Author's Note: Welcome back to King Arthur II! I know it's been nearly two months since I last updated, and you must forgive me for being so remiss. It's been on a list of things to do for a while now, and I just have not gotten around to it. Between cheer, looking for scholarships, school newspaper, and whatever social life I have left I've been too swamped or tired to write this. So, I hope you all enjoy this update, and I would like to thank everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! This story and its success is definitely a huge accomplishment for me.
Disclaimer: This is a work of AU fanfiction. All historical liberties are taken with full knowledge of real events, and are taken only for the purposes of this story. All recognizable characters are the property of Showtime and history. I don't own history; I just mess around with it ;]
A thanks to ReganX, who helped me come up with some of these plot ideas a long time ago :) She's the best.
Without further ado, the next installment of King Arthur II! Please don't forget to review :)
Hampton Court
April 30, 1529
"Sister, the Duke has appointed a new member to your household," Mary Carey announced as she walked into his sister's bedchamber, pulling back the shutters to reveal the light and placing Anne's breakfast on her lap. "Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir John Seymour. She's twenty years of age, unmarried, and has been living at her father's estate, Wolf Hall, for her whole entire life. Apparently very uneducated as well," Mary elaborated.
"What? Why?" Anne questioned. Usually Henry left most of her household matters up to her, only giving her the occasional suggestion, but never an actual mandated appointment. Anne felt an uncomfortable realization fall upon her, and it sickened her for a moment, and the simple breakfast of cheese, bread, and wine looked incredibly unappealing all the sudden. "No, no, oh Henry. You promised me," she whispered aside, hoping her sister did not hear her. The ladies of her chamber already fretted over her health, both physical and mental, every hour of everyday. She didn't know if she could take it anymore.
"I'm sure the Duke is just repaying Sir John for his generous hospitality towards him and Brandon a few nights past. His grace would be wise to do that, you know that just as well as I do Annie. Besides, Lady Jane has been looking for a place in Queen Katherine's household for ages, and you know his grace wants to outdo them in everything. I wouldn't read too much into it," Mary hastened to reassure her. The last thing her sister needed to do was worry about some imagined infidelity. This particular pregnancy had made her sister more parodied and irritable than those past, and she had already almost lost the child once.
"What does she look like?" Anne asked. She dreaded hearing about it, but she had to ask. She pictured a beautiful, busty, classical English beauty- similar to the sister standing right in front of her. She had never been one of those women, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Henry found one to occupy his time with. She just didn't think it would hurt this much, or that she'd feel like such a fool for believing his promise to her.
She thought she had no reason to doubt him, though. He had never shown signs of being an unfaithful husband to her… but then again, when had she not been able to be a wife to him? Since they had married she had been by his side almost constantly, only a few months when she went in confinement, but he was always occupied with thoughts of having children to not even care that she was unable to be with him at all times. But this time, it was different. It wasn't as if she was attractive anymore; this child had made her larger than Lisbeth or Edward did, she didn't bathe as much as she should since there was really no reason to, all she wore were white nightgowns and her feet had swelled to five times their original size. Never before in her life had she felt so unbeautiful.
And even when she was too large to please him when she was heavy with Lisbeth and Edward, at least she was allowed to dine with him, be with him more than a few minutes out of the day. Henry was not the type of man to stay for more than an hour at a time by her bedside, now that things had settled. She understood that, or at least tried to, and comforted herself with his promise, that he would wait for her and the child to come, safe and sound, and stay faithful to her. Now some little Seymour wench, younger and prettier than she, was out to steal his affections and weaseled her way into her household- a viper in her nest.
She knew that it wasn't good for the child inside of her to worry so much, but she couldn't help it. This wasn't the way that she imagined her marriage to Henry being like… it wasn't supposed to turn out this way. No other woman was supposed to even cross his mind- only her. She didn't think it was selfish to want a faithful and devoted husband.
Mary hesitated and could tell that her sister was very worried about this Jane Seymour. The last thing Anne needed was to be worried or concerned about something that would most likely prove to be nothing. "I don't know, I haven't seen her yet," Mary lied.
