“She needs an annulment,” said Lord Northampton, as casually as if she needed a new horse. His audience fell silent, transfixed by shock. Even I, who had kept my eyes lowered throughout the conversation, stared at the Earl. A hint of a smile came into his eyes, like a boy who has shown himself cleverer than his older brother.

“That is impossible,” said the Earl of Suffolk.

“It is against God,” whispered his wife.

“Is it possible?” asked Frankie.

“It is difficult, of course,” said Northampton. “We are the only Protestant nation with Catholic divorce laws stricter than are now observed in many Popish lands. I would estimate that at least one in three of our peers live apart from their spouses, yet none are legally divorced. We cannot expect this to be a simple matter.”

“Annulment by a woman?” asked Frankie’s father. “Can the law accommodate such perversion?”

“Is it not evident that you have raised a daughter who thinks it is right to take matters into her own hands, whatever the consequences?” said Lord Northampton, and I wondered if he knew just how far we had taken matters into our own hands. Frankie hunched her shoulders; she was thinking the same thing. “The qualities of obedience, silence and forbearance are lacking in her and these faults will affect us all,” her great-uncle continued. “If she has risked her neck to associate with persons such as Mary Woods, what else might she do? It is far better to help her be rid of Essex and see her remarried as swiftly as possible, to someone suitable to us and more acceptable to Frances. The Earl has insufficiencies not to be borne in marriage.”

“Who would marry a willful and credulous fool with no reputation? If she brings a case for annulment, she announces to the world her own lust and disobedience,” said the Countess of Suffolk. “‘Can she not contain herself?’ That is what people will say. And what if others seek to follow her example? Do you really wish the Howards to be known as the murderers of marriage? How then will we stand in God’s eyes?”

“Our house is no stranger to drama and yet we have weathered it and sit high in the King’s regard. Frankie has beauty and wealth on her side, if not obedience. There will be suitors. We have a fine precedent in the eighth King Henry,” said Lord Northampton, seemingly confident enough of his high standing in the eyes of God to ignore the Countess’s fears.

“He was a man and a king,” said the Earl of Suffolk.