Author's Note: Hey everyone and welcome back to King Arthur II! Thanks so much for all of the reviews from last chapter, every new chapter I post gets more and more reviews from the previous one, and it's such a great feeling. Every positive review I get makes my day, seriously =) I just got back from cheer camp, so sorry this update is coming a little late. I've been swamped with getting ready for the school year lately as well. By the way, a little note, if I didn't make this clear last chapter, when Anne told Henry she was pregnant, she was already about a month along =)
Most of the ideas in this chapter were inspired by ReganX, so a huge thank you to her and all of the help she's given me.
Without further ado- since I've kept you waiting for so long- Chapter Twenty Nine!
Hampton Court
August 24, 1524
"Arthur has developed a desire to visit us, and to see what we've done with the place." Henry didn't appear bothered by his own statement to the untrained eye, but Anne knew him better than that. Despite the fact that she had been a wave of emotions since the beginning of the month, due to her pregnancy, which Elizabeth had assured her was normal, especially for her first child; she could still tell when her husband was displeased. His usually handsome face had twisted into the slightest form of a scowl and his blue eyes gleamed with a palpable anger.
Anne reached across the table and touched his hand lightly, causing him to smile. A façade, of course, she knew that but at least it was a start. "Henry," she began, putting on her most persuasive tone of voice, "it is our duty to entertain the King and Queen, if they desire it, while they are on progress. You are the most powerful peer in England, you had to have known that were going to demand a visit," Anne explained.
While she enjoyed having Hampton court all to herself just as much as Henry did, and having the court treat her like de-facto Queen, she knew in the back of her mind that the day would come when she and Henry would have to face reality and concede to Arthur and Katherine. She would still be considered the second woman in England, a great step up from being a mere lady in waiting to the Queen; however, Henry would never see it that way. Arthur's visit would be a loss of his newfound freedom and what he believed was his God-given right to be equal to his brother, if not greater. Even if his pride permitted him from admitting this was the real reason he was so distressed by Arthur's request, Anne knew that it was the truth.
"He sounded so... condescending in the letter. As if I could not create my own household! I'm sure it was Katherine that wrote it." Henry raged, the venom in his voice apparent to anyone who may be listening in.
"Henry, no matter what they think of you and your abilities; you will have something shortly that neither of them have ever been able to achieve," Anne attempted to calm him. She rose from her chair and sat on his lap, placing his large hand over her belly, which was slowly but surely swelling. "An heir to inherit their kingdom, nay, our kingdom." Henry smiled at this thought, his mood immediately brightened. Anne was able to return to her seat, confident that Henry would have no more outbursts of anger due to upcoming visit.
"You should meet with my mother about preparing for their visit. I want no expense spared," Henry suggested. He knew that his mother was the best possible person to prepare for the visit, and that Anne would be a great help to her. There were not two people who he trusted more, and he wanted everything to be perfect. Arthur would have to be envious after he left! He took the last bite of his breakfast and gave Anne's hand one last squeeze. "I know you won't fail me, darling. I'd love to stay longer, but I promised Brandon I'd go for a hunt this morning."
"Your grace," Anne rose from her seat to give Henry a proper goodbye, dropping down into a curtsy. Her father warned her that Henry's temper may be inflamed if she was not formal with him, or thought herself above him. Her father told her to greet Henry with his formal title and when he left to rise and curtsy to him. She found it tiresome, but she was raised to believe her father knew best, so she did as he told her.
"Anne, there's no need for that. I want us to always speak freely with each other, without the burden of titles and rank. For me, that is the true definition of love." Henry leaned into kiss her slowly, tenderly, a rare moment for him. "Now, I will leave you to tend to preparations for this royal visit," Henry sarcastically dismissed himself, his distaste over Arthur's presumptuous visit plain.
Anne sighed and sat back down to continue her breakfast, alone. Although she loved Henry dearly, she got quite annoyed with his futile sibling rivalry. She had spent enough time with him to know that although Arthur was a great King, her Henry would be even better. She wanted Henry to get along with his brother better, knowing that it would be best for everyone involved if this was to be achieved. Because even if he was impatient to be King, Anne knew that his day would come and that their reign would be a glorious one, and he didn't want Henry to act impulsively and bitterly to compromise his status as heir apparent.
