FOWC: Trap

“Are you coming to bed my dear”?

His voice was plaintiff and she tried to mask her annoyance.

“Not just yet. You go up if you’re tired, I’ll be there soon I promise”

She smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, although deceitful, she had yet to learn guile.

He smiled back, his watery eyes showing his deep fondness for her, and slowly made his way upstairs. He wasn’t feeling quite right this evening and knew that he needed to rest. He loved his young wife but she wore him out with her parties and her noisy friends who seemed to have taken up almost permanent residence. He sighed deeply and mourned his lost youth.

Kathryn waited until she heard the bed springs creak; her husband seemed to do nothing but eat these days and his great bulk was offensive to her. She hoped that he would fall asleep quickly and she wouldn’t have to suffer his pawing and pathetic efforts to please her.

Sometime later a great snore rent the air and she knew that it was safe for her to leave the apartment. It was dangerous but she could not bear to be without her lover for a moment longer; she was desperate for his touch and his loving, lying words.

Henry opened his eyes and and called for one of his guards. His voice was breaking along with his heart as he called for his wife’s arrest. How could she think he would sleep when the fear of being cuckolded had been the only thought in his mind for the last week?  He would mourn his young wife like no other, she had bought the light of youth into his old age; he buried his head in the pillow and cried like a child……..

Kathryn meanwhile was lost to passion in the arms of her lover not realising that she had run straight into a trap……….

Written in response to Fandango’s one word prompt (I do love doing these, why not have a go yourself?). The story is based on the final weeks of Kathryn Howard who was beheaded by Henry VIII when she was just 21 years old, he was 51!

Lisa x