The Morning's breeze was marginally warmer than it had been yesterday and as such it made Anne's after breakfast walk far more agreeable to her than her previous attempt had been the day before. The sun was shining pleasantly down upon the Royal Gardens, drawing attention to all the many rows of neatly trimmed hedges and early morning frost that still clung to the grass. Anne and her two Ladies in Waiting, Nan and Madge were all wrapped up warmly head to toe in their fur-lined cloaks and hats, with soft leather mittens to protect their delicate fingers from the harsh nip of frost.
The gardens were mostly empty at such an early hour in the day, which wasn't surprising when she considered that there had been a large banquet the night before, most members of her husband's Court were probably spending their morning unconscious in their Chambers or heaving their guts up in the privy. Their absence allowed for a rather wonderful and peaceful privacy to be enjoyed within the gardens, and enjoy it Anne most certain was. She was sat comfortably upon a stone bench with Nan, listening with amusement to Madge's incredibly detailed description of her picnic with Sir Henry Norris as she played fetch with Anne's dog Purkoy.
"He can just be so shy when he visits your Chambers to see me Your Majesty, I always feel as though I have to coax conversation out of him." Madge mumbled "I think he finds you rather overwhelming, he is perhaps even a bit little starstruck in your presence." The girl smiled sheepishly over at her Queen "So I'll admit, I was nervous to spend that much time with him alone so to speak, or as alone as a couple can truly be when accompanied by a chaperone. And my goodness, just you wait until I tell you all about what that old bat did!" She muttered with a soft growl, however she quickly shook her head to rid herself of the irritability the woman brought forth within her "But anyway as I was saying, he is usually so quiet and shy but once we started making jokes as we rode through the King's forests to the clearing for our picnic, he grew rather lively and I find that he is remarkable funny when he chooses to be. Impeccably charming at times as well."
"What your crimes did your Aunt Isabel commit as your chaperone, Lady Shelton?" Nan asked with a cock of her head.
Madge picked up the brown, stitched leather ball that Purkoy had dropped before her feet and shook it around playfully before she tossed it up into the air, the small dog barked loudly in excitement, then raced off to catch the ball as it plummeted down across to the other side of the pond.
"Ha! Well the silly woman has always disliked me, as you well know Your Majesty."
Anne nodded she did know this, Madge was her cousin after all and Anne made a habit of always keeping herself well informed about of all the dynamics and dramas that constantly seemed to engulfed her family. Though the woman that Madge referred to as her aunt actually wasn't technically her family at all, she was a rich widow that had been romantically involved with Sir John Shelton for the past fifteen years. So long in fact that she was often now referred to as Madge's aunt by the rest of the family, in order to avoid any unnecessary tensions and scandals. Anne had never met the Lady, she had instead merely seen her in passing across the Grand Hall once at a Christmas feast. She was a fairly respectable looking woman with wealth, title and land of her own due to her husband's untimely death twenty years before and she had been smart enough not to remarry and lose her son's rightful inheritance. However Madge had never liked her mother's stand in and Anne could hardly blame her.
"Well for starters, she introduced herself as my most beloved aunt" Madge scoffed loudly "She then went out of her way to insert herself into every single conversation Sir Henry and I tried to have, she spoke about my family as though it were hers and as though I were rather uninformed about them myself, it was incredibly insulting."
"That sounds terribly tedious for you to have had to put up." Anne said injecting as much comfort and support as she could into her voice.
"That's not even the worse part Your Majesty, she just kept speaking over me, I really think that at one point the silly old bat actually convinced herself that I was her chaperone instead of the other way round and that Sir Henry was more interested in her."
"What did Norris make of her, do you know?" Nan asked curiously
"He was far more polite about her behavior than I think she deserved but he was very cordial and friendly. But we didn't really get much privacy to speak to each other without her being there, let alone to speak to each other about her." Madge shook her head dismissively before a lovely smile crept up her lips "He is so very wonderful though, I was unsure at first about the thought of him romantically but now I'm quite certain that he could make me very happy." She turned to face both Anne and Nan, her cheeks stained a pretty pink "I feel as though there is an entire bucket of butterflies fluttering around inside my stomach every time I think of him and our picnic together. He has such a lovely smile, I kept catching him smiling at me every time I looked up from eating."
Anne snuck a knowing smile to Nan, who cooed appropriately at the other girl's dreamy grin.
"It is so wonderful to be falling in love!" Madge declared with such confidence and conviction that it startled Anne, in fact it very nearly took her breath away. What a strange and wonderous thing to be in complete awareness of one's own emotions and feelings. Anne found that she envied her a great deal for that, but she supposed that being young, free and not buried beneath crushing stress and panic probably made it a lot easier to be positively in tune with one's self. But the envy still remained, though she was grateful to discover that it left no bitterness nor resentment burning inside her chest as her fits of jealous usually did, instead she felt an odd feeling of quiet contemplation of what could have been, if she hadn't been pushed towards the King, if she had allowed her romance with Thomas Wyatt to truly blossom as she had once dreamt off. However, said line of thinking lead the down the same path as always, for while her father and uncle had pushed her towards the King, she had been the one that aimed higher than to be his mistress, she had been the one to fall for her own charade and come to truly love him, and without all of that she would not have gained the most perfect and beloved of all her possessions her beautiful, spirited daughter the Princess Elizabeth.
