"Come Anne, we will be late for the rehearsal" Jane chastised her friend who was sat at her dressing table gliding her mother's ornate hairbrush through her raven tresses. Anne always brushed her hair exactly one hundred times every morning, as it was said that it would give you lovely, shiny hair if you did so. Secretly, she loved to brush her hair. It was such a soothing chore and it helped her to calm down and relax when she had exploded into one of her infamous temper tantrums. Jane knew that she was perfectly capable of rivalling King Henry with her fiery temper that often got her into trouble.
"You know I never leave the room without looking my best" Anne reminded her as she looked into her mirror and continued to brush...93...94...95...
"But you always look beautiful" Jane complimented in a bid to get her to hurry up, though she was not lying. She had always admired Anne's luscious, dark locks. She always kept it in the best of conditions and wore it loose with pride.
"That is because I work at it" Anne smirked at her friend who was now hovering anxiously over her dressing table. "There, all done" she announced and placed the brush back on to the dresser, careful not to scratch the wood beneath.
The two ladies made their way down the corridor in a somewhat fast paced walk and almost broke into a run as they noted the time and saw their destination in sight. As they opened the door to the Great Hall, all the courtiers involved in the Masquerade turned to look at them, some giving them friendly waves of greeting whilst others narrowed their eyes in contempt at them. Even at the tender ages of seventeen and nineteen, the two girls already had enemies, although for the most part this was due to their brothers and fathers rather than any slur upon their character. It seemed though that Anne was steadfast making enemies of her own out of the ladies of the court who disliked her for unashamed boldness and fliratatious manner.
The pair began to mingle with the crowd until a short, stocky man with a full head of thick, ever so slightly greying hair stepped forward and tapped a great big staff against the wooden floor which grabbed everyone's attention.
"His Majesty the King has ordered for a special masquerade for the birthday of his wife, Queen Catherine. It is to be inspired by the Seven Virtues, all which her Majesty the Queen possesses in her great nature. His Majesty has given me the great honour of producing said masquerade, and I will be damned if I am going to let any of you mess it up for me, so be warned!" he glared at the congregation menacingly.
He then went on to explain what he planned for the performance. It was somewhat similar to the performance of 'The Attack of Chateau Vert', only this time it was to be the men that were being held captive by the Seven Deadly Sins and only the Virtues could set them free. Then a dance would ensue between the men and the Virtuous women which would eventually lead to the whole of the court dancing before the Queen in a flurry of colours. The master took out his scroll of parchment and opened up as though it was a very important matter.
"The sisters Boleyn" he called aloud and the two girls stepped forward with military precision, "you are to represent the virtues of Patience" he looked to Anne, "And chastity" he turned his head to Mary,. The latter announcement however was met with a loud chorus of wolf whistles and laughter at the irony of Mary Boleyn playing a virtue which she most certainly did not possess. She was without a doubt the most unchaste woman at court. She couldn't help but let out a little giggle herself at this and gave a cheeky wink to one of the gentleman close by who was eyeing her up.
"That's enough!" the master called for order and was about to carry on with his duty when Mistress Parker stepped forward in protest.
"Mary should not allowed to be Chastity, it is a mockery to the Queen!" she exclaimed. Secretly Jane Parker was rather jealous of the Boleyn sisters, who seemed to have bewitched the court with their beauty and wit. They always received the best parts in masquerades and they even got to play in the Chateau Vert masque for the Imperial Ambassador. But even if she was not jealous, she still found the matter in bad taste. After all, Mary Boleyn had once been the mistress of the King. Even if Mistress Parker hadn't have been jealous of the two sisters, it was still distasteful to rub the fact in the Queen's nose.
"Perhaps Mary should play Lust" Anne voiced her opinion, giving a mischievous look at her pretty sister who returned it with a sly grin.
"Hmmm, that's an idea" the man thought, "Alright, I was going to have Mistress Sheldon play Lust but that can be rearranged. And I think we'll have...Mistress Seymour as Chastity" he announced after a long pause as he suddenly spotted the pale, angelic girl who looked like the epitome of chastity and modesty. Jane didn't seem to mind this, in fact she was secretly hoping that she would get to play either Chastity or Kindness, her two most attainable virtues.
