Hello readers !

As this chapter was rather short, it's delivered a bit faster. It's just some snippets of monarchs and courtiers planning presents and mischief for Christmas. A bit late for the season, I know...

Hope you enjoy it. :)


VI. Time of Advent

10th of December, Whitehall – early evening

As agreed, the queen and the secretary had continued their little «interviews ». Anne hoped they would soon bear fruit, as it was difficult for her to shake her ladies off and disappear without attracting unwanted attention. Henry was not so fond of her any more, but he was still fiercely jealous. Anne would rather not think of what would happen if her and her lov... compagn... accomplice were discovered together. The simple fact of mentioning this thing was enough to make her sick.

She was just coming back from one of these interviews into her chambers, that evening, when her cousin Sir Francis Bryan made a reappearance at Court and requested an audience.

After two less than fruitful years in Italy pleading the king's cause to the Pope, Sir Francis had just come back home, not really cross to leave the papal city, even if the Roman ladies had proven... much more hospitable than the Pope and his cardinals. With his gift for poetry, he had been able to pick not only many mistresses, but also friends out those women. Oh well, the gentleman thought when he entered the queen's chambers anteroom, English ladies were not that bad either. The queen's chambers were full of them, and the arrival, a day before, of princess Elizabeth and her half-sister Mary had added to the charm of the place. It was only coloured skirts, rustling petticoats, pink cheeks and pleasant smiles. Anne knew how to pick her companions. For his part, with his feathered hat, his high boots and his eye-patch, he had some effect on women that watched him walking by, whether they were high born or low. They were watching him carefully and whispered in each other's ear, wondering, amongst other things, where he had received his pirate accessory.

When Sir Francis entered, he found his cousin in the middle of a cards game with two lovely brunettes who seemed to be losing some money, while a little pale blonde was wearing herself out trying to catch Lady Mary's attention. But the former princess of Wales was more concerned about her young half-sister and having a chat with Madge Shelton. Sorry! Norris, now she was married to the king's best friend.

- Your Majesty, Bryan said, bowing before the queen. How is my little pixie of a cousin?

- Well, the pixie grew up, my dear cousin, as you can see, Anne laughed, stretching a hand which he kissed very seriously. I am glad to see you back amongst us, at last. How are you?

- Rather well, if one takes into account the two years of humiliations and useless waiting I spent in Rome, he answered rather bitterly. I'll convert to anti papism, one of these days, he added a bit lower.

- You would do it for far less than this, his cousin growled.

- Oh, oh... I feel you are in a bad mood. Did I say something offending ?

- Absolutely not. It is... oh, the Court gossip will surely tell you. Henry has taken a mistress again. He has not bedded her yet, but to have her more conveniently at hand, he added her to my ladies-in-waiting. It's the little blond one beside Mary. Jane Seymour.

Sir Francis made a face.

- Another distant cousin... Such a small world. Well, Henry did accustom us to choose better. I am sorry to judge my family thus, but she is not even a lovely girl. And she holds herself in such a way... Shy. You would think she is afraid that someone could walk on her feet.

- But she is submissive and makes an excellent puppet. I would like the king to turn away from her. A bit of scandal would not spoil it. Do you see what I mean?

- Completely, my dear cousin. I know a lot of gentlemen who would find extremely funny to encroach on good king Henry's illegitimate territory.

# #

14th of December - afternoon

The queen's chambers had been literally invaded by a little army of seamstresses and milliners. The atmosphere was relaxed, chairs and tables piled high with dresses, ribbons and pincushions, while two serving maids offered plates of small waffles and wine cups amongst incessant chatter and laughs.

The poor girls were hard-pressed not to trip on a train being attached to its dress or in the hem of a skirt in revision. The Christmas dresses ordered by the queen had arrived at last and the ladies were carrying out the last adjustments. Even Elizabeth Seymour had been included in the adventure, in spite of her late arrival in the queen's household, and she radiated happiness in her garnet red velvet. At last, she was free of black clothes! She was allowed again to wear colours that suited her. All the other women had put on the same colour, in different shades and fabrics. It would make a nice effect, Lizzie thought, when the queen and her ladies arrived in a tight group in the reception hall. Courtiers would only see a kind of sparkling river of flames. The holly and tiny pineapples crowns coming with the dresses would splendidly complete the effect.

Even Lady Mary, usually withdrawn, seemed happy to be – a little bit – the centre of everyone's attention, while her half-sister was solemnly passing the pins and needles to the seamstresses working on Mary's dress. She did not notice that her step-mother was watching her and liked what she saw.

All in all, to treat her nicely, give her a better statute, had proven more efficient than to have her beaten by the ladies Bryan and Sheldon, as Anne had thought for a while. Furthermore, the girl almost looked nice in her new dress. Maybe they could succeed in finding her an admirer, which would hopefully distract her from any political topic for a while.

Of course the queen was granted the most luxurious clothes, and there was in her dress as much gold thread as velvet, which made it extremely heavy. The smallest of her moves had to be carefully calculated to avoid knocking something down, or simply having her legs giving way under the weight of the garment.

No lively dance for Christmas party, Anne thought with a small regret, even if she intended to lead another kind of dance before joining the Court.

Darn! Now she was getting accustomed to her encounters with the king's secretary... It was becoming dangerous... or not. Anne knew that in fact, she was not the center of Court life any more. She had noticed the number of people coming for a visit slowly decreasing. It offered her an increase in freedom. Less audiences meant more free time to escape and be usefully busy, whether it was by reading, conceiving a child, putting her nose into the council's dispatches or looking for a way to oust this ninny of Jane Seymour.

# #

17th of December

- Wonderful, the king whispered, turning the necklace between his fingers.

Kneeling before him, the goldsmith allowed himself a little sigh of relief. The monarch was known for his demanding nature and the fit of wrath that followed if his whim was not made into perfection. Apparently, the jewel crafted for his newest mistress suited him. The artisan had worked for long hours, a magnifying glass tied over his eye, to create the piece of jewellery, a beautiful chain of gold filigree holding a medium-sized sapphire, of a luminous blue. Delicate, blue and golden, the very definition of the young lady who charmed the king.

The goldsmith told himself that the royal favourites were indeed very costly for their lover. He had already realised orders placed for Lady Boleyn before she married the king, and according to his annals, the sapphire alone was as expensive as two or three of the sets of jewels he had delivered at the very beginning of Henry's affair with Lady Anne. Yet the king had not purchased some worthless trinkets for the young woman. He remembered a certain brooch of amber and gold...

Did it mean the new one was worth more in the king's eyes that the current one? Well, time would tell it very quickly.

Henry put the necklace back in its case of wood lined with white velvet and handed a heavy purse to the artisan. The man was effusive in his thanks, bowed three times as required by the protocol, and left humming to himself through the palace corridors. One or two lovely girls more on His Majesty's path and he would be able to retire, his fortune assured.


A/N : next chapter, people unwrap their Christmas presents. Whatever it may be...