearby. It bolted the moment it caught his scent. He chased after it. The animal had enough blood to satisfy his sudden need. He flew through the air in pursuit. It had only run ten yards when he dragged it down to the ground. Without a second thought he ripped at its throat with his teeth. Only when its blood trickled into his veins did he relax again. Uriel slipped away and left him to it.

  He went again to see her every night for the next two weeks. She fell deeper in love with him. He kept her in that same trance-like state, but she had full control over her mind. Her initial feelings of guilt had long gone. She wanted only to make love to him every time they were together.

  She knew she would grow ill again before she had a chance to get better. Radu was clear on this point. His taking of her blood would make her sick. She agreed for him to continue. The years of pain she had endured had to come to an end.

  Word reached Ilona that Catherine had fallen ill once more. She and Dracula left at once for Kimbolten Castle to check on her. They suspected her visitor of many years ago might have come back. The identity of that stranger still eluded them. They had to find out who it was. When they did they would destroy him. Radu felt them coming. He told her this and took leave of her.

  They found her in a poor state. Ilona felt genuine concern for her. She had grown fond of the former queen over the years. Her worst fears were soon realised. She saw at once the fresh wounds on her neck. Drops of blood had fallen onto her pillow. The vampire had been there that night.

  Dracula left the room through the same window as Radu. He sought a spot high on the top of the castle. Closing his eyes he smelt the air. Nothing of note came to him. He scanned the countryside all around. There had to be some sign of the intruder. But he found none.