October 17th, 1539
Richmond Palace
Henry limply sifted through the details of the marriage treaty Cromwell had negotiated. He was going to marry a sister of the Duke of Cleves, hopefully Anne, who appeared to be the more attractive of the two. Cromwell had also tried to secure a betrothal of the Duke's eldest daughter to Prince Edward. Alas, the girl was already promised to someone else-the Prince of Asturias. Not that it mattered much to Henry, he could betroth his son to any princess in Europe and break the betrothal just as quickly. Currently he was betrothed to the younger daughter, Amalia. Henry was reluctant to marry Anne of Cleves, but Cromwell was correct when he pointed out that England had no friends on the continent at the moment. Anne was said to be sweet and docile which was perfect for Henry. After the disaster of Anne Boleyn, Henry was done with women who thought they were more intelligent than he. He simply wanted a Duke of York to join the nursery with his two year old son.
"Your Majesty, your Queen Anne will arrive in December. Hopefully she will not be delayed and we will have a strong Duke of York by the close of next year." Cromwell brought Henry from his thoughts.
Henry nodded. "Of course. Do you honestly believe it was a good idea to betroth Edward to the younger daughter? "
Cromwell nodded. "They say that the Lady Isabella is very delicate. She'll most likely die in childbed with a weak child and Amalia will succeed. If Amalia doesn't succeed Edward will avoid war with the Empire. Either way, England will gain something."
Henry was taken aback. "You believe they'll go to war over that insignificant piece of land?"
"Of course. The Empire is constantly amending its treaties so that they can absorb it." Cromwell passed him a piece of parchment.
It was the final piece of his treaty with Cleves. It was the dowry agreement which was to be paid in full once she arrived. He signed it and watched Cromwell disappear from the room. He was curious. What was this Anne like?
October 19th, 1539
Berg, Germany
Sophia tucked her younger daughter Amalia into the crib with Isabella, who was ducking her thumb while she slept. It was a peaceful sight, as Sophia reached down to tuck a piece of red hair behind Isabella's ear. Amalia's head was covered in dark brown hair like her father and she also seemed like the stronger daughter. As apart of a double alliance with England, Amalia was betrothed to the Prince of Wales, but the treaty with the Empire stated that her daughter be betrothed to Archduke John of Austria, the second oldest son of the Emperor. Yet her marriage treaty stated that the second child of their marriage would inherit the United Duchies, not Guelders. Sophia had been praying often, especially after Empress Isabella died in childbed. Sophia had immediately found the treaty her father had signed, the one that gave Emperor Charles the right to break her marriage apart at will. She had fallen in love with her husband and children, Charles couldn't take that away from her.
A knock at the door made her jump and she hid the parchment behind a book as Maria shuffled to the door. With a bitterness, Maria reminded Sophia of Sarah every day. Sarah had died after giving birth to a daughter destined to be a whipping girl, then a maid of honor. Sophia smiled when she realized it was Anna at the door.
Sophia went to embrace her. "Your Majesty, the Queen of England."
Anna pushed her away. "I do not want to marry him. After the things you told me about his wives, Sophia how could you allow my brother to do this?"
Sophia sighed with guilt. "I tried to stop him, but the alliance is mutually beneficial. He may not be the best husband but your brother needs him. If you give him a son he cannot discard you and he cannot kill you, I'll go to war with him if he does."
Anna was close to tears. "Sophia, what if he does not like me?"
Sophia hugged her again. "The worst that could happen is that he sends you home. Until you marry him, however, I am going to prepare you for your role as Queen with the help of the English ambassador."
Anna wrinkled her nose. "So you are going to willingly send me into despair and unhappiness?"
Sophia shook her head. "He was very devoted to his wives until they failed to give him a son from what it seems. The last wife gave him a son and he grieved bitterly from what his minister tells me. All you must do is give him a second son."
Anna glared at Sophia, a funny expression on her face as she never really got angry. "And if I cannot?"
Sophia smirked. "Prepare to be locked away for the rest of your days!"
"Sophia! This is serious." Anna flopped into a chair.
Sophia chuckled. "Anna you are pretty, gentle, and you learn very quickly. What more could he ask for?"
Anna stared into the fire sullenly. Sophia knew she would mope about unless she was given something to distract herself.
"Anna, would you like to learn some Latin?" Sophia went to a shelf and pulled out one of her old translation books.
Anna got up curiously and Sophia handed her the book. "Sophia, you know what my mother will say."
Sophia ignored the comment. "I heard that King Henry likes his wives to be very cultured. So here's a book in French too. I asked the ambassador to come with some of the king's favorite music tomorrow."
Anna shook her head. "My mother always told me that that clever women were immoral."
Sophia sighed in exasperation. "If you want to have a happy marriage, do as I ask. If you want to continue to be sheltered by your mother and be locked away by your husband then be my guest."
Anna was visibly shaking. "I guess I'd better start learning these translations."
Sophia smiled. "Very good, sister. I've also arranged for you to be fitted for new dresses."
"New dresses? I fit my-"
Sophia raised a hand. "They will be from France. You must begin to dress in the English fashion."
Anna was beginning to look overwhelmed with the changes Sophia was imposing. Sophia just wanted the best for Anna and she needed to give her a fighting chance for King Henry' s affections. Sophia was even considering traveling to England with her but William was reluctant, knowing it would mean that they could not try for another child so that Sophia could travel safely. Sophia was only 20, she could wait a short time before trying for another child. However, Sophia ' main focus was preparing Anna to become a queen of a foreign land. Anna excused herself from Sophia, arms filled with books of all the things Duchess Maria had hidden from her daughters. Before she could close the door behind her, one of her father's pages bowed before her.
"Your Grace," He bowed.
Normally they only referred to her as Lady Sophia, and she eyed the page curiously. "Speak."
"I regret to inform you of this, but your father passed away in April of last year."