While the King's love of the Queen and his concern for her health prevented them from having any more children, Anne feared that if Henry did enough to provoke Arthur, who was gentle by nature but did inherit his fair share of the Tudor temper (or so she had heard) that he would try again to have children with Katherine, who was still not past the age of childbearing. If this were to happen, she knew that Henry would be crushed and Anne was honest enough to admit that she would be too. She anxiously looked forward to the day that she was crowned alongside Henry as the Queen of England, and she loved the idea that the child in her belly would someday become a prince or a princess, courted by the great royal houses in Europe.
God forbid Henry should do anything to compromise that.
She knew that sometimes Elizabeth liked to sleep late, so she waited a few more hours before heading down to her rooms. She had spent a great deal of her time lately sewing garments for the upcoming child, as many of her ladies had been doing ever since Anne found out she was pregnant, and she was certain that her child would never run out of clothes. She had sewn a new christening gown, and if she had to admit, it was finer than the one that the late Princess Mary was christened in, which Henry had showed her while they still lived at Whitehall. While that gown held historical importance as all royal children were christened in it, Anne thought that it was outdated and plain, so she took upon herself to sew a new one.
Besides, she wasn't sure if Katherine would part with the old one anyway. Anne wouldn't blame the woman in the slightest if she held on to anything, even if it was just a garment, which reminded her and allowed her to remember her daughter.
When she reached her mother-in-laws suite of rooms, she was allowed entrance and was greeted swiftly with a hug by Elizabeth. "Daughter, I believe you are showing," Elizabeth gushed. Since they had begun to live in close corridors to each other, as Henry had put them close to each other on purpose, Anne and Elizabeth grew closer and began to refer to each other as mother and daughter. While Anne's mother had died while she was in France and she didn't really know her well; Elizabeth had been there for Anne ever since Henry announced that they were getting married.
"Oh, it's just a little. I'm only three months in," Anne replied, placing a hand to her belly. There was a small lump there, but nothing large or outwardly noticeable, and nobody outside of Henry and Elizabeth knew about it. Henry wanted to make sure that the time was right before he made the pressing announcement, although both of them were very impatient to share their joy with their court.
"Would you like some wine? When I was pregnant with Arthur, the physician advised me to drink it. I did it with all of my children," Elizabeth offered, directing Anne to sit down. After one of her ladies served them both wine, Elizabeth dismissed them in order to spend some time with Anne alone, knowing that privacy was such a fleeting thing for women in the public eye. "What brings you here?"
"Arthur and Katherine are coming for a visit within the next few weeks. Henry has commissioned us to plan it. He told me that he wants it to be perfect, in order, I'm sure, to make Arthur envious," Anne confided in Elizabeth. "I am worried about him. His obsession with outdoing Arthur, it's unhealthy, and it could ruin us!"
"Arthur adores the two of you, and deep down, Harry loves and admires his older brother. His pride is just standing in the way of expressing it. He hides it in jealously. I would not concern yourself with that; you have a child on the way. Stress will do it no good, especially when it is unfounded stress," Elizabeth advised, placing a gentle hand on Anne's arm. "You and Harry have done well here, Arthur will recognize that, although Katherine might not be too pleased about it," Elizabeth paused for a moment, allowing Anne to digest her words. "In any case, such speculation gets us no farther in planning for this visit. I will have my ladies alert the kitchen staff, and we will have a picnic outside. It's such a lovely day," Elizabeth proposed, taking Anne in hand and heading out.
"Mother!" a female voice exclaimed when she saw Elizabeth walk outside her rooms, and she turned to see Mary standing outside the door, waiting to have an audience with her. However, instead of seeing her face in a wide smile, as Mary usually favored her with; her daughter's face was morphed into a dark scowl. "Your grace," Mary turned to greet Anne, not realizing until her mother turned around that she was with her. All hopes of spending time with her mother that day were dashed, and Mary once again felt a twinge of resentment towards Anne.
