June 11th, 1562

St. James's Palace

Isabella was waiting patiently. Edward was busy explaining his ideas to indirectly tax the people in order to gain more revenue, and she decided to busy herself with organizing her household until noon when they normally played cards. She and Edward had never stayed in St. James's Palace, and the unfamiliar surroundings put Isabella in an uneasy mood.

"Mariana, can you place the damask gowns on the left of the closet?" Isabella inquired.

Mariana, who had already hung seven of her gowns on the right, turned with a tight lipped smile, and nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Ah, Lady Northampton. Do not be so cross with me." Isabella giggled.

Isabella turned her critical gaze to Sancha. "Sancha, would you bring the fire up a bit higher? It is a bit cool."

Sancha promptly threw two more logs into the fireplace and tended the fire with a poker.

"Thank you, Sancha."

Ruth entered the room carrying a flask of spiced ale for Isabella and her ladies. "Izzy, please do not torture the girls."

Isabella twisted a stray piece of hair around her finger. "Ruth, I feel odd today. Something is not right here."

Ruth rolled her eyes. A typical thing she did when she felt Isabella was being unreasonable or childish. Isabella glared at her, she truly felt something was odd in the air.

"Perhaps, it is just the babe." Ruth replied after a while.

She poured the ale and the ladies all took a goblet.

" To health of our gracious queen." Anne Langley chirped.

Madeleine smiled before adding. "Also to the fertility of her womb. Bless her seventh babe and hopefully many more."

Isabella laughed and took a sip of her ale before noticing that one goblet had remained on the table. "Where is Marie?"

Her ladies all exchanged glances, although not one dared to open their mouth.

Isabella narrowed her eyes. "Where is Marie?"

She was again met with silence and guilty stares. It was infuriating. She abruptly stood and stormed out of the door, walking down the corridor where Edward was meeting with a few of his council members. It would nearly be time for them to play cards together, and she wondered if she would find Marie on the way. It was suspicious to her that Marie had given birth to two children while she was unmarried, especially since she was now expecting a third child. Isabella wondered if a secret marriage had taken place, and to whom.

As she reached Edward's chambers, she saw something that made her stop in her tracks. "Edward!"

June 11th, 1562

St. James's Palace

Edward turned his head to see his heavily pregnant wife standing in the corridor, appearing quite dumbfounded. He had Marie in an embrace, and he was nearly inches from her face, breaking away from a kiss. His heart sank, he had intended to end his affair with Marie after Isabella had began recovering from her fever, but instead he ended up sleeping with his pretty mistress that night, and many nights thereafter.

He pulled his arms from around Marie and began to approach Isabella."My love, I-"

Isabella glared at him. "I think it is best we do not play cards today, Your Majesty."

She hurried down the corridor and Edward stood there, frozen in his own guilt and shame. Marie wrapped herself around him and kissed his cheek, making him feel suddenly disgusted with her. It seemed to be a pattern with Marie, he quickly went from awe, to disgust and back again.

She pulled him back inside his Privy chamber and turned to him, smiling. "Well, now that your queen knows that I am your mistress, there is nothing to threaten her and you no longer have to hide your beautiful daughters from the court. It is a good thing that this has happened."

Edward nodded numbly. "I believe you are right, I can do nothing but acknowledge our children as well as hers. Of course, your children are still illegitimate."

Marie laughed sweetly. "You could take me as your second wife. Following the example of Philip of Hesse, that is."

Edward raised an eyebrow, did this woman think his wife would accept a bigamous marriage?

"In any case, I believe I should see to the queen. I will return to you tonight, correct?"

Edward nodded again, dumbfounded. As Marie floated out of his room, his thoughts instantly went back to Isabella. He had intended to open Parliament the next morning, but he knew he would not sleep that night. He would have to put all of his efforts into reconciling with his wife. She had been nothing but a good wife and mother. Yet, there was some passion in him that Marie ignited in him that Isabella had not given him in a while. Marie made him feel what he had felt on his wedding night. Of course, he had no reason to break a promise to his wife, Northumberland had been wrong by telling him it was his birthright. He would make it up to Isabella somehow.

June 11th, 1562

St. James's Palace

Isabella had returned to her rooms to cry. Ruth protectively wrapped her arms around the her and tried to calm her, but to no avail. Isabella wanted revenge, she wanted Marie dead. She did not even want to remain married to Edward anymore. She pushed Ruth off of her and made her way to her closet. She looked at all of the beautiful dresses Edward had given her over the past few years and wanted them burned. She thought about Marie's first pregnancy and realized that it had happened around the time Anna had been born. Anna was three years old now, and she felt herself grow weak. If Edward had been sleeping with Marie while she was in confinement with Anna, that meant when George, Constance, and the babe that was now inside of her had been tainted by his affair. It all made sense to her now, Marie's disappearances, those nights when Edward claimed he had been working on tax policies and fortifications of cities and could not see her, the way he hesitated when she told him she loved him, and Marie's unexplained pregnancies. It was now crystal clear in her mind. Everything.

"Mariana and Charlotte, I need the two of you to pack some of my things. None of the expensive dresses, only my normal wear." She ordered.

Charlotte and Mariana exchanged a glanced, truly stupefied by her orders.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Charlotte and Mariana gave her a curtsy.

Suddenly, Marie entered the room and curtsied low. "Your Majesty, is there anything that you require of me?"

Ruth glared and Jane Dudley shook her head in disapproval. Ruth whispered something to Lady Jane, and Jane's eyes widened as she eyed the queen warily.

Isabella smiled at Marie gently. "Of course, follow me Lady Marie."

Marie followed her, not that she had much of a choice. Isabella extinguished her candle, as all of the wax had melted. She turned to back to Marie, her smile had turned into a scowl as she threw the hot wax in the French woman's face. Marie screamed and stumbled backwards, and Isabella slapped her so that she fell.

"Out of my sight you harlot!" She bellowed.

Marie found her way to her feet and half ran, half stumbled out of the queen's chambers. Isabella turned back to her ladies, even Ruth was in shock.

"Sancha, Madeleine, will you gather my children?" Isabella whispered, her adrenaline returning to its normal levels.

Sancha and Madeleine nodded quickly and hurried to the nursery.

Ruth shook her head. "Isabella, what are you doing?"

Isabella sighed. "I am leaving, Ruth."