"the Duke of Northfolke wept" ¹ probably did not compensate
for the triviality of the charges on which her father was put to
death, nor for the fact that the presiding judge was recompensed by
part of the sequestered property. But at this time she had, also, a
more personal grievance against her husband. He took to himself a
concubine, an Elizabeth Holland, a relative of Lord Hussey. In
spite of the fact that "she was butt washer of my nursery VIII
yeres," ² when the Duchess objected, ³

"They bound me and pyanaculled me and satt on my brest tyll I spitt blod,
which I have ben worse for ever syns; and all for speking gainst the woman in
the Courte, Bess Holand. Therefore he put me out at the doors and kepys the
bawd and the harlots styli in his house."

In a later letter she is still more explicit: ⁴

"He sett hys women to bynde me, tyll blod came out att my fingars endes, and
(they) pynnacullyt me and satt on my brest tyll I spett blod and he never ponyshed
them, and all thys was done for Besse Holond's sake."

It is quite possible, as Bapst suggests, ⁵ that the Duchess in these
accounts is drawing the long bow. She seems to have been an
extremely high-spirited lady, much given to speaking her mind
very frankly. Her remarks to Anne Boleyn, when the favorite
opposed the marriage of Mary Howard to the Count of Derby, were
such that she narrowly avoided being banished from the Court. ⁶
In 1534 the definite rupture came, because she discharged from her
service the father of the lady in question and all connected with
her. As the Duke took the part of the servants, the Duchess re-
tired to Redbourn on a pension. That she was justified from the
modern standpoint is clear, since in 1537, until the imprisonment
of the Duke, Elizabeth Holland was installed at Kenninghall under

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