"Mary," she scolded. She couldn't handle being coddled and lied to. It would only make her fret more.
"She's a bit plain, if you want the truth. Blonde, fair, about the same height as you. A mouse of a woman, really. If you are concerned about Henry taking another woman to bed, I don't think you have to worry about her. I cannot see much in her that a man like Henry would find enticing," Mary soothed. She had only seen Jane in passing, as she had not yet been sworn into Anne's household. Jane seemed pretty enough to her, but she just could not imagine her brother-in-law contemplating taking her to bed. She just didn't seem interesting enough. But then again, appearances could be deceiving. Still, for Anne's sake, she assumed the worse about the girl she had never met.
And, Mary added to herself, as Anne nodded and drifted off to sleep; God save Jane Seymour if Anne's suspicions proved to be correct.
Jane Seymour walked briskly through the corridors of Hampton Court, in awe of the elaborate and intricate design of the palace and amazed at how many courtiers there were in attendance to the Duke of York and his wife. She felt herself grip her brother Edward's elbow much tighter as they were fast approaching the Duchess' rooms, her nerves beginning to get the best of her.
She had heard that the Duchess' household was filled with mostly highly accomplished, intelligent, and well-educated women. They were all young, pretty, interesting, and vibrant; and Hampton Court was known throughout Europe as being one of the most entertaining and enjoyable courts. Jane had not been raised in an environment that would make it easy for her to fit in; on the contrary, if her father was hinging any sort of investment on her future, it was to be in Queen Katherine's household.
Queen Katherine ran a pious, virtuous, and sterile household; the exact type that Jane was raised in. She was skilled with a needle and only knew how to write her name. She was a bit nervous, although still excited, when her father told her that the Duke had generously appointed her a position in the Duchess' household. He told her that it was a great opportunity for her and her family- and that she should be very grateful to the Duke, if she was fortunate enough to speak to him again during her time at court that she should thank him and be very gracious towards him.
She was a bit surprised when the Duke appointed her. She had really given him no reason to; but she accepted it anyway, though she did still wish that Queen Katherine would take her into her household. She understood that the Duke wanted to thank her father for his generous hospitality, but she thought that perhaps her one of her brothers would better serve at Hampton Court, since they were both far cleverer than she was. She figured that if the Duke really wanted to get the best use from her family, and really wanted to thank her father, he would have taken Edward or Tom into his service.
Nevertheless, she counted her blessings and hoped that service in the Duchess' household wouldn't be too difficult for her. Even if she wouldn't shine intellectuality, since the only education she was given was strictly domestic; she would still dedicate herself to becoming a loyal servant that the Duchess of York could count on. She would do whatever her new mistress asked of her, especially during her pregnancy, in hopes of gaining her favor, and to make her family proud, and hopefully, as it was her father's wish- to find a good husband.
She did want her father to be proud of her, after all! She was the oldest girl in her family, and she did not want to depend on his charity for the rest of her life and end up a spinster, alone and childless. She wanted to get married, and soon, since she had just turned twenty. She didn't want to see her sisters get married before her, and watch them have children and grandchildren. Her father had paid a great deal of money on new clothing and other such things required of her now that she was servicing a royal lady- all in the hopes that she would soon be provided with a dowry by her mistress and given a respectable husband. She would put as much effort into her appearance as possible without appearing wanton and she would utilize the sensible education her mother had given her in order to be desirable towards potential suitors and their families.
She just hoped that her new place in the Duchess' household would be as much of an opportunity as her father clearly thought it was going to be- and she hoped that the Duchess would find her pleasant company and that her time serving at Hampton would be worth her father's money. She thought it would be a refreshing change of pace from living in the country for the first twenty years of her life, and she looked forward to making friends with interesting men and women and having a different kind of fun than she had grown accustomed to.
Even if she was too nervous to speak and part of her still longed for the familiar surroundings of her country home.
