Note: Here is the next chapter. The meeting of Anne and Henry after she escaped. Please enjoy and review so I know if I should still continue? =)
July 23, 1536
The shout of Henry could be heard outside his room when he received the letter a month later. Francis I declined his offer, but said he was willing to negotiate. "The Queen Anne is under my protection and shall not be handed over without a fair trial proving her guilty of the charges."
Crumpling the letter, Henry violently kicked on of his chair, broke it and proceeded to knock down the paper across his desk and hit the table.
"That's how you want it Anne!" he said, breathing heavily and eyes blazing with anger. "So be it. I am going to France and dragging you to England to die."
XXX
Within the month, Anne felt the change of not fearing for her future settle over her. There were times she was afraid what Henry would do, how she would feel when she saw him and their eyes met, but she could handle Henry's anger. For the first time since losing her baby, she felt secure and safe in the French court. She had always loved everything about France after all, their freedom, more secular views and the richness of the language and culture.
Anne had debated writing Henry a letter, so when one letter appeared from him, dated a little less than a month ago, her hands trembled as she saw his signature and she swallowed. Damn Henry. Once she felt neutral about his letters, disliked the attention then began to grow attached to them and look forward to his sweet words and promises. Henry was a first class seducer, bedded many women, won many hearts, hadn't he won hers and she still... suddenly she realized how Catherine must have felt and Anne wondered why she had hated Catherine so much when she suddenly realized why Catherine felt the way she did.
Of course Anne knew. As she fell in love with Henry, Catherine was the chasm between her and Henry. She stood in the way and signified everything right and true. In people's hearts she was the true queen and still was, while Anne the concubine who stole and bewitched Henry, making him chase her like a man possessed. She had hated Catherine then, so much! Looked down upon her as a weak woman, pleading at Henry's feet for a love he no longer felt. Anne was not so humble, nor did she want to be. When she saw Henry she would not plead at his feet or coax him to try to take her back.
Turning her eyes to the letter, she began to read:
Madame
If you think by taking refuge in France you have escaped inevitable death, you are mistaken. You are no longer queen and I shall annul our marriage. Even if you escape with your life, you will be hated for your treason, Anne. I say it would me much easier to surrender and return to England. If you do not heed my warning, I have no choice but to tear everything a part. You are trying my patience and I shall tear our daughter down as well and she will be illegitimate in the eyes of God. Do not think you can run, Anne and escape for I shall surely follow and pull you down just as quickly as I raised you from nothing.
The letter did not surprise Anne. Closing her eyes, she thought of what to do. Return and face death? The trail in England would be biased, nearly everyone despised her, she did not stand the chance. And she could not leave Elizabeth without a mother. Henry loved her, she was sure he did, but he showed little interest in Elizabeth and would no doubt neglect her. Anne's eyes narrowed and no doubt the bastard Mary if sitting on the throne would push Elizabeth aside and make her no better than a beggar, that was not the life she had in mind for Elizabeth!
Pulling out a quill, Anne intended to write Henry, until... the knock on the door.
"Yes?" Anne questioned, rising to her feet as a messenger came in with a letter for her written by Eleanor's hand. Before reading it, Anne nodded, the man bowed and then left. As soon as the door shut, Anne opened the letter:
King Henry, your husband has arrived in court. He demands an audience with you. Do what you will, it matters not if you comply or refuse.
XXX
"She is my bloody wife," Henry gritted through his teeth, his dark eyes flashing. "Francis, I warn you do not try to go against me. I can bring France down to her knees."
"As I recall," Francis smugly said in his french accent, "You divorced Anne therefore the marriage is null and she is not your wife. As this may be, she is under my protection and shall only journey wherever she wants to go."
Henry stared at him incredulously then laughed, surprisingly. "You are a smart man Francis, but perhaps not so smart... Anne will come back. She always comes back to me. Can't get enough of my sexual prowess. You'll see she shall come back with me."