"Princess Mary," Anne greeted her, not paying much more attention to her than that, and continued on her walk, not stopping until she realized that Elizabeth had not continued. "Mother, aren't we going?" Anne asked, confused, not trying to be rude towards Mary but she was extremely anxious to start planning. Besides, Mary had never expressed any sort of kindness or desire to be anything more than cold towards Anne, and she did not feel beholden to her.
"Mary, would you like to join us? We are planning for your brother and Katherine's visit to Hampton next week. It's such a lovely day, perfect for a picnic," Elizabeth invited. She couldn't simply leave Mary standing by her door, clearly desiring an audience. Elizabeth knew that her daughter was a smart girl, and could be useful in planning for the visit; however, she was equally as jealous and quick to resent. She knew that Mary was probably very jealous of all the attention Anne was receiving; attention that used to hers before she ran away with Brandon, a man far too below her and someone whom she married out lust. While Elizabeth did not approve of her judgment or choice of husband, she still wanted Mary to be a part of her life and was happy that she was living at Hampton.
"It's quite alright mother, really, I was just simply taking a walk around the palace," Mary lied. She could sense when she was not wanted, and it was clear that Anne still had no regard for her feelings or for her wellbeing and happiness. She wanted her mother and the rest of the whole damn court all to herself, unwilling to share! Mary shouldn't be surprised; after all, Anne was the great-granddaughter of a merchant, unlike Mary, who was born royal. She shouldn't have expected anything more.
Still, it stung to hear her mother so happy with Anne, and for Anne to call her 'mother' was the final nail the coffin. There was a time when her mother spent precious moments with her, when she was her favorite daughter. Now, it was Anne! Anne- who wasn't even her natural daughter or born high enough to be! She would rather spend time with Katherine than Anne, who would surely make her feel unwelcome amongst her own family, the family that Anne now held spellbound. At least Katherine understood that royalty deserved respect, despite her many other flaws.
"Come Mary, it's such a lovely day, a waste to spend it inside all by yourself. We could always use another advisor, three minds working together are far better than two minds working together," Elizabeth encouraged, knowing that Mary was lying and that the reason she wasn't coming is because she felt unwelcome.
Sensing that Anne was about to protest, citing that she did not need any more help, she turned to Mary, "Excuse me a moment, Mary." She took Anne by the arm and pulled her aside. "I know that you and I can handle this by ourselves, but Mary is miserable. She needs to feel included, or else her resentment and rage will be great, and unfortunately it would be towards us, not towards Harry or her husband," Elizabeth whispered to Anne, praying that Mary didn't overhear. She knew that Anne had a great deal of pride, just like Henry, and that she would protest about having help, but Elizabeth knew that she wouldn't protest if it was for Mary's wellbeing. She knew that Anne did not wish to make enemies.
Anne turned back around to face Mary, a smile plastered on her face, despite feeling less than enthusiastic about inviting Mary but knowing that it needed to be done. She did not want Henry's favorite sister to hate her forever, and Hampton would be a much better place and more fun could be had if Mary did not resent and hate her. "Please come with us Mary, I do need help. I do not know what type of food to serve, or what kind of music to play. You know your brother best, I'm sure, as well as Katherine. It would be an immense help to me," Anne embellished. She did not feel bad stretching the truth, not in this case. If Mary needed a confidence boast, so be it.
Mary knew that this was not Anne's invitation by free will, and that it did take some encouraging, yet she felt her heart swell. It felt nice to know that Anne cared, even if her opinion was not quite changed, it was a step in the right direction. She summoned her most haughty and royal voice, "Well if you need my help THAT badly, I suppose I would have to be heartless to refuse."
A Week Later
When Henry saw Arthur walk into the main hallway of Hampton court, where he and Anne as well as his mother, Brandon, and Mary were waiting to greet him; he forgot how much older his brother was than him. Henry could see dark shadows underneath his eyes, and his skin was paler than he remembered. Although his clothing was much finer than Henry's, as was expected, it still could not hide the fact that Henry was the more attractive of the Tudor brothers.
