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Chapter One
22nd April 1528
"I didn't expect him to agree." Henry remarked quietly, staring at the papal bull in his hand, amazed by what he was holding. He was telling the truth when he said that he hadn't expected his request to be granted, and certainly never this quickly. While he wanted the dispensation allowing him to marry Anne, despite his prior relations with her sister, Mary, he didn't expect that the pope would ever agree to the proposal that he be allowed to take a second wife if he could not be freed of Katherine. It was intended as proof of his determination, so that Pope Clement would know that King Henry was not a man to be fobbed off with half-hearted reassurances that his marriage was good and valid, or with a promise to issue a fresh dispensation to make good any defects.
On one hand, he was pleased; it would mean that he could make Anne his wife sooner than he had anticipated but he was also conscious of a feeling of disappointment that the pope, who was supposed to look only to God when he made his judgements, lacked the courage to annul a marriage that every honest Churchman and theologian must surely acknowledge to be invalid and accursed, simply because one of the parties involved was a relative of so powerful a man as the Holy Roman Emperor.
He was not happy about the idea that the Emperor Charles was seen as more important to cultivate and to please than King Henry.
Damn Katherine for dragging her wretched nephew into a matter which did not concern him!
Even if she was his aunt, she had seen him only once in his life, when Charles paid a brief visit to England almost two years ago to sign a treaty of friendship and to be betrothed to Mary… and even then, he jilted their daughter barely a year later, marrying Princess Isabella of Portugal in her stead, more interested in the huge dowry Princess Isabella would bring him than in keeping his word. Of Mary's dowry, paid in advance in the form of gold to assist Charles with his campaigns, nothing was said – perhaps Charles would prove to take after his grandfather, Ferdinand, who refused to pay what he owed of Katherine's dowry after Arthur's death, and not repay a farthing of Mary's dowry.
So much for loyalty to one's kin.
And this was the man in whom Katherine chose to place her trust, instead of being guided by Henry's judgement in this matter, as she ought to be!
"I must confess to being taken aback by the pope's decision," Wolsey agreed smoothly, making no comment about the fact that Henry had decided to send the bulls to Clement without consulting him about it first, a move that would have been virtually unthinkable a few years ago, when the young monarch was guided by his Chancellor in all things. "But it does make his intentions with regard to Your Majesty's Great Matter plain."
"He won't give me my annulment." Henry's tone was sullen.
"I do not believe so, Your Majesty." Wolsey said quietly. "The fact that he is willing to make this concession suggests that this is as far as he is prepared to go to satisfy Your Majesty in this matter. We could continue proceedings for an annulment," he allowed, his tone making it plain what he thought about this option, "but it is my opinion that we would be unsuccessful. If the pope does not find against you, it is probable that he will delay as long as he possibly can, in the hopes that Your Majesty will abandon your course," Or that the Queen dies of old age, he added inwardly, although he did not think that was likely to happen soon; while Katherine was never a strong woman physically, she had been in better health than ever since her childbearing days ended.
Henry's usually handsome face was twisted in an ugly scowl. "I wonder whether Clement even bothered to read my arguments," he commented bitterly, angry at the thought of how he had laboured over them and how confident he was that the pope would see the justice of his case as soon as he read them and free him from his accursed union before the spring was over, in time for a summer wedding. "Or did he make his mind up as soon as the Emperor's troops sacked Rome?"
It was so unjust!
He was as true and devoted a son of the Church as any man could be and yet he was to be left tied to a woman who was not and could never be his wife, while Charles, who had committed sacrilege by assaulting Rome and taking the Holy Father captive, was to be placated at every turn, even at the expense of the man who championed the papacy when it came under threat.
It was almost enough to make a man turn Lutheran!
"Your Majesty, if I may," Wolsey began tentatively, "I would advise you to accept the pope's offer. I know that your marriage to Queen Katherine is doubtful and, by rights, it should be declared invalid but that is something that will not happen as long as her nephew is the Holy Roman Emperor, and he is still a young man, with many years ahead of him. And, if you will forgive me for bringing up so painful a matter, you are still without a male heir." He pointed out, aiming for one of Henry's most vulnerable spots and seeing from his slight flinch that the comment had had its desired effect, he smiled inwardly.
