Chapter 3

Jane's POV

"It's a lovely party you have here your majesty," Myrnin said beside me. I nervously met his gaze, though my nervousness was understandable, it was not necessary when I looked at him. He met my gaze with a warm smile; we stared at each other for more time than appropriate, well, as far as social convention went by.

"Thank you my Lord," I said as my gaze moved away from his kind eyes and onto his unusual outfit.

"I rather like your outfit. I think it's quite exquisite and..." Oh dear, I had ran out of adjectives. "Very... unusual...?" That was not I had been hoping to say.

Myrnin chuckled. "Thank you young one. Most would disagree, but I like it. Brings out my eyes, don't you think?" he says, as he does a very elegant pirouette.

The unusual action brought a smile to my face, and I could not help the smile that was plastered on my face.

"Very," I said, turning away, a small smile still playing on my face. I had to restrain myself from seeing exactly how the exotic outfit complemented his eyes, as I knew that I wouldn't be able to prevent myself from being lost in them. Uncomfortable silence followed afterwards.

"It must be hard being married to someone who you do not love," Myrnin said wistfully beside me. My head snapped up to stare at him with alarmed eyes.

"Pardon me? I don't think... I... Er... Um..." Oh God lord, I was stuttering now, as well as making a complete of myself. I was supposed to be a queen, not a fumbling imbecile.

"Lord Dudley. Your husband... Have you suffered a recent blow to your head your majesty?" Myrnin inquired curiously. I gawped at him gormlessly. He had me speechless.

"Myrnin, I do hope you're not pestering our queen," a pristine voice with such clarity and class to it spoke from the doorway of the balcony. She was the type of person you would expect a queen to be. Her skin was flawless porcelain; it gleamed in the moonlight and highlighted her grace. Her pale blonde hair was pinned up in a manner that showed her elegance.

"I was not pestering her!" Myrnin protested, shaking his head so his ringlets bounced around his shoulders. "I was merely offering her company!" he said pouting. His current child like state made me amused but given the current situation, I did not think it would be deemed appropriate.

"I'm absolutely positive you were," the woman said, almost skeptically, though she smiled at Myrnin with fondness. Her smile slowly vanished as her gaze drifted towards me. I felt myself grow nervous as her stare continued.

"Your majesty," she said curtseying like a lady, though I could not help but think it was me that should be curtseying to her. It was as if my self-worth did not live up to hers, and nor would it ever would. I merely nodded; I hoped it was regal enough for her to consider me as royalty.

"Jane! What on earth are you doing outside?" Father almost boomed striding behind the blonde haired woman. She immediately moved aside to allow my father's pot bellied figure, she almost disappeared compared to my father's presence. Myrnin and I had almost jumped apart to distance our proximity. I had not realised our positioning was deemed inappropriate, especially as a supposedly happy married woman.

"For God's sake child, can you not stay in one place?" Father said briskly walking towards me. "Get inside, I believe the Duchess of Yorkshire would like to engage in some sort of conversation," he barked at me, grabbing my arm with a force that would likely to bruise my pale skin.

I turned my head around and shot Myrnin an apologetic smile as my father dragged me inside. Myrnin smiled an understanding smile, creases formed at the sides of his face as if he had experience with forceful fathers. The blonde haired woman gave me a small nod as I was dragged past her, but father had dragged me inside before I could respond.

"I know you did not want to marry Dudley, but don't you dare embarrass me by committing adultery, you dirty little whore," he hissed through his teeth whilst we were still in the shadows of the crowds of people. He spoke down to me as if I was a woman of the night stalking the streets of Whitechapel in the nights. I suppose he has always referred to me in this way, but as he spends the majority of his time there you would expect me to treat me with some respect, but apparently not.

I longed to be free of him, him and everybody else I was surrounded by.

Amelie's POV

"Well, that was absolutely delightful," Laelia muttered sarcastically as she climbed into the carriage beside me. "I do believe that the Earl of Warwick tried to grope me several times, the nerve of it!" she said glaring, as she ran a jewelled hand through her long hair.

"Well, if you chose not to dress like a prostitute, I'm sure that wouldn't happen again," Oliver replied curtly beside me.

Laelia snapped a very unladylike response, filled with curse words and an inappropriate reference, but then again, Laelia was never really fond of social convention.

"And you call me a child," muttered Myrnin, staring wistfully out of the carriage window. I sighed and waited for their childlike squabbling to end.

"I do feel empathy for our Queen," I said sighing, as their petty argument had finished.

"As do I," said Laelia smugly, her argument with Oliver had ended with her victorious. "Shame Queen Mary will execute her soon."

I nodded in agreement as I stared into the streets of Tudor London.

Jane's POV

I cut my eyes at Dudley as we parted our separate ways to our separate chambers without so much of a farewell. Growing up, my friends and I had always fantasised about the many privileges that came with being married, most of which had caused us to blush. We would often read forbidden romance novels by candle light in the middle of the night, giggling with both embarrassment and longing. None of these had yet applied to me, even on our wedding night. Not that I wanted Dudley to be the one that took my innocence.

I acknowledged the maid's promise to help me get dressed for bed as I walked across the cobbled corridor to my room at the far side of the tower. After much anticipation, I had been rewarded a room in the tallest turret. It was undoubtedly the only thing that appealed to me when I first accepted the role of Queen of England.

The maid helped me release the pins from my hair and undid the finery I wore until I was dressed for bed in a simple bed robe, my hair spilling in waves around me. The maid said a fond farewell before exiting my chambers leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I promptly blew out a candle that lit up the tower before slipping into the bed sheets on my bed. I lay in darkness and tried not to think of the eccentric stranger that I had encountered today.

Thanks for reading, I hoped you liked it! Please review, I want to know what people think :)