Looking at Katherine next to his brother, however, Henry could tell that the clearest contrast was between their wives.
While nobody could call Katherine an ugly woman, her body and face were etched with the signs of her hard and stressful life. She looked far older than her 31 years. Although her jewelry was exquisite, as they were pieces from the official jewels of the Queens of England Henry remembered because his mother used to wear them during formal occasions; Katherine's gown was plain and did nothing to flatter her, although Henry was sure it was made out of the finest materials from the best seamstress in London.
Looking over to his Anne, the contrast was clear. Anne was fourteen years younger than Katherine, and it showed. Anne knew how to dress to flatter her exotic coloring, and absolutely nobody would ever argue that she was plain, ugly, or that Henry had a reason to be ashamed of her. He knew that a great deal of people would have gotten a good laugh if Henry had picked his bride for love, and she turned out to be a dim-witted and unattractive. Luckily, Anne was anything but, which caused Henry's pride to swell ten times its original size when he saw how beautiful she looked compared to Arthur's wife.
If Arthur was jealous of his wife or of Henry himself, he did a great job of concealing it. He approached Henry, Anne, and the rest of their entourage with a pleasant smile on his face, and Katherine was careful to morph his expression, but Henry could guess that she was none too happy about visiting his court.
"Welcome to my court, your majesties," Henry greeted them a bit too pompously, but as always, Arthur was not offended by his brother's brazen attempt to outdo him.
"You've done marvels to the place, brother." Arthur jovially pulled his brother out of his bow and gave him a hug. "And my dearest sister Anne is just as beautiful as I remember her," Arthur complimented, pulling Anne into a tightly wound hug. He was always fond of her, ever since she proved to the rest of his family that he was a man, not a boy. "Mother!" Arthur then focused his attention onto his dearest mother, kissing her on the cheek rather loudly. His greeting of his sister Mary and of her husband Brandon was not quite as warm, but he still took care not to offend her and to show Henry and most importantly, his mother and Katherine, that she was indeed forgiven- at least in word. He could still not fully welcome her back into his heart; her betrayal was far too great.
"Thank you, your graces, for receiving us in your lovely palace," Katherine greeted them after Arthur was done showering them with his affection. Although Katherine was not pleased to be there, per say, she was glad that Arthur was able to see his family again. Now that they all lived at Hampton with Henry, she knew that her husband missed them and wanted to see them badly. She couldn't deny him that comfort without feeling heartless.
Surprisingly, Henry answered Katherine with a wide smile on his face, although Anne and Elizabeth could both tell that it did not reach his eyes. "You are welcome here whenever it pleases you, your majesty," he admonished, although a bit sarcastically, which Katherine caught. The tension the room became far thicker, and everyone present began to feel awkward.
"Well, let's eat, shall we!" Arthur exclaimed, playfully slapping Henry on the back and taking Katherine's hand once again, leading the procession to Henry's rooms. He could tell by the deadlock between Katherine and Henry that she was about to say something damaging, and above everything, he wanted this visit to go well and for the rifts in his family to be healed somewhat. It was his job as patriarch to make sure that his family was unified, and he felt like he had failed in some respects.
Once they reached Henry's rooms, the tension was down a bit, and everyone seemed to be equally as hungry and more focused on the food rather than at each other. Katherine seemed to be hitting it off with Anne as well, which pleased both Henry and Arthur greatly. Elizabeth also made sure to pay attention to Mary, sensing that her youngest daughter had been feeling neglected and she wanted to make amends. Brandon and Arthur had begun to talk a bit, finding common ground in hunting. Although Arthur no longer hunted, he enjoyed it in his youth and wanted to do his part to make sure that everyone in the family got along better.
After the meal was finished, Henry grabbed Anne's hand and stood up. "I have an announcement to make, and now is as good as time as any. Sweetheart, I'll let you do the honors," Henry offered, smiling at Anne.