"So what am I going to be?" Madge asked hopefully with her lazy tongue that made her lisp slightly.
"Gluttony" Sir Knivert mumbled under his breath to his friend William Compton, but Madge heard this and cast him a poisonous look.
"I think you would make a good Humility" the master replied and Madge seemed quite content in her part, happy that she was playing a Virtue instead of a Vice.
It was early evening and the whole court was in attendance at the Great Hall as they eagerly awaited the start of the play which ensued their masked ball. Waiting in wings was a group of seven men headed by King Henry. He thought himself clever and didn't think that anyone would recognise who he was since he was in disguise. But the court was not stupid, he was hard to miss with his great height and burly figure. He essentially stuck out like a sore thumb, however everyone was smart enough to play along with him and not spoil the King's fun as they did not want to be the cause of his infamous wrath.
The men were peering through a velvet curtain that was draped over an archway that led into the hall. It wouldn't be long until the production now. Charles had been spying on the women, not just the Vices and the Virtues, but the lower noblewomen who lined the perimeter of the hall, and he was rather enchanted by the backside of a mousy haired girl not far from where he was standing. But no, he had to keep his mind on the game now. He wanted a real challenge and he was determined to rule as regent, even if it was only for a week.
"Which one is Mistress Seymour?" Charles whispered in the King's ear, eager to scope out his victim as he searched the hall for Jane.
"She is Chastity, dressed in white with golden hair" Henry pointed out to his friend and Charles followed his trail to the far corner of the hall where a petite blonde girl stood, dressed in a long flowing white dress that was embroidered in fine gold thread. She wore her hair down in loose curls with white lillies adorning them. As with all the women, she wore a silken sash that read her virtue. 'Chastity'.
"And you are sure she is beautiful?" he questioned. Not that he doubted the girl's beauty from what he could see of it, but at the moment her face was half covered by a golden Venetian mask that all the Virtues were wearing, and he had a sudden feeling that she might be hiding an unsightly face beneath it.
"I assure you. You will see for yourself once her mask is removed" Henry informed him, pushing his own golden mask over his face and bidding Charles do the same so that they could get ready to take part in the festivities. They were about to go on.
The men marched out into the centre of the hall clad in golden armour and were soon closed in by the Seven Deadly Sins. The ladies were magnificently dressed in colourful costumes. Jane Parker was dressed in a forest green gown and adorn with emeralds as she advanced in as Envy, whilst Mary Boleyn waltzed up in that playful manner she did in a gown of crimson satin that had a significantly lower bust line in comparison to all the others ladies. A fact which seemed to delight her. Most of the ladies seemed to adore their beautiful costumes and the only one who was not satisfied with hers was Madge Sheldon, who found her gown too plain and simple in comparison to some of the more magnificent gowns of her peers, even though she should have expected to have a plainer gown since she was playing 'Humility'. The Vices encircled the men and proclaimed they had them forever imprisoned.
After a speech by the Master, who spoke of how men had fallen victim to these most deadliest of sins, the Virtues gathered up and walked into the centre of the hall, led by Anne who had inadvertently become the head of the group with her natural leadership.
"Be not afraid men" she called out, "You can free yourself from these Sins if only you accept us Virtues into your heart!" she theatrically cried and the whole audience seemed captivated by her mere presence.
"They will never accept you. Men are weak, they do not think for themselves and when they do it is only with their...well, you know what I mean" Mary Boleyn taunted and made a gesture that had the whole crowd roaring with laughter. Even Queen Catherine could not help but emit a small chuckle at her theatrics although thought it a little vulgar for her tastes.
"Stand aside, Lust" Jane came forward and was now level with Anne. "For whilst men may be tempted by your beauty they will always cast you aside for me. You may be the Spring Love, but I am the blushing bride who they always return too" she exclaimed with a hint of suggestiveness in her tone and a few of the men in the crowd wolf whistled at her. Well, there was always a first time for everything, Jane thought. She had tried to object to the sensuality of her one line that the Master had given her but he assured her that it would not be considered distasteful as marital relations was the only acceptable form of chaste love there was.