Anne neatly tucked her hands together upon her lap, a quiet sigh slipping from her lips, she knew that if she were given the chance, she wouldn't undo any of the choices she had made in order to get her to the place she now resided in, she loved her daughter fiercely, she loved being Queen perhaps a little more than she should, and she loved her husband King Henry, or though for the first time in their relationship she was beginning to understand that her love for him was changing, developing into something a little less all consuming. She found herself reminded of something her sister Mary had once whispered to her just before her marriage to the King.
"Be careful dear one, a love like that is strong but for a small amount of time, it consumes until there is nothing left and then it burns out. A love like that doesn't last."
Anne could remember with vivid imagery the horrible way in which she had argued with her sister after that, she hadn't liked the ominous tone and the absolute certainty in Mary's voice and so she had lashed out viciously in temper. It had taken a good few weeks for the two of them to finally reconcile just before her coronation, and they had both made sure to never speak of the dispute ever again. But Anne wasn't quite sure if she had ever truly forgiven her sister for the comment, it always seemed to hang in the air between them, unspoken and heavy like a deep fog, something to be ignored and avoided but never forgotten.
Nan laughed heartily at something Madge had said, bringing Anne back down from her thoughts and she felt a sudden rush of guilt for having tuned out of the conversation for a moment. "You enjoyed yourself then? I therefore trust that you will be willing to see him again, when he next come courting?" She asked with a conspiratorially smile that made Lady Shelton blush.
Madge shyly tucked a loose strand of thread from her headdress back, making sure to tuck it tightly underneath the corner to prevent it from slipping free once more, she then shifted from foot to foot tossing the dog's ball once more for him to chase. Her apparent nervousness made her all the more endearing in that moment as she finally answered "He makes me laugh ever so much, it's a marvelous thing to be able to find lightness and joy in one's husband I imagine." The girl glanced back at Anne and Nan, a small, hopeful beam of fondness illuminating her face "My father always says that time is long and unforgiving and that when it comes time to choose who you want to face the world with, you must choose someone that will protect you from danger and someone that will always be able to make you laugh. Because everything else fades over time."
As Madge continued to gush warmly about Sir Henry Norris, Anne slowly allowed herself to get carried away by the utter contentment within the girl's voice, her young face was lit up with the luminous glow of first love. It reminded Anne of the brilliant excitement of her own early days of courtship with Henry. She remembered how new and wonderous everything had felt, how untouchable and completely adored she had been, it honestly felt like an entire lifetime ago. Madge was right, it was a truly wonderful thing to be falling in love, the butterflies that fluttered intensely inside whenever you saw or thought of him, the ache in your chest when you are parted from him and the most specular mix of thrill and safety you have whenever in his presence, like you are floating on clouds thousands of miles up in the sky.
Nan shared an amused grin with her as Madge began to hum dreamily to herself as she played with Purkoy, chasing the small dog around the outside rim of the large circular pond that sat in the center of the hedged maze. The little thing barked with delight as it raced as fast as it's little legs could carry it, he even managed to overlap the Lady several times, causing Anne to laugh merrily as Madge squealed in mock outrage.
"Your father and brother have not as yet made an appointment with your secretary as far as I know Your Majesty." Nan muttered quietly
Anne scoffed "I really doubt that they have much intention to do as I requested of them, I suspect that they will instead hope to corner me at a feast or other such Courtly function where I can hardly refuse them without causing too much of a scene, which they both know I'm trying desperately to avoid."
"So you are planning to return to attending Court then, Your Majesty?"
"Don't look too disappointed with me Nan, I can hardly stay hidden away inside my Chambers forever, no matter how appealing that sounds these days. Besides Elizabeth is on her way to Court as we speak, they are making good time as far as I know too, so hopefully I'll be with the light of my life soon enough!" She said turning to face Nan with large pleading eyes, the last thing she wanted to have to do was argue with her most loyal and trusted of friends. She was running out of allies every day, and she had come to rely on Nan perhaps far more than she should have, and she feared she would be lost without her.
Nan took a long steady breath, seeming to have a small internal argument before she sighed "I am not disappointed with you Your Majesty, you have my complete and unwavering support in whatever you choose to do, I just worry for you that is all. But if this is when you feel it is the right time to return to Court then I support you wholeheartedly."
Anne felt warmth spread rapidly throughout her chest and she reached forward to wrap her arms around her favourite of her Ladies in Waiting. The embrace was exactly what she had felt she needed, a gesture of support and understanding, two things that had felt in short supply to Anne in recent months. However, the hug was cut short as Anne recognized the sound of leather boots marching along the gravel path that led directly through the large, trimmed hedge arch to the clearing with the pond that Anne and two Ladies had occupied.