"I am with child. It's due in March," Anne stated, unable to wipe the smile off of her face, although she feared for the reactions.
"Oh this is such wonderful news!" Arthur was the first express anything, not even waiting a mere second after the news to jump up and hug Anne and Henry. He inquired about Anne's health and offered to send his personal physician when the time came closer, and whenever Anne desired it. Although part of him tinged with longing, wishing that he and Katherine could have been blessed with children, he was happy for his brother and pleased that his succession was not in danger. As long as Henry proved virile, and his sons after him did as well, the Tudors would rule for a long time, which pleased Arthur; even if he still wished that he could have had a son to take his throne, instead of his younger brother.
After the news digested, Katherine was quickly able to recover and congratulate Anne and Henry, even if it left a sour taste in her mouth. She did not wish any woman the bad luck she had in childbed, and she so desperately wanted to see her husband's line continue.
Any talk of children, though, and Katherine still hurt with the fresh memories of her dearly beloved daughter Mary. She couldn't find it in heart to be jealous of Anne, knowing that every woman deserved the joy of holding her baby in her arms after carrying it for nine long months in her womb; however, Mary's death was still painfully fresh, and hearing the announcement that Anne was pregnant made her remember a time when she was sure she would have a nursery full of princes and princesses, some of them with her coloring and some with Arthur's.
Even if she was happy for Anne, it still stung to see the joy on Henry and Anne's faces, remembering a time when that was her and Arthur. She could still remember the first time she told Arthur she was with child, how happy he looked, and how painful it was when she miscarried their son, their first child of many to be lost to the fates.
The pain Katherine experienced that moment was a different kind of pain; pain at the realization that while her time was ending, Henry and Anne's was just beginning.
"We shall leave you ladies to your own devices. I wish to show Arthur where I sport, and hopefully we shall have time to try out the archery butts," Henry proposed to Anne, Katherine, Elizabeth and Mary after their midday meal had ended. "We shall meet back here for dinner, with the rest of the court." With that, Henry left with Brandon and Arthur, all three men in good cheer.
"I have grown weary, I am going up to my rooms to rest. I will see you all at supper this evening," Elizabeth explained, kissing both Anne and Katherine on the cheeks and giving Mary a warm hug before heading up the stairs to her chambers.
Mary, sensing that her presence would be unwelcome by both Katherine and Anne while Anne showed Katherine around, left to go work on her needlework and to read a bit before dinner. She was surprised; however, that Anne proposed that the two of them meet up at her rooms before dinner to walk down together. Mary was still not particularly fond of Anne, but she was grateful that she was at least trying to make Mary feel more welcome and equal to the royal family once again.
"Has she been giving you any trouble?" Katherine asked Anne as they began her walk, after she was assured that Mary was out of earshot. Although she still wished that Henry would have married one of her relatives, she felt the need to protect Anne from bullying. Katherine could remember a time when she was young and scared when she first married Arthur, and how she was bullied by his family at first, before she grew strong enough to defend herself. She knew what Mary was capable of, and had never forgiven her for jilting her nephew for a commoner.
"Not outwardly," Anne confided, "but I can sense that she isn't particularly happy that I've married Henry. It is no matter though, Elizabeth has been most helpful and Mary would never dare say anything offensive in the presence of her mother," Anne explained, grateful to Katherine for caring.
"How do you like it here?" Katherine asked as they continued their walk around the palace, with Anne stopping to point out points of interest or beauty. Katherine tried very hard to keep any malice from her tone, but she couldn't help but feel resentful still that Wolsey had given Henry Hampton as a wedding gift, and that some of her household had left her service in order to gain the favor of Anne. Intentionally or unintentionally, Anne had still stolen Katherine's clout of influence and now the two women were sharing it.
Anne, blissfully unaware that Katherine had a problem with the fact that she know had her own household, gushed, "I love it!" Although she did have enough diplomacy to know that Katherine wouldn't like to hear how wonderful it was to have freedom and to be the head of a court full of youthful and vibrant courtiers. "His eminence was so kind to give it to us," Anne embellished. Henry told her that Katherine and Wolsey had a bit of a falling out, which was why Wolsey resided with them now, but she thought it would do no harm to speak favorably of him. She did owe him a lot, after all, and was immensely grateful.
