Wolf Hall

Rafe’s negotiations with the King and the Duke of Norfolk have landed Thomas a seat in the new Parliament, in the House of Commons. Thomas meets with Norfolk, Wolsey’s enemy.

Meanwhile, charges are levied against the cardinal, including “praemunire—that is to say, the upholding of a foreign jurisdiction within the king’s realm” (152). Wolsey is increasingly frantic in Thomas’ absence. When Thomas returns to Esher, Wolsey questions him about the political climate at court. They plan to bribe people to regain favor; if the king were to charge Wolsey with treason, he would be in the Tower of London. The cardinal awaits an audience with Henry. Thomas hears Mark, Wolsey’s young lute player, speaking with another servant. He thinks Wolsey and Thomas will soon be deposed and executed. They speak of Lady Anne’s promiscuity, a common rumor.

At Christmastime, Thomas returns at last to Austin Friars. Kat and Morgan Williams have both died in the same way as his wife and daughters. Their sons, Richard and Walter, now orphans, have been added to his household. Richard and Walter entreat Thomas to allow them to adopt Cromwell as their last name. After the passing of Kat and Morgan, they are his adopted sons, and they want to bear that name proudly.