Thank you all of you who reviewed, favourited me and put this on alert. Now this response implies, as did the reviews, that you wanted me to continue the story, which I had no intention of doing when I posted it. I just wanted to get the idea out of my head, but I got such a great response. So when I tried to do something with this I just got stuck. Now I'll give you another chapter and if you wish me to continue, please review (it can take less than a minute) and tell me in which direction you wish this story to take, suggestions and wishes are very welcome. I hope you like it.

Chapter two

August 1522

Mary smiled as she looked into the mirror. While she was not as pleased as she guessed her father would be, had he not been banished from court, even if he had become the Earl of Ormonde, Mary was the King's mistress en titre. It was not what little girls dreamed of being when they went to court but it made it possible for Mary to see her son. Her little baby boy had become almost eight months now. At birth the King had named him Edmund after his grandfather and made him the Earl of Wiltshire. Mary had become an Earl, or Countess as she was female, the Countess of Rochford. She did feel a bit silly about it but it made her safe. She had her own properties and manors so that she could independently leave court. Her position as a peer also made it possible for her to have her own household, with a Lady in waiting, maids and footmen. For the moment she was staying in court however, but no longer as a Lady in waiting to the Queen. Mary refused to be in formal occasions as the King's official mistress like at mass or when they greeted envoys. She did not hide and she dined with the King often, but she still respected the Queen. The other Lady in waiting's had been cold towards her in the beginning but as Mary always were respectful and was accepted by the Queen and her closest Lady in waiting's she was soon accepted even if she was not liked. Lady Rochford was a beautiful woman and while no one would say she was more intelligent than her lovely sister Lady Northumberland, recently having buried her father in law and given birth to a fine healthy baby boy and heir to her husband, she still became known as a quite learned woman. As many women in court could not read, Mary's French and ability to read in two languages as well as some Latin and the ability to play the lute made her in terms of females at the court surpassed by very few in accomplishments. The Queen and Lady Rochford usually spent some evening's together and played cards. Most of the courtiers had been shocked to realise that the two (adult) women that ruled the King's heart spent at least one evening a week if both were at court playing card games, comparing dances, fashion and music.

Indeed the shock had been what made it easier for the courtiers all to realise that the current mistress was different than the rest. The bitterness had not been put to rest put it was placed away to try to take advantage of the situation. The Lady Rochford suddenly had a plethora of blood ties to be placed forward as everybody wanted to be her kin as her father had left court and no one wanted to let the Duke of Norfolk receive all of the goodwill from the King.

What surprised most of the court was that the King had been more generous to the mother of the child instead of her male relations. However most excused it as a result of the rift between the Lord Ormonde and the King and the Lady Rochford. Her brother had been awarded with a peerage, becoming Viscount Grimstone. As George Boleyn was a favourite of the King and had been in his service from the tender age of ten, this development was not taken from the court as a sign that the five year younger brother at nineteen year old would take over the role as the senior male relation of the King's mistress en titre.

Mary tried to stay out of the politics of court and she had realised that the King respected her for it and therefore had made it very clear that she should not be disturbed. She still fought not to smile when she thought about the scene he had caused.

Mary had been dancing with her brother who had been exclamation how happy he was that their father no longer could make him marry Jane Parker an insipid young woman at court who acted quite stuck up whenever she would see Mary, quite like young mistress Seymour was doing at the moment actually. Between the Boleyns and Seymours there were some form of distant relation, fourth cousin or something along those lines, that Edward Seymour had tried to impress Mary with for quite some time, much to the consternation of young Jane. In fact Mary believed that the young girl's current scowl was caused by her brother moving towards Mary with a supposedly charming smile. George happily deserted her for a woman with a quite daring neckline in yellow and Mary was forced to curtsey to Edward Seymour.

"Your Ladyship truly is the most remarkable woman in the room. I do hope you are in good health?" Mary smiled at him coolly.

