Chapter 3:

Anne Boleyn had never thought that life away from court would suit her so much. Over a year ago she had been Queen of England but now she was just the Duchess of Pembroke and the Mother of the Princess.

Anne would have fought tooth and nail for her title and her marriage but it had been hard, harder when your husband was King and he had wanted to get rid of you no matter the cost, even almost allowing his most trusted men to plot her death.

Anne was not stupid, she wasn't of royal blood, she didn't have supporters with the same magnitude as Katherine did, she couldn't fight her husband on this. So she decided to agree to their divorce provided that Elizabeth will remain his heir until he gets the son he desires and she will be placed first in line before any other daughter he will have with his next wife, she also demanded that Elizabeth's new residence will be with her, leaving Hatfield for his new children. Lastly, Elizabeth will not be deprived of her rights as a Princess even when she resides with her.

Anne didn't know how she felt when Henry had agreed to all of her demands and even allowed her to use her title of Duchess of Pembroke, he had even allowed her to keep everything he had given her from the time they had met until their marriage ended -save for the crown jewels, of course- But he had given his own condition too, one that led her to living in the country: Anne was never to return to court and to London for as long as he was alive. She was never to communicate with him directly or indirectly and that should she need to discuss something regarding Elizabeth, she will do it with Master Cranmer.

None of his conditions mattered to Anne though, as long as her Elizabeth was with her, she would deal with everything else as it came.

When she arrived in Pembroke all those months ago, she was quite glad that she had thought to maintain the upkeep of her Pembroke Castle even if she had only been there once in her life. The castle was still in pristine condition and was thankfully fit for her daughter's new residence.

At first, she had found it difficult to adjust to a life where she was not treated as the highest lady in the land, what was she to do in the country? She had been raised in court; first in Netherlands and then in France before returning to England to serve as a lady in waiting to Katherine.

As the Mistress of the house, Anne had done all the necessary means to ensure that her home ran as smoothly as possible, she checked over the books and the accounts of her properties and decided that she could earn so much more if she utilised her properties so she had hired men that would help her in cultivating her lands by first planting fruits, vegetables and crops and then farming animals such as cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys.

Anne had hired a man named Oliver Fletcher, a middle aged man who Anne had come looking for a job on her doorstep. At first, when the man found out that Anne had lived there, he had been wary and had decided to leave but then Anne had persuaded him to speak and he did.

He told her that he was a common man, a farmer just like his father was at the local church however the King had recently ordered the church to be closed down and with it, he and his wife and two young children were left without a home and a job. He had come to the castle to see if the people who lived there needed any more helping hands as he was very good at farming and his wife could cook and clean while his children were old enough to become stable boys.

Anne had just finished meeting with her Accounts Keeper, Mr. Lawrence Gordon and had decided that she needed to cultivate her lands so she instructed Mr. Lawrence to prepare the necessary arrangements for Mr. Oliver and his family to be lodged in one of the servant's quarters and then to inform him of his duties as one of the groundskeeper and to assign appropriate work to his wife, the children were welcome to help in any way they can but she had not wanted them to be worked too hard.

As soon as these were settled, Anne found that Oliver indeed had a gift with farming and growing plants and so, once her own personal farm had been taken cared of, she had instructed him to pack his things and sent him to one of her property nearby that she had been wanting to cultivate, not knowing much on farming, she had asked him of his opinion and had agreed with her that the land seemed healthy enough to grow food and raise livestock.

As Anne agreed, she decided to put her plan to work. She had told Oliver that he could farm her land so long as he reports to her every month on the progress of everything he does. She would finance everything of course but he would make sure to hire the necessary people and buy the necessary materials and plants so long as he informs her of it beforehand. Once the harvest season comes, she would give him a portion of the harvest to do with as he pleased.

Grateful at such an opportunity, Oliver immediately thanked Anne and agreed to her conditions. He told her that she had found someone loyal to her for the rest of her life and that if she needed anything, anything at all, she should just say the word and he will do it.

Once their conversation had ended, Anne informed him to meet her tomorrow morning so that they can sign the contract regarding the agreement together. This seemed to somber Oliver and Anne questioned why, she found out that while Oliver had lived in the church, he could barely write and read properly as he was just from a poor family.

Aghast, Anne asked if his children had never had any schooling and he answered that they were the same as him, unable to read and write.

Anne then decided that he should still come meet her in the morning and to not worry about the contract as she will help him sign his name on it.

The next morning, true to Anne's words, she helped him sign his name and their agreement had taken effect. That same day, Oliver and his family left to move to the property he was to cultivate.

That week, Anne had begun feeling unwell. She had felt it coming and going for the last few weeks before her arrival in Pembroke but she had thought nothing of it as she was quite under a lot of stress at the time and had always felt sick. But now that she was a few weeks away from it all and in the calmness of Pembroke Castle, she began to fear that she might have caught something after all. Fearing for the health and safety of her daughter, she had ordered someone to fetch the best Physician around Pembroke and had her inspected for any illness.

