Chapter XV

May, 1552

After being 'rescued' and led into the dance by Nobleness, Eleanor smiled as she guessed her partner to be her brother Arthur.

"You are an excellent dancer, Lady Honour," complimented Nobleness.

"As are you, Lord Nobleness," Eleanor replied, surprised Arthur had decided – or was capable of – to change his voice. "You seem to be as noble as your name."

"Ah, and I believe you are as honourable as your own. I wonder why you are not Lady Beauty? You are of far more exquisite and lovely than Lady Beauty. You dance like a pretty nymph and your radiant beauty matches that of the goddess Venus herself! Lady Beauty is beautiful, yes, but you are the rose of the court in my eyes, Lady Honour."

"Why, thank you!" She was flattered Arthur considered her more attractive than Katherine (Beauty) who had been said to be one of the most beautiful princesses in England.

"It has indeed been an honour dancing with you, my lady." He smiled at her before she was whisked into the next part of the dance by Youth, whom she easily recognised as her now married fifteen year old brother, Edmund.

"My Lady Honour," said Edmund, smiling at her.

"My Lord Youth," Eleanor responded, beaming at him happily. "Such gallantry you showed at such a tender age! You are indeed blessed by the Almighty!"

She curtsied at him when the dance ended and it was time for the unmasking. As expected, Youth was Edmund, but what surprised her was her 'rescuer' and first dance partner, Nobleness. Instead of Arthur, it was a stranger! She was not the only one that was shocked at the startling revelation! Just to be certain, Eleanor scanned the other lords slowly and carefully: Amorousness, played surprisingly by Arthur; Youth, presented by Edmund; Attendance, equally shockingly played by the much-hated Guillame de Luil; Loyalty, performed by Prince Hal of Lancaster; Pleasure, represented by Lord Thomas Howard; Gentleness, personified by their cousin Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and finally Liberty, played by Sir Arthur Pole, the newly created 1st Earl Montacute.

Eleanor's fellow 'Virtues' were similarly astounded as Amorousness was revealed to be Arthur and Nobleness portrayed by a stranger! For an air of mystery, the chosen ladies were forbidden to disclose their 'virtuous titles' to each other and Eleanor was quite astonished to see Isabelle de Luil – now Lady Ughtred – as Lady Pity.

I suppose she was quite suited to the role, she thought as the audience gasped and whispered about the stranger. Arthur pitied her and as an illegitimate child of our late father, she would always be pitied, even now she is married. Oh, it is quite unsurprising that Katherine is Lady Beauty and Perseverance was played by Elizabeth. Cousin Mary Brandon is always kind and the part of Lady Kindness suited her perfectly. My word! The Lady Protector was even asked to perform as Lady Mercy! Catherine Grey is Lady Bounty and...Lady Jane Dudley as Constancy?!

"Lords and ladies," announced Arthur, placing a hand on Nobleness's arm. "You may be all wondering who our special guest is. I have the privilege to present to you all, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince Eric of Sweden, Duke of Kalmar!"

Eleanor inwardly gasped as she saw her future husband flash her another smile.

"Some of you may know of England's alliance with Sweden," continued Arthur. "For those who do not, my uncle, the Duke of Richmond, had travelled to Sweden and convinced His Majesty of Sweden to sign a peace treaty with England. The King had also agreed to the marriage of my sister, Princess Eleanor, to his heir, the Crown Prince! It is the Crown Prince himself, that was eager for an alliance with England, and as a thanks, I – through Lord Richmond – invited him to England."

The courtiers applauded and the Crown Prince nodded at them politely.

"Let the dancing begin!" declared Arthur, choosing Katherine as a dance partner. The musicians instantly struck a cheerful tune and the Crown Prince walked up to Eleanor and said with a broad smile on his face, "Your Highness, may I have the honour of asking you for the first dance?"

Beaming equally happily, Eleanor accepted. "You speak English well," she commented. "You speak it as if you were born an English nobleman! I could not believe you were Lord Nobleness! I thought you were my brother, the King! You are as tall as him and just as kind! Believe me, I think everyone here thought Nobleness would be the King!"

