Henry's mouth twisted. "Then, within months, I was king. I had no one to speak to. No one to advise me."
"You wanted to become king, Henry," Richard said. "Admit it."
Henry's expression closed. "No."
"Why else would you keep the letter from surfacing?"
"I did not know of the existence of a letter until Livia mentioned it to me. She spoke to me exactly the way you are speaking to me now. As though every silence I kept was proof of some greater design. I did not have the letter,"
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because now I have the letter," Henry said. "And I am willing to give it to you if you prove to me that what you seek is justice and not revenge."
"How am I supposed to prove that?" Richard demanded.
Henry had a way of making impossible demands, he had come to learn that too late in their friendship. "I do not know,"
"How generous of you to begin practising honesty now."