Anne looked up from her short-lived hug with Nan to see her husband, King Henry whose whole body seemed to have gone uncomfortably ridged at being confronted by the sight of her sitting so happily with her Ladies in the gardens.
'He wants you gone' a voice whispered lowly inside her head, and she felt herself bristle at the thought, she had been here first, well out of his way and if he found her company so repulsive these days then he could be the one to flee. She had agreed to Charles Brandon's idea, to give the King space to miss her and to stay out of his way as much as possible but she had been here first, so in this instance he could be the one to run off, not her.
They stared at each other rather awkwardly for several minutes before she plastered on as large and as pleasant a smile as she could realistically fake without being disrespectful "Good morning Your Majesty, I trust you had an enjoyable evening at the feast?"
"You left almost immediately after the food, and you barely ate anything to begin with." Henry stated in a deeply irritated tone.
Anne swallowed back her own annoyance at her husband, he hadn't wanted her there, he had made it quite clear that she had been unwelcome and now he was offended that she hadn't stayed longer, that she hadn't eaten more. It was just typical of him, nothing she ever did seemed to please him these days. Even when she tried to avoid him, to keep out of his way, he still managed to find reasons to be frustrated with her.
"Please forgive me Your Majesty, I did not mean to offend you. I will refrain from attending the next feast that is planned in your honor, I certainly did not want to spoil your evening."
Henry stared down at her intently, so intently in fact that his left eyes began to twitch slightly, much to Anne's alarm, it was probably best for her to give him the exit strategy he was craving.
"Forgive me again Your Majesty, for detaining you when you must have far more important matters to attend to than being held up by your wife." The words were somewhat difficult for her to get out, it stung her pride more than a little to speak about herself as though she were nothing more than a silly little girl getting in her husband's way, when she was the one who had guided him to nearly every important stately decision he had made in the past few years, if not longer.
He stared at her for a moment more before finally turning his back and marching around the pond to get to the second arched exit from the clearing, only to pause for an extended period. Anne didn't notice as the second her husband had started to walk off, she had returned all her attention back upon Madge. The Girl was giggling loudly as Purkoy jumped up and down at her legs, desperately trying to get the treat that she was holding out for him, his small tail wagging speedily. Anne chuckled as Madge dropped the treat and Purkoy practically swallowed it whole.
"Anne!"
Anne jumped slightly up into the air at the harsh tone in which Henry called out her name, her eyes snapped up sharply and her lips parted in surprise to find herself staring at the intensely confused and frustrated glare that he was leveling at her.
"Are you well?!" He asked, his tone no less hostile
"Y-yes, Your Majesty. I'm quite well." She gave a small pause "Are you well?" She waited, gazing up at him calmly. However, the more relaxed and quiet she remained, the more agitated he seemed to grow.
Until finally he blew out a harsh huff and a short brittle laugh that set her teeth on edge, he then seemed to question himself internally for a moment before he asked with all the certainty of a small boy "May I join you?"
Anne blinked up at him stupidly for a moment, her heart even seemed to stop for what felt like a full minute and she stared silently, dumbfoundingly up at him, entirely unsure as to what she should say. She was supposed to be ignoring him, and while she had remained completely away from him and out of his presence for the nine days of her isolation from Court, he hadn't seemed to have been in the least bit bothered based upon his rather cold reception when he had spotted her the day before on their morning's walks. Besides that, she had only ignored him once during a feast that he had made it quite clear that she was not wanted at that to begin with. Then there was the tiny little exchange that had just occurred between them, but Anne couldn't and wouldn't believe that her husband was childish enough and spoiled enough that something as small as that could have bothered and infuriated him so.
Henry's hands started to clenched up into fist and his expression began to close off "Well if you'd rather I leave you be Madam th-"
"No!" Anne interrupted in a croaky voice, she quickly swallowed her startlement and bewilderment down and then cleared her throat with a deep cough. "No Your Majesty, please sit." She gestured to the place next to her on the stone bench as Nan swiftly rose up from her side of the bench and wandered off to join Lady Shelton and Purkoy over by the other side of the large pond, making sure to give the King a graceful curtsy as she went.
Henry seemed greatly uncomfortable as he shifted from foot to foot, his eyes continuously flickering from Anne to the stone bench and back again as though he was debating changing his mind at any moment and fleeing from her as quickly as he possibly could. To be entirely truthful, Anne did in fact expect him to change his mind and so she waited with her mitten covered hands tucked neatly together upon her lap and listened out for the sound of his retreating footsteps. However, Henry surprised both her and seemingly himself by carefully walking over to the stone bench and taking the seat next to her. His rich scent invaded her senses almost immediately and she inhaled greedily, enjoying the wonderful familiarity and comfort his scent provided.
