'Bloody' Mary IV

During this awful period of Mary's life, there was a time when her father visited the nursery of Elizabeth, but he chose not to summon Mary. Henry had one major weakness (and he had many) when it came to women. He had no resilience against a woman's tears. Many times, crying women melted his resolve, making him do other than he planned or wished. Knowing this, Henry often chose the tactic of avoidance. What he did not see would not touch him. The king knew Mary possessed many good reasons to weep, but he did not want to give her an opportunity to inflict her tears on him.

So, the teenage Mary waited alone in her chamber, waiting for the summons that never came. Then she heard the hunting horns, signaling her father's departure. Running to the palace's high balcony, she watched him mount his horse, and begin to ride away. She stood there, no doubt with her heart beating fast, and praying he would look up, notice her. One of his courtiers moved his horse near, whispering to the king. The king glanced over his shoulder and then reined in his horse before wheeling it around the way it had just come. Locking her gaze with that of her father, Mary didn't move, then she saw him lift his cap to her and, without further ado, he rode away.

(1) Hester Chapman, The challenge of Anne Boleyn, U.S.A, 1974, page 185

(2) Garrett Mattingly, Catherine of Aragon, 1942, page 305

(3) Mattingly, Work cited. 307.

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