"Wish me luck, Edward," Jane whispered, glad to have found her voice again, as faint as it was. She thought that the door into the Duchess' apartments looked imposing, but she drew courage from her optimistic outlook into her future and her father's reassuring words before she left.
"I'm proud of you, Janey."
And she intended to continue to make him proud, even if it meant facing people she was unprepared for, and develop social graces she was unfamiliar with- and to service a woman who was not her Queen and had high expectations of all of her ladies- expectations that she could never meet.
"You won't need it," Edward replied, smiling down at her and giving her a brisk kiss on the cheek. Although Edward was sometimes considered a cold fish by outsiders, Jane knew that her brother was just intelligent and shrewd. No matter what other people said, she knew that he loved her and her sisters and doted on them just as much as most older brothers did, and she was thankful for his presence at that moment.
And with a sigh, she hesitantly entered the Duchess' apartments, and like the rest of the palace, she was awe-struck by its splendor and space. She didn't know how she could get used to living in such a place, even though she was sure her own quarters would be far less spacious and beautiful. It certainly was a startlingly contrast from everything she had ever known, and for the umpteenth time that day she prayed that she would grow used to it and grow to love it.
"You must be Mistress Seymour," one of the ladies regarded her, a bit coldly, as soon as she entered.
Jane did not want to freeze or seem like a country simpleton, like most of the ladies probably assumed she was, so she curtsied as her governess taught her to do in the presence of important people when she was just a child. Until that moment, she never had cause to use her governess' lesson. "I am her, my lady," she replied, keeping her head downcast until the lady in front of her motioned her to rise.
"My name is Lady Mary Carey; I am her grace's sister and the chief lady-in-waiting. As you may or may not be aware of her, her grace is confined to her chambers for the reminder of her pregnancy, so it will be a moment before she is able to receive you. You may not speak unless you are spoken directly to, do you understand?" Mary asked, regarding her with chilly formality. Though she could not be sure if her sister's worries were truth or not, she still could not act pleasant towards the girl who may have hopes to become a close companion to her brother-in-law, even if she was sensible enough to acknowledge that it may not be even be Jane's fault.
"Of course, Lady Carey," Jane replied, bobbing another quick curtsy, hoping that this chilly reception was dished out to all of the newcomers, and not just her- as she was unaware what she had done wrong. Then again, the Boleyns were never close friends with her family, but surely now that they had risen to such great heights they had to be aware that the Seymours no longer had hopes to rival with them? Jane was just trying to do right by her father and her family title- she had no ambitions to rival any of the Boleyn family in anything.
Jane waited in silence for a few more moments before she was admitted into the Duchess' bedchamber. Before even getting a look at the woman who was to become her mistress, she dropped into a graceful curtsy, not even daring to look up or speak until the Duchess acknowledged her. She certainly hoped that the Duchess was kinder than her sister, who certainly was far colder towards her than she would have hoped for or liked. Their weren't rumors of her being unkind circulating through the country, so she could only hope that she would be as kind a mistress as Jane figured Queen Katherine was. If Anne was not a kind mistress, or took a random disliking to her like her sister did, than Jane's promise of a good marriage and pride for the Seymour name became much more difficult.
"Mistress Seymour, you may rise now" Anne said after an agonizingly long silence, leaving Jane down in curtsy for longer than she had with her other appointments. She was usually very genial with her new ladies, always wanting them to feel welcome in her household and hoping that she would make a new companion with each one that came in- instead of just having people unknown to her surround her.
However, if her inkling was right, she didn't want to make friends with Jane Seymour. All she wanted to do was find a rich, stupid man far enough way, supply Jane with a larger dowry than her father could have ever given her, and send her away as soon as possible. Jane had an open, pale face- she would certainly make a fine wife towards a man who wanted someone submissive and pretty. That would be just fine for Anne, who didn't want her anywhere near Henry, because looking at her, she would not be the type of woman who would have the audacity to refuse the advances of a powerful man.