"How is your ankle?" He asked gruffly
"It's doing much better thank you, I saw the Royal Physician again this morning and he says that I shouldn't need to use the walking stick for too much longer, perhaps another week but that's all, which is of course a huge relief."
Henry's lips pulled together rather tightly in a strange expression that she found she couldn't read the way she had once been able to. He just nodded, his cool blues eyes stared across the pond to watch Madge and Nan play with her dog, the two Ladies were running in circles and giggling as Purkoy chased them, his tail waggy so speedily that it looked like it was about to fly off.
"I'll be relieved to be rid of the walking stick, it has been a little embarrassing to have to rely on one at my age" Anne said with a somewhat forced chuckle.
Henry didn't bother to force a laugh, he seemed to struggle to even force a smile and Anne felt a wave of irritation swell within her, why was he here, why was he even bothering to be here if he found it so ridiculously difficult to speak with her. Was it really just to prove to himself that this whole thing was his choice not hers, that if he really wanted to talk to her that she would always allow it, that she would always be free for him? She balled up her fists inside her mittens, when had this happened? When had he gained such the upper hand within their marriage? But the truth was that Anne already knew the answer to that, she knew the exact moment when she had started to lose the upper hand and of when he had gained it, it had been the moment that her feelings for him had become real, the moment she had truly started to fall in love with Henry, he had then begun to fall out of love with her.
"I was rather surprised to see you still using one last night" He mumbled in a low and gruff voice, seemingly going out of his way to prove to her that he didn't want to be talking with her despite the fact that he had been the one that had asked to join her. Or though his comment explained what she had been sure was an eyeroll from him the night before at the banquet.
"I haven't expected to need one, but I made my ankle quite a lot worse the night of the injury by walking around on it after, I didn't take it seriously when I should have"
"I see."
Anne fought the growing urge to roll her own eyes at her husband, was he really going to sit there and argue with her about a walking stick of all things, was he that bored with her? Did he think she was faking the need for one? Or did he really just not know what else to talk to her about any more?
"The Royal Physician had said to me that it was indeed a very bad sprain and that it would most likely take you a long while to fully recover, though he did not mention you needing a walking stick for so long. Though I suppose I hadn't given it very much thought to how you'd be getting around without one. Makes me seem a bit dim, now that I say it out loud." As Henry spoke his frown lines deepening with every word until by the end the results very much startled her, when had he gotten so old?
Anne nibbled on her lower lip as she turned and kept her eyes focused upon her Ladies as she quietly asked "Your Majesty spoke to the Royal Physician about me?"
"You're my wife Anne and you were injured, and it's unlike you to make a big fuss over an injury. You have a tendency to play down the seriousness of any bump or scrape you get, I always speak to my physician after he has seen to you." He said it with such a casual dismissal, as though it meant nothing much at all.
She found herself unsure how to respond, she was completely taken aback that he would still do such a thing, that despite all of the negativity that had grown between them, that a part of him however small it may be, still cared enough about her to check in on her recovery. Even if he only did so with her physician and not with herself, but she was still more than happy to take whatever scraps he was willing to throw to her at this point.
"I thank Your Majesty for your kindness and consideration." Anne glanced at over at him from the corner of her eye, he was sat with his back rigidly upright and his injured leg stretched out in front of him, and she wondered for the first time if the grimace on his face had less to do with being in her company and more to do with his own ailment. "Are you in pain?"
He laughed loudly, the bitterness that rang through it made her wince "Oh Anne, I have not stopped being in pain from the moment I woke in that tent surrounded by the vultures of my Court. The blasted Physician can find no remedy for the pain nor for the wound."
Anne just barely managed to stop herself from reaching out to grasp his hand, she knew that it would be a mistake, whilst she would only mean it as a way to comfort him and offer her support, he would mostly likely take it as an attempted to manipulate him into restoring her favour and so she moved her hands to clutch at the edges of the stone bench instead, to prevent herself from reaching for him.
"I am sorry that you are in so much pain Your Majesty, you bare it well, for I never would have guessed that you suffered so." She was blowing smoke up his arse and she knew it, however it had always worked in the past, Henry had an unquenchable thirst for compliments and It had always served her well to play to that weakness of his.
"I would have died that day." He stated with a certainty and severity that frightened her. "I would have died that day without question, had it not been for the Angel that saved my life."
Anne blinked slowly in confusion, an Angel? Henry had always been a religious man but he had never been that level of devoted, she wondered what his near-death experience had changed for him. She did not want to anger him but she was very curious as to what he meant, so after a moment's fearsome internal debate she found herself asking in a timid voice "An Angel saved your life?"
Henry nodded solemnly "She did indeed, all the Physicians agreed that I should have not made it, that the fall and subsequent injury should have killed me. However, I survived and once I woke I found upon my persons a token of her favour and protection, nestled neatly in front of my heart." He then pulled a small cream ribbon from inside his jerkin and held it gently within his grasp as though it were made of the most fragile of material, he brought it up to his lips and placed a light kiss upon it before carefully returning it to its place inside his jerkin, in front of his heart.
