Cromwell waited patiently in the queen's chambers for his audience with Jane. He had been pleased to receive the summons and hoped to reap some of the rewards for doing her bidding. Perhaps with the queen's patronage, he would recover his place at court and at Henry's side. After all, it had been his partnership with Anne that had catapulted him into his high office before. It was only their disagreement over state funds that had come between them. And while he certainly expected to come out the victor in that battle, she had cost him the king's trust.
He knew she was at court, lady-in-waiting to her unwanted successor. He wondered how she was finding her new place in life- compared to the one he had fought to take from her. He couldn't imagine she was happy to follow the rules that Henry had imparted on her. The door opened and he stood, sweeping the cap off his head. It was as if his thoughts summoned the lady in question. She appeared in the doorway along with a handful of the queen's ladies. He caught the sudden surprise in her eyes as she momentarily froze before recovering smoothly and moving forward in her duties. He took the moment to silently observe her and grudgingly had to admit to himself that she looked well.
The arrival of the queen ended his silent observation. He swept a deep bow to the lady he hoped would help him. "Your Majesty," he murmured.
"Master Cromwell," she greeted him pleasantly, in a tone of honeyed sweetness. Jane wore a pale blue gown, embroidered with thread of silver and seed pearls. She looked like a lovely English rose, the perfect Tudor queen. She allowed him to take her arm as she led him away from the ladies prying ears. "I wanted to thank you, sir, for your assistance in my delicate matter..." he nodded quickly, pleased she had broached the subject so immediately.
"I am ever at your service, Your Majesty. I do hope I can assist you another time as well. You need only say the word. I was surprised by the request..." He trailed off, hoping for some form of explanation. Why she would choose to involve herself in such a matter. How she had even known that an investigation had been warranted.
But she just smiled blandly, revealing nothing. "I am glad to see the duke has accompanied you. It is good for him to be back at court, now that the shadow of his separation is leaving him. It is for the good of the kingdom that we have a strong family situated in the north."
Ah, perhaps this was the reason. She wanted to install a favorite as the new duchess. His eyes swept over her ladies and he wondered who she would push forward. He smiled back at the queen and agreed. They spoke a few moments more, of nothing of consequence, before she took her leave. He bowed deeply again as she moved past him, her ladies trailing behind. Anne was the last to leave, her dark gaze straight ahead as she moved past him with her head held high.
He couldn't resist. He couldn't let her go without a word. As she passed him, he leaned towards her. "I must say, I did not expect to see you again," he murmured under his breath.
He caught the tweak of her lips into a sardonic smirk before a sweep of her eyelashes masked her face once again and she inclined her head respectfully. Ever the chameleon- this woman. She was like him, he had to admit. Too much like him for his comfort in all honesty. They had both risen far above the station they were born to and used their wit and tenacity to climb the slippery ladder of the world of nobility. They were two people that so many had hitched their wagons to, yet had been equally hated by the masses. Anne had shot like a rising star at court, her natural elegance pairing with her keen shrewdness to open doors that had been barred to all previous social climbers, Cromwell included. But while Anne was charming and graceful, she was also capricious of nature and temperamental. That fire in her spirit that made her so magnetic, especially to men, also made her increasingly volatile when she was on unsteady ground.
Cromwell could remember those days well. After she had lost her second child, the spark that had always burned in those captivating eyes had turned into a panicked wildfire. He still recalled the moment that she had come to take him to task regarding the dissolution of those monasteries. While looking in hindsight, she had been correct to be angry and concerned about his actions, he had known in that moment that she was truly calling him out on his support of the Seymours. She had been like a cornered cat, lashing out viciously, but with fear bubbling violently under the surface. And he was the old dog that had cornered her, slowly walking her back until she was against the wall with no way to escape. It had been satisfying, he had to admit.
But then she had broken free. One minute she had been in the Tower, counting down the days until she stood before her executioner, and the next she had been free and Cromwell had been hastily bundled out of the king's inner circle.
"And yet here we stand, Master Cromwell." He could see the glimmer of humour in her eyes and knew that she was thinking along the same line.
"Here we stand."