Eric laughed jovially. "I loved languages ever since I was a child and my father encouraged me to pursue and learn as many languages as I wish! Of course I was taught Swedish as a babe, and also Danish – the prospect of a Swedish alliance with Denmark – and when I learnt my mother was a German princess, I taught myself German. Then I heard of the strong island England, and I became determined to friend England when I ascend as king, so I asked for an English tutor!"

"Four languages, Your Highness?!"

"That is not all, but I am afraid I will frighten a princess like yourself!"

"I will not be frightened, I can assure you of that!"

Eric looked at her and nodded. "Indeed! You seem a strong princess to me! Like all my siblings, I was also taught French, Ancient Greek, Latin and Italian. I plan to pursue Polish next! What about you, my lady princess? Do you have a talent for languages?"

"You are indeed impressive, my lord prince. I was taught French, Ancient Greek, Italian, Latin and Polish like all the other English princesses."

"Magnifique, Madame la Princesse!"

Eleanor laughed and shook her head. "There is nothing magnificent about learning five languages. All princesses in Christendom learn at least five."

"And all five languages will sound magnificent when you speak them. Will you learn Swedish, my English rose? My father will expect his daughters-in-law to speak Swedish!"

"I suppose I will must learn Swedish. Perhaps you can help me?"

"Det kommer att vara min ära, min engelska rose." He bowed to her as the dance finished and laughed freely as Eleanor was immediately swept into the next dance by Arthur. The other courtiers stared at him in astonishment, surprised at his carefree manner.

"You planned this the whole time," said Eleanor accusingly, though with a smile as Arthur twirled her around. "You knew I would be upset about Hal's marriage with Jane and secretly planned this masquerade for me! That is why Edmund had to marry so early! You can use wedding celebrations as an excuse for this re-enactment and introducing me to the Crown Prince!"

"Indeed," confessed Arthur, with a lingering grin. "Do you approve?"

"Every dancer knew their steps-"

"Exactly! Except you. Did you not find it strange how everyone knew their parts? I wanted you happy, Eleanor. You will always be my sweet rose and my favourite sister. Your wedding will be splendid and as grand as Cecily's! How would you like that?"

"Can I have a simple wedding?"

Arthur looked at her in surprise. "A simple wedding? You are a princess!"

"I do not want a grand wedding. When I marry the Crown Prince, our wedding in Sweden will be grand enough. As my dearest brother, please grant my wish and give us a simple betrothal ceremony? I'm sure the Crown Prince will not mind."

"But why? I do not understand!"

"I think simple ceremonies are more meaningful than grand ceremonies."

Arthur nodded and smiled. "Very well. When the time comes, you will have your simple wedding – on my word of honour!"

"Thank you. Do you think I can still go to Poland?"

"Well, it is up to you, dear sister. After meeting your betrothed, do you still wish to go to Poland? I believe the Crown Prince plans to stay here for a month or so to understand our ways. Wouldn't it be a pity if his bride-to-be leaves for Poland? He could mistaken it for an act of disloyalty – after all, Sweden and Poland had a history of feuds and short-lived peace treaties."

Eleanor sighed and smiled faintly. "I think I will stay in England while longer, if it is alright with you, my lord brother. I will continue living here to um, help the Crown Prince understand England and its customs and traditions. I must say, he is eager for this alliance with England."

"He does," agreed Arthur. "You would've made a fine ruler if you were a boy! I still cannot believe you are only thirteen years old with the mind of a politician! Edmund will be a fine advisor, but you! I can picture you as a fair ruler! The Crown Prince will be a fool if he does not listen to your judgement and advice when the two of you marry. Whenever you wish to leave for Poland, tell me and I will arrange it at once. One of my greatest wishes is for you to be happy."

Eleanor smiled again – this time more broadly – and said, "Thank you, dear brother. If there is ever a time you doubt one's loyalty, you can always trust me."

"I know. I will never doubt your love for me."