Anne pressed her lips together so firmly she was sure that they had started to turn white under the pressure, she knew whose ribbon it was and it most certainly did not belong to an Angel. She remembered with startling clarity the morning of the joust, the way in which her ladies had gone about picking which ribbons to place around their wrists in case a handsome knight or Lord asked to wear their favour. She remembered Lady Holland arguing with Lady Zouche about which of them most suited the dark, red velvet ribbon that was trimmed with delicate cream lacing, and she remembered Lady Seymour choosing the rather simplistic thin, cream lace ribbon to tie around her wrist. The very same ribbon that her husband was now carefully tucking back inside his jerkin.
She clenched her jaw tightly and took a moment to try to swallow down the rising outburst of rage she could feel travelling up her body. 'Don't give either of them the satisfaction of losing your temper' A voice whispered softly inside her head 'Take a deep breath and let it go, you'll never win him back if you constantly fly off the handle every time you speak to him'.
It tookfar more energy than she had thought it would for her to let her anger go, in fact it took her several minutes to be able to work up the nerve to speak again without the fear that her temper would affect her tone of voice as she spoke. "Your Majesty is truly blessed then, to have the Angels themselves looking out for you" She tried desperately hard to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, however as she continued she let the truth of her fear seep into her voice "I thank God that you were spared, I honestly don't know what I would have done if something had taken you from me."
Henry finally turned his gaze over to her and there was a softness in his eyes that hadn't been there before as he took her hand into his own and said "I have no intention for you to have to find out sweetheart."
Anne smiled up at her husband with genuine affection and waited for the typical influx of butterflies and heart racing that usually accompanied any warmth and care he showed her, she waited for the wonderous feeling of melting under his gaze, only nothing of the sort happened. Instead all she felt was a comfortable, homely familiarity, an almost nostalgia for what once had been. It unsettled her greatly and for a moment she found herself at a complete loss as to what to say, though she was spared from any embarrassment as Henry's attention was pulled away from her to look up sharply at the sound of two sets of footsteps strolling leisurely through the large hedged archway to their left.
Anne felt her stomach drop at the sight of the two people she wished least to see, Charles Brandon and his insufferable little wife Katherine wandering together arm in arm through the gardens, the image was so unbelievably, sickeningly sweet that it made her stomach roll. She found herself praying that they would just continue to wander off by without stopping to greet the King. It was a rather foolish notion she knew, but it didn't stop her from heartily hoping for it.
But much to her great annoyance Henry immediately called out to them, causing the Duke and his wife to stop mid step and to slowly make their way over to stand before the stone bench she and the King still sat upon. The Duke and Duchess both bowed lowly to their monarchs and muttered out greetings of respect. As they did this, Anne made what she hoped was a subtle study of Katherine Brandon. The woman was rather different to Charles' first wife, she lacked the vibrant, brilliances of spirit Margaret had possessed, while Anne had never really liked the Princess at least she could easily admit that she was a force to be reckoned with. Though Anne was beginning to sense a pattern of men picking strong, spirited women as their wives only to then grow tired and replace them with meeker women as time went on.
"The Princess Elizabeth will be joining us at Court soon enough, I trust Your Graces will be in attendance for her Ball?"
Anne looked up sharply "Her Ball?"
"Yes, Master Cromwell has kindly offered to plan a large ball for the Princess, to celebrate her arrival at Court." Henry stated with a smile, before turning his gaze back to his best friend to wait for the Duke's answer.
Anne bit back a somewhat snarky response, it would not serve her well to speak ill of those the King now so plainly favoured but she doubted that Cromwell was in any real way looking forward to having to plan a celebration for his enemy's daughter.
He is a father himself, just because he is your foe does not mean that he plans any harm to befall your daughter. A quiet voice whispered with insistence inside her head, but she quickly shook the words away, history was full of proof that being a father had never made any man less cruel to their enemies' children. She would not make the mistake of underestimating him, not anymore.
It was only when Anne became aware that no one was speaking that she looked back up, Henry was still waiting with expectance for Charles and Katherine to respond to the invitation he had just presented them with, only neither the Duke nor the Duchess were looking at him. Charles Brandon had a deep frown upon his face that seemed to darken with every passing moment, he wasn't looking to the King nor to Anne herself but instead was staring with some intensity at something that sat between them, she blinked in confusion before lowering her eyes to follow his glare. Her lips parted in surprise once she spotted the object of his irritation, her mitten covered hand was still held loosely within the King's grasp. She blinked, that was what was troubling to him, that he had found her sat upon a bench holding hands with her husband. A small, rather petty and utterly childish part of her wished to smile up at him with all the joy she could feel swelling inside, it wasn't a good, kind joy but it was rather marvelous all the same.
