d Ann Stanhope.

Nor was Katharine's life at home with her gallant, empty-headed, turbulent
husband, cloudless. The Princess Elizabeth lived with them; and though she
was but a girl, Seymour began before many months of married life to act
suspiciously with her. The manners of the time were free; and Seymour
might perhaps innocently romp suggestively, as he did, sometimes alone and
sometimes in his wife's presence, with the young Princess as she lay in
bed; but when Katharine, entering a chamber suddenly once, found young
Elizabeth embraced in her husband's arms, there was a domestic explosion
which led to the departure of the girl from the Chelsea household.[268]
Katharine was pregnant at the time; and Elizabeth's letter to her on her
leaving Chelsea shows that although, for the sake of prudence, the girl
was sent away, there was no great unkindness between her and her
stepmother in consequence. She says that she was chary of her thanks when
leaving, because "I was replete with sorrow to depart from your Highness,
especially leaving you undoubtful of health, and, albeit I answered
little, I weighed more deeper when you said you would warn me of all the
evils that you should hear of me."

When the poor lady's time drew near, she wrote a hopeful yet pathetic
letter to her husband, who was already involving himself in the ambitious
schemes that brought his head to the block. Both she and her husband in
their letters anticipated the birth of their child with a frankness of
detail which make the documents unfitted for reproduction here; and it is
evident that, though they were now often separated, this looked-for son
was to be a new pledge to bind them together for the future. In June 1548
Seymour took his wife to Sudeley Castle for her confinement; and from
there carried on, through his agents with the King, his secret plots to
supersede his brother Somerset as Protector of the realm. He and his wife
were surrounded by a retinue so large, as of itself to constitute a menace
to the Protector; but Katharine's royal title gave a pretext for so large
a household, and this and her personal influence secured whilst she lived
her husband's safety from attack by his brother.

At length, on the 30th August, Katharine's child was born, a daughter, and
at first all went well. Even Somerset, angry and distrustful as he was,
was infected by his brother's joy, and sent congratulations. But on the
fourth day the mother became excited, an