It was rather dark around them because the cold autumn sun hadn’t risen yet in those early morning hours. There were only absolute stillness and shadowy semidarkness around the two men; they talked for a long time, completely unconcerned by the cold and chilly wind. Their appearance suggested that they were nobles. The young gentleman was dressed dramatically, only in black, wearing a black brocade doublet featuring tie-in sleeves, black straight pants, a black silk shirt with high lace collar, and a black velvet flat cap with a large black ostrich plume. The older gentleman wore the same colors. It looked as though both men had been in deep mourning. They were Thomas Boleyn, the Earl of Wiltshire and the Earl of Ormond, and Henry Percy, the Earl of Northumberland. Henry Percy had left London for the Hever Castle right after he had learnt that Anne had given birth to a boy. He had ridden, for many hours, almost half of the night, to have a secret meeting with Thomas Boleyn.
