Elizabeth Vernon has a confession to make, and it may or may not make the Earl of Southampton happy. ONE shot!
So I just saw the movie Anonymous, if anything I will own it to watch The Earl of Southampton, I am thinking about starting a story but I am not sure yet. I am so glad that one person at least started a story for him, that makes me smile, so I hope you enjoy!
Her hands trembled with absolute fear, her knees were starting to buckle but she kept her stance. What was she going to say to him? What was he going to respond with? How would everyone else feel, his family, her family, Oh my God the queen! She couldn't remember the last time she was ever this afraid. She had been pacing for the past couple of hours, the Doctor left and promised to keep this a secret, but she knew she couldn't hide it forever. "You keep on pacing you are going to wear a hole in the stone itself." She heard, but she was too busy with her thoughts to reply, instead she asked a simple question "How could this happen?"
"Well there are many ways …" her dearest friend Catherine was sitting with her, but she wasn't helping "IT started when…"
"Don't help Catherine!" She said sitting down on the bed "I know how it happened!" She put her head in her trembling hands and started to shake her whole body "How am I going to tell him?"
Catherine set her hand on her back and rubbed it "Maybe he will understand, maybe he will be happy."
Elizabeth held back a snide comment that tormented to emerge from her lips, "Let me be alone for a while I need to gather my thoughts before I speak to him."
Catherine sighed and stood up leaving the room to echo with cries of fear. Everything was going well when she and Henry started courting. She met Henry after the Queen herself introduced them at a Christmas party, and the moment that he kissed her hand was when the spark occurred, and he felt it as well. She loved the way that he looked, his hair long and as yellow as the sun, but his eyes were dark, she found himself drawn to his eyes more. They had many different meetings though she tried to hide his real feeling for him, she tried to play with him a little bit, and he seemed to like it, or he wouldn't have played. They didn't really show how much they liked each other, it was the night of passion that they had shared that would forever be in her memory, physically, emotionally, and mentally. She couldn't help but laugh out loud a small bit remembering his words "You won't forget me." It may have sounded crude to the outside world but she understood what he meant.
"My God what am I going to do?" She asked out loud to no one, her father would not approve, her mother would be so ashamed, and what was worse, she was afraid of what Henry would think of her. The more she thought the more her fingers trembled. Suddenly the door to her chambers opened but she didn't move, most likely it was Catherine wanting to say something else to make the situation worse. Instead of her voice however a deep almost musical voice echoed through the room "I have never seen a woman in such distress that the room felt cold."
Her head shot up and she looked the dark eyes, the full smiling lips, he leaned against the door almost too relaxed for her comfort. She tried to smile but it didn't work, she was just too upset. She looked back down on the floor "I thought you were with the Earl of Oxford." She said quietly. "You weren't supposed to come back until late tonight."
His brow furrowed at the sudden sadness that fell on her, for the previous night she had nothing but smiles and laughter in her voice. That was what made him love her the way that he did. "I was, unfortunately he said he had some more business to take care of, I thought you and I could spend some time together." He relieved his shoulder from the door and walked over to her, taking his fingers under her chin and lifting her head up "What has milady so upset that she cannot look me in the eye?"
Elizabeth moved her head from his hand, "I haven't been feeling well lately, Last night was the best that I have been feeling in a while, and well this morning I wasn't feeling well again." She managed to stand and looked at the table where her food still sat from breakfast this morning, "I have been having a hard time taking care of her majesty because I haven't been feeling well."
Her back was too him "This morning I was physically ill and the queen sent be back to my room and she sent for the doctor…" She didn't want to continue with the rest of her sentence.
"Maybe it is just a case of food poisoning." He tried to reason.
Elizabeth shook her head no, "But I felt fine last night, food poisoning doesn't do that." She said.
He sat down on her bed "What did the Doctor say?"
She turned back to look at him, her eyes were full of tears. She was too afraid to say, she started to shake and her knees trembled again, seeing this he stood back up and walked over to her, taking her face in his hand and kissing her on the lips, Her dark brown hair entwining in his fingers, "Tell me, Elizabeth."
She shook her head and suddenly the tears started to roll down her cheeks "Elizabeth…Please, tell me what is going on, so that I know what to do."
"There is nothing you can do Henry." She said. Trying to get away from him, but he kept hold of her. He sighed with frustration looking into her earth colored eyes, green and brown mixed together, "Elizabeth, is this sickness you have fatal…please at least tell me that?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath "Only if I am not careful."
He let go of her hair, the pieces were only vaguely falling into place, he stepped back from her turning away from her and looking at the bed and that was when she finally got the strength although it was quiet, the same time she said it was when the last piece fell into place, "I am with child Henry."
For a longest time it was quiet, Elizabeth took a seat in a chair next to the table, she could only hear his breathing, finally he spoke "And it is mine?"
She would have been offended with the question if she wasn't terrified of him hating her, he was the first one that she had been with that way. "Of course, Henry, I was with no one else but you." She said trying to sound calm.
He turned and looked her for a moment his eyes were darker than what they usually were, he wasn't angry though, but she couldn't exactly read him either, she turned her eyes away from him, setting her hand over her mouth, her index finger covering her lips. He took a couple of steps, looking down at her "I need some time to think." With that he excused himself from her chamber. As soon as the door was shut the tears started to fall from her eyes. She was uncontrollably shaking. She couldn't move from
Henry walked past Catherine who was staring at him with worry, when he caught her gaze , he looked at her "Did you know?"
Catherine nodded "She was on my shoulder in tears since she found out, I am the only one that she has been able to talk to."
He sighed and walked down the hallway, Catherine of course bolted down the hallway to Elizabeth's room, seeing her frozen, she moved quietly "Did he say anything?" She asked concerned over her true friend.
