"This, my wife in her chambers?" asked Henry as he walked into the Queen's apartment.
"Of course your majesty she is with the Lady Mary and her sister the other Lady Mary," said Lady Nan who was reading with Elizabeth on the window seat. Elizabeth was ready for bed like he had seen before. He was surprised to see her up at the moment she was normally asleep at this sort of time for the sun having set already. But the toddler was still awake reading much like her mother.
"Nanny and I are reading papa," said Elizabeth seeing her father. The book that she was reading was in French and was a fairy story. "I am reading about a fairy Princess that was forced to be a servant by her evil step mother and her step sisters."
"You must read it to me later my little Princess or you must tell me how it finishes," Henry says kissing his daughter on the forehead and played with her hair.
"Is mama going to be OK papa?" Elizabeth asked her father. She had been questioning everyone so far.
Henry could see her mother in her the eyes were Anne's grey. But her hair was closer but lighter to his and that of his father's then Anne's dark brown almost black hair. There was now not doubt that Elizabeth was his and Anne's daughter. He was ashamed of actions those many months ago when he had shouted at Anne as she carried Elizabeth in her arms in the gardens. He had said that Elizabeth had not been his but that of his servant Norris. Now that he thought of it Anne would not know many of his servants so that that would have been a stupid thing to think of his wife lying with another man. He no longer believed any of the stupid rumours and again felt ashamed of believing them instead of his wife and children.
"Your mother is going to be fine my little princess," Henry promised his little daughter. "I need to talk to her. Do you know if she asleep?" Henry asked his daughter looking at the door that was to the Queen's bedchamber.
"Mama is resting I am not allowed in there at the moment to see her," said Elizabeth with a sad look on her face. She wanted to be with her mother and to be with her to play or read or dance or to watch her mother doing her needle work.
"Your highness her majesty is very tried and is not allowed to get to worked up it might course her to get a worse fever," the last part Nan said to Henry but she was looking at Elizabeth.
"I know that Nanny," said Elizabeth kissing Nanny on the cheek.
"Lady Nan I will go into to see my wife. I will kiss you good night my sweet little princess," says Henry picking up the two year old into his arms and kissed her on the cheeks. Elizabeth giggled at this and kissed him back.
"Good night Papa," and with that Elizabeth took Nan's hand walked into the chamber that she was using to sleep in until Anne was or felt that it was safe for her and her baby brothers.
"Good night my sweet princess Elizabeth," Henry watched Elizabeth leave the room and then turned and the door was opened for him.
"His majesty the King," said Lady Katherine Howard who had opened the door for Henry to the three ladies on the bed talking they had stopped the second that he had stepped in.
"Sweetheart you are supposed to be resting," Henry said seeing the women curtsy and in the case of Anne who was, sat up under the covers, on the bed. Her hair was being brushed by her sister.
"I am resting I just wanted to get the knots out of my hair," Anne said kissing her husband. "I was talking to Mary about some things."
"Which one?" laughed Henry it was something that he was remembered of Anne had said something about all of the some names that there was at count. So when someone said Mary like now no-one knew who the other person was talking about.
"Both Marys my sister," and she nodded smiling at her sister. "And your daughter." She smiled at her step daughter.
"Mary my daughter," Henry kissed her on the forehead. Then he turned to his ex Mistress, Anne's sister. "Mary how are you and how is your husband and children?"
"I am fine, sad for my Father's death but I am very happy to see my sister her majesty. My husband is very well and so are all of the children are cheerful and we are thinking of having another one very soon," relied Mary smiling at the thought of her husband. She really did love her knight. If she could never have the French King or the English one then she was happy with her lover and husband. "We have come up with a great idea."
"Father we were talking about the idea of having a summer party," Mary Tudor said to her father.
"A party?" Henry questioned. He knew that Anne had loved parties and that it had gotten her into trouble the first time around but he saw in her eyes that this was to be different.
"A summer festival with music and dancing my love," said Anne kissing Henry on the lips.