Upon seeing the Queen entering the Presence Chamber, Henry thrust aside the state papers containing his brother in laws request and stood up with his arms held out wide.
"Sweetheart!" he bellowed joyfully, his eyes coming to rest on Queen Anne's belly and fairly beaming with happiness as she climbed the dais and sat down on the smaller velvet throne to the right of the King's far grander one.
"Good day, my husband," said Queen Anne lightly as Henry proceeded to sit next to her, "I hope you have had a chance to consider my brothers request?"
Henry waved a hand dismissively, "Never mind that now my love. How fares my son today?" he said eagerly, eyes remaining on her slightly swollen midriff while the court milled around, giving the illusion of privacy.
Queen Anne bit back a sharp retort as she seethed inwardly at the lack of attention her husband seemed to be paying to foreign affairs, especially to those of her brother who was in dire need of assistance. She could barely restrain herself from slapping Henry's hand when he reached over and patted her belly fondly. Instead, Anne forced herself to smile sweetly and nod to various people in the crowded room. Finally, Henry sat back, looking very pleased and Anne seized her chance.
"Your Grace, far be it from me to meddle in matters of state, but my brother the Duke has written to me in the most emphatic terms of his need of your aid and his need really is most pressing…"
She stopped abruptly when Henry suddenly turned a closed and icy gaze towards her.
"Madam, you take too much upon yourself when you presume to remind me of my duty in foreign matters. The good Duke shall have my answer in due course. This subject is at an end." Henry rose up from his throne and everyone dropped into bows and curtsies at once. All with the exception of Jane Seymour who tarried a little too long in her duty to her King. Henry paused and in his sudden bad mood swung round to confront this breach of etiquette and instead met a pair of confident sky blue eyes and golden visage dressed in ice blue satin. With a quirk of her full lips, she finally lowered her eyes and sank into a slow curtsy.
Queen Anne watched the exchange with her heart sinking. How typical Henry was. The first sign of a pretty face and he would act like a moonstruck clod without a single thought in his head but the chase and eventual conquest. It was such a sad pattern that went on time and time again without much variation. Anne loved the King in her own way and it always smote her heart every time it happened. It was like the friendly affection between them was being slowly extinguished on the repeated desire of a King on any girl that took his fancy.
Henry mentally shook himself and stared around the Presence Chamber, surprised momentarily to see all his courtiers surrounding him. With one last look at the bent golden head, he turned and strode out, resolving to ask Wolsey who the new beauty was.
Jane raised her eyes from the shirt she was mending with amusement. German ladies really were stupidly dull. Queen Anne liked to be read to from boring old tomes in her language which grated on the ear and could not be understood by anyone except the insipid ladies that had come over with her from the Duchy of Cleves. At other times the Queen ordered German folk songs to be sung on odd little string instruments that also grated on the ear. Jane could hardly suppress a snigger as one of the old ladies quavered through what should have been a romantic ballad. She looked at the Queen who showed no sign that a alley kitten was clawing away at true love in German. Jane cleared her throat and as one, all the ladies in waiting looked up, some in obvious relief as the caterwauling stopped.
"I wonder your grace if I may venture to offer a little song?" said Jane sweetly, "I am not so sophisticated as to aspire to understand German."
If Queen Anne noticed the veiled sarcasm in the statement, she gave no sign. She merely smiled as if there would be no greater pleasure on earth and Jane went to the virginals and selected a piece. She had just played the opening notes and drawn in a breath to sing when the doors to the Queens apartments opened.
"His Grace, the King!"
Henry strode in and all but ignored the Queen except for a short bow in her general direction as his eyes sought out Jane who was still sitting at the virginals. With his hands folded almost in prayer, the King spoke to her softly, "Continue."
Throughout her song, Jane was fully aware of the King's unwavering gaze upon her. She had always known the effect she had on men. On some occasions, the effects were truly embarrassing, but with the King of England, opportunity had come knocking. Jane knew all about Henry's womanizing ways, but knew that if one played the game and did it well, power and wealth could be forthcoming.
"Very lovely, Lady Jane." said the Queen when everyone had finished clapping, none more enthusiastically than the King. "Come and sit beside me for a spell."
"No, no, Lady Jane. You must come with me for a stroll in the gardens. Little songbirds always benefit from fresh air." said Henry quickly, rising and offering a hasty bow to his wife. "You can spare Lady Jane for a while my love, can't you?"
Queen Anne hesitated for a fraction of a second while Jane waited with bated breath for her to refuse outright.
Anne forced herself to smile.
"Of course, husband. Lady Jane must be tired from the strains of this mornings sewing."
The implied derision in the answer was completely lost on Henry who clapped his hands jovially together then offered one of them to Jane and without a backwards glance marched out of his wife's rooms.