Without even saying more than a few words to the girl, she knew who she was. She was the direct opposite of who she was. She was blonde, fair, and curvy- but it wasn't only her appearance that was drastically different from Anne's. Anne already knew that her personality would be what was most attractive to Henry for a mistress. She would never ever say no to a man like Henry, who was persuasive and powerful. And the best thing to do with a woman like this was just to marry her off. At least, that's what Katherine had told her.
Unbidden, her mind flashed to the most recent conversation she had with her sister-in-law.
"Was Arthur ever unfaithful to you?" Anne asked once the two women had exchanged pleasantries and Katherine had stopped quizzing her about her health and the baby's. She had never heard anything but good about the King and Queen's marriage- and she remembered on more than one occasion witnessing Arthur's affection towards his wife. Still, even Kings could keep an affair secret, and Katherine had been pregnant a lot when she was younger.
"Never, and trust me, I would have known. My husband is very honest- even if he would have tried to keep it secret, I would have been able to tell," Katherine answered proudly. They had been married for so long; she knew him so well and knew that he could never hide his guilt. Even if they had their arguments, it was never about him being unfaithful or indecent towards other women. She never even had suspicions, though when she was insecure about something she would try her hardest to make sure that he didn't take a mistress. "I've been most lucky. When we are together, he only has eyes for me. It's one thing I've always been sure about."
"Not even when you were with heavy with child; you never had your doubts?" Anne asked, awestruck. King Francis always took a mistress when Queen Claude was with child- and even when she was not- and although she had not even heard the name Jane Seymour yet, she had every reason to believe that Henry would be unable to keep his promises to her, even at that time. He was not the type of man to wait on a fat and unhappy wife.
"Arthur was never a lusty man, so I never had cause to fear. Even so, I know he loved me, he feared for my health so much when I was pregnant that every time I would try for a son, it would offend him. He said nobody could replace me. In hindsight, it's sweet, even if at the time I was frustrated," Katherine explained, not mentioning the pain she felt when she was met with disappointment after disappointed when it came to childbirth. It was best not to speak of such things, doing so would not help Anne and it would only bring up painful memories for Katherine- things she would rather forget.
Anne was where the hope for England lay now, not in those countless dead children that she had never known. Even though she was quite fond of Anne now, she still wasn't comfortable enough speaking about those losses with anybody, especially to a pregnant woman who had complications before and to the woman who was going to have the title she expected for her son's wife- or even her own daughter. She hardly even spoke of them to Maria or Arthur, and she had assumed it was better if they stayed in her head. And it would risk her thinking about her dear sweet Mary- her hasty death that she was still grieving about.
Anne, sensing that the topic was an uncomfortable one for Katherine, changed the subject and got to her actual point. "I think Henry is going to take a mistress."
"Why? He has never taken one before when you were with child," Katherine hastened to reassure her, knowing first hand that unnecessary worry would do nothing good for the child who was not the strongest- not as strong as her first two had been. She genuinely cared for Anne- and for the dynasty that she and Arthur had built for nearly twenty years- and she did not want to see the precious life in her womb compromised by some kind of false paranoia.
"I don't know, I just fear it! Henry comes once a day, and for the rest of the day, I don't know where he is, who he is with. Perhaps he would be content if I was able to be with the whole day, but I can't. I'm here, and although my brother and sister tell me that he is just with Brandon and the rest of his friends- I wonder how long he will wait until he desires female company. My husband is not yours," Anne confided. She was so scared that he would find someone new that would rival his affections and hold his attention throughout the pregnancy and beyond. She couldn't stand the thought of it.
"Well, if you are right, do what my mother did. When my father held a mistress for too long, she pretended as if it did not bother her, and she would send the woman away with a rich man willing to take the King's leftovers and reap the benefits of it. My father noticed too late, and my mother held too much power over him for him to do much about it. Do not let Henry see your annoyance, be stronger than him and undermine him and his mistress."
The circumstances were different of course; it would not be as easy as it was for Queen Isabella for Anne to rid herself of Jane Seymour. Henry wouldn't allow Anne to get away with it, since they were not co-rulers. But she had to at least try. For this baby's sake and for her children. Lisbeth, Edward, and Hal admired their father, and she would hate to see his name tarnished or worse- for her and her husband to be at odds and display a broken marriage before their children.