Katherine had a frown slowly developing upon her face as she stared up at her husband and she gave him as discreet a nudge as she could manage but it made no difference, Charles' glare did not move one single inch. Finally she turned to face Henry who was beginning to look upon his best friend with some concern, to say softly "Yes of course Your Majesty. We would not miss it for the world, it will be most lovely to see the Princess Elizabeth once more, she is such a darling little thing. I am sure both Your Majesties are beyond excited for her return to Court."
"Yes." Henry answered her, though his eyes remained upon Charles, his thick brows drawn together in bewilderment "She has been very much missed, so her return will be a cause for much celebration, in fact when Cromwell asked her what kind of feast or dance she would like to mark her arrival she requested a Masquerade!" He finished with a laugh that Katherine soon joined, though again Charles remained silent.
Anne however finally drew her attention away from enjoying the Duke's annoyance to glance round to Henry "Cromwell spoke to her? Master Cromwell writes to Elizabeth?" She tried as hard as she physically could to keep the shrill edge of panic and anger out of her voice, she prayed that she succeed but from the slight wince that it drew from her husband, she realized that she hadn't fully done so, though he hadn't pulled his hand away, nor had he rolled his eyes so at the very least she had lowered down her aggravation enough that he had been able to swallow down his own frustration at her. It was progress she supposed, a small, tiny amount of progress, but some progress all the same.
"No my love, when I wrote to our daughter to inform her that she was to be brought to Court, Cromwell mentioned to me his idea for a party or celebration in her honour. He made a small list of all the things that could be planned for her and instead of spending my entire afternoon letting my scribe rewrite it, I instead allowed Master Cromwell to write Elizabeth a small letter of his own to be sent with mine. I then assumed that my strong-willed little girl would be very much like her mother in this regard and might like the option to plan her own party. Which, I might add she did. Elizabeth then had her own scribe write back quicker than she ever had before with a wonderfully long set of ideas for a Masquerade ball." Henry stated in a very matter of fact like way, but with his face lighting up with pride in the way it always did whenever he spoke of one of his daughters. "Apparently her Tutors and Ladies in Waiting have been telling her all about the tales of Greek mythology and of all the God and Goddess's various excitable trials and romances and Elizabeth is utterly taken in by it all. One of her Tutors is from Venice originally as well and has filled her little head up with romantic stories of the Venetian Carnival."
"So the little Princess wishes for us to have a miniature Venetian Carnival here in Whitehall?" Katherine Brandon asked with a pleasant smile shining down upon the King.
Henry laughed "Yes indeed, but we are all to dress as the heroes and heroines of the Greek's most famous myths, though perhaps some of my Courtiers will be more at home dressed as the villains of the stories too. It will be a wonderous night of fun and festivities and before the night is through the Princess Elizabeth, Queen Anne and Myself will choose one Courtier each whose costume is our favorite to be rewarded. That was Elzabeth's idea as well, isn't she such a bright girl?"
Katherine nodded sweetly in agreement and Anne smiled to herself, it did sound like a lovely evening and a wonderful way to celebrate Elizabeth's return to Court, she was surprised at just how quickly her daughter was growing up. She felt a rush of excitement at the thought of having the young girl in her arms again, to be able to squeeze her tightly in an embrace the way a mother should be able to, to hear her pretty voice sing sweetly at her and to get to talk to her about her apparent new love of ancient myths. All of Elizabeth's tutors constantly told both her and Henry that she was a truly exceptional child in every way, that she possessed a sharp and clever mind and that she was the equal to any European Prince. Anne knew that Henry was proud of their daughter it was written all over his face every time they heard news of her brilliance, but every now and again that pride would be over shadowed by the need of a son, of the pressure that crushed down upon them both.
If I can just give him a son, then he will be free to love Elizabeth with all the strength of his heart, he will be free to not worry after his line of succession and to allow Elizabeth to be his light and joy.
Anne smiled, once Elizabeth arrived all would be well, she would make sure to be free to spend the entire day before the Masquerade with her, the two of them could spend the day trying out different hairstyles and jewelry for the ball and discussing which of the Greek myths Elizabeth considered to be her favourite. They would of course be very watered down, childish, fairytale versions of the myths as they had been when Anne herself had first been introduced to them as a small child but still, she was fascinated to find out which one had truly captured the young girl's mind and heart. For Anne herself, it had always been a toss-up between the "Kidnapping of Persephone." and the "Iliad." She had always had a love for romantic stories and tragic heroes, as little girls she and Mary had played out pretend weddings and marriages to both Hades and Achilles for Anne and Apollo and Poseidon for Mary. She wondered if her daughter would do such things as she grew older.
Henry suddenly slapped his left hand down upon his thigh, pulling her sharply out from her thoughts "It's nearly noon and I'm ravenous! How about you all join me for a meal? I'm sure that my cooks will have out done themselves as always, I've been told that they will be serving honey-soaked ham for lunch today, your husband tells me that is one of your favourites Lady Katherine?" Henry said with a nod to the Duchess who blushes rosily under the King's attention. "And then perhaps Charles, you will finally have the time to explain to me what was it was that drove you to leave my Court so determinedly nearly a fortnight ago? I mean you practically left in the middle of the night as though the Devil himself were chomping at your heels?!" He said with a laugh that most definitely had an edge to it, Anne could see the tension in the Duke's shoulders even despite the heavy, fur cloak he wore.
