Lizzie was so caught up in her own thoughts that she nearly collided with another figure as she rounded the corridor. She was about to apologize when she recognized the other woman, and her face broke out into a genuine grin, “Lady Anne!” she exclaimed, glad to see her and relieved at the same time that she hadn’t nearly run over someone who might take offense. “It’s lovely to see you, I feel as though it’s been ages!” Elizabeth had always been fond of the Lady Anne, as they both had similar rebellious streaks and it seemed to Lizzie as though they were kindred spirits. “Are you on your way somewhere? May I walk with you? It’s been far too long since we had any interesting company around here,” she said, only half-joking.
Elizabeth glared at the group of ladies muttering and laughing amongst themselves from across the room. The spreading of rumors was bad enough in and of itself, but these women didn’t even have the good sense to keep their mouths shut when the subject of said rumors was in the same room. Unable to keep quiet any longer, she excused herself from her current conversation and marched over to the circle of women with an air of determination and a sickly sweet smile. “Remember what they say, ladies,” she said loudly as soon as she reached them. “Gossips are the devil’s trumpeters.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away. Making her way over to Blanche and linking her arm through the older woman’s, she spat out, “Harpies,” not bothering to lower her voice. Turning to her friend and smiling sympathetically, she asked, “How are you, my dear? How are the children, are they well?” She avoided any mention of Thomas, not wanting to bring up a potentially touchy subject.
Ghosts chase her everywhere in this infernal place. Ghosts and inferiority that was all that was to be found at court; this fact had not changed from the transition of her father’s reign, to her brother’s regency, and now to her brother’s absolute true rule. Inside, it felt like the walls were caving in slowly but surely. A conspiracy to suffocate the very breath out of her so she would be a problem no longer. The steady increase in her heart had forced her outside, where still the itching in her palms had not yet gone away. What she needed was her dog, dearest Purkoy, her most loyal and true companion who had been confined to the kennels as a result of ordinances her father had put in place so long ago. The gardens held no beauty when she felt like this, no comfort when she didn’t have her friend. Last night without Purkoy at the foot of her bed, guarding her as she slept had been– Well, that would not do to dwell too much on.
Already taller than most women, Eleanor’s stride was long as she headed for the kennels. Purkoy would accompany her on a walk. No doubt the great dog would need the escape from captivity, she told herself. He was allowed more or less to roam free whilst on his owner’s lands. There was only one lord of the manor wherever Eleanor resided and it would forever be her large hound. Her chin was tilted out in what could be described as stubbornness, her hands tensed into little balls, and her very baring that of a person heading into battle. It all melted away the second she was reunited with her dearest. Uncaring of the setting or that anyone might see, she knelt down as she was handed the leash and folded her arms around her dog.
“Oh, you sweet boy. There shall be no more of this, I promise. We shall go on a walk, and then we shall reconsider if you are to spend another night here. You may not be the size of a lapdog, but you have the heart of one and that is what matters to me.”
Elizabeth herself felt about ready to suffocate. As the daughter of a princess, the daughter of a Duke even, the intricacies of court should feel as natural as breathing, but instead every curtsey and honorific and forced laugh made her long for the grounds of her family’s estate, where she could run free and laugh as loud as she liked and roll around in the grass until she was dizzy. There she was a living, breathing girl, with thoughts and ideas and dreams all her own. Here, she was a pretty ornament, meant to be seen and not heard and kept behind glass until there was use for her. She’d never liked court, but now, as a woman grown, she hated it. She was too old now for the adults to chuckle at her fidgeting and tantrums, too old to be indulged the way she’d been as a child. It was stifling, and at this moment, Lizzie found that she needed air more than she’d ever needed it in her life.
She didn’t remember deciding to walk to the kennels, but it was no surprise that she ended up there. She’d always loved animals. From horses to dogs to the cats that occupied the kitchens. They were free as she longed to be, not held back by rules or decorum or anything of the like. No, they were content to simply be, and she loved them for it. She smiled to herself, and was about to open the gate when she realized she wasn’t alone.
She quickly dropped into a curtsey, hoping that Eleanor wouldn’t be offended by her poor form. “My lady,” she greeted formally. They may be cousins, and Elizabeth herself was the granddaughter of a king, but there were still courtesies to observe. Whereas when she was younger she would’ve ignored them, run about and thrown her arms around cousin and dog alike, this was just another thing that she was too old for now. Forcing a pleasant smile to hide her own melancholy, she observed, “He’s a beautiful breed. Is he yours?” Shuffling a bit closer, she reached out a hand, looking for permission to pet the animal. “May I?”