Mistress Anne might be displeased at the idea that she would not be Queen, that she would have to share the role of wife with the woman she had hoped to supplant but Wolsey was confident that she would not be able to coax Henry into continuing to press for the annulment so that she did not have to take second place. Even if she did, he was sure that there would be many other ladies in England – and much as he would have liked to arrange a marriage with a French princess, he was realistic enough to know that not royal family in Europe would ever consent to one of their women becoming a secondary consort – who would be only too happy to take advantage of the opportunity to step into her shoes.
"Mistress Anne is young and healthy; if you accept the pope's offer now then, with God's help, you could be the father of a son in a year's time, which would keep England safe from the threat of civil war." He pointed out persuasively.
"What about Anne?" Henry demanded angrily, already dreading the thought of facing her with this, of seeing her pain. When he promised her marriage, he envisioned her as the other half of him, as the unchallenged Queen of England. How could he now offer her half-measures? How could he put her in a position where she would have to endure the humiliation of being the second of two wives, little more that a concubine in some eyes, despite the fact that their union would be a true, lawful one in the eyes of God? It would be cruel to ask that of her!
"If she loves Your Majesty, if she wants to be your wife then she will surely be happy to know that she need wait no longer, and I am certain that she will take comfort in the knowledge that her issue will be legitimate and royal." Although there was no sign of it in his outward expression, Wolsey winced inwardly at the thought of how arrogant Thomas Boleyn, whose head was already far too swollen for his liking, would be when his daughter made him the grandfather of a future King. "We can see to it that she is treated with all due deference, as befits a royal consort," he added grudgingly. While he might think that Anne and her ambitious family would be justly served if she were to be treated as a mistress in everything but name, he was wise enough to know that Henry was infatuated with the girl and that he would take umbrage at any suggestion that she should be treated thus. It would be best to placate him, even if that meant advancing Anne.
Henry nodded, his anger cooling slightly as he turned his thoughts to Anne's future status, and how best they could ensure that she was not allowed to be shamed in any way. "I won't have her taking second place to Katherine," he warned.
He would have been more than happy to wrest the Queen's crown from Katherine's head, crowning Anne in her stead but even in his anger Henry was wise enough to see that this would not be a practical possibility. The English people had taken Katherine to their hearts when she first arrived on their shores to be married to Arthur and they had loved her since then. They would be angry to see the woman they thought of as their Queen deprived of their title and it was very likely to stir up public feelings against Anne if she was to be elevated to Katherine's former place and her situation would be difficult enough without adding to her burden. By rights, Anne should be first among the women in England, as she was first in his heart but if she could not be placed above Katherine, he would see to it that she was left on equal footing at least.
"Of course," Wolsey inclined his head, nodding as though he had never even considered that it should be otherwise, while his keen mind mulled over the practicalities of the issue.
There was no precedent for this and therefore no guidelines as to how the should proceed, so the questions of Anne's future title, honours and precedence were difficult ones, questions that Wolsey, clever and able as he was, knew that he could not answer by himself – if nothing else, enlisting the aid of others meant that if the King was not satisfied with the result, the blame could be shared.
If the determined expression on Henry's face was any indication, he had every intention of involving himself with the decision-making and Wolsey knew just which men should be chosen to help them sort this matter out.
It was not easy to place a spy in Cardinal Wolsey's household.
Wolsey's people were well-paid and while he was disliked and resented at court, the man was able to inspire a great deal of loyalty in his servants, so there were few among them who could be tempted to betray their master even with the promise of money as an inducement and, even if they were, Wolsey was not devoid of cunning and had employed enough spies for his own purposes to have a knack for guessing when one of his people might be serving another.
The man Thomas Boleyn relied upon for most of his information about the butcher's son turned cardinal had not sold his services cheaply; Boleyn suspected that he paid the fellow as much money, if not more, in a month than Wolsey did in the year but having one of Wolsey's secretaries in his pocket was well-worth paying for, especially today, when the news he communicated was of such vital importance that Boleyn would have paid a hundred pounds for it if that was the price demanded of him.
This development was one that he could not have foreseen and he was deeply thankful that he had judged it prudent to return to Hever for a short visit earlier this week, taking Anne with him to ensure that it would not be long before the King followed. This was a discussion that could be dangerous to have at court, surrounded by so many curious, unfriendly eyes and ears.
