Now they returned with an account of what they had seen.

“Tell me of the Queen,” said Henry, coming straight to the point. “She is twenty-seven years of age, I know. Does she look so? Is she comely?”

“She looks young for her age, Sire, and she is comely. But it was not easy to see for every time we were in her presence she wore a great mantle, which revealed only her face. But she appeared to be handsome . . . as far as we could see.”

“Is she tall or short?”

“My lord, we could not see her feet and the height of her shoes. From what we did see it would appear she is of middle height.”

“Tell me how was her skin? Not blotched or marked?”

“No, my lord. Fair and clear . . . as far as we could see.”

“What color hair?”

“Judging by what we could see—and the color of her brows—it would be brown. Her eyes are brown . . . with a touch of gray.”

“Her teeth?”

“Fair and clear and well set. Her lips round and thickish. As for her nose . . .”

They hesitated and the King said quickly: “Yes, yes, her nose?”

“It is a little rising in the middle and a little coming and bowing at the end. She is well nosed.”

“Ah,” said the King. “But what of her breasts?”

“They are somewhat great and full, my lord. They are well trussed up after the fashion of the country, which makes them seem fuller than they are in truth and her neck appears shorter.”

“Has she hair on her lips?”

“No, my lord.”

“Tell me, did you get near enough to discover whether her breath was sweet?”

“We believe so, my lord.”

“Did you speak with her after she had fasted?”

“We could not come to her at such a time, my lord, nor could we have been sure that she had fasted. We can only say that her skin was fair and clear and we detected no unpleasant odors in her presence.”

“Ah,” said the King. “She seems worthy.”

He dismissed the ambassadors and thought about the new wife he would have.

She must be possessed of all the good qualities he had been so eager to confirm. He had to get children and he could so easily find the process repulsive if his new wife failed to comply with the necessary requirements. Queen Elizabeth had been one of the most beacutiful women in the country and he had felt no overwhelming desire; but he had always done his duty although he had to confess that he experienced a certain relief when his Queen was pregnant and the need for marital practices was removed.

And now . . . this new wife. The Queen of Naples. Naples was worth a good deal. He would go ahead with proposals for the marriage. He was sure that the people of Naples would be delighted to ally itself with England, which under its wise king was fast becoming a power on the European scene.

But there were other ambassadors whose account was even more important to Henry than his wife’s appearance. They had done their work well and were eager to tell him of their findings.

The news they brought was disquieting. Ferdinand had acted quickly on the death of the King of Naples and the Queen was now of very little importance. Her property had been confiscated and she was left with very little. She depended on Ferdinand of Aragon for the small income she received.

Henry sweated with horror when he heard this report. Had Isabella made the suggestion ironically—a little mischievously? He knew he had a reputation for being grasping and setting great store on possessions. He had just made up his mind that the Queen of Naples would do very well as the next Queen of England and had in fact been on the point of drafting out a request for her hand.

This changed everything.

Clear of skin and sweet of breath the Queen of Naples might be, but if she was penniless and her title was an empty one, she was no fit bride for Henry Tudor.

It was disappointing. Two brides lost in a very short time.

But he was not one to despair. The hunt for the new Queen of England would go on.

There was now no longer any excuse for delay. The betrothal ceremony was to take place and that was binding. Katharine must accept it; it was what she must take if she were to escape from marriage to the King.