Disclaimer: Not mine.
Apologies for the re-upload, I've been informed of a technical glitch, so I'm trying to rectify it.
Chapter 37 – Truces and Alliances: Katherine was reading the latest letter from her nephew, telling her that he and his family were en route to England and that he could not wait to see her again, when she heard her door open. She didn't need to look up to see who it was when she heard Anne's voice quietly ask the ladies – hers and Katherine's – to leave, which they did.
Katherine glanced up anyway, though, in time to see a slightly puzzled look on Mistress Anne Parr's face. But her sister drew her away, and would probably tell her not to worry about it, since none of the other women did. So she returned to the letter, waiting to see what Anne wanted.
The younger woman didn't ask about the letter; instead she walked up behind Katherine's chair and peered over her shoulder. "I would have told you if you had asked, Anne," Katherine said, mock-sternly. Anne laughed, giving her a swift kiss on the cheek before taking a seat herself, offering an impish smile.
"I know, but that was more fun. So, when is the Emperor supposed to arrive?"
"You didn't read it?"
"No."
"Well, he believes it will only be another month or so, and from the date… I'd say it should be about two weeks, a bit longer perhaps." Katherine saw that Anne's expression darkened a bit, and she frowned. "What?"
"Doesn't it bother you at all, that Henry paraded Mary and now Cecily like some prize farm animal, to be sold to the highest bidder?" Anne asked, shaking her head.
"I never looked at it that way. I was fortunate, I suppose; I was always intended for Arthur, for as long as I could recall. There was very little showing me off, and when there was, it was always to the English." Katherine frowned. "And the nobility is much the same."
"Oh, I know, and it always irked me, honestly. The way my father would talk about Mary's and my prospects when he thought I was out of earshot… He sounded like a horse breeder!" It was rare for her to speak so harshly of her father, even now, with Katherine, but she couldn't help it.
Katherine's reply was stopped when Mistress Annie Parr came back into the room, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I'm so sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty, my lady, but Princess Margaret is here. She wanted me to announce her."
Katherine winced inwardly. Margaret and Anne in the same room… It would be the first time since the incident in the garden, nearly two years ago now. But Margaret had been behaving herself – she hadn't even kicked up a fuss when Henry insisted that Anne be one of the godmothers to Margaret's daughter. Admittedly, Anne had not attended the christening since Henry was still being extremely overprotective of her, and had sent Lady Surrey as proxy.
Still, when Margaret arrived, she started out with perfect behavior, curtseying to both women and addressing them with proper titles. There was a slight tightness around her eyes, but nothing else showed that she wasn't happy to be doing this.
"Margaret, it's wonderful to see you back," Katherine said, and her words were genuine. She was fond of her sister-in-law, who had been one of her few friends during the years of her widowhood. "Did young Edward return with you?"
"Yes, he did, and I'm very worried about the mischief he may get up to, especially since Henry will likely find it all quite amusing. How is Mary?"
"She's well," Katherine said. "She's continuing with her studies, of course, and your ward Mistress Brooke is still her closest friend. There are two strong marriage offers for her right now, from the King of Scotland and the heir of the Duke of Cleves, but Henry has not yet said which of those he is more interested in."
Margaret nodded, then paused for a second before glancing at Anne. "And Cecily, of course; how is she?"
Anne hesitated, more than a little surprised that Margaret had initiated conversation with her. She expected Katherine to continue, but she realized quickly that Katherine wanted to see if she and Margaret could manage civility. Well. Margaret was trying, which was all Anne had asked of her. So, yes, if both of them tried, perhaps they could.
"Cecily is doing very well. She's begun official lessons with Lady Bryan, and enjoys them. Of course, she pesters Mary, Cathy, and Katherine to teach her Spanish, and my sister and myself to teach her French. How is your little girl, Eleanor?"
Margaret told them about Eleanor's attempts at talking, her manner softening as she did. Whatever else, Anne thought, the woman did love her children, and that was certainly clear. It made her like Margaret just a little more.
They conversed for some time, the dialogue becoming a bit stilted sometimes between Anne and Margaret, but Katherine was very good at rescuing. When the Princess finally left, Anne was proud to note than none of them had lost their tempers, not even a little.
