"No luck finding a suitable woman?" Anne asked, as Edward came to her chambers in the palace late one night. He had finally returned from his venture around England, and with no prize for the King. He looked tired and aggravated.

"None whatsoever. Young broads by the dozen, but no women who could be trusted to keep the King happy and calm for the rest of his life." Edward said as he approached a table to pour himself a goblet of wine. "Why is it that there are no faithful women left in this world? They're all whores and harlots."

Anne looked at her husband with raised eyebrows, and he laughed.

"You are the only woman in the world who is not that way." He assured her with a smile. He came to her in her seat and touched her cheek, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I tell you all the time that you are perfect."

She shone with happiness. "You are too sweet, husband." She told him, smiling. "Where has your brother been? Is he looking for a suitor as well? I swear I see him much less than usual."

Edward frowned for a moment. "I don't know where he is. I haven't spoken to him since I left. He's probably off doing something stupid, what else would you expect?"

Anne chuckled. "You are probably right. I can't imagine him doing anything prosperous, unless he's met someone he's interested in himself."

"If only." Edward said, rolling his eyes and taking a seat beside Anne. "Then he'd be off your case. It's very unlikely though. I've never seen him have eyes for any woman but you."

Anne sipped her own goblet and looked at her husband. "You're right, it is unlikely. You should take his infatuation with me more as a compliment than a threat, darling."

"Should I?" He asked sternly. "It's difficult for me to see the humorous side of the situation Anne. Thomas and I have always had a rift in our relationship and the fact that he would turn on me to have you in a second, makes it even worse."

"You should not worry so much about it, though. It's been so many years! I clearly have no interest in him and he's backed off a bit. He knows you'd kill him if he even dared to touch me. I think you are too concerned about him, and you need not be. Your attention should be focused on the King, and the potential opening we have right now." Anne directed him. "We need to find him a suitor, it must be us and not some other family. We need to find a woman who will be loyal to our family, and faithful to the King."

Edward sighed. "I know! It just seems to be an impossible task. I've looked from North to South and found no woman who is not already married who would be suitable. I'm beginning to worry that we're out of choices here…"

Edward continued to look around for a proper and able suitor for the King, but he was having no luck. A few days later, he returned to court once more empty handed and felt extremely disappointed with himself. Anne tried to cheer him up, but it was difficult to do so, especially when she was not in the best of moods herself.

The same day that Edward returned, Thomas at last made an appearance at court. Upon hearing this, Edward immediately called him to his privy meeting chambers with the intention of yelling at him until his ears were ringing. Anne was present too, ready and waiting to see Thomas cower in terror, but he reacted in a rather different manner.

"Where have you been?" Edward asked, his tone already extremely impatient. "We have things to do here and you've been absent for weeks, Anne tells me. What is so important?"

Normally, Thomas would have hung his head low and taken a verbal beating from Edward willingly, but this time he spoke up and spoke confidently to his brother. "I was attending to some business for the Lord Latymer." He said simply, as if this was enough of an explanation to suffice Edward's curiosity. He was very wrong to think so.

"What business? Who sent you to do so?" Edward demanded. "Why didn't you inform me of this beforehand?"

Thomas was still fearless. "Lord Latymer wrote to the King, and he sent me to deal with the problem. What more do you want to know, Ed?"

He scowled at his brother. "I want to know why he asked you to do this. What was the problem you were sent to deal with?" He hoped it was generally irrelevant and that the task the King had sent him on was one of more importance.

"Is it really that big of a deal to you?" Thomas asked, looking at Edward as if he were pathetic. Anne watched carefully and was quite surprised by the new form Thomas had taken. He was never like this before. "He just wanted to clear his name. He was implicated to be involved with the rebels of the North before, and he is very ill, and wishes not to be remembered by such implications, but rather by the fact that he was a most loyal servant to His Majesty."

Edward bit the inside of his lip and stood still behind his desk, running his hand through his hair. The problem definitely seemed minor, perfect for Thomas to deal with. He had no reason to be jealous. He also realized that Thomas had yet to glance once at his wife during this whole meeting, which made him quite content. "Very well." Edward replied shortly, sitting down. "Next time you're going away though, you should inform me. You had my wife worried."

Anne shot a confused look at Edward but did not speak.

To Edward's surprise, Thomas did not look at Anne. He sat down in a seat across from the desk and shrugged. "I am fine, and you are not father, Edward and I'm a grown man! I think I can come and go as I please without informing you."

Edward looked up at his brother and his eyes narrowed in fury. Anne quickly stood up and grabbed Edward's arm, looking into his eyes, forcing his gaze to re-direct to her own.

"He is right, husband. He's a grown man, and I was not worried." She whispered her last few words quite violently. She tugged at Edward's sleeve quite roughly, making sure he was listening to her, word for word.

Edward kept his eyes on hers and took a few deep breaths. He then relaxed his arm and Anne released it, returning to her seat at a brisk pace. She looked to Thomas but saw that his eyes only wandered to her for a moment, and then he looked away as if she had merely been a piece of the wall. Has he no thank you's to say to me? I have just defended him for no reason at all and he has nothing to say! It appears he cannot even look at me.

As Anne drifted off into a confused thought, Edward turned his attention back to his brother. "What has made you so brave, brother?" He asked, curiously. "Only a month ago you would never have dared to speak up to me."

Thomas shrugged, as if the entire conversation was boring him. Anne began to wonder why he was suddenly so content with himself when he had always been so insecure. "I am happy for once in my life, Ed."

"And that gives you courage?" Edward questioned, annoyed. "What's made you so happy? Do tell." Anne and Edward both looked up at Thomas with hungry eyes, wishing to know what could have change him so drastically when he had only been gone for a few weeks.

