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Chapter II
It had to be a joke, King Henry thought. Why would God want him to put him through such an irony?
When he called out for Cromwell that very morning, he could barely notice the change in his Master Secretary. Cromwell was a master in terms of concealing his true feelings. But Henry knew him too well. There was a certain aura of happiness around him, a sense of peaceful joy he had not seen in such a long time. As their meeting was over, Henry tried to figure out what was on his Secretary's mind.
- So… putting our business aside… how is Lady Anne, Master Cromwell? – the King asked in the most casual tone he could find.
That was it. It had to be something about her. Cromwell's eyes lit up almost immediately.
- She is very well, Majesty. Actually, it is my dearest pleasure to inform you that Lady Anne is expecting a child.
He could not believe it at first. He almost started to see black spots in his eyes.
- Are you sure? – He knew it was stupid, but he was desperately praying it would be a joke. But Cromwell wasn't exactly known for his humor. It had to be true.
- Yes, Your Majesty. She has seen a midwife who confirmed it.
This is a nightmare, Henry thought. Someone pinch me, please. It's not funny. AT ALL.
He needed to be alone in order to collect himself, so he managed to dismiss Cromwell, not before expressing his most heartfelt congratulations to the couple and also his kindest regards to Lady Anne. He even allowed Mary to visit her, if she so wished. Then, when Cromwell was finally out of his sight, Henry turned on his boots and started walking to his chambers without noticing the bows and whispers around him and almost shoving his friends Charles Brandon and Anthony Knivert out of the way when they tried to approach him. He slammed the door behind him and dismissed all the servants from his quarters. Only then he allowed himself to let out his anger by punching his mattress with all his might.
How could this happen? She was ugly as a mare! The thought of Cromwell bedding her while she moaned in pleasure disgusted him to no end. Now that he thought about it, Henry mused, they were the perfect couple: she was a Flanders mare and he was the son of a filthy, drunk blacksmith. A match made in heaven, Henry mocked coolly. Even if she was pregnant, even if the child was a boy, he wouldn't exactly be proud of his heritage. He would probably be ashamed of it. Cromwell was a good politician, Henry was forced to agree on that, but of very low birth. How could a man like Wolsey had taken him under his wing? But Cardinal Wolsey was a traitor, and the son of a butcher, so go figure.
However, there was a strange feeling building up inside him concerning Anne's pregnancy. Envy. He had made a mistake, and Henry knew it too well. If he hadn't got rid of her, Anne of Cleves would be carrying his child instead of Cromwell's. The country would hopefully have another heir to strengthen the Tudor dynasty, besides Edward, his precious little boy. And that thought troubled him. Right, Anne might be ugly but she was undoubtedly fertile: she was married to Cromwell for less than a year and already had a child growing inside her. On the other hand, his new wife, his English rose, Katherine Howard, had done nothing to fulfill her duty as the Queen of England. Well, nothing apart from spending large sums of money in her futilities.
She had to give him a heir. She had to give him a son, Henry thought. He couldn't bear the thought of what people would say if Anne of Cleves gave birth to a son by Secretary Cromwell. The whole Court would laugh at him behind his back. The whole world would laugh at the foolish King who had an opportunity to secure his dynasty and let it slip through his fingers. No, that could never happen. Katherine HAD to give him a son. Otherwise, heads would roll. Literally. So, unless Katherine wanted to follow her damned cousin footsteps to the scaffold, she would better do her job.
With a wicked smile, Henry sent her a message to meet him that night.