Author's Note: I own none of the characters in this story, they belong to history.
King Henry presided over his court from the top table in the great hall, becoming merry after getting drunk from the rich wine and bright spinning colours from the dancing courtiers. A fast tempo piece of music was playing and all the people were giggling and gossiping as they bobbed in and out around each other.
He sat sullenly with his friend, Charles Brandon, as they watched his wife dancing with her brother. He was in a rather funny mood about her tonight.
Not long ago he had been madly in love with Anne Boleyn. She had almost driven him to point of insanity he loved her that much. But now they were married his passion for her had cooled and each day he realised he loved her a little less than the day before.
Yet even now, he found himself being hypnotised by her presence as she danced tantalizingly in front of him. Her raven tresses whipping through the air and framed her heart shaped face. Her mouth had twisted into that seductive, lopsided smirk that she knew drove her husband crazy with lust. Her sparkling black eyes were engaging with his, challenging him to come to her bed tonight. He had almost forgotten that he was angry with her. She winked at him.
The spell was broken and he came back to his senses with a shake of his head.
He was angry with her and that would not change any time soon.
"Have you made up with Queen?" Charles inquired as he observed his friend staring into the group of dancing men and women and saw that his eyes never left his wife's figure no matter where about in the room she glided.
"She promised me sons, Charles. I gave everything up for her and all she can give me is a daughter and dead boys" he cruelly reminded him, snarling his mouth as though even to talk about the woman was venomous. "Do you think I am cursed?" he asked philosophically, not really wanting to know the answer. He immersed himself into his goblet of wine, hoping it would make him drunk faster so he could forget all his woes.
"Of course not" Charles reassured, putting a comforting arm around his friend's shoulder. "You are both still young"
Even though Charles hated the usurper Queen with all of his heart, he would not speak ill of her to the King until he had truly become fed up with the Bullen. Then he would have a nice little Catholic girl waiting in the wings who would do as she was told and be adored by the court and the whole kingdom.
"I married Katherine when she was young and she still gave me no sons" he pointed out, putting his goblet back on to the table and looking into it solemnly.
If this had been your first day at court and you had wandered into the great hall, you may have been forgiven for thinking that King Henry was the saddest man in the world. He looked as if he had given up on life. His face was long, his expression sour and he rested his chin on his hand with a long sigh as he dared to look up at the woman who caused him so much heartache.
And this is exactly what Jane Seymour thought as she arrived into the hall on the arm of her father. She had heard much about how handsome and powerul the King was, but he did not invoke fear or awe in her like he ought to. One look upon his sorrowful face and all she felt was pure sympathy. Her heart went out to him, for the whole kingdom knew about King Henry's marital troubles in an effort to begat a son.
How hard it must be to be King, she thought. To have the weight of the world upon your shoulders.
But then a strange thing happened.
As Henry lifted his head up once more his eyes were captivated by the sparkle of some gold embroidery upon a gown. The gown itself was only cream damask but this in itself caught Henry's attention for it stood out against the gaudiness of the other courtier's gowns. Most court ladies resembled peacocks in their garish colours, all bedecked in jewels and feathers in an effort to gain the King's attention. But the owner of this gown looked like an elegant swan in comparison.
Then he studied the owner of the gown and Henry was pleased by what he saw. A pretty young blonde whose hair matched the colour of her embroidered dress. And the first thought that entered his mind as he looked upon her was that an angel had decided to grace his court for she was truly angelic to behold.
"Who is she, Charles?" he asked, and Charles looked up immediately due to the new tone of interest in his friend's voice. Had a new girl caught his eye so soon?
"Who, my Lord?" he enquired, eagerly scanning the room and hunting for the new prey.
"The blonde girl in cream. Talking to Mistress Sheldon"
Charles looked around for Madge and sure enough there she was at the side of the hall with her back against the wall as she was talking with a little circle of friends. And at her side was a pretty blonde in cream who was clearly bewildered by her new surroundings. She laughed along with the rest of the group, who were no doubt listening to a bawdy joke, but the girl seemed to cringe at the conversation and her laugh was awkward in comparison.
She looked familiar to him, but who was she?
"Ahh, I believe that is Edward Seymour's sister" he finally remembered, reminiscing about the time he had visited Wolf Hall to dine with Edward and his family. "I think her name is…Jane?"