"It was hardly the middle of the night Your Majesty, it was just early morning." Charles jested uneasily as he lifted eyes from Henry's grip on her hand.
"The sun was not yet up and would not yet be up for hours when you left for Westhorpe Hall." Henry said, effectively ending the conversation.
The silence that followed was terribly uncomfortable, it was the kind of silence that Anne had always feared to be on the receiving end of from Henry, it never ever meant anything good for those it was inflicted upon, but Charles Brandon didn't look concerned in the slightest, tense perhaps but not truly worried. Not in the way that Anne would have been, she had seen this silence used before on men that were no longer living, men like Wolsey, More, Fisher and Buckingham. She knew that Charles had seen this silence used on men before as well, if memory served he had been on the receiving end of it himself once when he had over-stepped and married the King's sister. Perhaps that was what made him far calmer than most would be, he knew Henry and his ever-changing mood swings better than any man living, perhaps that was what allowed him to remain calm, tense yes (after all he wasn't stupid), but calm because he knew how to weather Henry's storm like tempers better than anyone.
Anne gazed between the two men quietly for a minute before she cleared her throat politely "Forgive me Your Majesty, but as lovely as a lunch between the four of us sounds I am afraid I must refuse your invitation as I am not feeling my best. My ankle is still a little sore and I have already made an appointment with my favourite of the Royal dressmakers to come to my Chambers and discuss my summer wardrobe."
Henry stared at her with complete befuddlement for a long moment "You can't come to lunch because you have an appointment with the Ro-"
"With the Royal dressmaker, yes." Anne finished with a pacifying smile. The urge to agree happily to go to lunch with him was there, bubbling around inside of her with all the glee of a young girl, but the truth was that the more she thought about it, the more she came to understand that she would be a fool to go with him. Nothing had really changed, he didn't miss her, it hadn't been enough time for him to miss her and she hadn't succeeded in making he want her again by being out of his reach or by ignoring him because she hadn't really had much of a chance to do either of those things. All that had really happened was that she had ignored him once at dinner after being absent for an injury, it had been an absence that hadn't bothered him in the slightest either and then she had been blasé with him when he had past her while walking in the garden, enough so that he had sat with her but she knew that the only real reason he had done so was to prove to himself that he could, that it was his choice. If she agreed to go to lunch with him nothing would change, and this was her last chance, she wasn't going to mess it up. Besides she wasn't in anyway keen on the idea of having to sit opposite Charles and his self-righteous little wife for an entire meal, the thought alone of having to sit with a smile on her face as she watched them adore each other made her stomach churn and caused her to lose her appetite.
Staring at Katherine's tiny hands wrapped snuggly around Charles' bicep as they stood in front of her caused Anne to feel strangely as though someone was kicking her in the gut, there was a deep, overall wrongness that settled inside of her at the sight. Katherine was glancing down at Anne as though trying her upmost to hide her offense at the perceived insult of her refusal to join them for lunch, Anne almost snorted in a most unladylike manner, of course Katherine would find a way to make the moment about herself.
"Very well then Madam, I hope you have a very pleasant rest of your day." Henry said in a somewhat stunted manner, he was not happy with her, she could hear it in his voice even though his tone was perfectly polite. She took a steadying breath, it would take time and it would be difficult but she would win him back, but in order to do so she would have to play the long game and the long game was tedious and frustrating but it would work.
Anne carefully reached out for her walking stick that was balanced neatly on her right-hand side, away from the King's seat, and used it to help herself rise up as gracefully as using a walking stick allowed for. She then side stepped around Katherine Brandon and slide over to the other side of the little huddle by the stone bench they had been in before she dipped down into a deep and respectful curtsy "Your Majesty, I hope you enjoy your lunch and I hope to see you soon in order to prepare for our daughter's arrival." She then turned her gaze to the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk and inclined her head in their direction "Your Graces, I hope you both enjoy the rest of your day."
Both Charles and Katherine bowed down to her with polite mutterings of "Your Majesty." As Nan and Madge with little Purkoy on his leash hurried over from across the pond to stand beside her, her husband Henry made no comment or gesture of goodbye and instead merely returned to speaking to the Brandon's in much the same manner as a sulking child, but Anne paid him no mind. Instead she smiled at her Ladies and told them to return Purkoy to the Palace as he was beginning to look all tuckered out and that she would see them back at her Chambers soon, she was planning to take the longer route back to the Palace. The sun was beginning to warm up and she hadn't had much of a chance to spend a lot of time in the gardens since her injury and she had always loved strolling through the Royal gardens so much. She wouldn't be long as she hadn't lied to Henry, she did have an appointment with one of the Royal Dressmakers very soon, so she only planned to walk back to the Palace through the Hedged maze instead of the shorter rose garden route.
