Nearly at the end of my seventh year, my mother made arrangements for me to go the estates of our good neighbor, Lord Fuller, to learn the things a good wife is expected to know. I was taught to read, write, keep accurate records of the affairs of the estate, as well as to make sound decisions in the absence of my husband. It was also essential to learn how to make palatable bread, to see to all the cleaning of house and home, to spin, to embroider, to sew a wearable shirt, and to make certain potions of herbs for the treatment of various ailments. The Fullers had the staff to teach me these things since their son had been taught some of the same things before me.

Your grandfather died shortly after my thirteenth birthday. As was the custom, his estate was quickly settled. My mother inherited one third of his holdings, with the rest going to his brother, my uncle. Your Grandmother requested only that she be allowed to retain the estate she had been living on, which was enough to provide quite handily for her till the end of her days. In addition to granting her request, my uncle was kind enough to set aside for my dowry a large home in Cambridge, as well as some property upon which he had sheep grazing. He kept for himself the estates near Leicester.

It was shortly after this that my mistress, Lady Fuller, who was seeing to my education, was well impressed with the level of my understanding of what I had been taught. I traveled with the Fullers when they visited their various estates. She was always generous in her explanations to me of the events of the day, and patiently answered all my questions. While in the household of these kind gentles, I had made myself well thought of. The last two years, I had made a certainty of presenting her oldest son with some with some fine embroidered object or other token of my talent for his birth anniversary. My Uncle was made known of my affection for this young man, and the discussions of betrothal were finished in quick order. In the summer of 1479, your father and I were married.

Life was fairly simple our first few married years. We traveled often to Rome, Venice, and other parts of Italy, as well as visiting the estates of your father’s parents and those over which we had administration. In early August of 1485, we had only just left the estate of my uncle when we were told of the arrival of our King Richard III, who made use of several estates in the area when preparing for war.

The following spring, we were blessed by the birth of a son, hale and hearty in voice and manner from the instant his life began. Rather than send you to live with the wet nurser, as was the habit of many mothers, your father added Anne to our household staff to also be a maid to see to my needs and assist in areas that the cook felt no compulsion to tend to. In this way, he did preserve for himself the privilege of teaching you the necessaries of life.

Anne was near enough to me in age, that we became fast friends, chatting and riddling as she tended to your needs and other duties. She had not even finished nursing you when, just before your third birthday, your brother William was born.

Having had my fill of traveling, and finding it tiresome, I chose to settle myself in the Cambridge house that had been part of my dowry. My days were full, as I did much of the marketing in the morning after Mass. When I returned, I took care of business details pertaining to supplying the estates with necessities that required purchase, as well as administrating the small property where my mother had spent the last of her days, those which she bestowed upon her firstborn grandson. I also spent the morning hours writing letters to your father in his absence, to relatives informing them of the activities of our families, or the Abbess who ran the convent started by my Great-great Grandmother Ailionora, whom I was named for.

It is still a habit of mine to place a white sheepskin on the bed, allowing it to lie there while Anne takes the cushions and the covers outside to beat. You may recall how much you enjoyed watching her take the sheepskin outside for a shake in the afternoon to keep the bed free of the jumping pests and how often you watched with interest as she cleaned the honeyed string hanging in the corner of each room that attracted and collected flies.

Just before the sun would reach zenith, cook would serve the dinner, just like her daughter did today. After dinner, the tasks I would do were of my own choosing. Some days, I would tend to the garden with either cook by my side or sometimes a gardener. Other days, several of the ladies would gather for riddles or gossip. Most days though, I would sit near the fire, and spin, sew, or embroider. When your father returned home, we would have supper, and many times he would bring guests, adding to the excitement. After all had calmed and darkness had come, we would lock the doors and windows, and retire to our chambers. There we would discuss the day, plan the next, and he would tell me what he wanted me to accomplish while he was next away.

He was in London when the news of the great discovery of new lands to the west found by a Spanish ship was announced. He wrote me of it with much excitement, expecting changes in trade as a result of the find. Just three weeks after, I received sad word of his accident and even though I left for London the very same day, I arrived only in time to attend to his burial details. The thing I recall most about my last viewing of your Father, was this: Even at an age that many would consider old, my revered and well loved husband seemed less than his forty one years.

My uncle came from Leicester to take both my sons to his estate to educate in the ways of noblemen. Seeing how well he had done in increasing his fortune, I had no question about allowing him to oversee the management of the estates my sons had inherited. Rather than taking the customary widow’s share of one third of the estates, I retained for myself only the Cambridge house where I had spent much of my time in recent years. The rest of the properties were divided between your dear brother and yourself, with your father’s business becoming yours in addition. This very morning, I felt grief, for that the fourteen years your Father and I had together seemed as if they ended just yesterday, rather than fifteen years past.

Since my honored Uncle’s daughter had made the choice to enter the convent I supported, the first business dealing I partook of after the death of my dearest husband John was for my own life. Not wanting to have a second husband chosen for me by my guardian uncle, I decided to negotiate with the Abbess Dame Mary. Along with the orchards, money, personal furniture, first habit, and the feast when my cousin took her final vows my freedom from future marriage would be assured. My uncle was treated reasonably in the dowry arrangements for my cousin and, in exchange, he agreed to never arrange a marriage for me. In return for this, I provided the convent with funds for an additional plough, team, and wagon.

I have busied myself these last years with many students at the university. I have placed two beds in each of the four rooms up the stairs to house these students. I have included in their rooming fees for meals and sufficient drink. Any more than that, they must procure on their own. Anne has even found that they will pay her for their seeing to their mending and the washing of their clothes. During the time that they spend at the house, we have some quite lively discussions about their studies. Over the years I have quite improved my Latin, and have some of the words of Aristotle committed to memory. Just this last year the parents of one of the lads, who have been spending much time in Italy of late, sent back with him a new gown for me made of a beautiful velvet nearly the color of the red wine I so enjoyed while in Venice. A letter enclosed with the gown told of their great relief in knowing that their son was so well cared for, almost as if he were still in their own home.

I do so enjoy the activity that these young men bring about, and they certainly do keep me too busy to think about the aches and pains of reaching such an age. Some of them do give me cause to worry, much as my own sons do. While most are quite serious about their studies, there are a few that too well enjoy the alehouse and serving wenches within.

I have my own bedchamber in the room off the main room downstairs. Anne and the cook stay in the maid’s room off the kitchen. Anne and I do much as we have always done, ridding the beds of fleas, sweeping the floors and putting down fresh rushes when needed.

I am leaving this missive, along with my last will and testament, in the care of my trusted Anne, who has been with me nearly as long as you have, my dearest firstborn son. Anything that changes my life from this point on you are of an age to recall just as I have told of the later years of my mother and father.

Lady Ailionora Fuller