"That was well-handled, by both of you," Katherine observed, echoing Anne's thoughts. "It seems Margaret has decided to move beyond her dislike of you."
"Maybe it's because she was suspected when Thomas Seymour… when he…" Anne bit her lip. It was still hard to talk about. "Anyway, maybe she learned from that. She and the Duke of Suffolk reconciled as well, didn't they? Maybe that put her in a friendlier state of mind."
"I imagine what happened in 1531 gave her a sharp shock. Margaret's always seemed to think she can do as she likes because she's Henry's sister, but Cromwell questioned her anyway and Henry didn't seem to mind. So now, for the sake of her family, she sees she has to try with you," Katherine explained. "Brandon's wanted her to calm down for years, I think she's finally listening to him."
"Well, good. That's one less thing for me to be worried about. Especially now – the reason I initially stopped by was to tell you, I'm pregnant again."
Katherine smiled warmly, clasping Anne's hand in her own. "Congratulations. I'm sure all will be well this time."
"I hope so, because this is my last chance."
"You can't worry about that, it's not good for the child."
"I'll try, I promise." But it was hard not to worry, because really, she couldn't forget that if she didn't have a son, she would lose everything in her life that mattered.
"Frances! Margaret! It's wonderful to see you again!" Mary hadn't seen her half-Scottish cousins, the daughters of her Aunt Mary and the Earl of Angus, since her aunt had visited England several years ago. She'd been little then, about six, and Frances had been the same age. Margaret had only been three.
Frances was as fair as her mother, a willowy blonde with icy blue eyes. She smiled at her cousin, but the eyes didn't warm at all. "It's always a pleasure, Your Highness, for both my sister and myself." Frances was newly married to the eldest Grey son, Henry. He was the heir to the marquessate of Dorset, and she felt she had done quite well for herself. But there was always more, and so she had obeyed the summons of her brother's ambassador. If she could get her cousin and her half-brother wed, it had been implied that there would be a reward in it for her.
Margaret, of course, knew nothing of this. She thought they were just there for a pleasant visit with their cousin. Frances thought her sister was a fool, if she didn't at least see that there was more to this than pleasantries. But maybe her genuine belief would help convince Mary, which could only be a good thing.
"No titles between us," Mary said firmly. "I am simply Mary, your cousin. We're family!"
"Of course," Frances said. "I forgot. So, cousin Mary, how are you? I hear that my brother is seeking your hand in marriage."
"Jamie wants to marry you?" Margaret asked. She was fifteen, and a romantic. "Mary, that's wonderful!"
Mary tried to keep her smile genuine, though she suddenly felt uncomfortable. She knew her royal cousin, James, had offered her marriage, and part of her did like the idea. A Queen, something she would not be if she married her other suitor, Philip. And yet… James could not come in person, she knew that, but Philip had, and he was sweet and charming. Still, she was a Princess, and she did not have the right to choose for herself. Even if she did, she had to consider more than her own feelings. So perhaps she should take advantage of this chance, to speak to James' sisters. They could tell her about him, give her a better idea of who this young King was.
"Yes, his ambassador, Sir Alexander, has spoken to me of your brother's merits. But, well, ambassadors always talk that way. What is James really like? I'm curious, I have to admit."
Mary didn't see the calculating glint in Frances' eye, and neither did Margaret, but Cathy, who had been in the background, not wanting to intrude on the family reunion, certainly did. She decided that she didn't trust Frances, and so kept her eyes on the other woman. Frances, for her part, noticed Cathy's suspicion and was well-aware that the dark-haired girl was an enemy. Their eyes met, briefly, and a war of sorts was declared between them.
Fraser had his ally in Frances, and because Cathy distrusted her, Olisleger and Philip had one as well, in Cathy.
George strolled into his sister Mary's bedchamber, not pausing to consider that he might have caught her in a state of undress. They were siblings, after all; besides, Mary would shriek and chase him out if she was, and then they'd have something to laugh about later. But he didn't find her undressed, he found her pale and sweaty, and there was a faint stench of vomit in the room.
"Mary, are you unwell?" Foolish question, but both of his sisters hated it when someone assumed they were ill and needed cosseting – something which was a problem for Anne, what with the King's overprotective nature. But if Mary was sick, she shouldn't be at court.
