AN: This chapter includes a time jump. Current ages after time jump – Mary 20, Anne 17, George 15, and Eleanor 10. Also includes a few lines of "Everything's all right" from Jesus Christ Superstar. I do not own the song – it just fitted the moment. R&R please.
Chapter 4
Declare I dare not
As the months rolled gently past, and stretched into a year, Anne continued to cast her spell on His Majesty. She sang his songs, laughed at his jests, rode out with him, even danced with him upon occasion, but all the time, she was very careful never to let him have his way with her. In fact in public, she often pretended to ignore his amorous glances altogether. Instead she drew a small knot of admiring courtiers around her, and began to regale us with tales of life at the French Court.
Even Princess Mary liked her at first, when she thought that her father would tire of Anne after a few months, although that changed very quickly when she saw him dance a Volta, the ultimate dance of seduction with my sister, and realised how serious he was about her.
However, this did not affect our friendship, so I had a happy year in the Princess's household, sharing her games and lessons, joys and sorrows.
But it all changed very suddenly.
****
One cool morning in October 1525, Anne, Mary and I woke to an insistent rapping on the door.
"Get it, Eleanor, would you darling? Your bed's closest." Mary moaned, rolling over. Sighing, I swung my legs out of bed, wrapped a cloak around myself, and did as I was told.
I opened the door to a page in russet and black livery. Howard livery.
"Miss Eleanor. Good morning. I've been sent to inform you that His Grace the Duke of Norfolk requires your presence at a Howard council. Lady Anne's in particular." The lad, who could not have been much older than me, bowed slightly before moving away.
"Thank you." I called after his retreating back, before shutting the door, and turning to my sisters. To my horror, they had gone straight back to sleep. Calling their names, I shook them awake again.
"Mary! Anne! Get up, for God's sake. Get up! Uncle wants to see us!"
That did the trick. Anne jumped up, and ran to her mirror, unplaiting her hair, and letting it fall loose around her shoulders as she went. Mary, meanwhile, dashed to the clothes press, flung it open, and pulled out her pale blue satin gown, and my matching one.
"Come here, Eleanor." she snapped, reaching out for me. I pulled back. Anne always dressed me – I didn't want Mary to do it now, not even because we were in a hurry.
"Anne, will you lace me up?"
"Oh, Eleanor!" she groaned. "Not today, we're in a hurry. Mary will do it today."
I didn't want that, so turning to Anne once more, I cocked my head on one side, and switched on my most pleading gaze.
"Please, Anna-Maria? Pretty please?"
"Oh, very well. Turn."
Anne laced me up hastily, and then let Mary lace her emerald green silk dress up as tight as she could. Grabbing her jewelled hood, she set it well back on her head, and led us from the room at a run, lifting her skirts high with one hand. I could tell she was nervous, because she wasn't her usual poised self – her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing rapid and shallow.
Two minutes later, we all slipped into my uncle's private chambers.
"Uncle, good morning." Mary spoke for all of us, as we curtsied low before him.
"Anne. Mary. Eleanor." His voice was cool and disapproving. "Where have you been?"
"Forgive us, Uncle. We came as quickly as we could." Mary murmured, keeping her eyes lowered, and her tone respectful.
"Not quickly enough, niece. Not quickly enough. Sit."
With a rustle of silk and satin, we did as we were told. Uncle turned to Anne.
"Anna-Maria."
"Yes, Uncle?" Her tone was inquiring, but there was an edge of steel to her voice, as she raised her eyes to his.
"The King seems taken with you."
"Does he?" Anne tossed her head proudly. "I hadn't really noticed."
"George here tells me he sends you trinkets. Is this true?"
"Expensive ones!" George burst out, and I nodded vigorously.
"They're beautiful!" I exclaimed, before I could stop myself, but all I managed to do was earn myself a painful cuff on the back of the neck from Anne.
"Hush, Eleanor!" she hissed fiercely, before answering our uncle's question. "Yes Uncle. It is true he sends me trinkets, though I do not think much of them." she replied calmly, sitting up straight.
"Does – Does he invite you to his bed?" Uncle asked.
I was mystified by this query; George suppressed a sigh, Mary a groan, but Anne merely looked affronted. She tossed her stunning hair back and gasped in horror, disgusted revulsion written all over her face.
"God, no! Even if he did, Uncle, I would not go. I would not go."
Uncle's head snapped up at that. He leapt to his feet, and strode over to Anne. She swivelled in her chair to face him.
"You would not go?!" His hand came around Anne's throat, threatening to choke her.
"You would not go?! You would refuse an invitation to the King's bed? Do you not care for the advancement of this family?" Uncle ranted at her, a vein pulsing in his temple.
