AN: Here is another chapter of The Mare & The Rose. I kind of link this chapter and I hope you do to. First of all, before we start on the story, I would once again like to say thank you to everyone that has reviewed, alerted, favourited or read the story. It does mean a lot. In any case, I don't want to ramble to much today because I want you to read the next chapter.

Thanks for reading!

Edit: I totally forgot to mention a big thankyou to Lady Eleanor Boleyn, this is what I get for posting at 6 am on a Sunday morning! Anyway... I would like to thank her for brainstorming with me! She is an excellent brainstorming partner! A Big Thank You!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Tudors, never have and never will.


Chapter Eight

3 March 1541

"We are to leave for Greenwich."

Katherine looked up and smiled. She was already bored with Westminster, even though it was beautiful in its own way; Kitty was glad that she would have new scenery and new rooms to decorate. "When are we leaving?"

"We are to leave on the 19th of the month," informed Henry as he placed down another card. He watched Katherine brow screw up. He knew that she wasn't the brightest at cards, in fact Anne was better than her, but she had insisted that she wanted to learn so he indulged her by teaching her himself. In any case, it meant he could spend even more time with her. "Do you think you can pack up your things by then?"

Katherine mock pouted. Henry laughed. He had given into her every whim so she had a lot of new things, including clothing and jewellery mostly. He wanted to show his kingdom and the over monarchs that he believed that Katherine was his true wife and dressing her in the most expensive and lavish outfits helped. Katherine smiled again. "Does the Queen know?"

Henry shook his head. "She will know soon but she has gone to be with Mary during her confinement and birth of her child. I say she will be with their graces for awhile before returning to court which means you will be first lady at court while she is away."

Kitty smiled, though she was half-upset about the matter. She liked having Anne around, even though sometimes it was awkward. Anne was better with the ambassadors then she was but she did like to organise masques and banquets, especially with dancing. Maybe she could hold a masque at Greenwich once Mary had her child, for wasn't the child also the grandchild of the King? And with Henry being the grandfather of the child, wasn't she and Anne the child's grandmothers? Kitty shook her head from those thoughts, even though it would be nice to be a grandmother she didn't except to be one when she was only seventeen. "Why don't you go and be with Mary during this time?" asked Kitty in all seriousness.

Henry half laughed. "I don't think that Mary would appreciate me there and in any case, I have a country to run and childbirth is the business of women. Though, we shall visit once the child is born to offer our congratulations."

Kitty smiled. She should have realised that Henry would have better things to do though she was half hoping that he would want to go so she could keep her secret for longer though it was a good secret, a very good secret in fact, one that had to be eventually told. A secret that would very much please the King.

She knew that she couldn't hold it in much longer and the excitement that was building up inside of her through just thinking about the special secret made her blurt it out.

"I am pregnant."

Her hands immediately went across her mouth. She shouldn't have said it but she was glad to have told someone. She was only a month along so she could be wrong but the physician whom she had called through Lady Rochford had confirmed her thoughts. Only Lady Rochford knew, well know the King, her own husband knew but she had made Jane not tell a soul until she was ready.

Henry threw down his cards in amazement and happiness. He was to be a father again and this time with his rose. He got up and walked around to Kitty, sitting down in her chair and having her slide onto his leg. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Have you seen a physician?" Kitty could hear the utter concern in his voice. He truly cared about her welfare and it was touching. She nodded in reply with a large smile on her face. "Who else knows?" he asked as he held a hand on Kitty's flat stomach.

"Only Lady Rochford and the physician of course."

"Well, I want you to inform the rest of your ladies," he said in all seriousness. "They should know of your condition so they know that they should be looking after you and our little Duke of York."

Katherine warily smiled at this comment. She had been told not to anger the King but she was afraid that she might anger him if their child wasn't a son. What if it was a girl? How would he react? Her cousin had only been able to give Henry a daughter, what if she could only do the same? She shook the thoughts from her mind. She had to be positive that her child was a healthy son. She knew that once her uncle found out he would want her to be praying for a son and thinking that she had a son in her womb. As if his safety depended on her child.

"Do you mind if we don't tell anyone else for awhile," she said playing with Henry's collar. "I mean other than my ladies of course. I just want to wait a couple more months before we make an announcement."

She had thought however that once Mary delivered her own child, she would tell Mary and her husband that she was with child. She hoped that Mary might be kinder to her if she knew of her own situation. She also wanted to talk to someone who had gone through the same experience but she knew no one. Lady Rochford never had her own child, neither did Queen Anne and all of her own ladies were her age or thereabouts and had never even been married. Mary was her best option.

She also knew that she would have to tell Anne soon though she wasn't sure how she would take it.

Henry nodded. "It might be best; we do not want to jinx this precious son of yours. In any case, once we do tell them, they will have less time to wait. When is our son due?"

"The physician said November," answered Katherine. "He said that means that I am only a month along but he said that it is a good sign when the mother works out her condition early."

Henry nodded firmly. "Yes, it is good. It means you can prepare and I have heard from a few people that this is a sign of a son. I am so certain Kitty that you hold the next Duke of York in your womb."

Henry seemed so proud of the prospect of having another son but for Kitty, she was unsure. Just something in her, like a gut instinct, was telling not to be too hopeful on the birth of a Prince.


Mary hated her confinement. It was so dark in her bed chamber. She was glad that Anne was here so she had someone to talk to as Philip wasn't allowed to stay with her all the time according to the midwife as the confinement chamber was a place for women and that in essence she was being kind to Mary by letting her husband visit her at all.

