Pontefract Castle, Yorkshire was the only royal property captured by the rebels during the Catholic uprising known as the 'Pilgrimage of Grace'. In a symbolic gesture it now welcomes Henry and his large entourage. Rejuvenated by the affection he has experienced in his tour of the north of England, Henry feels a stirring sexual energy towards his Queen. Charles Brandon on the other hand, senses death as he remembers the hangings and punishment he oversaw as the King's representative during the Northern rebellion.
In a castle full of ghosts, Queen Katherine sees something like one when a young man arrives at her door. He is Francis Dereham, one of the men she had sexual liaisons with before she married the King . . . and he wants a job. Threatened with blackmail, she has little choice but to give in.
Katherine Howard's past begins to catch up with her on another front. The King receives an anonymous letter accusing his wife of sexual relationships with two men including Francis Dereham. Henry thinks the whole thing is a fraud but nonetheless orders an investigation, to be led by Lord Hertford. Katherine is confined to her apartments with no visitors permitted.
