January 2 1534
"And so did you seal the deal?" The Earl of Wiltshire asked "Once done there is no chance for an annulment."
The room was silent as everyone uncomfortably watched the patriarch of the Boleyn family question his elder son about his wedding night. Elizabeth Boleyn, Thomas's wife, newly returned to court found no pleasure in hearing any of this. She had arrived a few days ago to find out that her son would be marrying the king's first daughter. Elizabeth did not detest this marriage because she disliked Mary, it was the opposite actually. She cared for the young girl even though Mary would never believe it. Elizabeth Boleyn had been lady in waiting to the former Queen Catherine and she had been there when Mary was born and she had watched her grow into a beautiful respectable woman. Elizabeth was concerned because she knew that both Tom and Mary despised the situation they were in and it worried her that the two would make the institution of marriage unbearable for themselves.
Anne's thoughts were along the same lines as her mother, though she felt for Mary, she also thought about her brother. She knew that Mary would never be willing to consummate her marriage to him and the fact that Thomas might have had to force himself on her worried her because she knew how much he did not like to hurt anyone, women especially. He was happy when one was willing, but he never pushed them. He respected all women that way and she had always admired that, she was only saddened that Tom had been forced go against his morals.
George on the other had was silently steaming with anger. His hands were clutched into fists under the table, His legs bounced continuously out of impatience, and he ground his jaw tightly so that he could keep himself from saying anything. He hated to think of Mary in any pain whatsoever and when he found out that she and Tom had gotten married at the tower without anyone's knowledge but the king's, he had been shocked. It's not like it mattered, he was a married man himself, but that didn't mean anything. He could not shake off the need to want to protect Mary at all times.
"Yes, father. You need not worry about anything" Tom said easily, a small smile on his face. He seemed to be the only person in the room apart from his father that was not affected by this event at all. It was probably easier for him to seem so care free because he was actually lying to his father and he prayed to God that his decision would not come back and stab him in the back. Anne looked closely at her brother as he effortlessly made plans with their father about how the Lady Mary would be taken cared of during her house arrest at Tutbury, and she wondered how it was that he was always able to keep his emotions in check and seem so pleasing to their father.
"Excellent. She is worthless now" Thomas Boleyn said with a huge smile on his face "No Prince or Duke would want her hand now, the Emperor would completely give up trying to take her and her mother to Spain. All we need now is to secure an heir and that is where your sister cannot fail us" He was looking at Anne now, his glare burning holes into her skin
"Anne would have a son, father, no worries" Tom assured him confidently and Thomas Boleyn accepted it. His eldest child was always the one that understood him.
"I have a meeting with Lord Cromwell, I shall excuse myself now. " The earl of Wiltshire got up and all his children but Anne and his wife stood up too as custom dictated.
"She is not worthless" George said immediately turning to Tom. Anne rolled her eyes, he had started again. Elizabeth Boleyn and Mary Boleyn watched the two silently with unsurprised expressions. Out of everyone they knew about George's feelings, but they also knew that it was pointless of him always trying to defend her against the other men in the family.
"Father made that comment George, not I" Tom said sounding quite tired
"Of course, you only took part in the process that allowed her to be called such" He did not mean to raise his voice, but lately when it came to Mary, he didn't seem to think anymore. The other day he had called his own wife Mary when they had been arguing and had lied that he had mistaken her for his sister.
Tom pound his fist on the table causing the women seated to flinch a little. He leaned forward so he could look his brother in the eye as he spoke.
"I will remind you this once, George, and this one time only" He spoke loud and clear "Mary is my wife now, she is under my command and protection and there are certain rights that I benefit from in such a union, so from today forward, I relieve you of whatever responsibilities you think you have towards her and ask that you pay you own wife with half as much care and affection. I am positive she would actually be willing to accept such attentions."
George looked at his brother in disgust and he wanted nothing more than to give him a blow to the face, but he restrained himself for the sake of his mother and sisters. Instead he decided to use words to hurt his brother, these words however had no effect on Tom.
"You are becoming more like father everyday"
Tom smiled as he straightened up and folded his arms across his chest.
"I am glad my efforts have been noticed"
George had nothing to say to that and stormed out of the room without a second thought of his mother and sisters.
Elizabeth Boleyn turned away from the doors that had just slammed shut and looked at her eldest child
"You do not mean that do you?" She asked after a few moments silence. Tom turned his dark blue eyes to the woman he had inherited them from. She looked at him worriedly and it annoyed him greatly. She had always thought of him as weak and impressionable. He knew that George was her favorite, George and Mary and that was why she did not want them sent to France, though she lost the battle with Mary, she got to keep her George. He frowned at her and thought about what was so wrong in wanting to be like his father. His father was the reason they were all here, that Anne was queen. He had gone from nothing to the grandfather of the future kings of England, there was nothing left to do but to admire him
"Yes, Mother. I actually do"
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
The days went by so slowly and the longer she stayed here, the more it felt like her soul was being sucked away from her. On the first of the New Year she had been moved to better rooms as her "sentence" was now over. It was in this room that she unavoidably got the best view of Sir Thomas More's execution. Mary had been inconsolable for the rest of the day, not just because the man had been a great supporter of her and her mother, but because she could easily see herself in his place.
