Free The Dragon and the Rose by Roberta Gellis Page B

mind was whether they were truly in dire danger as her mother said. There were also two other possibilities: her mother might simply be exaggerating her own fear grossly, or she might be acting a part deliberately to make trouble for Uncle Richard.
    Elizabeth had been told that Richard of Gloucester wanted them all dead and that they were alive only because the church gave them sanctuary. Elizabeth found it almost impossible to believe this. No, she could not believe it, not of Uncle Richard. He was so kind and so gentle. He never shrieked. He always explained softly what he wanted and made everything easy.
    Nonetheless, her brothers were gone. Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. Her darling little brothers. When first they were taken away, she had written to them every day, and once in a while she had received their replies. The tears spilled over. She had not had a letter for so long. Uncle Richard? If it were so, that he had harmed her brothers, was it not madness to do this thing? It would be open treason to accept a proposal from the head of the House of Lancaster.
    "But Uncle Richard would not like it," Elizabeth said. "Mama, if he should find out …"
    "Who will tell him? You? You little traitor! You think if you yield yourself, he will make you queen?"
    "Mother!"
    "So that is why you do not wish to write to Henry. You incestuous little bitch! What proposal has Richard made to you?"
    Nearly choking with horror, Elizabeth gasped, "Uncle Richard loves his wife. I am a little girl to him. He has never—"
    "Little girl, eh?" the dowager sneered, running her eyes over her daughter's voluptuous figure.
    Ateighteen Elizabeth was rich and ripe, in the first flush of a beauty that would grow richer over many years. Elizabeth felt herself shrink. It was not modesty. She had more than once been examined by envoys like a Flanders mare, all but being told to open her mouth so that her teeth could be counted. She did not mind having her body appraised for political purposes. It was a fine body, and she was proud of it. Her mother's lewd suggestion was something else entirely. Unwisely, Elizabeth burst into tears.
    "So that is what Richard has in mind," the dowager said thoughtfully. "He needs to dispose of Anne first, of course, but that will not be difficult. She was ever a puling, sickly thing. She will die soon. Then—" She ran her eyes over her daughter, who was trembling and swallowing convulsively, fighting her disgust. "Yes, he will have a fine exchange,   real piece of womanflesh and the rightful heir to the throne."
    "Mother, stop!" Elizabeth cried, her hands shielding her face. "Uncle Richard would never harm Anne. He loves her. I amnot the heir to the throne. I have two brothers. Stop!"
    Totally deaf to her daughter's pleading, the dowager stood biting her lip. Then she nodded decisively. "There can be no harm in accepting Richmond's offer. Even if Richard found out, it would make no difference. If there is no successful rebellion, Richard will marry you and you will be queen. If there is a rebellion and Henry conquers, he must marry you and you will be queen. Ineither case our troubles will be over. Oh, stop that sniveling! Think over what I have said and bring me a letter soon. Soon, I say."
    When her mother had gone, Elizabeth sank into the vacated chair and wept bitterly. Her brothers were dead; they must be dead. At first it was all she could think of. Then it dawned upon her that if her brothers were dead, it must be Uncle Richard's doing. And if he had become a monster that would destroy two innocent little boys to be sure of a throne, he might indeed also destroy the wife he once loved and marry his niece incestuously for the same purpose.
    Not me, Elizabeth thought, not me. I am not afraid to die. I will die first. But she did not wish to die, and her mind scurried around seeking a defense. Then suddenly her sobbing ceased. Henry of Richmond would be her salvation. Uncle Richard had declared her mother's