"In all honesty I would have said that I would stab her myself for what she did. For endangering Tommy, for thinking she would make a better mother to him than I, for the way she dared to judge..."

Anne trails off and George looks at his little sister.

"And now?"

"I still wish I could strangle her myself but Tom made a suggestion to me and it made much more sense. He said, why not confine her to a nunnery for the rest of her life - let her live every day with what she has done, with what she has lost rather than letting her think she can martyr herself. And I will look merciful."

Sometimes, sometimes you could forget that Anne Boleyn could be ruthless in defence of those she loved but today, today George could not forget it - looking at the steel in her eyes. But then, then she sagged a little.

"Do you think we...I know I should have more mercy for her, more charity but...she tried to take my son from me, George. After everything, she tried to take our son from us and then slanders Tom as immoral."

"Annie, you do not have to feel merciful." is what George says in the end. He thinks he might be able to find more words, about how it is a mercy that she has done, about how it is right that she and Tom have their anger but he settles for hugging his sister.

It is to her sister Mary that Anne finally asks if she should not be less harsh and Mary only looks at her with tears in her eyes and says that Anne and Thomas have been more so than they could be expected to be.

"You are only human sister and I do not think the Lord begrudges that."

(Mary might hold Henry Tudor to his own responsibility for the mess but she also holds Jane).

Henry knows, Henry knows how much he is responsible for the mess that has resulted. He was the one who encouraged Jane in her notions, he was the one who did not dismiss her with more clarity. He was the one who...he knows that his anger is as much for himself as for her, but it does not mean he is not enraged that this woman who he had once thought to be the soul of kindness and purity has turned out to be anything but.

Jane is not ill cared for. In fact, due to her status she is given a lovely set of chambers, a maid to care for her and her tasks are to sew, to embroider and to work in the still room. It is still a prison. It is still the knowledge that she is never to go beyond the walled garden courtyard again. It is still knowing that she will stay here for the rest of her life - slowly withering away.

It could have been worse, she thinks. It could have been the tower for me. It could have been the axe or the fire and perhaps, perhaps there is still hope for my love if he has only sentenced me to this rather than death. Perhaps he will soon realise that he still loves me, that he needs to return to me and all will be well again.

She can only hope for that is all she has now. Hope that whoever the heretical sodomite is, he will be exposed. Hope that perhaps Henry will understand that Anne Boleyn is not the right Queen for him. Hope that he will return to Jane.

Truthfully, Truthfully Anne isn't sure how she feels about Henry. Perhaps she'll never be truly sure again, though she knows she loves him the rest...the rest is never going to be the same. But she thinks that perhaps, perhaps they might be able to build something new. Perhaps there truly is hope that he can be patient enough with her and Tom to build such a thing.

"I think, I think we can chance to hope" is what Thomas says, smiling sadly.

"My love, you don't understand - you and Anne have always been worthy of a crown and more than worthy of my heart, of my soul. It is I, my raven, who must atone and prove myself to you both. Never, not for a moment think that you are unworthy of all that is good in the world for it should be yours."

Henry, Henry is kneeling at his feet and Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmiths son from Putney cannot but think he must be in a dream. The King of England is kneeling before him, reverence in his eyes and holding a crown to him.

"Please, my heart - I would that I could crown you before the world but if I cannot I will crown you before the Lord and then, then I can give you somewhat else"

It is Anne who hands him the ring - a match for the one's that his King and Queen wear, Anne who says "here love, a ring to make a true marriage" but Henry, Henry who says that he should have done this long ago.

"I do not believe The Lord would look askance on such a marriage as this - though the world might think it so. Let me build our love anew, my hearts."

And so they are wed, the three of them by no other presence than each other, the candlelight and the Lord. It feels, it feels right, as nothing has for a long time, Henry thinks and when he prays in the end, he feels it has been answered by the Lord and the Lord has given them a blessing.

As the three of them fall into sleep together the three candles remain steady but for a moment, just a moment, they turn into starlight, moonlight and sunlight and the scent of honey and summer flowers twines its way through the room.

Jane Seymour strokes her belly and thinks perhaps, the Lord has answered her after all and that she may in fact, not have lost the child of her love.