So she would treat Jane Seymour with icy politeness, so Henry wouldn't suspect anything- all the while working to get the simpleton a rich husband to get her out of there as quickly as possible.
"Thank you, your grace," Jane's words pulled her out of her thoughts, and renewed her anger at the girl that she barely knew. If she was honest with herself, she knew that Jane was probably scared, probably didn't know why Anne was being cruel to her- but that didn't matter to Anne. All that mattered was that this girl was gone. She couldn't find any charity in her heart; she couldn't find a place to be nice to this new appointment that was unaware of her husband's plans for her. All she felt was blind misdirected anger.
"My sister will administer your oath and get you started on your duties. Just so you know, Mistress Seymour, I run a virtuous household above all else. I expect all of my ladies to be above moral reproach. I expect all of them to draw spiritual nourishment from the bible placed in my outer chamber and to attend mass as required by me. I also expect my ladies to be skilled with a needle and to have some skill in something else of use. I'm expect, since my husband appointed you, without consulting me; that you will have some kind of talent that is pleasing to me," Anne sharply explained, facing Jane's open blue eyes with her own steely ones. "You leave me now," she commanded and breathed a sigh of relief when she left her bedchamber, and slumped down on her pillows, willing herself not to feel guilty.
She had done what she needed to do. She couldn't afford to feel guilty- not when her husband's love for her and their growing family was at stake.
"Mama!" Lisbeth cried out as soon as she crossed the threshold to her mama's apartments. Her mama couldn't come visit her anymore in the nursery, her papa and grandmamma had explained to her. It was because her baby brother or sister, who wasn't born yet (it was still in her mama's belly, which nobody would explain to her!) was making her mama feel sick and she had to stay in bed so the baby would be born alive and well. Lisbeth knew that it was important, but she still missed her mama's visits- and she knew that Edward and Hal did too, even though they were boys and claimed that they didn't need their mama anymore.
Edward especially tried to be like their older brother Hal (whose mama was different than theirs but he still called her mama- Lisbeth thought her family was very confusing) but Lisbeth knew that her baby brother missed their mama's daily visits since she had been forced to stay in her bed. At first, neither of them understood how a doctor could order the Duchess of York around, but Hal explained that their mama did it willingly and that they should be grateful that their future sibling was still alive and well.
It was just hard for Lisbeth and Edward, who were used to their mama coming to them- in which case their governesses and tutors would be forced to stop their lessons- to have to go to her and they could not always leave their lessons and so they saw their mama less and less. Their papa still came to visit, but he never did visit everyday like their mama did and although they enjoyed being around him, he just didn't play with them like their mama did and he didn't praise them as much or hug them as much. And besides, it was the most fun when their mama and papa came to visit them at the same time.
But then they remembered that their cousins, poor Edward Brandon and his sister Frances could never see their mama again and their papa hardly ever came, so they were told once again by Hal to be grateful for all that they had. Hal was a fun playmate but he was also their older brother and Lisbeth knew that he was just trying to teach and help them- only differently than their tutors did. Lisbeth loved her older brother but sometimes he could be so somber and boring and she thought that he just needed to have more fun.
But Lisbeth pushed those thoughts out of her head as she rushed over to her mother's bedside and tour out of the grasp of her grandmamma's hand, forgoing the idea of curtsying to her, forgetting that she was an important lady. Her mama didn't like her to be formal when they were in private. She outran her brothers by a few seconds, and was the first one jumping up to hug her mother- formidable beyond her four years.
"My darling Lisbeth, it's been too long!" Anne exclaimed, her mood brightened by the presence of her daughter and sons and she was able to forget the exchange she had that morning with Jane Seymour. Her children were her greatest blessing and greatest distraction. "Hal, Edward, come here and join your sister," she invited, patting the spaces around her in the large bed she had all to herself and had slept alone for too many nights. Her smiled widened when she realized that Elizabeth had joined them- although her mother-in-law came to visit her nearly every day, it was still nice to see her. "Mother," she greeted brightly after her children had settled comfortably.
