"No wonder she's in a foul mood." Arthur said softly to his wife, keeping his voice low as not to be heard, though it seemed they were in no particular rush to reach the drawing room. "Lashing out like that at the end of dessert." Arthur could have done without the display, the snide comment that had no reasoning behind it. None aside from Arabella doing as she always did, saying what she always sad without a single thought spared for the consequences or indeed the ramifications of her words. To his mind, Arabella acted with cruelty as a default, she knew no other way of being, it took her work and effort to lean toward kindness, it was an active choice that had to be made on her part, the exact opposite of Alexandra.

"The only thing she loved more than Richard was that house." Arthur rolled his eyes, his mind recalling his meetings with Alexandra there, that being the only highlight of his time in what he felt was a rather wretched place. It was beautiful yes, Arabella had done as she continued to do, decorate with the taste of a rich and elegant aristocrat. But what the house lacked was a soul, a beating heart. "And what would we do with it?" Arthur seemed genuinely baffled by the decision, knowing the 'logic' of it was something that clearly only made sense to his father. "Why not give the damned place to his wife? After all it's her husband and his family buried on those grounds."

Arthur did not relish the thought of the late Suffolks being under his care. As a husband, and now father, Arthur never understood men like Richard. His old world views, old guard values. Yet how much of it did he truly believe if he let Arabella run ramshackle as he had? Surely there was some irony in all of that. "I'm assuming she's furious about the whole thing. I can't say I blame her." There was a twinge of sympathy the man felt, after all it had been Arabella's marital home, the home of the great love of her life, for her it was a place filled with happiness and warm memories. For Alexandra it was more of a prison than anything else.

Arthur hated Suffolk. Arabella loved Suffolk. Arthur hated Windsor. Arabella loved Windsor. The two always running opposite to one another. The man let out a deep sigh and quietly embraced his wife. "We shall act surprised and be grateful." Arthur was determined not to make things worse for any of them, and if Arabella had instructed Alex to be joyous and grateful, it was surely what the King wanted, which delivering upon would only make things easier.

The Queen now just outside the drawing room, alone with her husband smiled softly and closed the distance between them. Her arms wrapped tenderly around his waist as she drew herself into him, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his chest. "You need never apologize to me." Arabella looked up at him and offered a warm and perhaps sincere smile. Allowing her embrace to drop she walked beside him the final bit of the way.

"A Tudor Christmas with the full court would be lovely. I know it was a great uproar to ask them to leave us be." Arabella understood she rocked the boat, but she had intended to do just that. Arabella was flexing her power over the court and she knew it. "I am enjoying our family holiday." Arabella's voice was filled with warmth and gratitude, the smile on her face broadened and she seemed to be practically glowing. "I wish it could always be this peaceful." Peaceful did little in the way of easing Arabella's troubled mind, after all, she was still married to Christian. "I do apologize for my little sniping comment." The Queen at least, understood her place, for the most part. "Old habits and racing hormones." Arabella wondered what she would blame her bad moods on when she was no longer pregnant. A problem for later. "I am very eager myself to see what you've planned. You're positively brimming with excitement." Arabella did, in truth, enjoy this side of her husband. Even if he did not love her, he was kinder, and he did seem genuinely happy, no matter how out of touch with the world he was. Those little things went a long way.