Greenwich Palace, 11th June, 1509 Summary

Catalina and Harry—now King Henry—were married quietly in deference to the recent death of the king. On their wedding night, Harry comes to Catalina and she reassures him that she is a virgin, that she and Arthur were little more than companions and that she is anxious to rule with him. When he mentions that he's heard rumors from his grandmother, Catalina says that "old women" have a tendency to gossip and urges him to remember that the two of them have been kept apart by his grandmother. When the time comes for love making, Harry notes that there's not enough resistance but is overcome by desire and doesn't remark on it.

Very soon, Catalina admits that she married Harry because it was what Arthur wanted, what her mother wanted, and what she...