He and his brother-in-law remained closeted together in his study for a couple of hours, with George in attendance, before he sent a servant to summon Anne in from the gardens.
"You wanted to see me, Papa?" Anne asked, before turning to her uncle and acknowledging him with a quick, graceful curtsey. "Uncle."
Her father was sitting behind his great, carved desk, with her uncle standing behind him and George sitting by the window, a sympathetic expression on his face as he looked at her. Her father and uncle's expressions were unreadable.
She was not invited to sit and something in her father and uncle's eyes kept her from braving their annoyance and taking a chair without being asked to do so. Standing there, she felt just as she had as a child, when her nurse or her governess deemed one of her misdeeds to be serious enough to merit reporting the matter to her father instead of dealing with it themselves, sending her to his study to confess and to be scolded and punished.
What was happening?
Had something gone wrong with the annulment?
Had somebody spread gossip about her that blackened her name enough to make the King abandon all thoughts of marrying her?
Her father did not say a word as he pushed a sheet of parchment across the desk towards her, a letter written in clear script but not by a hand she recognized.
Before she was halfway through, her hand was trembling so violently that the letter rustled.
George sprang to his feet, catching her arm in a firm grip, guiding her over to one of the chairs in front of the desk and gently pushing her into it. "Sit down before you faint or something." He advised kindly, taking the letter from her hand and setting it on the desk.
"Would you like me to send for some wine?" Her father asked neutrally, with scarcely a hint of concern in his eyes, as though he had expected this reaction and was merely waiting for her shock to subside before continuing.
"No, thank you." Anne shook her head, sitting up straight and looking him in the eye. Despite her momentary weakness, she had no intention of letting them think that she was a pathetic, fainting ninny who could not bear the slightest shock or setback. Her heart sank, however, when she looked at him and at her uncle, instinctively knowing that they had not summoned her to ask her what she wished to do about this latest development or what she thought would be the best course of action.
They had already debated over the matter amongst themselves and decided how to proceed. They had not sent for her to get her input, only so that they could issue their instructions and the grim expressions on their faces told her what they had decided before they could put it in words.
No…
"We think that it would be for the best to accept this arrangement, if that is His Majesty's desire." Her uncle told her bluntly. "Now that permission has been given for him to take a second wife, he will wish to do so in order to father an heir and to secure the succession. If you will not accept, then it is likely that he will find somebody who will – and I am certain that you would rather see your son on the throne than the son of another woman."
He was already looking to the next generation, Anne thought in disbelief. Did it even matter to him that this arrangement would leave her a virtual concubine, a mistress in everything but name as long as the children she bore were legitimate, putting a child of Boleyn and Howard blood on the throne? Did he care that she was going to have to share her future husband, the man she loved, with a woman who despised her and live in a court where she was mocked as an upstart who reached for the Queen's throne and managed to achieve only the status of a concubine?
"No." Her voice was soft but determined.
"What did you say?" Her father demanded sharply.
"I can't do this, Papa." She insisted, ignoring George's warning shake of the head and her uncle's angry scowl and directing her appeal to her father, hoping that she would be able to secure his support. If she spoke to Henry, surely she would be able to make him understand that he had to keep fighting for his annulment, no matter how tempted he might be by the offer. "I can't!"
"You can, and you will unless you want a thrashing that you will remember until the day you die!" Her uncle snapped, furious.
Her father did not second this threat but he did not refute it either. "You're an intelligent girl, Anne," he said calmly, "I'm sure that you are capable of understanding that the pope has drawn his line in the sand. He has decided that he will go this far and no further. There will be no annulment, even if you try to convince the King to keep fighting. The pope is in the Emperor's power and he is more concerned with appeasing him than he is with justice. This way, you can still be His Majesty's wife."
"And let us not forget that this is what you want, at least as far as His Majesty is concerned." Her uncle interjected, still scowling darkly at her, looking as though he might be ready to carry out his threat, regardless of whether or not her father approved or consented. "As far as he is concerned, this is not a question of ambition for you. He believes that you love him and that you aspire to wear his wedding ring, not the Queen's crown."
Anne didn't answer. Even if she protested that she returned Henry's love, insisting that this stopped being a masquerade for her a long time ago, her uncle wouldn't believe her. He would think that she was being fooled by her masquerade and remind her of the task she was charged with; bringing down Wolsey. It would have been a lie for her to say that the idea of becoming Queen, of being the first lady in England, did not appeal to her but she was ready to be with him even before he asked.