She could not believe her father had signed the warrant for his execution. She was not sure she knew why she could not believe it because she had been the same person to confidently say that her father would not arrest her and yet, here she was sitting in the tower of London waiting to be taken from one prison to the next. Mary now realized that she had to start believing the impossible when it came to her father.
The doors opened and Mary looked up surprised to see George Boleyn walking into the room. She was actually expecting Tom as he was to take her to Tutbury Castle today, but seeing George instead caused her to wonder if the plans had changed.
"Lord Rochford" Mary stood up to greet him. She received him as she always did, seeming aloof and very distant.
George looked at her as if she was a wounded puppy and this caused Mary to frown slightly and wonder what he had heard.
"I know my arrival here is unexpected, but I had to see you before you left for the country" He told her. Mary briefly glanced at Margaret uncomfortably. He made it sound as if they were lovers, which they most certainly weren't.
She excused her friend and only companion from the room and once she was gone she rounded on George
"What do you want, George?" George removed his cap and walked closer to her. He did not know what he wanted, he just had a sudden urge to see her and so he came. He was standing so close to her that Mary had to look up at him now. She knew she should take a few steps away from him, but she was frozen in her place out of shock that he was standing where he was, their chests nearly touching.
He gingerly placed his hands on her arms just above her elbow. Mary watched him do this and then she slowly looked up to meet his gaze. They were so intense, so captivating, so distracting. Mary was not sure she knew what was going on. She wanted to say something to him, tell him to stop, but her mouth felt so heavy, her mind all out of sorts. One moment she is standing in the middle of a room in the tower of London and the next she is back in her beautiful garden at Ludlow. Time has gone back and she is young again, fourteen years of age and she is still a princess and George her best of friends. They are alone in the garden, standing so close together after running around the maze and trying to catch their breath. Mary could hardly stand, her corset set too tight. George held her around the waist to support her, their faces had been so close and without much thought, both of them leaned in even closer, curious to see what it felt like to kiss the other. It never happened, Lady Salisbury had called her name and just like that moment years ago, Mary snapped out of whatever trance George had put her under, she took a step away from him and slapped him across the cheek.
"I am a married woman, have you no respect" She was so angry that she was close to tears. She was tired. Tired of people manipulating her and toying with her emotions.
George seemed to realize what he had done and was immediately apologetic. He moved away from her, though he yearned to hold her just to comfort her after acting so stupid.
"I am so sorry Mary, I didn't know what came over me. Forgive me, please. I only came to see you and to make sure that you are well. I never meant-"
"Stop. Just stop!" Mary yelled "I never asked you to check up on me, you owe me nothing. You are no longer in my services, George! I do not need you or your concern or friendship. What was in the past is the past, we were no more than children and I wish to pretend that none of it happened. I am no more to you than your sister-in-law and even with that I wish to have absolutely nothing to do with you, do you understand that!"
To say he was shocked was an understatement. Though, what did he expect her to say, he had almost kissed her, the kings daughter! Again!
"Mary, I am sorr-"
"I meant every word I said. No more" Her voice was strong and firm. George's gaze hardened and he stood a bit straighter.
"You wish to forget our friendship?"
"It is my wish and I am asking that you honor it" Mary said. George didn't know whether to feel hurt or embarrassed. He looked at the ground for a couple seconds before nodding. If Mary wanted him gone there was nothing he could do about it, if anything this was all is own fault anyway.
"If it is what you wish" He finally said. He turned to go, but then he turned around to face her again.
"I am truly to go to France in a weeks' time. I hope…we shall see each other again. As brother and sister in law of course…..perhaps it would be in happier times" Mary didn't think she would ever be happy if she was to remain a Boleyn, but she bowed her head none the less.
He took her in one last time before he turned and left her chambers. When he reached the top of the steps he met is brother coming up and immediately turned his hurt expression into one of indifference
"What are you doing here?" Tom asked quite irritated, but George did not stop to face him.
"I am leaving now and you need not worry about me bothering you again" He answered as he continued down the stairs leaving his brother confused at his reply. Whatever it was, Tom assumed Mary had given him another one of her tongue lashings and that thought made him chuckle as he continued up to get his so called wife. It was time to take her to her new home.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Yes, there was bit of a wait for this one, but I've been so busy. This is the time of the school year when we get assaulted by papers and tests and so I apologize if anyone was anxiously awaiting an update…. No? That's fine too, I'm just glad to get this out my system. Loll. I struggled a bit with this chapter. I know it is so short, but I promise I wrote it like five times. That almost kiss was not even part of the plan, but like I said before these characters just do whatever they want. Please leave your reviews I barely have the entire story planned out, so I kind of just go with the flow, let me know how you like it and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. I'm excited about writing that one as it would be the start of Mary's new life as Lady Shrewsbury.