She leans back to see if I understand her now and the horror in my face tells her that I do.

‘They know this for true?’

She nods.

‘Who is the witch?’ I breathe. ‘What has she done?’

‘She has put the king under a spell so he is unmanned,’ she says. ‘She has cursed the king so that he shall not have a son by you.’

‘Who is the witch?’ I demand. ‘Who is Thomas Cromwell’s witch? Who has unmanned the king? Who do they say she is?’ Katherine’s little face is pinched with fear. ‘Anne, Your Grace, my dearest queen, what if they say it is you?’

* * *

I live almost withdrawn from the world, emerging from my rooms only to dine before the court when I try to appear serene, or, better still, innocent. They are questioning Thomas Cromwell and the arrests go on, other men are accused of treason against the king, accused of employing a witch to blight his manhood. There is a network of plotters unfolding. Lord Lisle is said to have been the focus in Calais, he aided the Papists and the Pole family who have long wanted to recapture the throne from the Tudors. His second in command at the fortress has fled to Rome to serve under Cardinal Pole, which proves the guilt. They say that Lord Lisle and his party have worked with a witch to make sure that the king should not have a fruitful marriage with me, shall not make another heir to his reformed religion. But at the same time, it is said that Thomas Cromwell was aiding the Lutherans, the reformers, the evangelicals. It is said he brought me in to marry the king and ordered a witch to unman the king so that he could put his own line on the throne. But who is the witch? the court asks itself. Who is the witch who was friends with Lord Lisle, and was brought to England by Thomas Cromwell? Who is the witch? What woman is indicated by both of these nightmares of evil? Ask it again, what woman was brought to England by Thomas Cromwell; but is friends with Lord Lisle?

Clearly, there is only one woman.

Only one woman, brought to England by Thomas Cromwell, befriended by Lord Lisle, unmanning the king so that he was impotent on the night of his wedding and every night thereafter.

No-one has named the witch yet, they are gathering evidence.

Princess Mary’s departure has been brought forwards and I have only a moment with her as we wait for them to bring the horses round from the stables.

‘You know I am innocent of any wrongdoing,’ I say to her under cover of the noise of the servants running around and her guards calling for their horses. ‘Whatever you hear in the future about me, please believe me: I am innocent.’

‘Of course,’ she says levelly. She does not look at me. She is Henry’s daughter, she has served a long apprenticeship in learning not to betray herself. ‘I shall pray for you every day. I shall pray that they all see your innocence as I do.’