"He would not be happy to learn that he was mistaken and that you cared more for his crown than for him," her uncle continued relentlessly. "And he would not forgive this family if he came to believe that you were making a fool of him all this time. There would be plenty of people who would be only too happy to whisper poison in his ears about you – Wolsey, for one – if you are stupid enough to reject this offer."
"Which we know you won't be, am I right?" Her father asked rhetorically, frowning when she did not respond. He regarded her impatiently for a few minutes, waiting for her to speak and wondering if she really would refuse, despite her uncle's threat. They could not afford for her to do that. "I'll give you some time alone to think about it," he said at last. "Go up to your room and, when you're ready to be reasonable, you may come down to let us know."
Anne felt the heat rise in her cheeks at this curt dismissal; her father's words and tone were better suited to be addressed to a naughty, obstinate little girl than to an adult with a genuine grievance. However, she knew her father well enough to know that arguing with him would be pointless, especially with her uncle in the room so, without saying a word, she rose and left the study, heading for the stairs and the privacy of her bedchamber.
George stood, as if to follow her, but his father raised a hand to halt him.
"No, leave her be." He commanded sharply before looking at Norfolk, an apologetic expression on his face over his daughter's obstinacy. "Some time alone will bring Anne to her senses, I am sure of it." He offered. "She'll know that this is the only course of action, and accept it."
Norfolk's expression was grim. "She had better. For all our sakes."
Sir Thomas More prided himself on his loyalty to his King, and on the fact that Henry knew that he could always trust that he would serve him to the best of his ability, even if he had misgivings about a particular course of action on which his monarch was set. At times, the tasks he was charged with had been uncomfortable but that discomfort paled next to his feelings about what he had been called upon to do today.
The idea of bigamy revolted him. Even if that bigamy was sanctioned by the pope and therefore not a sin, it didn't change the fact that it was certain to create a degrading situation for a good woman, one who loved her husband deeply and who had been a true, loyal and devoted wife to him for many years. He hated the idea of a blameless wife being cast aside by her husband, for no other reason but that she was old and he could no longer hope for sons from her but forcing her to endure the humiliation of watching her husband take a second, younger wife was not much of an improvement.
To make matters worse for More, after hours spent closeted with Henry, Wolsey and Master Cromwell as they debated the question of Anne's future standing – before she had even accepted the offer to be Henry's second wife, More silently noted, wondering whether Henry would decide to continue with his quest for an annulment if Anne refused to accept the place of his second wife – he was the one Henry singled out for the task of informing Katherine what had been decided.
Did he hope that it would be easier for Katherine to accept if the news came from a man she liked and respected, rather than from Wolsey, with whom she had never had an especially cordial relationship, or from Cromwell, a virtual stranger to her?
Henry himself was bound for Hever Castle, clearly deeming it more important that he speak to Anne than to his wife and the mother of his child, even though the issue was certainly one that affected both women equally.
Katherine gave him a smile of welcome when he entered her chamber, rising and extending her hand for him to kiss but when she saw the sombre expression on his face, she immediately knew that he was the bearer of bad news and, for a moment, her self-control slipped, her face turning pale as a tiny gasp of dismay escaped her lips.
"The annulment…" She said faintly, fearing the worst.
Had Henry, through Wolsey, who had never been a friend to Katherine or to her nephew, been able to secure the annulment he sought, dissolving their marriage as though it had never been? She could hardly bear to think of what that would mean for herself, relegated to the role of Princess Dowager of Wales and either banished from the court which had been her home for so long or else allowed to stay but forced to watch her rival usurp her rightful place and for Mary, it would be worse still. Even if her marriage was annulled, they could not take away Katherine's title and rights as a Princess of Spain but for Mary, an annulment would mean that she would be branded a bastard, stripped of her royal titles and excluded from the line of succession to the throne that was her birthright.
"No, dear lady." More insisted quickly, guessing what she must be thinking and hastening to reassure her that there was one thing that she did not fear. "His Holiness has not granted the annulment but…" It was rare for him to be at a loss for words but right now, it was difficult to find the right thing to say.