Katherine made a bit of a grimace at the sound of Wolsey's name, but smiled at Anne and continued the tour. It wasn't until they reached the nursery that Katherine felt another rush of emotions.
"Mama!" Hal called out at the sight of Anne, running up to hug her. Anne dropped down on her knees to hug him and kiss him. When Henry first presented Hal to her, telling him that they were going to live together, Anne was apprehensive to say the least, but as soon as she began to spend more time with Hal she realized that such a sweet boy as him deserved a loving mother and father, and Anne would never begrudge Henry for trying to provide that for him. Having lost her mother at a very young age as well, she understood how difficult it was, and she did not have a heart of stone.
"Hal, my darling boy, how are you?" Anne inquired after he was done with his sloppy greeting.
"Well, mama, thank you," Hal answered, favoring Anne with a gummy smile, as all of his teeth had not quite grown in.
"Hal, this is the Queen. You must greet her properly now," Anne instructed, almost forgetting that they were in the company of the Queen, and that Katherine wouldn't like it if she were snubbed by Henry's bastard son, the boy that she had once desired to see stored away with some peasant family, as if he never existed. She never thought then that she would have such a cause to be grateful to Arthur for protesting to Katherine's demands.
"Your majesty," Hal greeted Katherine, dropping down into a bit of a clumsy bow and kissing Katherine's outstretched hand, as his governess had taught him and as his mama had instructed him to do.
Despite herself, Katherine was charmed by the little boy, and could never be cruel to any child, even if she had at one time been angered over his existence. "My lord, it is very lovely to meet you."
Even if Hal was a charming little boy, however, she couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted over the way that he greeted Anne as his natural mother. If Arthur ever conceived a bastard, Katherine would have never treated it as her own child, nor would anybody expect her to. She thought it was intolerable that Anne was forced to treat the child as her own, especially now that she was expecting one of her own. She intended to do something about it, to prove to Arthur that she was willing to extend the olive branch.
Once they reached Anne's rooms, Katherine let her sentiments be known. "How long as Lord FitzYork been residing here?" she asked, still indigent at the thought that a Princess, even if it was by marriage, was forced to coddle to her husband's bastard child! She thought it was incredibly unfair that Henry was forcing her to take care of it as her own, to allow him to call her mama. Even if she had once objected to the marriage of Henry and Anne, now that it was done, Anne was a royal and needed to be accorded the proper respect by her husband and his illegitimate child.
"Ever since we moved here he's been here. Henry thought it best that he was under the same roof as us. He just brought him to dinner one day and told me that I was to treat him as my own son, and to practice my mothering skills on him," Anne explained, confused as to why Katherine was asking. She knew when the late Bessie Blount told Katherine she was pregnant, Katherine was furiously angry, and wanted to do whatever it took to make sure that Hal wasn't a contender against her daughter. Now that the Princess of Wales was dead, however, she wasn't sure why Katherine would be interested in Hal.
"And is to share a nursery with your upcoming child?" Katherine asked, shocked. Anne's child would in all likelihood, be an heir to England someday. To share living quarters and tutors with a bastard just didn't seem right to Katherine. Arthur would have never placed Mary in the same nursery with bastard children, if he had any, nor would he expect Mary to treat them as her equal sibling. If Henry was going to be King someday, he had best learn that it was unacceptable to do such a thing.
When Katherine was a child, she remembered her mother's own fits of rage when she found out that Ferdinand had conceived a bastard, privately of course she raged, not in public or around her husband, as that would be unacceptable behavior for a Queen. Her father knew that the bastard could not be brought near his rightful wife and rightful heirs, because that wasn't the correct royal protocol. Katherine never met any of her father's bastards, nor would she have wanted to.