Rounding the corner of the corridor, Elizabeth was already nodding her head in greeting to the figure she was about to pass when she recognized who it was. Freezing, she contemplated whether or not to curtesy, unsure how one greeted a King’s exiled former wife. Cate wouldn’t have missed a step, but Bess had always had a better head for things like numbers and philosophy than the formalities of court. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, she bobbed a quick curtesy and smiled. “My lady,” she said, just able to avoid the automatic “Your Majesty” that threatened to slip out. After all, there had been a time, not so long ago that Elizabeth couldn’t remember it, where this woman had been her aunt, though she wasn’t even a decade her senior. “I am very pleased to see you back at court. I trust your travels here were well?”
Elizabeth looked up from her book at the sound of the door to her family’s apartments opening. When the page announced the Countess Stafford, she nearly rolled her eyes at the formality. Nodding her head to indicate that her sister should be allowed in, she marked her place in her book and put it down on the table. “I hope you don’t expect me to start curtseying to you now,” she teased, not even bothering to rise from her seat. “How are you, Cate? What can I do for you? Or, more likely, what have I done now?”
Elizabeth had never been altogether fond of court, as she was far less likely to get away with her usual antics when she was in the company of her royal cousins than when she was at home with just her family and the servants. To make matters worse, there was a torrential downpour hitting the castle hard at the moment, which meant being shut inside all day, without even the promise of a stroll through the gardens or courtyards to at least stretch her legs a bit. At least at home the library would have provided ample distraction, but she hadn’t thought ahead to bring enough reading material for this visit, and now she was suffering for it.
With a sigh, she flopped down onto a chair in her family’s apartments, desperately trying to come up with something to quell the boredom setting in. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the gossiping courtiers, and she didn’t much feel like dealing with the formalities of court anyway. No, she’d have to find something to entertain herself here.
Perking up at the sound of the door to their rooms opening, she narrowed her eyes to see her little sister Elinor entering. Elle had been acting rather strange lately, and Lizzie felt determined to get to the bottom of it. “Where have you been?” she demanded without any preamble, in her typical blunt fashion. “I’ve been going mad with boredom without you, didn’t you know? What was so important that you missed out on entertaining me?” she teased.
[sophie skelton, 21, cis woman, she/her] lady elizabeth howard has come to court. they are known for being passionate, stubborn, and hot-headed but their chambers are reminiscent of stacks of worn books, a bonfire crackling wildly into the night sky, unruly red hair. [hayley, she/her, cst, 20, n/a]
Inspiration: Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk; Queen Elizabeth I; Eleanor of Aquitaine; Princess Margaret; Joan of Arc; Boudicca; Cleopatra; Elizabeth Bennet
Nicknames: Lizzie, Bess
Background: (tw: light misogyny)
The fourth child of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, Elizabeth has always been a little bit...odd, for a lady of her station.
A mix of both bookish and wild, when she couldn’t be found running after (or ahead, in some cases) of her other siblings, she could inevitably be found in the library.
Possessing an agile mind and a keen intellect, her tutors often lamented the fact that she was born a girl, as they felt had she been a man she would have made a capable statesman or an even fiercer warrior.
As a child she was always running around the grounds of her home, demanding her brothers and the other boys teach her to play swords and how to climb trees
As she got older, and the restraints of her sex started to tighten their hold around her, she began to resent the restrictions placed on her, and often rebelled, speaking out of turn, not bothering to look presentable, and generally just causing as much of a fuss to those who tried to tame her as possible.
Can be a handful, even to those she loves best, but is extremely loyal
Has a good mind for politics, but has a hard time keeping her temper and minding her tongue, which can get her into trouble
Wanted Connections:
Family Members: Lizzie is devoted to her family above all, and as difficult as she can sometimes be, and loves them dearly. She looks out for the interests of those closest to her before all others, which could lead to an interesting dynamic between her Howard siblings and her Tudor cousins
Friends: If you can handle her, she can be an excellent friend to have, lively and witty, though perhaps prone to getting you into trouble.
Potential Romance: Given her rebellious nature, I just think it would be hilarious if she fell for someone of noble birth and was just so done with it. Like wanting to have some sort of forbidden love with a commoner, only to fall for a nobleman and resenting him for it the whole way through