"But?" Katherine prompted him kindly. While it was good news that she did not need to fear her marriage being annulled, it was plain from the expression on More's face that there was other, less pleasant, news to come and that it was as difficult for him to tell her the news as it would be for her to hear it. She gave him a small, encouraging smile, silently reassuring him that, regardless of what it was he had come to say, she would never blame him for saying it.
Much as he would have liked to spare her the news, there was no alternative but to tell her. Waiting certainly would not make the news more palatable.
"In exchange for the King's agreement to abandon his suit of nullity, His Holiness has agreed to his proposed… compromise." More's lips tightened at the word. He knew better than to think that Henry would be prepared to give up Anne and he devoutly believed in the pope's role as God's representative on Earth and in the fact that his dictates were divinely inspired but, despite that, he couldn't help but wonder how it could be God's will for this to happen. "You will remain his wife… but so will Lady Anne." As soon as the words were spoken, he could have bitten his tongue, ashamed of the clumsiness of his words.
He knew, of course, that there was no way he could have put it that would make it any easier for Katherine to hear the news or to accept it but he still chastised himself for his poor choice of words.
Where was his usual silver tongue?
"What do you mean?" Katherine asked, feeling a heavy knot forming in the pit of her stomach.
"The King sent a bull to the pope asking that, if no way could be found for His Holiness to annul your marriage, he should instead be given permission to take a second wife. His Holiness has replied, agreeing to this." He said quietly, remembering Wolsey's dismay when he learned of the errand on which Dr Knight was dispatched, asking More to tell him that he had done the right thing by allowing the man to proceed with his mission but taking scant comfort when he pointed out that there was nothing else he could have done.
Katherine felt numb, her legs shaky as she sank back into her chair, shivering slightly despite the warmth of the fire. She had discussed the matter with Ambassador Mendoza, who warned her that certain concessions might be made to Henry, such as that any children he and Anne had would be made legitimate, even if they were not married, but she had not anticipated this. She could never have imagined that her husband would dare to suggest such a thing to the pope, much less that the pope might agree to such an obscene proposal.
Several long minutes of silence stretched between them before she finally spoke, in a low, choking voice. "So this country will soon have two Queens?"
"No, Your Majesty." More contradicted her at once. "The King did suggest that but, while he might have permission to take Anne as his second wife, England cannot have a second Queen, not as long as that title is yours."
"I see." Katherine nodded comprehension. "What will we be calling that woman?" She could not bring herself to speak her rival's name.
"After the marriage – assuming that she consents to this arrangement," he added, frowning at the thought that, while Katherine was given no choice in the matter, if Anne refused, Henry was likely to listen to her and to placate her however he could, "the Lady Anne will be known as the Princess Consort. She is to be addressed as 'Your Majesty'." During the meeting, after Cromwell proposed the title of Princess Consort, More advocated that Anne be referred to and addressed as 'Highness' rather than 'Majesty', privately thinking that it would reinforce her status as a secondary consort and place her on a level with Henry's daughter and sister, the Princesses Mary and Margaret, instead of with Henry and Katherine but Henry had seen through the suggestion and refused it outright. In no respect, save that she could not hold the title of Queen while Katherine lived, would he allow Anne to be placed in an inferior position to Katherine's. "You and she will be equal in terms of precedence at court."
Katherine nodded again. Given Henry's infatuation with the girl, it was not surprising that he would insist on elevating her as much as he possibly could, not caring how it would be received at court or by the people. "And her children?" When Mendoza warned her of the possibility that any bastards Anne bore Henry might be made legitimate, she was aware that those children would be entitled to a place in the line of succession but she was also determined that as a Princess born in wedlock, Mary would be first in line to the throne ahead of her half-siblings, even if those half-siblings were boys. However, if Henry and Anne were to be married, that changed things.
"Anne's children will be Princes and Princesses of England, with the full rights and status of children born in wedlock." He explained. "Under the terms of the papal dispensation, Anne will be the King's wife in the eyes of the Church and any children she bears will be treated just as they would have been if they were born to you. Princess Mary will be placed ahead of any daughters…"
"But behind any sons." Katherine finished for him, knowing in her heart that Mary's chances of becoming Queen would be low now, even lower than they were when Henry sought to advance his bastard son, the little Duke of Richmond. "So my daughter will never be Queen." She remarked, frowning at the thought that the granddaughter of Ferdinand and Isabella would be set aside in favour of Anne's son, with the descendant of a London merchant taking the throne that should be Mary's.