"What about Edmund's?"

"He is my dearest brother! He will never plot against me."

"Cecily?"

"She is as sweet to me as you are dear. She is now a queen, but I will always remember her as my little sister. I can always count on her if I need aid."

"Elizabeth?"

Arthur's expression darkened. "She is too sly for my liking. Everything Elizabeth does is for herself; never for us or her Dudley family, but for herself."

"She is still your sister."

"She is more Boleyn than Tudor. I still remember the day when she rejected Archduke Maximilian as her betrothed and wanted to marry that Dudley instead! I was humiliated, Eleanor! Humiliated!" He sighed and said uncertainly, "But she is still my sister…"

"A family is stronger than an army," said Eleanor wisely. "You can rely on them more than you can rely on your own men."

Arthur nodded. "When did you get so wise?" he teased. "Where is my little sister that used to hide behind me whenever our mother came along to see us?"

Eleanor laughed and said quietly just before the dance ended, "When Henry of Lancaster married Jane Grey, he broke my heart, but also swept away my childish innocence. Our love was not fully like the love between Uncle George and Aunt Mary, and is more of an affection. I will forget about Henry and look ahead to the future as I should've done earlier. I am needed here in England to help cement good relations between Sweden and England and when I am older, I will leave England as the Crown Princess of Sweden and continue forging a bridge between our England and Sweden."

Mary had retired early from the celebrations and sat in front of an empty fireplace in her chambers, her heart aching with misery and loneliness as she glanced at the vacant chair beside her.

George's chair.

He had created an alliance between England and Sweden successfully and instead of celebrating it in England, he was still in Sweden. Mary selfishly wanted him home – and by her side – but knew he would not leave Sweden until the alliance is set in motion, or at least the betrothal between Crown Prince Eric and Eleanor officially solemnised.

When he finally returns to England, no doubt he would be rewarded richly, but Mary wished he would come home quickly for her sake.

She plucked a letter from the casket on the table beside her and opened it, eagerly hoping it was another letter from George. She sighed gloomily when she realised it was not, but was quite intrigued by it as it was a letter to her from her sweet Annie from France.

My dearest Mother, she read. I hope you and Papa are both well and happy in England. The King of France is kind to us and the Dauphin François is affectionate towards Margaret and I believe they are content in their betrothal – even though they are only eight years of age! Princesses Élisabeth and Claude are delightful and I have found the King's natural daughter, Mademoiselle Diane de France, a lovely companion and friend. It is a pity that she will not remain in France, as the King had affianced her to Orazio Farnese, Duke of Castro. Perhaps I will meet her in Italy one day. The King treats my sisters and I as if we are his own daughters, but the Queen frightens me. Of course it is rude and cruel of me to confess my fear of the said lady – especially as we are under her care – but I cannot resist. There are whispers around Court that when the Queen was only Duchess of Orléans, she had her brother-in-law poisoned! Oh, Mother, could that be true?! I also wish to inform you of a more alarming matter: Their Majesties of France had arranged for me to marry Prince Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara, the King's cousin. The Prince is five years my senior, but are Their Majesties permitted to betroth me to a man of their picking without asking you or Papa about it first? Margaret will marry the Dauphin whilst I wed a d'Este prince, yet nothing has been said of Bess! I long to hear from you soon, your dear daughter, Annie.

Mary sighed, relieved to hear from her daughter yet wary of the new political matter that had risen from France. She was not aware of Annie's betrothal to Alfonso d'Este, and wondered why King Henri II of France decided to marry her to an Italian prince rather than a French one.

Then again, the Queen of France is Italian…but the French King listened more to the advice of his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, than her.

Perhaps it was Queen Catherine de Medici that schemed to have Annie married to a d'Este prince, but for what purpose? Would it not be better for one of her own daughters to wed an Italian prince rather than an English princess?

On the other hand, Catherine de Medici was an extremely ambitious mother – despite being a downtrodden and often ignored wife – and would want all her daughters married to kings and her sons married to rich heiresses. Clearly it was the French advisors that wanted an Anglo-French alliance more than Catherine de Medici. She must've been furious when she discovered her precious Dauphin would be robbed of a Scottish Queen bride.