Elizabeth was silent for a minute when she finally did speak she only said one thing. "I have to tend to the queen." With that she stood and left her chambers.
"You are sure your feeling better than?" Elizabeth nodded to the queen, bowing her head "I am feeling much better thank you, your majesty."
"You seem distracted."
"There is a lot on my mind, I just need to think about work more, your majesty."
The silence overcame the room, but the queen nodded "I spoke with the Earl of Southampton this morning, he is quite a strapping young man."
'More than you know.' Elizabeth thought
"He seems to think well of you." The queen said
'He did.' She corrected mentally
"And his love for plays, and music, I would say he is very intelligent."
"I agree with you, your majesty. He is very intelligent." She said quietly following the queen down the hallway, "I have heard that William Shakespeare has done another play, do you know anything about it?"
"Now your majesty, I have only showed a small interest in his sonnets."
"What a shame, I wanted to know about it." Elizabeth had to admit one thing, this was helping her with the thought of Henry, for a minute.
That night Elizabeth made sure that the Queen was asleep in bed before turning in herself, she looked at two of the young ladies in waiting "Now remember I am a couple of doors down if she needs anything then tell me."
"Yes ma'am."
As soon as she got to her room Elizabeth sat down to take another breath it a breath of hope. Henry hadn't spoken to her since she told him and she was in fear of what he was going to do. He had the power to have her killed if it came to that, She knew that, and she feared it. She got into a night gown and tried to go to sleep, but it didn't come easily. Just as she was starting to drift into a slumber, there was a knock on her door. She rolled over and looked at the door, sighing with no relief. "She has only been in bed for a half an hour, there is no possible way that she could need anything now." She murmured, sitting up and covering herself "Alright I am coming." She said walking over to the door and opening. She was overwhelmed by a familiar scent as it rushed into the room and strong arms locked themselves around her, lips landed on her mouth and took in her kisses, she didn't know what to think until he let go of her "I promised you that you would remember me, I am not about to leave you now."
He kissed her again, she was overcome with tears again and started to cry while he kissed her. He broke away to wipe the tears away "I went for a walk after you told me, I didn't know what I was going to do, I didn't know how I was going to tell the queen, I didn't know how I was going to protect our name without getting ourselves hurt, now I know what I am going to do. We have no choice but to marry, but…"
Elizabeth saw right through what he was saying "It's death if we do , Henry."
"I am not letting my child be labeled a bastard. We are getting married in secret, we have too."
He touched her face again and kissed her once more "I will do anything to keep you safe."
She couldn't help but smile at him, the same smile that she gave when they met, "You can prove that one way my dear." She tugged him over to the bed "Stay with me."
He smiled and his dark eyes sparked "If Milady wants."
Early in the morning Elizabeth felt a kiss on her temple "I must leave early Milady, and you must wake, the Queen will be waking soon."
Elizabeth only moved a little bit but nodded "Alright." She said sleepily.
He couldn't help but smile at her, she was an angel herself.
Elizabeth was the sun herself when she got up she was full of smiles and laughter that she was a couple days ago "Well you are looking much better today." The queen complimented.
"A good night sleep makes all the difference."
"I have a meeting with the Earl of Southampton and the earl of Essex today, I wish to have my blue dress with the high collar around the back."
"Yes Your majesty."
She helped her get ready "You are a very trusted friend of mine Elizabeth, I must thank you for that."
"There is no need to thank me your majesty, I am honored that you think of me as such."
Elizabeth escorted her to the court and she took a seat in her throne "Thank you ladies you are excused."
She took a bow and left the court taking a seat at the bench next to the doors, Catherine walked over and sat next to her "So?"
"What?" Elizabeth asked with a slight smile on her face
"He talked to you didn't he?" She asked hopeful.
She nodded "Last night, he is willing to stay, we don't know how we are going to tell the queen but we are going to tell her none the less."
Catherine couldn't help but hug her friend "He is happy about being a father, though I think it is because he knows that means sons."
"Nonsense he loves you more than anything in the world everyone sees it."
She laughed "Well he definitely shows it when people are not looking as well, anyway, he is a good man, and I am glad he is at least taking the responsibility."
"Of course."
After a couple hours of talking and reading the bible, the doors finally opened and Catherine and Elizabeth jumped to their feet to follow the queen down the hallway. "Leave me both of you, please, I will speak to you both later." She said suddenly.
Both Girls were in surprise but bowed anyway. Elizabeth walked back to her room to see Henry sitting in one of the chairs, his hands were folded over his mouth, he was as white as a ghost, when he looked at her, his face only paled more. "Henry? What is it."
"I spoke with the Queen today…"
"Yes I remember, what, what happened?" panic went through her, she really didn't want to know.
"She is sending me on a voyage, I will be gone for nine months."
This time Elizabeth's hands started to shake for sadness "I leave tomorrow."
"What am I going to do about the baby?"
"I don't know.."
She sat down across from him and looked at him "I cant hide a baby for that ling, people are going to get curious."
"I know…" He got out of the chair and took her hand and kissed it "I wouldn't do this if it wasn't the queen."
Elizabeth nodded "I am worried."
"I am too."
He leaned in and kissed her.
He stayed with her again that night, he kept hold of her all night, but he didn't sleep, he just looked over her, watching her sleep, he didn't want to be away from her. He promised himself to marry her when he got back. For now, this was all that mattered.
When Elizabeth woke up that morning there was nothing but a note next to her as she read it she started to cry one more time
My Dearest Elizabeth,
I am afraid to say goodbye to you, but remember how much I will love you, you will never forget me that is a promise. I loved you from the moment I saw you, and that shall never end.
Henry.