Francis laughed. "I have heard of your notorious escapades and your woman of the court. If you are good then Anne shall go back, but she is smarter than your mistresses and shrewd. She knows she is safest here than in your arms or court, Henry."
XXX
Anne listened at the door and felt her chest heaving with annoyance and her face flame slightly. Henry thought she'd crawl to him. Oh! She wished she could just step in and with her sharp tongue tell him off, but she waited to listen to the conversation switch from her to move to the arts, politics and what was going on in England and France.
More, Anne felt herself annoyed because not once had she crawled to Henry. For years when she refused to become his mistress en titre, he'd chased her, crawled after HER and tried to seduce her. She's always wielded the power as she held her affections back and for Henry to imply she would crawl back to him made her feel sick and angry. When she saw him, she would not melt to him or be drawn in by his sensual lips, tall body and dark looks.
Suddenly Henry was bidding Francis adieu and would be heading to his gust room. Her back against the wall, Anne tried to move quietly to slip away, but she wasn't fast enough for Henry rounded the corner and she gasped as she saw him and his eyes winded as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Anne," he breathed and shook his head, stepping forward.
She moved back and glared at him. "Don't touch me," she violently breathed.
But he had, he caught her lightly with his hand at her neck and pushed her chin up so she was staring defiantly into his eyes.
"You fool," he said. "Were you thinking France could save you from the hell you made for me? You are going down Anne as I strip you of everything."
She jerked out of his grip. "Strip me of everything? I am no longer your life by the law and therefore can not die by the law. You have taken everything from me, Henry, my Elizabeth. So you have nothing by your power to take from me that would hurt me anymore than you already have."
"I have taken your crown, your daughter, my love from you and soon I shall have your life!" he shouted and she flinched, but barely.
"Our daughter, Henry," she angrily said. "Yours and mine! Elizabeth is strong and will put all the bastards you ever get from Jane Seymour to shame. As for your love, I love you no longer even if you love me. For I know you shall always love me!"
"I love you not!" He breathed, advancing closer and taking her shoulder in his hand as he pushed her against the wall and pinned her. "I love you not, Anne."
Then as both breathed heavily and stared into one another's eyes, their old passion flew back to them and Anne panicked as she saw Henry close in the distance, but remained rooted to the spot as he closed the distance and kissed her. She responded, hands wrapping around him and opened her lips to his as he kissed her. For a moment in reckless abandon she allowed herself the feel of his lips then reality came crashing upon her that the man she once loved with all her heart had done to her and she pushed hard at his chest and broke the kiss.
"No!" she strongly said, eyes flashing. "You shall not seduce me and I will not enter your bed again, Henry. We are no longer married and I am not your possession. And I will not crawl back to you. This is my answer, no I am not going back to England with you to die and see my daughter made a bastard. I will have a fair trial."
"You will have the trail I say. You know you love me Anne and if you love me you'll return and do as I say."
"Love you?" she asked, shaking her head. Her voice slightly broke. "Love you? You monster. After you separated me from my daughter. Made me lose the son I carried. It was all your fault! M-my brother George was innocent. He was my brother and you killed him in cold blood! You're a tyrant Henry and I pray that God have mercy on your soul for that is the mercy you shall only receive. I despise you! I hate you! I don't love you! I could not return to you after all you have done to me and to my family who were so loyal to you!"
"You played me the fool! You had relations with your brother-"
"Never once was I unfaithful to you! Even had I been I could have found other wiling courtiers than my own flesh and blood. I once thought you were a great, genteel king full of knowledge. I was wrong, very wrong. You were not who you seemed. I never lied to you of my feelings, but you lied to me and to yourself."
Then she spun on her heel and hurried off, her heart pounding loudly against her chest and trembling. Head held high though as she heard Henry bellow her name. She would not give in and berated herself for liking his kisses and embraces, hated herself after what he had done. She was certain the trial would commence tomorrow, until then she would avoid Henry at all costs.
TBC?