Yet she didn't seem too bad. A bit pale and sweaty, yes, but her eyes weren't glassy, and she didn't appear unsteady on her feet. She did, however, look very nervous.
"I'm… I'm fine, George. I think I just ate something that didn't sit well."
She always toyed with her hair when she was lying. Anne tended to smooth her skirts when she lied, and both of his sisters said that he tapped his feet constantly when he was lying. They'd been close enough to know that, but sometimes they did still try lying to each other. And it never worked, just as it wasn't working now.
"Mary, you're lying."
"No, I'm not."
"Marianne…"
Mary sighed. "Fine. If you really must know, I'm pregnant. Now will you please stop interrogating me and go away?"
It took George a minute to find his voice, but when he did, it was loud. "Go away? What? Mary, you're pregnant! When did you take a lover, for God's sake?"
"I did not take a lover, I'm married!" Mary shot back.
"You… What? To who?"
"William Stafford. He's one of Uncle's men-at-arms."
George closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You… married a man-at-arms. Bloody hell, Mary, are you trying to wreak havoc?"
Mary glared at him. "Oh, don't try that with me, George. No one in the family notices me, I'm just a washed-up whore! You and Anne are the only ones who care, and this isn't going to hurt you."
"It might, if the King decides to be insulted that a woman who is practically his sister-in-law married a servant!"
"Then I'll leave court, I don't care."
"Anne needs you! She's pregnant again, and she has to have trustworthy people around her so nothing goes wrong this time! And, Mary, what if you aren't allowed to keep your children?"
Now Mary looked stricken, not angry. "George…" she whispered, "you won't let them do that, will you? And Anne, surely she won't…"
She would, if their father had anything to say about it, George thought grimly. If their father took control of this, Mary would be banished from court, and her children would be lost to her. But none of the Boleyn children listened to their father too much anymore, so perhaps…
George sighed. "We need to talk to Anne. She's the only one with the clout to protect you once Father knows." He put an arm around his sister's shoulder. "This was a really stupid move, Mary, but… You deserve to be happy, so we'll see what we can do, hmm?"
It occurred to him, as they walked to Anne's rooms, that being in love with Mark, when it was forbidden, seemed to have made him soft. Or maybe he was just being the brother he should have been all along, instead of half-caught in his father's ambitious web.
When his uncle had first suggested he go to England to personally woo the King's elder daughter, Philip had been more interested in the thought of travel than in the girl he was to meet. But then he'd arrived, and…
He'd expected a dreary Spaniard, since Princess Mary was known to be very close to her Spanish mother. But Katherine of Aragon had a quiet grace that had him feeling guilty for his uncharitable preconceptions, and as for Mary herself… She was beautiful, intelligent, and sweet, and when he'd happened to see her playing outside with her little sister, it had touched his heart.
The fact was, he was falling for her. Hard. But he wasn't sure how she felt about him, and that was painful. She was always friendly, but from what he'd seen of her mother, that would be something she'd have been taught, to always be courteous. And she was always careful to observe the proprieties with him, so there was no sign of her true feelings. It was maddening.
"Your Grace?" Philip looked up to see Mistress Catherine Brooke approaching him. She seemed a bit uncertain, so he gave her an encouraging smile.
"May I help you, Mistress Brooke?"
She hesitated, but then spoke. "I know this is rude of me, but… My mistress, Princess Mary, are you simply charming her for the sake of an alliance, or do you actually like her?"
Philip frowned, but decided a truthful answer was best. Mistress Catherine was, after all, Mary's best friend. "I like her, far more than I would have expected to. Far more than is proper, I suppose."
Catherine smiled. "That's good news, Your Grace, because there are now people trying to get her to marry the King of Scotland, and I don't trust their motives. If you genuinely care for Mary, then I can help you with a good conscience."
Philip wanted to question this sudden ally, but if she could help him truly win Mary, he wasn't about to object, and he didn't really care if her motives weren't as pure as they seemed. He needed a friend, and if she would be his, he was grateful.
A/N: Wow… Sorry it's been so long, I've been home which means restricted computer time. Yes, I have more time for the computer at school than at home, it's strange.