Henry kept his eyes upon Jane as she walked across the hall to another group of people and he quickly realised that John Seymour was at his court. She must be his daughter. Henry took another swig of his wine and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Quickly preparing himself, he smoothed his hair back, straightened his doublet and ensured his hose were not creased before he rose from his seat. The whole court immediately stopped and bowed down to him.
Anne's face lit up in delight as she saw her husband emerge from behind the table thinking he had come to dance with her. He had been so temperamental these last few weeks and she was well aware that he was growing weary of her in his desperate need for a son. But she was determined they could make things work and tonight would be the night where she would win him over again. She would conquer his heart with a passionate dance and they would conceive a son for sure. But her heart dropped as she saw her husband walk past her without so much as giving her a glance.
Following him with her eyes, she watched him as he walked over to a group of courtiers at the far end of the hall. There he bowed to a pretty blonde lady and took her hand within his.
"Mistress Seymour" Henry greeted and the young lady curtseyed deeply before her King.
"Majesty" she greeted, her voice as soft a gentle breeze. She dared to look into Henry's sapphire for a moment but she could not hold his gaze and so coyly looked down to the floor. He could feel her hand trembling beneath his. He couldn't help but smile. She was the complete opposite of Anne's dark and commanding presence. She was a gentle lady, so shy she could barely speak two words to him and trembled beneath the Royal gaze.
Sweet angel, he thought.
"May I have the honour of a dance" he asked her, indicating to the dance floor. Jane panicked, not knowing what to do. She looked over to her father for guidance and he smiled back warmly at her, nodding his head in encouragement.
"Majesty" she meekly uttered in confirmation.
He had kept hold of her hand all this time and when she nodded her head he grinned at her like a child receiving sweetmeats. He led her into the centre of the hall and the court immediately cleared for them. Anne reluctantly stepped aside to make way for the couple. She could feel the bile rising at the back of her throat. She could not believe this was happening again.
"I have not seen you at court before. You are new?" Henry inquired as a fresh tune was struck up by the court musicians. They both bowed and curtseyed to each other before they began the dance. Their two styles contrasted greatly. Henry was full of energy and vigour. Jane on the other hand was dainty and graceful in her movements. Yet the two styles complimented each other and everyone agreed on how well they danced together.
"This is my first royal function" was her quiet reply.
"And how do you like court?"
"I like it very well, Majesty. Every one has been so kind to me"
"Be careful of vipers, Mistress Seymour. Not everyone is how they seem. They will take advantage of you if you let them. And you are such a beautiful young lady" he sincerely complimented.
"Your majesty is too kind" she blushed and Henry fell even more in love with her as he observed how her cheeks glowed bright pink in embarassment.
Such a modest girl. She was such ararity. Not like his vain wife who knew what she was worth and how to play on it. Ten years she had kept him waiting and what had she shown for it? Absolutely nothing of any worth.
"How is your brother?" he pestered, eager to keep her engaged in conversation. Her voice was so soothing he could listen to her speak for all eternity and would still never tire of it.
"Which one, Majesty? I have many"
"Edward" he continued.
Jane had four brothers but the best known at court to the King was the eldest, Edward. He was a bright young thing with a calculating mind and a quick wit. Jane had always argued that he would make a great politician but Edward had far grander ambitions than that. He was currently residing at the French court as a diplomat on the King's behalf.
"He is very well. He wrote a letter to me telling me how he longed to be back at court again soon. He thinks his Majesty's court is the finest in the world" she beamed and Henry felt his usual pride at having what he thought was the best court in Europe. No one dared contradict him of course. If you wished raise your station in life then you knew you had to stroke the King's ego to get there.
"He will be coming back soon, you know? King Francis is to visit us in the summer"
"I shall be pleased to see him...My brother, I mean." she stuttered to correct herself. She knew she had best correct herself quickly for the King of France had a shocking reputation and for a lady to admit she was on friendly terms with the him would mean her ruin. The Queen's sister, Mary Boleyn, had fallen into this deadly trap and was now referred to as 'The Great Whore' because of it.
"There shall be a great feast and dance. Will you participate in it?" Henry eagerly pursued.
"If I am asked, Majesty"
"I am sure you will be. A lady as beautiful as you never remains alone for long. And there will be a special pageant too, one in which the Queen will dance in. Would you like to partake in it?"
"Majesty, I would be honoured to take part in it, but only if the Queen wishes it so" Jane cautioned, for she knew that the present Queen was an extremely jealous creature.
Even now she could feel the Queen's eyes glaring into the back of her head. Her gaze was cutting through her like a knife. But Henry didn't seem to care for his Queen's feelings. It was his court after all, and he was the King.