"Lady Anne may not…"
It was tempting to cling to the hope that Anne might prove to be barren, after all this trouble, but Katherine did not think that this would be the case.
"She's young, Sir Thomas." She pointed out quietly. "Only twenty, I believe." Half Katherine's age and ten years younger than she had been when Mary was born, ten years younger than Henry was now. She had many childbearing years ahead of her, years to fill the royal nursery with sons, and each healthy boy she bore would put Mary further and further away from the throne.
More could only nod, thinking that while Henry might be infatuated with his young bride-to-be, the wife he wanted, Katherine was the wife he needed. He could remember when Henry first became King as a boy of seventeen, well educated and instructed in the art of ruling by his father, as befitted the heir to the throne, but younger than his years in many ways, not yet ready for the burden of kingship. But for Katherine's steadying influence, he might have become the most careless and self-indulgent monarch who had ever lived, devoting himself entirely to his own pleasure without ever sparing a thought for the people and his duty to protect and govern them. Anne might have a great deal of influence over Henry but she was too young to be able to guide him and steady him as Katherine had, at least in More's opinion.
It was a few minutes before Katherine spoke again and, when she did, her tone was rueful. "I suppose I ought to be thankful that my husband is taking only one additional wife," she remarked. "The infidels my mother fought, some of them believed that a man might have up to four wives. When I was a little girl, I used to wonder how a woman could bear to share her husband with other wives. Now I will find out for myself."
More privately considered that if Henry lived in a society where a man was permitted to have four wives, he would want to have six at the very least but he would never have said so. His loyalty to Henry and his admiration for Katherine, who would be hurt to hear such things of her beloved husband, bridled his tongue. Instead, he regarded Katherine with dark eyes full of compassion. "Will you be alright?" He asked tentatively, praying that she would not allow this indignity to weigh upon her to the point where it caused her to become angry, bitter and hate-filled.
It would be a tragedy if such a thing should happen to so gracious a lady.
Her eyes were full of pain when she turned to look at him. "Does it matter how I feel about this?" She asked rhetorically. "If my husband wishes to do this, if he has the blessing of the pope to do this, then I cannot stop him."
George moved as silently as he could as he hastened down the gallery towards the shallow flight of stairs leading to Anne's bedchamber, not pausing to knock before he pushed the door open and entered, for fear that he might be seen and stopped.
His father had insisted that Anne should be left by herself until she was ready to accept the inevitable but George felt sorry for his sister and, after a couple of hours, as soon as he got a chance to slip away, he made his way up to her room, holding a finger to his lips as he entered.
"Shh!" He cautioned in a hushed tone, before Anne could make a noise. "I'm not supposed to be here." She was lying on the bed, with the shutters on her window closed and the room illuminated only be the dim light of candles, just as she had been a few weeks ago, during one of her brief visits to Hever, the night before she was due to return to court, where the King was eagerly awaiting her company.
"Why are you sitting in the darkness? Hmm?" She didn't answer, or give any sign that she registered his presence. Concerned, he sat down next to her, touching her arm lightly. "What's wrong?"
"You don't understand."
"Of course I do – I'm your brother, aren't I?"
"If only you were still as you used to be," Anne lamented quietly. "I remember I told you everything, all my secrets."
"You can still tell me."
"I can't." She contradicted him flatly.
"Why?"
"You'd share them."
She held his gaze for a moment and George knew that she knew that he had spoken of their earlier tussle over the King's love letter and her passionate demands for it to be returned to her, of how he had asked her to deny that she was in love with the King but she was unable to do so. Worried about his sister being hurt by the game she was being asked to play and not knowing what to do, he confided his fears to his father, who thanked him for bringing the matter to his attention, grimly promising to deal with it.
Anne knew that he had betrayed her and she would never feel able to be open with him again.
This time, Anne didn't look at him as he sat down by the bed but even in the dim light, George could see the telltale traces of tears on her cheeks and he immediately fished in his pocket for a handkerchief, pressing it into her hand, cupping her cheek in one hand and gently tilting her face so that she was looking at him.
"Come on," he began encouragingly. "It's not worth getting so upset over, is it? I'm sure that it won't be as bad as you think; you'll be his wife..."
"His second wife." Anne pointed out bitterly. "His mistress in everything but name. That's what they'll say about me, isn't it?"
