Chapter 5 Tom Learns the Rules of the Palace.
Later that afternoon Lord Hertford brought a group of men to the prince's room.
He pointed to a chair and indicated that Tom should sit.
The boy did as he was told, but he felt strange.
He knew that it was not polite to sit when his superiors were standing.
He asked that they sit as well.
The men all bowed their heads, but remained standing.
Tom was about to insist when Lord Hertford whispered in his ear 'Your Majesty, do not press the matter.
It is not proper for them to sit in your presence.'
"'I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but we need to speak for a moment,' Lord Hertford continued.
He stood in front of Tom.
"'I'm sure you know how important it is for the people of England to have faith in their king.'
Tom nodded slowly.
And I'm sure you understand that your father's illness has many people worried.
Lord Hertford watched as Tom nodded his head again.
Your father has given orders that you should not cause any more problems.
He has asked that you no longer mention this boy Tom Canty or Ophelcourt.
Tom nodded.
He knew there was nothing he could say.
He felt trapped in the prince's clothes.
As he watched, Lord Hertford and the men carried out business.
Tom listened and nodded in agreement when Hertford indicated that he should.
Then all the men except Lord Hertford left, and Princess Elizabeth and Lady Jane walked in.
They were both in good spirits.
Lord Hertford leaned in to whisper in Tom's ear.
I ask that you keep your father's wishes in mind, Prince Edward.
We wouldn't want to alarm anyone further.
Tom nodded again and quietly answered, Yes.
Then he turned his attention to Elizabeth and Jane.
The two girls were lively and interesting.
The presence helped take Tom's mind off his problems.
But it was not entirely easy for him.
The girls spoke of things and people that he didn't know.
Occasionally, they spoke to him in languages that he didn't understand.
Elizabeth noticed that he was having a hard time.
She did her best to help him when he was confused.
She even held his hand when he looked upset.
Tom knew that, no matter what happened to him while he was stuck in the palace, he would always be glad to have met Elizabeth and Jane.
After the girls left, Tom realized he was tired.
It had been a long day.
He asked Lord Hertford and others in the room if he could be alone for a while.
Of course, Lord Hertford said, it is for you to command and for us to obey.
Everyone left the room except the servants.
Tom waited for them to exit as well.
Thank you for your help, he said, but I think I'll take a nap now.
Of course, sir, one of them said.
He took hold of Tom's cape and began to undo the buttons.
Tom realized that they were there to help him undress.
He remembered Prince Edward's surprise that his sisters didn't have help dressing and undressing.
Tom decided not to argue.
Instead, he accepted their help with a big sigh.
After his nap, Tom suffered the same ordeal again, although this time in reverse.
Rather than being undressed for his nap, he was redressed in expensive and heavy clothes for dinner.
Then one of the servants led him into a large room with one long table.
He sat at one end of the table in a large, comfortable chair.
Although Tom was dining alone, he was not alone in the room.
He was surrounded by servants and servers.
Tom thought it odd that, although he finally had enough to eat, it was hard to enjoy the meal.
He looked at his napkin.
It was made of a frail and delicate fabric.
Colorful thread lined the edges.
It was quite beautiful.
Please take this away, he said to the butler.
I wouldn't want to dirty it.
The butler took the napkin from Tom without a comment.
The servants watched Tom while he ate.
It was hard to see their prince in such a state.
He used the wrong fork when eating his salad.
He slurped from his cup and he poked at his vegetables.
Tom had never seen turnips before or the green leaf called lettuce.
The servants watched in horror as Tom put down his fork and ate the rest of his meal with his hands.
Midway through his meal, Tom discovered a new problem.
His nose was itchy and he didn't know what to do.
Should he scratch it himself?
If he wasn't allowed to dress himself, was he allowed to scratch his own nose?
Pardon me, Tom said.
Can someone please tell me if I'm allowed to scratch my nose?
All of the servants stared at him in disbelief.
No one knew what to do, so they remained quiet.
Eventually, Tom gave up and did his own scratching.
At the end of dinner, Tom stood up.
He filled his pockets with nuts in case he was hungry later and headed back to his room.
Thank you for the meal, Tom said.
Have a good night.
He waved to everyone and left the room.
The servants watched Tom leave.
They hoped the prince's illness would not last long.