When the physician arrived and Anne had just been finished with her check up, the last thing she had expected the doctor would tell her was that she was with child.

Flashback:

"I beg your pardon?" Anne asked, as she seemed to have lost her bearing for a moment.

"You are not ill, my.. Lady" the doctor said, forgetting that she was no longer the Queen, "You are merely with child." he added. When he had been summoned urgently, he never thought that his patient would be the former Queen of England just as much as he never thought he would be the one to inform her of her pregnancy. He wondered if the child was the King's child or not but as his observation showed, it was most probably the King's, many of the people in Pembroke were not so easy to sway with rumors and they knew that one cannot easily cheat on the King carnally especially if it were the Queen who had always been guarded not only by her bodyguards but also by her ladies.

"How is that possible? I have not been with anyone since….." Anne said trying to remember when the last time she was intimate with Henry as she had only ever given her body to him.

"I am two months along in my pregnancy, Am I correct?" Anne asked as she did her math. It would have meant that she had conceived her child with Henry on the night in April that he had opened up the topic of divorce with her but somehow, despite all the arguments they had that night, they had still ended up in bed.

"You are correct, my lady. You are due to give birth around December." the Doctor said.

Anne was conflicted, she knew without a doubt that this was Henry's child that she was carrying. Should she tell him? But how? A week ago, a messenger had come and delivered her the final divorce papers which she had signed and on that contract, she had vowed never to contact Henry directly or indirectly ever again.

Anne decided that she would not worry about Henry now. She had always worried about what he thought that she had lost her second child last January. Who is to say she will not lose this one again? No, it is better if she just carries her pregnancy in the calm privacy she had finally gotten used to in Pembroke.

Casting her worries about Henry aside, Anne focused on her fears for her unborn child, "Doctor, you know I have had troubles with my last pregnancy, Am I healthy enough to carry this pregnancy to term and to ensure my unborn child is healthy?" She couldn't bear it if she loses another child, the first time had nearly broken her heart and she was afraid she may not survive it if she had lost another child.

"You are healthy enough, my lady. I will be having one of the best midwife in town to check upon you every month until it is time for the child to be born." The Doctor said, knowing as well what Anne had been thinking of.

"Yes, that would be best. Thank you Doctor." Anne said as she stood to walk with the doctor out of her chamber, "Doctor, if you would be so kind as to not mention of my condition to anyone, I shall like this to be as calm and peaceful as possible and your utmost discretion and those that will be working with you is most appreciated" Anne said as she gave him another purse filled with gold and placed it on the Doctor's palm on top of the purse she had given him for his service.

"My Lady, I can assure you, no one will hear of this until you say so, but you do not need to give me more money for it. I have always believed you to be the rightful Queen and so you will always have my support." The doctor said as he returned the second purse to Anne. He really didn't need more money and the opportunity to be the Physician of the Former but Rightful Queen of England and the King's unborn child is an honor he would very much like to keep and in his opinion, no amount of gold can measure up to that opportunity!

Anne smiled, it was rare that she would meet people like this Doctor and Mr. Oliver who would do things because it pleased them and served her purpose, she was not used to men with no ulterior motives and this made her even more glad that she was no longer in court where men were filled with ambition and would use every opportunity to their advantage.

When Elizabeth had first arrived in Pembroke, Anne had been ecstatic to see her daughter and finally live with her. She was not yet showing signs of her pregnancy and so she was able to care and play with her daughter. Thankfully, her pregnancy this time seemed to be easier on her as she rarely had any morning sickness and she had no unusually cravings other than the food she ate must not be too rich as she had somehow preferred them to be less flavorful.

Before she had a chance to inform her daughter of her impending sisterhood, Anne had received a letter from Master Cranmer that the now Queen Jane and Lady Mary requests the Princess Elizabeth to return to court for Christmastide and the New Year.

Sighing, Anne knew she had no choice but to send her daughter to Whitehall as her usurper commanded. She did not mind, she knew that while Jane took her husband and throne from her was that she was not at all the courtier like she was, she knew Jane was easily manipulated and controlled by her brother, Edward Seymour. It was just hard to not hate her because she took everything she had from her and now it made her hate Jane even more because Jane took from her child the love of a father he or she should have had from the moment it was conceived.

Immediately, Anne ordered one of her servants to fetch the Lady Bryan. When Lady Bryan came, Anne spoke.

"Lady Bryan, please sit." She said, as Lady Bryan sat, Anne did not give Lady Bryan chance to speak as she spoke first. "Lady Bryan, I had received a letter from our dear Queen Jane and Lady Mary requesting that Elizabeth join them for Christmastide until the New Year." Anne said, sarcasm dripping from her tone as she spoke the words 'Queen Jane', "As the journey to Whitehall from here is quite far, I would like for you to begin packing Elizabeth's needs and to leave next week. I will write to the Lady Mary that you will be arriving earlier as I do not want your journey to be difficult as winter seems to come early this year."