"That's not true, the King would never let anybody treat you like that and you know it."
"I won't be Queen." Whatever it was people wound up calling her, she knew that it would not be 'Queen'.
"Only as long as Katherine's alive," George reminded her. "And she's getting on in years. You'll be Queen before you know it." He predicted cheerfully. Anne didn't respond so he soldiered on. "And until then, you know that you'll be first in the King's heart; he loves you and he wants to get rid of her so who do you think he's going to favour? He'll give you anything you ask for, anything you could possibly want. And when you give him a son, he'll be more in love with you than ever and you will be the mother of England's next King. Katherine might get to keep the title of Queen but she'd let you take that in a heartbeat if it meant that she could be the one to bear England's prince – and that's something that she'll never be able to do for him now."
What her brother was saying was true but he could never understand her feelings about this matter. What man would ever be in a position where he had to endure the humiliation of being one of two husbands, or the pain of sharing the wife he loved with his fellow husband?
But was it better to settle for to half or to refuse to settle, taking the chance of gaining everything and the risk of losing what she had.
All or nothing?
It was a gambler's question but, in this case, Anne knew that it wasn't for her to decide whether to ask for another card or to take a chance on the next roll of the dice. Her father and uncle were right on that count. If Henry decided that he wanted to accept this deal rather than persisting in the fight for an annulment, a fight that he would know that he had only a slim chance of winning, that was it.
Before he proposed marriage, before he pledged to honour her maidenhead until they were married, she was ready to accept the offer to be his maitresse en titre, even though that would mean that Katherine would still be his wife and Queen and that she would still have to share Henry with her.
At least it would be better, if she had to share the man she loved, that she was his wife rather than his mistress.
They both stiffened when they heard approaching footsteps and a few moments later, their father entered the room, giving George a withering look and motioning for him to leave the room before turning his attention to Anne, his keen gaze taking in her tearstained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. He took the crumpled handkerchief from her hand, crossing over to the washstand and lifted the jug to fill the large bowl. After soaking the handkerchief in cold water, he wrung it out before returning to his daughter's side.
"Sit up." He instructed, not unkindly, cupping her chin in one hand and using the wet handkerchief to wash away the tearstains. "The King has arrived and he wants to see you. I take it that you know what you'll be saying to him." Anne nodded mutely, a resigned expression on her face. "Good girl." He set down the handkerchief, examining her face and frowning slightly.
Even after his ministrations, it would be obvious at a glance that she had been crying. One look at her and the King would know that she knew what was happening and how she felt about it. He briefly considered asking the King to give Anne half-an-hour to make herself ready to receive him, allowing her time to make herself presentable but, remembering the unhappy, guilty expression on his face when he arrived with his small retinue, he made his decision.
Catching one of Anne's hands in his, he tugged her to her feet, inspecting her gown to make sure that it wasn't crumpled after lying on the bed and then he motioned for her to precede him.
"We must not keep His Majesty waiting." He said firmly, before she could protest that she needed time to change.
Henry was sitting on a chair in front of the huge stone fireplace but he sprang to his feet as soon as Anne entered, her father following close behind her.
"Sweetheart!" He hurried over to her, taking both her hands in his. Seeing the pain in her eyes, he felt a surge of fury towards the pope for his cowardice, towards the Emperor for his interference, towards Katherine for inviting that interference and towards everybody else whose actions contributed to the look in Anne's eyes. He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head and holding her close. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."
Watching in silence as the King led Anne back towards the fireplace, sitting down and gently tugging her into his lap, Boleyn and Norfolk exchanged smiles of satisfaction, watching their sovereign comforting his future wife, vowing to her that he would make sure that everything was alright.
"This won't change anything, my darling, I promise you that." Henry insisted, stroking Anne's long, dark hair. "If I thought that we had a chance of getting an annulment, I'd keep fighting, I swear it, but even if the pope is too much of a coward to do what he should and dissolve my marriage, it doesn't change the fact that I know that it's invalid, that we know the truth. Even if they force me to keep Katherine as my wife in name, I know that she's only my sister-in-law and that's how I'll treat her. You're going to be my wife – my only true wife." Seeing fresh tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks he brushed them away with a gentle finger, devastated to see her so upset. "I'll make it up to you, I swear!"
TBC.