I shrank back beneath his anger, but Anne had a temper to match Uncle's own. She leapt to her feet.
"I would refuse because I care about this family! I know how it is with men. They blow hot, they blow cold, and the King more than most!
My God, Mary is known as the Great Whore! Mary! My own sister! And you want me to follow in her footsteps? I think not!
The only time I would ever, ever bed the King is if I was married to him!"
"And how, exactly, do you intend to achieve that, my dear Anne?" Uncle scoffed.
"I would entrap him. Beguile him. Weave my web around him so tightly – so cleverly, so sweetly, and so securely, that he could never find his way out. Then I would ask him to marry me and make me Queen!" Anne replied confidently, so confidently in fact, that even Uncle stepped back a pace or two.
"Is that so?" he half whispered. I could almost see his sharp Howard mind whirring as he put two and two together in that calculating way of his. Anne nodded.
"Let me play this my way, Uncle. Let me try and take the King's heart in such a way that no-one else can steal it back from me – not even Queen Katherine herself."
He thought for a moment. Then he played his cards, exactly the way Anne wanted him to.
"Very well, Anna-Maria. I'll give you a few months. But, if we're no further forward at Easter, you'll have to start doing as you're bid by the family. Is that clear?"
"As crystal." Anne answered him almost mockingly and Uncle frowned before dismissing us from his chambers.
****
February 1526
On the 18th of February, at a joust held to mark the Princess Mary's birthday, the King rode out under the motto "Declare I dare not".
It was a motto which puzzled half the Court. Some people believed it meant he had taken yet another mistress, and deserted my sister Mary for good, while others supposed that he was subtly declaring, that my sister, who had just had a healthy baby boy, named Henry, was in his favour once more, that he, not Sir William Carey was the father of the child.
Very few people guessed the truth. Very few people thought to look to my other sister, Anne, as she quietly sat with the other ladies in Queen Katherine's household, the tiniest touch of triumph in her sparkling eyes, the smallest smile of seduction on those rosy lips of hers.
But I knew what it meant. As the King prepared himself for the joust, I closed my eyes and let the memory wash over me.
****
(Flashback)
Anne came storming into our little room in a temper.
"The nerve! I can't believe he dared!"
"What? Anne, what is it?" I looked up from my embroidery – a little christening gown I was sewing for Mary's new baby – as my sister's irate shadow fell over my work.
As George entered behind her, I shot a helpless, pleading look at him, silently begging him to tell me what had happened.
"King Henry just asked her to become his favourite, his "mistress en treite"" he whispered, as Anne strode up and down by the window, muttering and cursing under her breath.
"What?! What did she say?" I gasped, raising my voice a little too high in my surprise. Whipping round, Anne glared daggers at me.
"No, of course! What do you think I said?"
"But - Uncle said - "
"I don't care what Uncle said. If I mean to persuade the King to annul his marriage to Queen Katherine for my sake, then I can't afford to be a Whore." Anne broke in snappishly.
"Well, what did you tell the King? He's so used to exactly the opposite. Did he not get angry with you?"
"I told him pretty much exactly that. I told him that if he wanted me, he'd have to play the lover and court me properly, even though I would not dare bed him while Queen Katherine lived. He actually seemed quite intrigued." Anne replied promptly, though tension remained in her neck and shoulders. George went to her, and slipped an arm around her.
"Don't worry, Annie" he murmured softly into her ear, pushing her dark hair back, and using his pet name for her. "I'll back you up. I'll go to him and tell him that you're the flower of the family, that there's to be no bedding before you're wed – whoever asks."
George hurried to the door, and Anne threw herself on her bed, hiding her face as the angry tears that shone in her dark eyes threatened to spill over.
Cautious, but unable to leave my sister in such distress, I sat on the edge of the bed, and caressed Anne's glossy tresses with one hand, crooning a song as I did so.
"Sleep and I shall soothe you.
Calm you and anoint you.
Then you'll feel everything's all right, yes, everything's fine.
And it's cool and the ointment's sweet.
For the fire in your head and feet…"
My voice trailed off, but Anne was already asleep, worn out with the emotion of it all. Swiftly and silently, I gathered my embroidery things together, and crept out of the room.
****
(End Flashback)
Suddenly, I was jolted out of my reverie by the sound of clapping. It seemed the King had made a good pass in the Jousting. I rose to my feet, applauding.
As I did so, I glanced across at my sister Anne, who had also risen, and was leading the Court in their approval of the King's pass.
By refusing His Majesty's advances, she had steered us Boleyns in a totally different direction, had led us on to a never-before trodden path.
Who knew where we were going to end up?