The room was also too hot. They wouldn't let her open the windows and the fire was burning all the time and when Mary had questioned the midwife about it, the midwife said it was necessary. Mary was sure that the midwife wanted to induce her labour through making her sweat and at the instant, Mary was sure that it was going to work.

Anne smiled at Mary. "Just think Mary, it will be worth it in the end when you...hold the baby in your arms."

Mary nodded. "I know but I think I might understand why none of my mother's other children survived. I think they may have died of overbearing midwifes."

"Well then, since you survived you should be able to handle the midwife," said Anne as a sort-of joke which Mary chuckled a little bit. But then suddenly a pain kicked which made Mary sit up straight and clutch one hand to her stomach and the other to her back. She looked over at Anne with big blue eyes.

"Anne, I think it is my time," said Mary quietly and started breathing faster and faster as if she was panicking. Anne rushed to Mary's side. Taking Mary's hand in hers, she called for the midwife who then hurried Mary's ladies to get everything for the birth.

The midwife was sure that this was no false alarm.

Meanwhile, one of Mary's ladies, Mistress Margaret, went to find the Duke. Mary had told her that she was to go and tell her husband immediately that their child was on its way. Margaret was quickly at Philip's chamber and told one of the grooms on the door why she was here. They quickly ushered her in and she curtseyed towards the Duke. "Your grace," she said politely but slightly out of breath.

Philip nodded. "What is the matter, Mistress..," he said forgetting the name of the young girl that served his wife.

"Margaret," said the young girl slightly annoyed. "Mistress Margaret, your grace. I am here to inform your grace that your wife, her grace, has gone into labour. If you may excuse me your grace, I am needed back with her grace."

She quickly hurried out of the room to return to her mistress while she left Philip stunned, speechless and now anxiously awaiting the birth of his first child.

Meanwhile another contraction kicked in and Mary pushed. It hurt so much though she had thought that it could have worse, thinking about her late stepmother, Queen Jane Seymour, who had a very long labour which resulted in her own death. So far, it didn't look like the birth of her own child would be that long; in fact it was going quite quickly.

"Milady, I see the head crowing," she the midwife from the other end of the bed. "Another big push milady."

Mary held onto Anne's hand tight as she pushed hard. She pushed harder than any of her other pushes and at the end of that push she felt a realise and the faint sounds of a baby infant were heard throughout the room. Anne put a wet cloth to Mary's head while the midwife took the infant to make sure everything was alright and to clean it up.

Mary was still panting as she looked over at Anne. "What did I have Anne?"

Anne smiled but before she could answer the midwife, who know held the baby wrapped tight in a blanket, answered for her. "Milady, you have a healthy baby girl, quite a pretty babe if I may say."

Mary smiled. "May I hold her?"

The midwife shook her head. "Not yet milady, once your ladies clean you up you may hold her." Mary nodded sadly and then the midwife left the room with Queen Anne as Mary's lady's helped clean her up to prepare for Philip to visit.

She was soon cleaned up and the linen on the bed changed. She was still quite a bit sore from the birth but that didn't matter once her little baby daughter was placed in her arms. She had a little bit of downy dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. She looked like a miniature Mary. Mary was amazed at her daughter already and when she touched one of her tiny hands, her daughter tightened her hand around one of Mary's delicate fingers.

Anne came back in the room and looked down at the baby and Mary. "She is a beautiful baby Mary."

Mary smiled at Anne's statement. "Thank you," she said, not even taking her eyes off of her daughter. She already loved her daughter so much and couldn't imagine anything ever happening to her. She wanted the best for her daughter.

One of Mary's ladies interrupted Mary's devotion to her daughter. "Your grace, my Lady Elizabeth is here."

Elizabeth walked in with Kat close behind her. Elizabeth didn't curtsy to her sister but quickly rushed over to see her niece. Kat knew that she would have to talk to Elizabeth about doing that but at this moment she didn't mind.

The little baby looked around the room to see her red-headed aunt staring at her. "Hello um..," said Elizabeth as her niece looked at her with big blue eyes. "What is her name?" asked Elizabeth.

Mary looked at her younger sister. "I am not sure. I haven't decided on one particular name. Once Philip comes, I will decide with him." Elizabeth seemed satisfied with the answer looked down at her niece again.

"She is so little, though quite cute but little," commented Elizabeth.

All of a sudden, Philip came striding into the room without even waiting to be introduced. When he saw that both the mother and child were doing fine, the smile grew even further on his face. "Mary," he said as he walked over and sat beside Mary. Anne ushered Elizabeth out of the room with the help of Kat so Philip and Mary could have some alone time with their new daughter.

As the three other women left, he looked down at his daughter. "She is so beautiful Mary, just like her mother," said Philip as the little baby now tightened her grip around her father's larger finger. Mary was so grateful to have a husband like Philip. She knew that if she had delivered a daughter to a man like her father, he would have been disappointed but not with Philip, he seemed genuinely thrilled to have a daughter. He had said that he didn't mind what they had as long as it was healthy. He had kept his word on that.

She knew that this was where she had always belonged.


AN: Well, how did you like that? I know that I am terrible at writing birth scenes so please bear with me on that. I hope you enjoyed that and I plan on writing more soon for this story but I am doing this thing where I have to update all of my stories before I can write another chapter for this one. So expect another chapter of A Death To Coronation up soon. In any case, I hope to see you guys review this chapter! Until next time...

TBC