"I am perfectly fine Mr Seymour. Thank you very much for your concern." He looked at her and Mary could recognise the calculating look in his eyes as the look her father and sometimes her sister used to have.

"I also hope that your son the estimable Lord Wiltshire is in fine health?" Mary's smile become frostier but she knew she could not answer a question about the Kings son's health, no matter that she knew the question would inevitably led to some plea about politics and influence. She was sick of the court games!

"My son is in very fine health. I understand that your wife recently gifted you with a son, Mr Seymour. I offer my congratulations." As his wife had also been found out recently to have an affair with his father the compliment was of course no compliment as was the way of the court.

"Indeed I am very happy." Mary was quite surprised that the usually so composed and cold Seymour actually let his composure slip as his tone of voice sounded nothing like a proud father and more like a cold blooded killers.

"I wonder does your Ladyship often visit the Lord Wiltshire?" Mary inwardly smirked as she had been right in her prediction of his chosen topic.

"I visit as often as I can." She could see the hungry look on his face and she knew that she would soon be entrusted by questions of the King and then some subtle hints, then suggestions and then full out propositions.

"Does his Majesty visit as well?"

"Yes his Majesty visits."

"Do you ever visit the Lord Wiltshire together?" Mary could no longer contain a grimace briefly cross her face, a mixture of a smirk and a scowl.

"Sometimes we visit at the same time." What business is it of yours, she longed to say. However Mary might be bold in some ways but when it came do verbal debates and daring she felt very much the novice to he younger sister.

"I am sure his Majesty is very happy to have his son so close by. I think his Lordship has become seven months now?" Mary answered in the affirmative and tried to continue smiling.

"It must be a comfort for you to have a son with his Majesty. I am sure his Majesty is quite happy with a living son as well. After all males are always more natural heirs than females. With the right help I am sure you sons life could be quite wonderful, practically royal." Mary stopped in mid step and looked at him. He had crossed to many lines and while many alluded to Mary's son's possible inheritance of the crown somehow the usually so withdrawn Edward Seymour had become daring and this comment was far too indiscreet.

"What you are implying is treason. The King has a legitimate heir, the princess Mary. I think you should do well to remember that Mr Seymour." Mary walked away not knowing that their conversation had been overheard by Charles Brandon, who had recently been forgiven by the King for his marriage to the princess Margaret something people attributed to the Queen and Mary. The Duke had reported the conversation to the King who had banished Edward Seymour for a year.

"I despise nothing more than a man who tries to impose on a mother the potential use of her child to bring them glory. The Lady Rochford is not involved in politics and you would do good to remember that." Thus Mary felt quite happy as she had not been asked to plot reason for some time. That of course did not mean that there were not people wanting her opinion on different things or distant family members trying to become close to her. Now she was going to visit her son, her light. He would be nine months in little under two weeks and Mary could not understand how fast time flew by.

As Mary walked up the steps to the residence of her son, he was kept away from court to save him from illness, she sighed. She so wished she could live with her son all the time. She would of course not breast feed him as that was not done on the nobility but she would like the ability to see her child everyday play with him and tell him how much she loved him.

That King had not tired of her yet surprised Mary. She had been certain that he would not desire her any more when she was certain that she was with child and told him. As she had been quite far along then he had only abstained form sexual relations with her for some months but she had still been surprised. When Mary had been churched she had been welcomed into his bed again after he had made her a Countess. She knew that if he acknowledge her son he could be given some honours, but she had not expected herself to be so honoured. The King's generosity had insured that no one in her family could be called a commoner, even if her father had been close to stuck in the tower at one point. As the different open hints and suggestions about plotting to get her son in the succession had stopped she hoped that she would be able to reach some form of calm. She wondered if the life of a King's mistress could ever be calm but she could always hope.

A couple of notes, Princess Mary has not been named Princess of Wales in this story, yet as she is quite young still and the hope from a male son from Catherine is not lost yet.

George Boleyn was known as a womanizer, gay as the shows portray him or not this was still the behaviour he showed at court.

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