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Henry was not a man who could understand women, although he supposed any man, if questioned, would claim complete ignorance as to their ways. Still, he often felt as though he had been especially cursed in his incomprehension. He had spent almost his whole life surrounded by men expect for the fleeting moments in his mother’s care or with the women Jasper had hired to make sure he was no wholly ignorant of sexual matters.
The latter had at least assured that he had not hurt Elizabeth overly much when they laid together for the first time, yet of how to read her the intricate details of her mind he knew nothing. And now was a perfect example.
Elizabeth had seemed close to overjoyed when he announced his plans to celebrate the announcement of her first pregnancy with a rare night of celebrations. She had all but glowed when he had lead her into the hall at the start of the night and he had reveled in seeing the awe in her eyes at how it had been transformed, knowing all his mother’s complaints about the cost had been well worth it for such a look of pure happiness.
But now Elizabeth was perched in her seat as though she had been fashioned from stone, a near sullen expression on her face. His attempts to draw her into conversation were greeted with little more than slight asides, her eyes remaining straight ahead.
Henry could feel his temper starting to prick, yet he shoved it down as best he could. This was supposed to be Elizabeth’s night and he could only imagine how it would look if he snapped at her before full sight of the court. Besides, his mother had already given him a lecture to match the midwife’s about how careful he should treat his wife now that she was with child.
Yet he could not imagine what had managed to catch her attention so surely. If he thought his confusion might be cleared after he managed to follow her gaze than he was wrong since there was a full stream of courtiers dancing before them.
As he watched, however, a certain train of things happened in near sequence. One of the dancing women, a lady who had stepped before him earlier when he was mingling among the courtiers, caught his eye, flashing a sparkling smile in his direction. And just like that Elizabeth’s spine snapped straight in her chair, her narrow eyes becoming as hard as the sapphires they so resembled.
Henry almost choked on his wine when he finally understood what was happening.
Elizabeth was jealous!
Yet as the shock began to wear off, he realized she was not without cause to be so. It was hardly an unheard of thing for Kings to take mistresses, especially when their wives were with child and unable to lay with them. Indeed, Elizabeth’s own father had laid with countless other woman whether he had the excuse of his wife’s near constant pregnancies or not.
It would be all to easy for him to take any girl he wanted. There were those who would lash out against the offense shown to their York princess, but no one would truly oppose him for it. But even as he thought it, Henry could imagine how Elizabeth would react to such news, how strong she would be determined to remain even though he would be able to see the pain in her eyes in those rare unguarded moments when she thought he didn’t see…
"Elizabeth, will you join me in the next dance?"
The music had already begun to lag and for the first time that night his wife’s head actually snapped towards him. She covered her surprise up with a regal mask within seconds, however. “Are you certain, my lord?” she asked. “You seemed quite disinterested when Lady Hunt asked you but a few minutes prior.”
"Of course I was." Henry covered Elizabeth’s hand with his own, not relenting until she stopped her claw like grip on the arm of her chair so he could rise it to his lips. He looked straight into her eyes so that there could be no mistaking the sincerity of his words. "She was not you."
And just like that the guise of the ice queen melted as Elizabeth’s eyes widened in surprise. It still hurt him sometimes that she should show such astonishment at receiving such love and kindness, but even that was wiped away under the radiance of her smile and her lips brushing his own fingers.
"Will you follow my lead?" she teased, eyes sparkling. "I’m afraid my feet are still surer than yours."
His Lady Mother would no doubt damn him for saying what he did next, but he cared not, “My lady, I will always follow you.”