Anne stood up and rolled her eyes, not needing Thomas to reply to realize what it was. She knew that there were very few things that could change a person quite drastically: life, loss and love. "You've met someone, haven't you?"

Thomas looked taken aback by her assumption. "You said yourself that I am a grown man Anne. My business is my business."

Anne raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed. "Thomas, you may be able to play games with your brother and act as if you are all powerful, but you are a fool to think you could play such games with me. Your business is our business as we are your family, so do as your brother says, and tell us."

"Anne, you are a woman. I may have been under your spell before but I see now that you are not the light in my life, and you are quite bossy." Thomas replied coolly, but clearly with the wrong words. Now he did not only have Anne in a fit, but Edward as well who could not stand there and tolerate his brother's bashing of his wife.

"Are you hearing what you're saying at all?" Edward asked, coming around to the other side of his desk. "Or are you too thick in the head? Nobody speaks to my wife like that, ever!" He was resisting with all his power to ring his hands around Thomas's scrawny neck right at that moment and choke him to death.

Pieces of the old Thomas finally began to fall back together a bit, as he realized what he had said. Despite the fact that he had loved Anne for so long and received nothing in return, and was therefore quite bitter, he did not mean his words. He would always hold her above many other women, but no longer all of them. "I apologize, Ed, I wasn't thinking."

"When are you ever?" Edward demanded, throwing his hands up.

"I must have been while I was away." He said, a little more timidly. "Since I managed to win the heart of a beautiful woman."

Anne had been standing in the corner, trying to calm herself down before she flipped on the most idiotic Seymour brother. When she heard Thomas's words, which had been spoken in his usual tone of voice, she took a few steps over to them, but still held her distance. "Who is she?" She asked. "Don't pull the none of your business card again."

Thomas's cheeks went a little rosy at the mere thought of this apparently marvelous woman. Anne assumed he must have met some cheap harlot, drank too much and been convinced by her that she was the woman of his dreams. That seemed like something Thomas would fall for, what with his pathetic mental capacity. "Lady Latymer." He said quietly.

Edward let out a cruel laugh. "The wife of the Lord Latymer, the one you were helping? My God Thomas, I thought you were an idiot to begin with, but apparently you're a complete imbecile! The woman's married!"

His brother's words only caused Thomas's cheeks to flush more so. "He is soon to be on his death bed, I'm sure of it."

"It does not matter." Edward said, shaking his head. "You can't do such things! Please tell me Tom that you haven't bedded the woman?"

"No, I haven't, we merely got a long quite well and she wished to see me again." Thomas explained.

"Good." Edward replied shortly, happy to hear that his brother had yet to shame their family name. "You should not see her again until her husband passes, if that is the case."

"Edward's right." Anne agreed, looking at Thomas. She hoped he would not object to their words, but rather, obey. "We can't have rumors flying around court about our family when we're the ones trying to suggest a new bride to the king. You have to be on your best behavior. You are only to go see her when you are told to go see Lord Latymer by the King. No exceptions."

Thomas began to reconsider apologizing for his bossy comment but he held his tongue. Edward would break his bones if he said anything more to offend him. "Alright." Thomas said, tiring of arguing. He was never very good at it. "I'll only go on the King's orders."

"I'm glad to hear that you've chosen to listen, for once." Edward said, as he turned around and sat down at his desk. He sighed and flicked his hand twice at Thomas. "Now get out."

Thomas turned quickly and marched to the door, opening, exiting, and then slamming it unnecessarily behind him. The minute the door was shut Anne turned to Edward in anger.

"How dare you use me as a tool to get him to feel bad!" Anne roared. "Oh, my wife was worried. No! I was not, and either way it was a completely useless attempt, as he no longer fancies me as he once did. It doesn't matter though – you still tried to do it and that is utterly offensive to me. You know well I hate to be used in other people's games. I am not a chess piece Edward, I am a player!"

Edward stood up from his seat the minute he recognized Anne's expression and came to her, allowing her to yell at him as long as she needed to. "I am sorry Anne, I was not thinking! His actions took me by surprise, as I'm sure they took you. Arrogance does not suit Thomas well."

"I agree, but still! You cannot play me in such a way, I won't tolerate it!" Anne continued. "That is not how you are supposed to treat me. I am not some foolish wife; I am your companion and your other half! Treat me fairly!"

Edward took her arms in his hands and tried to shush her, shaking his head. "I know. I was the fool to think that I could use you like that. I think that I did not think before I spoke, and for that I apologize. Even I make mistakes."

"You do!" Anne assured him, looking at him with wild eyes. "Apologizing won't do anything to fix it. What's done is done. Only time can fix your mistakes."

Edward chuckled, unable to hold it back.

"What's so funny?" Anne demanded, clearly unimpressed.

"You are when you say such deep things." Edward said, smirking a bit. Before Anne had a chance to continue complaining, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He pressed his body against hers lightly and ran one his hands through her hair. He had missed her touch so much while he was gone, he always did. When he finally allowed himself to break he gave Anne a sincere smile, one he only shared with her. "I know I can't go back and fix what I said, but if I could, I would. I love you, Anne."

Anne looked at him and sighed. "I always forgive you for your mistakes but you should know that eventually I might run out of apologies, so please Edward, think before you speak and act, for our sake. I love you too, very much, but I can't allow myself to forgive you every time you hurt me. It's a stab at my ego." And my heart.

"I understand, and I'll do my best for you, I promise." Edward said, kissing her nose. "I will not hurt you or neglect you, ever."

"I hope not." She said, smiling weakly at him. She placed her head on his shoulder and sighed quietly this time. All she could do was hope. Edward and her had already gone through one period of neglect, who's to say they wouldn't go through another? She hoped he would not forget he had made a promise, and that Anne took their promises between each other very seriously. If he broke this one, she would be quick to break something of his.