Besides, she was able to feel pity for Anne even if Hal was legitimate or not. Hal was a three year old child, and Anne was a young girl of seventeen. She couldn't imagine that Anne truly wanted to take on the task of being a maternal figure to a boy who was not her natural child. She would want her attention to be focused on any upcoming children she would have, which would be a challenge for her since she was seventeen years old; although it was the norm Katherine couldn't imagine having her first child at seventeen. Anne had already so much on her plate; Katherine couldn't imagine that this was welcome to her.
"Naturally Henry wants all of his children to be together," Anne answered straightforwardly.
"This is intolerable! I shall speak to Arthur about this first thing tomorrow and see to it that Lord FitzYork is removed from your household and care. You shall no longer have to house your husband's bastard; neither I nor Arthur would expect you too. You shall not be bullied by your husband, or pressured by his mother, any longer," Katherine offered. She could imagine that Elizabeth also wanted Hal to live in close corridors with his father, and given that Elizabeth had helped Anne so much in changing from commoner to royal, Anne wouldn't have the heart to refuse, even if Katherine believed that's what she truly wanted.
Anne stood up from her chair, now visibly angered. "Do you think I cannot handle raising my husband's son? He needs a mother! And the matters of me and my husband are none of your concern, madam, nor should you presume yourself in charge of us any longer" Anne shut down Katherine's offer without diplomacy, very indigent at the idea of Katherine interfering with her household and her children, as she had come to consider Hal a son. She and Henry had fought long and hard for their freedom from Katherine and Arthur and she was not about to let her interfere with that!
"How dare you speak to me in such a way? I am the Queen of England, your grace, you best not forget!" Katherine raged, shaken and shocked that Anne would speak to her in such a way after her gracious offer. She was only trying to help, she was unaware that Anne was fond of Hal FitzYork and actually wanted him in her household. To be shut down so forcefully shock her to the very core and she felt that Anne was being disrespectful and rude. "You downgrade our royal house by allowing your husband's bastard to call you mother!" Katherine added.
Mary, who had been listening in the whole time, could no longer stand what she was listening to. She was going to meet Anne for supper, as she had proposed earlier, when she heard Katherine's voice so she waited in the outer chamber, hoping that their conversation would be short. Instead, all she heard was Katherine harshly quiz Anne about her little godson, Hal. She walked into the room quickly, jumping to Anne's defense. "You push your own agenda, as usual, dearest sister. You would like nothing more for Hal to leave Hampton, be shut away in the country, forgotten about. It's all about you and getting revenge for your daughter's death, you want others to suffer!"
Katherine turned to face her newest attacker. Just a few hours ago, Anne seemed none too happy about Mary living at Hampton, yet now, the two were teamed up against her, raging against her for offering kindness. She felt her heart drop when she heard Mary mention her daughter, and now felt defensive and compromised. "I see how it is, the two youngest daughters in the family, attacking the oldest because I offer kindness that does not please you both. You can keep your bastard, but you will not speak to me in such a matter! Especially you, Mistress Brandon, because if I had my way your husband would be dead and you'd be in Spain!" Katherine stormed away, heading off to tell Arthur of how rude his sister and Anne were to her. He would defend her because she was the anointed Queen of England and hopefully be insulted at the idea that two foolish young girls would speak to his wife in such a matter.
"Thank you," Anne turned to Mary as soon as Katherine was gone, hugging her tightly. "I am so grateful that you were there, I would have said something I regretted. You handled her much better than I would have," Anne complimented.
Mary smiled. Perhaps Anne wasn't as bad as she once originally thought, after all, she was willing to stand up for Hal, her godson, and was brave enough to take on Katherine. They could be partners against their tyrant of a sister-in-law, because God knew that she needed to be put in her place.
Alright, that's all for this chapter, I'm really sorry it took me so long for me to write it, I was having trouble crafting it and I'm still not very pleased with the way it turned out, so go easy on me! Next chapter will see the conclusion of the ultimate misunderstanding between Katherine and Anne (no worries, Arthur will save the day!). I hope you all enjoyed it, and if you did, please review! They make me happy :) Until next time...