"I wish it so" he confirmed and Jane nodded her head obediently, delighted that she would get to participate in such a great pageant at the King's own personal request.
Anne burst through her chamber door and threw herself dramatically upon her bed with the weight of the world upon her shoulders. George hurried after her and pulled her up into his arms, lifting her chin up to the candle light and smiling kindly at her to raise her spirits. It was all to no avail. Their father, Thomas Boleyn, stormed in after them and slammed the door shut with a thunderous crash in order to stop mischievous ladies from spying upon the family in one of their weaker moments.
"His eye is wandering again" she wheezed, tears welling up in her eyes and making them glisten. She tried not to blink, not wanting to betray her feelings in front of her brother and father. She knew she must be strong but it was just so hard to keep herself composed. Her heart was truly broken.
"Who this time?" Thomas sighed deeply, getting sick of how regularly this was occurring these days. It seemed the King had a new tart in his bed every other week.
"Jane Seymour"
"Jane Seymour? John's daughter?" he almost laughed. He couldn't believe that his daughter was becoming so upset about something so insignificant. The Seymours were kinsman to his wife and he had met the family numerous times during his lifetime. They were nothing but simple country folk. Unsophisticated, uncultured and uncouth in his eyes. And Jane? Jane was nothing but a mouse of a girl as far as he could remember. Sure she was pretty enough and rather a sweet child, but the King did not want wanted passion and fire.
Anne was the epitome of both.
"She will not hold his interest for long. Bear him his son and she will soon be forgotten about" he dismissed with a flick of his hand.
"But how can I have his son if he is besotted with someone else? He will not come to my bed!" she shouted almost to the point of a scream. If she hadn't felt like she was going to be sick any moment from the worry, she would have slapped him for his insensitivity.
"Seduce him! Charm him like only you can" he commanded her, his own voice filled with as much passion as what she needed. It was as though he could transfer his passion on to her through the air. He couldn't understand why she was making such a fuss and was starting to understand why Henry was falling out of love with her.
Jealousy and whining were not attractive qualities in a woman.
"If his heart is with someone else how can I seduce him? We need to get her out of the way" she exclaimed, curling her hand into a fist and punching the soft bed below her. How she wished it was Jane Seymour's face. How she wished it was the face of every woman at court. The face of her enemies, those who were determined to bring her down. She imagined it was Henry's face. She loved him so much and yet it was not enough for him. It hurt her so much that he could even contemplate doing this to her. And it was worse this time because she was not with child, nor had she chosen the lady for him.
He was straying on his own accord. He had truly tired of her this time.
"I agree" their father said and Anne looked up at him for the first time with wide eyes full of hope. She knew he would have a good idea, he was always full of good ideas.
"We can't get rid of her. The king would be furious" George dismissed them both.
"Accuse her of being a thief. It worked well enough with Eleanor Luke" Anne remembered and smiling at how she had triumphed over that silly little girl. She was nothing and she crushed her, just like she would crush Jane.
"We cannot play the same trick over and over again" George reminded her, "the King will grow suspicious. People would know we fear them"
"Well what else can you think of?" Anne shouted, annoyed at her brother's self superiority. "If you can think of something better please do share it with us" she glared at him coldly.
"Make someone else fall in love with her and let them take her away from him" he replied. Anne and her father looked at him as if he was the most simple minded man in the entire country. Even lunatics had better sense than he did.
"Nonsense, If he wants her this badly he will stop any betrothal to keep her and she's too much of a goody good to elope" Anne dismissed and got up from her bed, starting to pace about the room to try and calm herself down so she could think more clearly and come up with a solution by herself.
"Is it true the King of France is coming to England this summer?" George inquired.
"It's all but confirmed" their Father informed them as he looked out of Anne's window and into the neat little courtyard below. His mind was racing as equally as his daughter's was to try and find a quick fix to this problem. He had risked too much, gained too much to let it all slip away from him now. He was willing to do anything to keep his position.
"Make Francis fall in love with her" was George's simple solution.
"How do we do that?"
"She is a pretty girl and virtuous. I think if Anne pushed her into his view he would quite like to hunt her"
"It would be easy, just like what I did with Madge" Anne smiled, walking up to her kinsmen and already plotting what to do in her head. Yes! She had it all figured out. A smile grew on Thomas Boleyn's face as he observed his children looking up at him with equally victorious smiles.
"What brilliant children I have"
