“Jane Seymour—my choice, the only wife I freely chose for myself—was my only true wife, and she gave me a son. She was like an angel, an angel, you know? And God took her back. I cannot complain for she left me with a son and His wisdom is infinite. The Cleves woman was an arranged marriage brought to me against my wishes by bad advisors. The Howard girl...” His face crumples into rolls of fat. “God forgive the Howards for putting a whore in my bed,” he gulps. “They deceived me, she deceived them, we were all blinded by her whorish prettiness. Kate, I swear, you will be a good wife to me indeed if you can make me forget the pain that she caused me.”

“I will if I can,” I say quickly. “Please don’t distress yourself.”

“I have been heartbroken,” he says honestly. “More than once. I have been betrayed—more than once. And I have been blessed by the true love of a good woman.” He carries my hand to his lips. “Twice, I hope. I hope you will be my second and my last good angel. I hope you will love me as Jane did. I know that I love you.”

“If I can,” I say softly. I am genuinely moved to tenderness. “If I can, I will.”

“So you can command me,” he says gently. “I will do anything that you want. You just have to say.”

I trust him. I think that I will dare to name the favor that I want. “It’s my rooms at Hampton Court,” I start. “Please don’t think me ungrateful, I know they are the finest rooms and Hampton Court is—”

He waves away my words. “It’s the most beautiful palace in England, but it is nothing to me if you don’t like it. I shall demolish it if you wish. What displeases you? I will have it altered at once.”

It is the ghosts in every corner, it is the initials of dead women on the stone bosses, it is the flags where their feet walked. “The smell,” I say. “From the kitchens below.”

“Of course!” he exclaims. “You’re so right! I have often thought it myself. We should rebuild, we should change. The place was planned by Wolsey. He looked after himself, you can be sure of that. He planned his own apartments perfectly but he did not think what the other wing would be like. He never cared for anyone but himself, that man. But I care for you, beloved. Tomorrow you shall come to me and we shall get a builder to draw up new rooms for you, a queen’s side that will suit you completely.”

Truly, this is a rare husband. I’ve never known anyone so quick to understand, and so eager for the happiness of a wife. “Lord husband, you’re very good to me.”