The thoughts of the little Queen of Scots made Mary a little uneasy.

Was Arthur ready for marriage?

Would he treat his wife cruelly like how their father did to both their mothers?

Of course she would've preferred her Ned married to the Queen of Scots to introduce English customs into barbaric Scotland slowly before uniting Scotland to England, but Arthur was adamant in marrying the young Queen and as he almost reached his majority, it would be best for her to remain on his good side for the last few months of the regency.

Mary murmured a quick prayer, hoping Arthur would remain the sweet boy she had watched over during his childhood. She also prayed vehemently for the removal of Guillame de Luil who was the thorn at her side as long as he is alive.

She opened another letter, this one written by Jane.

Dear Mary, she read. My brother-in-law, the Elector Palatine, had passed away. Philip is now the Elector and as his wife, I am Electress Consort. I thought it would be best to inform you the news now before other monarchs in Christendom learn about it. Our children are now the Princess and Princes of the Palatinate as well as of Bavaria, and I assure you, that will not undermine the impending betrothal between the Duke of York and my Maria Anna. Your good friend, Jane, Electress Palatine.

Again, Mary felt slightly uneasy and guilty as she recalled the wedding celebrations for Edmund and Maria Anna. Once Jane returns to England, she will catch wind of the wedding festivities and will not be particularly pleased at all.

"I'm not surprised to find you here at such a time."

Anne sat on the empty chair and looked at Mary, waiting for an answer.

"The Swedish ambassador is quite impressed at the spectacle," Anne continued. "He is extremely pleased with the alliance with England and thinks you are responsible for it as Arthur's regent. I did not have the heart to tell him you did not orchestrate it."

"Arthur will not be pleased," Mary said mildly. "He pushed for an Anglo-Swedish alliance. Once George returns from Sweden, I think we should retire to the countryside. I wish I have a grandchild to raise! I miss spending time with a child."

"I'm sure Lady Ormond will be with child soon."

"She is in Poland and Hal is here. If Jane begets a child, how would I know it is truly Hal's? She does not strike me as one who will be unfaithful, but who knows? Perhaps she may meet a handsome Polish noble whilst serving Cecily and becomes pregnant by him."

"How suspicious you have become! She is family, is she not? By blood to you and through marriage with me. Trust the girl. She is a Boleyn now and a princess of Lancaster. She would not dare disgrace herself and our family in Poland. She has never caused a serious scandal when she was in England, so why would she in Poland? I admit, I did not like her much when Arthur was infatuated with her, but not that she is married and Arthur betrothed, I have decided to…re-evaluate her. When she comes back to England, she will need to be a lady-in-waiting, will she not? To you or to me?"

"You think her sweet once she is no longer a threat?"

Anne gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"Were you concerned Jane Grey would seduce Arthur into marrying her?" Mary looked at her more warily than she had done so in quite some time. "I do not see why you would be concerned…unless you are still uncertain about your son's right to the throne."

"I…I want Arthur to wed a princess, not an English noblewoman – especially one who is the daughter of ambitious parents and royal and aristocratic bloodline."

Mary almost laughed aloud. "You cannot be serious! How did you think my mother felt when she realised my father wanted to marry you? She was the descendant of kings, princes and dukes and was an Infanta of Castile and Aragon while you…you were the daughter of a knight!"

"I thought we are now friends."

"Lady Jane is now my daughter-in-law. It would please me greatly if you do not view her as an ambitious woman who has her eyes on the throne. She is married to my son and is a Boleyn now. If you still think her as a younger version of yourself, you may be excused from any family gatherings I plan to organise when she returns from Poland."

"A younger version of myself?! Why would you think that?! Do you think I am a meek, obedient bird like Jane or even the Duchess of Bavaria? Well, I'm not!"

"I doubt you refused to be my father's mistress because you truly loved him."