The exchange between the Vices and Virtues went on for a bit longer and then finally a battle ensued. The Virtues attacked the Vices with hidden baskets full of each Virtue's symbolic flower and the Vices were pushed backwards and out of the Hall as the crowd cheered. The men thanked the Virtues and swore allegiance to their respective partner. The King, naturally, was the first one to speak.
He had manipulated the situation to suit his own tastes. Earlier in the afternoon he saw the list of who was playing what part in the production and when he saw Anne's name on the list he demanded that he got dance with her as Lady Patience. He also made sure that Charles didn't have an easy time himself with the bet, and had it arranged so that he was to dance with Charity, played by Nan Saville, whilst Jane was arranged to dance with George Boleyn, which she did not mind so much since her family were not able to attend this evening and she thought of him as an honorary brother.
Henry stepped forward into the centre of the hall, his ego being fed in the knowledge that all eyes were upon him and all the women were sighing at him. He went over to Anne and knelt down before her, taking her hand and kissing it gallantly.
"Lady Patience, I am yours" he announced and the whole court cheered and began to clap. Anne waited for the noise to die down before she spoke.
"Well then you must wait my Lord, for patience is a virtue" she mocked which once again made the whole court burst into laughter. Henry didn't know whether to laugh along with them or to be outarged that anyone spoke to him in this way so publicly but he decided to let it go since it was only a play. She was a feisty one, this Boleyn. Anne let go off his hand and walked away towards her fellow Virtues and Jane was gob smacked that she had acted in such a way towards the King.
But Henry was not deterred and instead brought himself back up on to his feet.
"I am sure that patience is not a virtue that a King can afford" he revealed, removing his mask and throwing it into the crowd as they pretended to gasp as this 'surprise'. They had seen it all before and Thomas Boleyn in particularly had perfected the art of deceiving and flattering the King.
"A King?" Anne followed suit and threw her hand up to her mouth as though shocked before she fell into a graceful curtsey, "I am sorry your Majesty, I did not recognise you dressed in your costume. I have never seen a King play dress up before. And I have met the King of France!" she jested and Henry let out a hearty laugh. Anything that was a slur on the King of France made him delightfully happy.
"So what say you, Mistress Boleyn?" he offered her his hand and she stared at it warily for a moment.
"Ahh, I think the King has mistook me for my sister, I am Anne" she informed him, seeing the chance to have the attention placed back upon her again. She never did like being outdone by anyone, not even a King, and she undid the ribbon of the mask and pulled it aside to reveal her face.
A highly unusual face, Henry thought. Whilst she was certainly not ugly, there was none of the usual features that created an aesthetically pleasing face. It was shaped almost like a heart but had a wide nose at it's centre, with nostrils too big and flared for their own good, making her highly resemblant to a raging bull. Even her smile was strange, being unsymmetrical and lopsided, but this did not hinder her. In fact it made her seem all the more lovely and Henry observed that when she smiled her face contorted into a more flattering form which was far more pleasant to look at. He wished she would always smile for she could only be called beautiful when she did. And on top of this, she had dark eyes that seemed to sparkle intelligently, as though she knew something that no one else knew. It totally captivated him.
"I find this Boleyn more pleasing to my eye" he admitted, and Anne couldn't help but wonder what Mary thought about this proclimation.
"Well then your Majesty" Anne began, taking small steps towards her King, "I should very much like to continue pleasing you" she announced and placed her hand within his as he led her into a dance.
Anne Boleyn had been dancing with the King for over an hour and was the talk of the court. But whilst most people were preoccupied with the love life of the King, Charles Brandon was on a mission to resolve his own matters of the heart and have fun with it in the proccess. He had been observing Mistress Seymour all evening but he had yet to glance at her face, which was hidden safely beneath her mask as though it would protect her from would be predators. Finally, after finding the perfect opportunity, he approached her whilst she helped herself to a goblet of wine from one of the pages.