"Hello Anne. I figured you could use a visit from your children," Elizabeth explained, glad to see her daughter-in-law so happy. She knew that staying isolated for the rest of this pregnancy would be hard for her, mostly because she couldn't' be with her family the whole day. Elizabeth was all too happy to get her grandchildren out of their lessons to see their mother.
"Mother, it wasn't because of our conversation that you almost lost the baby, is it?" Hal asked as soon as he had settled, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't want Lisbeth and Edward, who were happily preoccupied putting their ears to their mother's belly to listen for the baby, to hear, since they were unaware of the full details of Anne's near-miscarriage. He knew that the conversation they had nearly a month ago was resolved, but he couldn't shake this feeling of guilt he had afterwards. He tried to suppress it, but it kept coming back stronger.
He was unaware of the many mysterious of childbirth, being a boy of only eight, but he knew that stress could cause women to have problems with having live children. He would never forgive himself if he was the reason that his mother was struggling with this pregnancy. They may have had their differences, but he knew the Duchess loved him like a son and Lisbeth and Edward were the best siblings he could have asked for- all he wanted was for his mother's next child to be as healthy as them.
"Heavens no! This baby has been giving me problems for months now, before the incident. You have nothing to do with it, sweetheart," Anne assured him, kissing his forehead and inviting him to feel the child kick with his younger siblings- not wanting such a young boy to have such heavy worries.
"Hal, the baby is so strong!" Edward exclaimed, his blue eyes (the same shade as his father's, Anne noted for the first time) were bright with amazement and excitement. "You didn't tell me that it would kick!"
"I know, Edward, I didn't know either," Hal admitted. Edward looked up to him, asked him many questions that he figured his big brother knew the answer to. Hal did the best he could to answer his brother's insistent questions, but he was just as unaware about the unborn as his little innocent brother was. Through the fabric of their mother's white nightgown it was easy to feel the baby kick, and Hal was amazed, although he tried to hide it.
"Well, I knew!" Lisbeth exclaimed, proud of herself for knowing more than her brothers. And there were some people who thought that boys were smarter! Lisbeth knew that if given the chance, she could outsmart her brothers. If she was the same age as Hal, she knew she would be smarter than him- and if she was given the same tutors as Edward was she would prove to be much quicker to learn. But since they were boys, they were given more than she was, even though her mama and papa did give her a better education than most girls received. She loved to learn, her lessons were her second favorite part of her day, and she knew that when they were all older she would prove to be better than Hal and Edward and this new baby, especially if it was a boy.
"Did you now? Very good, sweetheart," Anne praised, rubbing her daughter's fire-red hair. She knew that Lisbeth was very bright for her age, but every time she spoke to her daughter she became more and more impressed with her knowledge for being a mere four years old. Although Edward and Hal were both bright children for their ages, Lisbeth was praised by her household for being especially precocious. She was so proud that her daughter was just as smart as her brothers, knowing that when the day came, she would make an intelligent companion to her husband just like the women in her family before her.
After a few more hours of idle time with her children, she was just about to send them back to their nursery for their own supper, since hers was in the midst of being prepared, when her husband made his presence known. "I didn't know you had visitors, sweetheart," Henry said as soon as he walked into the room, smiling at the site of his mother and three children surrounding his wife.
It was hard for her, he knew that, to be in confinement for so long, but he was grateful for his mother and her ability to spend hours with Anne, since she knew that he was unable to stay by her bedside for more than an hour a day. The weather was so nice, his court so lively, that he found it difficult to be in a room waiting on his wife for a long period of time. He knew it was important that he come as often as he could, and at least once a day, to keep her spirits up- but he didn't see the need to be there all day, since he had other things to amuse himself with. His mother, being an older woman now, didn't mind spending more time with his wife.
On that day, he planned on eating supper with her, and was delighted to see his children and mother there already, and for the first time in a while, they could all eat together, out of the eyes of the prying court and just in the company of each other.
