30th March 1554
Edward watched as the people bustled about in the town below, he sat down in his chair, still watching the crowd below.
"Your Majesty?" Edward turned to the door, and smiled, seeing Laetitia and his daughter stood just inside the door
"Laetitia, Jane" he greeted, Jane ran to him and he picked her up, putting her on his lap
Laetitia turned to leave
"Laetitia..." she turned back to Edward, nervously, in case she had done something wrong
"...Thank you for looking after Jane while I am busy"
"It was my pleasure, Your Majesty, she's the most sweetest little girl I've ever met, she always listens to her tutors too" Laetitia moved to the floor and crouched in front of Edward, Jane was sitting on his knee "I have to go now, Jane, I'll be back later... ok?"
"Ok..." Jane hugged Laetitia and finally, after a few weeks of trying, utttered the one word Laetitia wanted to hear "...Laetitia"
Laetitia smiled, planted a kiss on Jane's head and got to her feet before leaving, a smile on her face
Edward tossed Jane into the air, and she giggled as Edward caught her
"Papa!" she whined, as he kissed her on the nose, she attempted to wriggle away from him
"Where are you going?" he playfully asked, putting his hands under her shoulders and lifting her back onto his knee
"Papa!" she whined again
"Jane!" he immitated
Jane put her hands on her hips as she looked up at him
"Definately your mother's child" he said, Jane gave him an odd look
"Papa?" she asked
"Oh, what I mean is that your mother was like you... kind, caring, hated people getting hurt for no reason, but also fiercly loyal, she also had a bit of a temper... although it's nothing like mine" Edward replied
"Papa, you don't have a temper" Jane replied
"Thank you for saying that Jane, but i do have a temper, I've inherited my father's temper"
"Grandpapa's temper?"
"Yes, he had a really bad temper, he made some innocent people die for nothing" Edward told her
"He sounds scary" Jane replied
"He was... but he loved Me, Elizabeth and Mary" Edward admitted
"If you have more children you'll still love me won't you papa?"
"Of course! What ever gave you the idea that i wouldn't love you?"
"One of the ladies was talking about 'How I'd be a bastard'" Jane told him
"You're not to listen to them Jane! do i make myself clear?" Edward told her, turning her, on his lap, so she was facing him, he looked serious
"Yes, Papa" she replied, whimpering slightly
Edward's serious nature crumbled at the look on Jane's face, she was near tears
"Jane...?" he heard a hicough as she looked away
"Oh, Jane" he hugged her tightly "I'm not angry at you... ok?"
She sniffed again before nodding, rubbing her sleeve under her nose
"Good, Jane, I am not angry at you" he told her again, ruffling her hair, to which she gave a small chuckle
"Hmm" Edward picked Jane up off his knee and carried her to the window "This is the kingdom that you'll be ruling someday, Jane"
"Me?" she asked, pointing incredulously at herself
"Unless I have more children" Edward replied
"I hope so... I'd like a brother or sister, or brothers and sisters to play with!" Jane exclaimed, looking up at her father, he was smiling down at her
"Yes, me too, this family doesn't seem big enough, neither Mary nor Elizabeth has married, and you're only a child" he replied
"I'm only a child for now" she replied "I'll grow, Papa!"
"I know you will" he replied "My beautiful, Princess Jane"
He kissed the top of her head and then looked up
The sun began to set and Jane yawned
"Come on, Jane, time for bed" Edward took her out of the room, she was still in his arms
Edward opened the door to his daughter's room
He placed his daughter into her bed, and tucked the quilt below her chin
"Night-night Papa" Jane said to him
"Goodnight, Jane" he replied, he kissed her forehead and watched her eyes close as she drifted off to sleep
He yawned, perhaps he should follow his daughter's example and head off to his empty bed
Would it remain empty forever?
Unless he got over his wife's death, then his bed would remain empty, and his daughter would never get a sibling or two
Edward climbed into his bed and pulled the quilt over himself, the picture of his daughter in a frame on his bedside cabinet
He flicked the light off, the image of his young daughter remaining in his head as the country slept
[TBC]