"Of course my Lady" Lady Bryan said as she agreed with the charge's mother, she along with the other adults in the castle knew that Anne was pregnant with the King's child but as Anne had never officially acknowledged or informed them of her pregnancy, they saw it fit to do the same but now Lady Bryan felt that maybe she should bring it up, after all, the king had a right to know of his unborn child, did he not?

"My Lady, I know I might be overstepping but I am sure I am not the only one who has noticed that you are with child-" Lady Bryan said however she was cut off by Anne.

"I know everyone in this castle knows of my pregnancy, Lady Bryan but it seems Elizabeth has yet to figure it out." Anne said as she smiled at her daughter's naivety which Lady Bryan also smiled at, her charge was so incredibly inquisitive and smart that it was odd how she had missed her mother's growing belly, "But I do not believe anyone else should know about my condition. I would like to continue to keep my pregnancy as calm and quiet as it has and I am afraid that if the people at court" -mostly her father and uncle- "found out, it would just be too much chaos." Anne explained. She was quite happy with her life now, she wished that she and Henry weren't who they were and that they may have lived a life away from politics now that she had experienced what living away from such an environment felt like but she was done hoping. She had decided that from now on, she would just focus on her children and her estates. Anne was still quite ambitious, yes, but she had decided to focus her energy on things that would make a better change.

Understanding the Lady Anne's sentiments, "Of course, I understand Lady Anne, I will not speak of you to anyone especially of your condition." Lady Bryan said.

"Thank you, Lady Bryan, You may leave." Anne said as Lady Bryan curtsied and left to pack up the Princess' things.

When Elizabeth returned from Whitehall in by the end of January, she was shocked to see two new cradles in the room across hers.

"Mama!" Elizabeth said as she entered her mother's bed chambers where she saw her mother on her bed holding two bundled infants in her arms.

"Elizabeth, my heart! Come and meet your brother and sister" Anne said as she watched Elizabeth's confused face and excitement as she ran towards her mother's bed and was placed on the space on the bed beside her.

"When did they arrive mother? I have never seen them before!" Elizabeth asked as she stared at the faces of her new little brother and sister. She was so happy to have new siblings to play with! All her life she had been asked to pray for a baby brother and now God has finally given her one! and a little sister too!

"They arrived on Christmas day, my Elizabeth." Anne said as she stared at her eldest daughter's face filled with wonder, she was glad to see that Elizabeth will take on being a big sister well, she could tell Elizabeth already had love for her siblings. "This is Christian" she introduced the infant bundled in a light blue cotton and silk cloth, "and this is your little sister, Alice" she said as she showed her the infant in an off white cloth bundled in the same cotton and silk.

"Christian and Alice. I like their names very much mama! But why did father and you not tell me I were to have new siblings?" Elizabeth asked.

Anne knew her daughter's inquisitive nature would lead her to ask such a question, thankfully she'd prepared an answer but she was not sure she could say it so instead, she said, "Sweetheart, someday when you are older I will tell you everything and answer all your questions but for now, I want you to tell me of your trip."

Anne knew her distraction would work as soon as Elizabeth began to tell her of everything that had happened while she was in her father's palace.

Anne had been quite surprised to find out she was having twins, she remembered having gone into labour a day before Christmas and a week after her sister's arrival. Exactly at midnight of Christmas eve, she had given birth to her son, Christian and was so happy she had delivered her promise to Henry, however late it was but soon, and to everyone's surprise, she had screamed as another wave of pain from what seemed to be another set of contractions hit.

As soon as the midwife discovered of Anne's second child, she had urged Anne to push once more and soon, a small little infant was placed in her arms, she was smaller than her twin brother, smaller than Elizabeth had been when she was born but she was as healthy as her sibling and that was all that mattered to Anne.

Yes, her life in the country may not be what she had expected but she was happy. She had reunited with her sister and now she and her family lived with Anne in Pembroke and George and her have been writing to each other once more, asking for forgiveness for siding with their father before. Anne had written him once, saying that she has forgiven him but had not spoken of her children and that she and Mary had reunited once more.

AN: Well hello there! I know I said I have no idea when I will be updating this next but I just finished writing chapter 5 and I felt like I could have this chapter out now. How do you feel about Anne in this chapter? Were you surprised? Also, what do you think of the per person chapter I've been doing lately? Cause I have to be honest here, the next chapters are pretty much written this way. There are so many things that I didn't include in this chapter but soon you will see them in other chapters!

Do you guys wanna guess who will be next chapter's main person? :) Leave your thoughts on your reviews!

I hope you liked this chapter so far! I'm going to be very busy soon and I might not be able to release new chapters as soon as I have been.

xx

unamedhpauthor

P.S. I still do not own the Tudors. :)