"Papa!" all three of them exclaimed in unison, running up to hug their father and tell them everything that they had been up to in the past week, which was when the last time he saw them. To an unknowing outsider, they were the perfect looking family, all three children clamoring for their father's attention, but Anne saw something different.
At first, she was charmed. Then, furious. Because as Lisbeth was explaining her progress with learning French, Henry appeared interested, but Anne knew him better than that. As Jane Seymour walked past, Henry's eyes moved from their daughter to watching her movements. Jane, for her part, gave Henry a shy smile and continued about her duties. Anne's teeth involuntarily gritted as Henry, having the decency to at least wait until Lisbeth was done speaking, walked over to Jane and began to speak to her.
She heard snippets of their conversation- Henry genially asking how she was settling in, how she liked his court, finally, if she would honor him by going hunting with him and Brandon the next morning so he may "get to know her better." Anne knew that it would work; Jane didn't have the courage to say no, Anne knew that about her already, especially after Henry promised that there would be other ladies present. There was nothing indecent about it on the outside, but Anne knew better than that.
Luckily, her children had already recovered from their father's departure and were entertained by something her sister was talking about, so they were unaware of their father's advances towards another woman. But Anne was still reeling with anger from the idea of Henry, who although appeared to be pleased by the idea of having the whole family together for supper- clearly just wanted to visit her so he may see Jane, who he took upon himself to appoint to HER household. He had the audacity to flirt with the wench in plain sight of their children- and in front of his pregnant wife!
Anne wanted to storm out of the room in a rage, if she had the power to, or slap Jane. But all she could do, feeling helpless and hormonal, was begin to silently cry after she saw Jane nod and Henry kiss her hand. She hoped her children wouldn't see her and worry, but they were distracted by Mary, and Anne thanked her sister inwardly. She didn't know what she would have done if her children had seen their father's behavior, or her loss of composure at the idea of Henry being so outwardly unfaithful. Even if he wasn't yet, Anne wasn't stupid; she knew what was going to happen.
Henry must of known- when he stayed the night at Wolfhall- that Jane was so easy! That Jane wouldn't say no, like she did all those years ago before they were married. She should have known that he wouldn't play the family man forever, that he still wanted to be known as the most handsome and desirable bachelor in all of England even though he was a married man with three children and a fourth on the way. She should have known that the first time that she experienced complications or a struggle and was unable to be a wife to him fully that he would forsake her for another woman- a woman who wouldn't be like she was.
"Anne," Elizabeth said gently, breaking her out of her trance. "What on earth is the matter?" she asked, concerned over her sudden mood swing, until she looked over to Henry laughing with a blonde lady-in-waiting and her grandchildren no longer talking to her son.
"Jane Seymour threatens my whole family that I worked so hard to create. We are so happy, mother! I will not have this serving wench destroy that. I will make her wish that her father never invited Henry to stay at their home. She will not be a happy servant in this household," Anne threatened, her voice filled with venom. "Watch her for me, will you?" Anne asked after a few moments pause, looking up at her mother-in-law with tears shining in her eyes. "I want to know if they engage in any more 'courtly' behaviors. I want to know if she becomes his mistress. I HAVE to know."
Elizabeth, knowing that this couldn't be good for Anne or the precious life in her womb; she knew she should have said no. That if her son really took a mistress, Anne was better left in ignorance. But Anne was already aware, and if it turned out to be nothing, than it would be good for her baby and for her. She couldn't say no, not when she was in so much distress. "I will, I promise."
"Thank you. Together, we will destroy any hope she has with my husband," Anne vowed, managing a smile but all the while knowing that she had to destroy Jane Seymour if she wanted to feel whole again.
Okay, well that's it for this chapter. My cheer season ended on Saturday so hopefully I'll have more free time to get the next update to you guys a hell of a lot sooner than I got this one out. I know that this chapter didn't really move a lot of plot, but next chapter some big things are going to happen. I hope everyone enjoyed and I am sorry again for the wait. Please review, I love hearing what you have to think :)