"My Lady?" Charles approached her and Jane turned around shocked to see a man standing before her. She never was good around men and began to fidget whilst she tried to think of a way to excuse herself and flee to the safety of George Boleyn but before she had the chance to speak Charles presented her with a diamond necklace. "I believe this belongs to you?" he inquired.
Suddenly, she softened considerably at the man and smiled at him warmly. She knew that the Duke of Suffolk had quite the reputation and he was regarded by many as nothing but a rogue, but to Jane he appeared quite the gentleman.
"Goodness, I did not even know it was lost. Thank you" she smiled at him as she brought her hand to her neck and touched the bare skin on which the cool jewel had hung from. Charles continued with his gentlemanly approach and helped her by putting the necklace around her neck and fastening the clasp. He stepped back and admired it upon her, though took the opportunity to leer at her bosum whilst he did so.
Yet poor Jane had been deceived and unbeknown to her she had not lost the jewel in the first place. Charles had paid for one of the pages who were running errands throughout the ball to discreetly remove the necklace from her neck when he got the first chance and when he received it, he then slipped the jewel into his pocket until the opportune moment arose. And he wasn't about to act the gallant hero for long as he cheekily reminded her,
"You know, it is polite to offer some sort of reward when a belonging is returned to you"
"Oh" she exclaimed, turning red. "I cannot think of what to give you" she replied, a little embarrassed. She was usually good at etiquette but being about a man seemed to have frazzled her usually so orderly and sensible mind and she could not think coherently at the moment. But Charles saved her dignity by offering her his hand and he smiled at her whilst announcing,
"I think a dance would more than suffice."
Not knowing what else to do she took hold of his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Yet whilst all the other couples around them were talking with great ease and being merry, Charles and Jane were dancing silently. What bothered Charles even more was the fact that Jane had still not removed her mask. He had never wanted something so much as to see her face and it was becoming a bit of an obsession for him now.
"Are you not going to remove your mask, my lady? All the others have done so" he observed and pointed out that all the other men and women around them were now free of their masks, despite the fact that the whole ball was being referred to as a masquerade.
"I do not think you would be pleased with what you find beneath it" was her self conscious reply. She hated standing next to all these beautiful women. She felt that on an ordinary day she might be able to at least equal their beauty if she made herself up like Anne had shown her, but when they were all dressed up they far surpassed her looks. In her mind at least anyway. And despite being best friends with Anne, she secretly hated standing next to her as she seemed to fade into the background whilst Anne lit the room up with her beauty and grace.
"Nonsense!" Charles dismissed, "And even if you were I am good at lying" he leant in and whispered with a chuckle. Before she had time to protest though, he slipped a finger behind her ear and began to unlace the ribbon himself, pulling the mask away from her face. He was not disappointed by what he saw. He was certain he was staring at a Boticelli painting as he saw a completely angelic face staring back at him with her huge blue eyes. She had a delicate face that looked as though it were made from porcelain imported from China at the King's bequest and it was almost kitten like in shape. Her nose was was slight and partially upturned at the tip and below it lay a pretty primrose mouth that was small but wide and formed into the most charming, coy smile. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her, Henry had done well in choosing her.
"See. Beautiful" he told her, tracing the outline of her face down to her chin with his thumb. But this intimacy startled Jane a little and she took a step back from the imposing Duke.
"I must go" she blushed, realising that people were looking at the two of them now that Charles was invading her personal space. She made to move away from him but before she had the chance to escape, he grabbed her gently by the arm.
"Wait, will you not tell me your name?" he asked even though he already knew it. This way it would make his intentions seem more honourable and was less likely to arouse her suspicions. He wanted to seem like a knight of old rather than the lecherous womaniser everyone knew he was.
"Jane Seymour" she quickly replied before turning away and fleeing back to the safety of George who was eyeing Charles up suspiciously. He was just as protective of Jane as he was of Anne and Mary. More so perhaps, as his sisters were at least wise to the world and had great court smarts whilst Jane was just a sweet, naive child who was completely innocent of the ways of the world.