Anne stared at her, hurt. "What is all this? Is something the matter?"

Mary was silent for a moment before replying, "I'm concerned about Arthur. I've long accepted him as king, but what kind of king will he be once the regency is over? He is the product of you and Henry VIII. I doubt I'm the only one who noticed his…behaviour before that joust. He was sullen, unpleasant and rather demanding and stubborn. You were a demanding mistress, but I believe Arthur inherited those characteristics from Henry VIII, not you. However, after the joust when he lost his memory, he showed his intelligence and proved the capability of being a caring king. What if he gets his memory back? With de Luil lurking in the shadows, it is quite possible he would poison Arthur's mind with lies. If he has already gained some of his memory back, it will not be good for either of us; you will be banished from Court and I will be exiled, if not thrown into the Tower."

"Arthur would not dare do that!"

"Even with de Luil hissing in his ear?"

Anne paused. "The people will not allow it. A king only stays as king due to the love of his people. Arthur will not be foolish enough to break their trust and love in him."

"Arthur is of the late king's blood; he has a fickle nature. My late father always craved love and affection from the people, but when he lost it, he turned to anger and cruelty."

"Do you think Arthur will be like him?"

"Possibly."

"If I did not give him a son, do you think you would be queen, or Elizabeth?"

"Either way, a Boleyn-Tudor would ascend the throne; either through me or through you. That was clever of Norfolk, very clever."

"How do you know it wasn't me who suggested it?"

Mary eyed her. "Back then, you would've wanted me dead rather than alive. Anyway, that is not the point; shall we be more concerned about our futures more, or that of England?"

"You always cared for England more than yourself."

"Indeed, but if I am executed, what will happen to England?"

"I'm certain England can survive any brutality Arthur throws on her. England is strong; she survived invasions, wars and natural disasters. I'm sure England can live through and survive Arthur's harshness if he decides to be a merciless ruler."

"I hope I will be as confident as you are."

"I'm sure you will. Like you, I fear Arthur's ah, level of malice, but I will always think of him as my son. I hope he learns and tames his temper – reward those loyal to him and be merciless to those who prove to be traitors." Anne flashed her a confident smile. "You yourself admitted that I have wit. If we are fortunate, Arthur would've inherited it. George will be home soon and all will be well. Edmund is now married to Maria Anna of Bavaria, Cecily wed to the King of Poland, Arthur betrothed to the Queen of Scots and Eleanor affianced to the Crown Prince of Sweden; England is politically safe."

"Safe from whom? Arthur or France?"

"Have you considered what you will do once the regency is over?"

Mary shrugged. "I thought of a number of opportunities such as travelling to Spain and Portugal, but nothing serious. Do you have any suggestions? Or are you one of those people who believe I show retire to the country and be a good wife?"

Anne did not know if she was sarcastic or not. "You deserve a rest," she said uncertainly. "Perhaps a trip to Austria? Katherine will be delighted to see you. Or maybe even France? You have three daughters there and they will all be delighted to see you."

"I still have time to consider my future. What about you? Once the Queen of Scots marries Arthur, your court duties will have lessened."

"I too, have time."

The two women smiled at each other and began discussing more pleasant topics such as the elegance of Edmund's dancing. Unbeknown to them, Guillame de Luil had heard their entire conversation from his hiding spot in George's empty and rather dusty study. He had formed a habit of eavesdropping and enjoyed spying on both the Queen Dowager and the Lady Protectress – especially the latter. Though they are both no longer young, Guillame could not help but think them still beautiful and quite attractive as he headed off to the King's chambers. Oh, the King would not be back yet – he would be dancing and conversing until he is exhausted – but it will give him time to deliberate over the information he heard from the Queen Dowager and the Lady Protectress.

Who knows? Perhaps if he plays his cards right, the King's first action – when his regency is over – will be to throw the Queen Dowager and the Lady Protectress into the Tower as the traitors they are.

Sorry for the long wait! It took me a while to write this chapter, but hopefully the next chapter will be quicker :) All ideas are welcome :)