…...
It was sublimely quiet within the maze, it was one of the few places within the Royal Palace that was truly quiet, especially during winter. Anne let her eye lids slide shut and she tilted her head back, the soft breeze which had begun to warm up considerably throughout the morning despite it being mid-February felt gloriously refreshing upon her face. Though she was sure that the air was still cool enough that the tip of her nose had turned red, she could also feel that the breeze had caused many small strands of her hair to have slipped free from her braid to brush delicately against her face as she stood still with her face tilted up to the sky. She lost herself to the peace of that moment, allowing herself to relish in the pride she felt in herself for refusing Henry, she was so absorbed within her own little world that she didn't hear him coming. She didn't hear the low, rough sound of his boots marching over the gravel path, didn't hear his harsh breathing as he drew closer, and so she was completely startled when she felt the hard, forceful grip of his claw like hand as he seized her upper arm and spun her around so forcefully that her walking stick fell from her grasp. Anne's eyes snapped abruptly open and her lips parted in shock as she gaped up at the man that held her arm so violently within his grasp, panic and fear slashed through her stomach at the sight of a face that had once held nothing but love, safety and security for her, a face that was these days was always twisted with a sickening desperation and bitterness that made her heart ache.
Thomas Boleyn's grip on her arm tightened painfully, it felt as though he were about to twist it off, and as she looked up into his eyes she felt fear spill into her stomach, she had never seen him behave this way before and she immediately felt incredibly foolish for her little display the night before, she should have known better. Her father was not one to be played around with, and certainly not when he had wagered everything that he had upon this gamble including his children, if anything went wrong he would lose everything, and not just everything they had gained but everything that they had already had, and they would all die.
"Daughter." He greeted through gritted teeth, "Since when did you get it into your little mind that you set the terms of our meetings hmmm?" He hummed as he dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her upper arm "Did you think it was amusing to have your lackeys speak to your father like that?"
Anne rapidly shook her head, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes from panic and from the increasing amount of pressure he was placing in his grip, her arm was going to be bruised, she knew it already.
"No? You didn't get a laugh out of humiliating your father and brother? From treating us as though we were lowly, common vermin beneath your Royal feet?"
"No, I-"
"Well then my dear, perhaps in the future you will remember that you are not above your family, and you will remember that without your family's guidance that you have been entirely unable to regain the King's attention, so perhaps it would be best for all of us if you got your arse off your high horse and did as your family requires" He growled out at her, small sprays of spittle flew out into the air beside her shoulder with every word.
When she didn't immediately respond he once again tightened his grip upon her arm, twisting it to the point it made her whimper in pain. 'Court makes monsters out of men' she thought with her tears finally spilling down her cheeks as she stared up at the shadow of the man that had once been the father she had loved so fiercely. Thomas seemed to run out of patience waiting for her to answer him and he twisted her arm again causing her to whimper once more only this time her father didn't get the chance to speak as a deep voice cut across the morning air.
"Boleyn."
Thomas and Anne both froze at the voice, though Anne suspected for rather different reasons, however as her father turned his head to face the intruder, she kept her gaze pinned upon the side of her father's chin. She couldn't bare to look at him, she could imagine just how terrible she looked, stood with her arm clutched up by her father and her face bright red and tear stained, she most probably looked like a child in the middle of a scolding, she could feel the embarrassment rising up within her.
"Brandon." Thomas greeted with all the warmth of a January frost "What brings His Grace out into the Gardens this fine day?"
But Charles ignored the man and instead he stared over at Anne, who had finally worked up the courage to face the Duke only to bite down on her lower lip in humiliation as she felt more tears begin to fall silently down her cheeks. He was staring at her with something hard in his expression, something she hadn't seen before, his eyes then lowered down to the gravel and with a furrowed brow she followed his gaze to see her walking stick, lying flat upon the ground and she realized that her father must have spun around her at some speed for the stick to have flown out that far from her.
"I think it would be wise for you to let go of Her Majesty's arm before I call the Royal Guards." Charles spoke with a low, even tone that seemed to unsettle her father.
Thomas Boleyn barked out a forced laugh "I would bid Your Grace to mind his own business, I am a father speaking with my daughter."
"You are a Courtier speaking with your Queen, and if you have any self-preservation skills as I suspect you do, you will remove your hand from her arm and yourself from her presence before I inform both the King and the Royal Guards as to your treatment of Her Majesty."
Her father seemed at a loss for words for a moment before he ripped his hand from her arm and glared furiously over at the Duke "Your Grace." He spat as he began to walked away.
"My lord." Charles returned with equal venom.
…...
Thank you all so much for your comments, they mean the world to me, so thank so much. I hope you enjoy the new chapter.
I just wanted to quickly add that Aunt Isabel is obviously not real, she never existed, I made her up for plot reasons, and I know that Anne's dog Purkoy had already died by this point but I figured that she had enough stress on her plate that I would allow her to still have her dog.