Mary Boleyn's belly widened. The doctors predicted twins. A boy and a girl. Henry was a proud man. Two sons in less than a year. The due date was around March.
"I shall be an aunt," Anne said with excitement.
"Yes, sister, you shall."
They ran into Henry and curtsied. "Your Majesty."
"Ladies," he nodded before leaving.
Henry, in turn, ran into Katherine. She curtsied. "Lord husband."
"Wife."
"What brings you to this side of the palace?"
"I came check on Mary," he lied. "I've been ignoring her lately."
This brought on Katherine's anger. She knew he was lying but decided to play the game. "Do you not know that I bear your child as well."
His face showed no emotion. "Right. Of course." He left.
She huffed with frustration. "Will one of the babies be a boy?" she asked Isabella.
"Yes. The doctors predict so."
She nodded with determination. "Then I dare not have another girl."
XXXXXXXX
Eleanor and Jane became the best of friends. Eleanor admired Jane's humility and a good heart. Jane in return appreciated Eleanor grace and intelligence. But lately, Jane had noticed Eleanor looking at her with something that could only be described as longing. She was Catholic at heart and a pretty devout one too. It was the only thing Empress Katherine liked about her.
It was a strange day. Mary and Anne went walking in the gardens. The doctor assigned to Mary allowed an hour of exercise each day up until her confinement. Bessie was with her son as she so often was. She didn't even have to stay with the others but she liked their company and stayed anyways. That left Eleanor and Jane to themselves.
They were sewing and Jane chuckled. Eleanor looked up and offered a smile herself. "What?"
"Your sewing is off slightly."
Eleanor frowned and glanced down. She hadn't missed a stitch.
"Here." Jane pointed just a little below where Eleanor's fingers currently were. "There's a tiny hole right there. You have to sew tightly so that no air gets in. The nights are getting colder so these poor children need good quality clothing to keep warm and-" Jane stopped her rambling when Eleanor touched her hand. She looked up. "Eleanor?"
Eleanor leaned in and pecked her on the lips. Jane gasped and pulled away before running off. Eleanor cursed herself for being so forward. She probably hates me now, she thought with frustration. She had liked Jane for a while now and wanted to make her feelings known. But now she could have possibly ruined things.
XXXXXXX
"Well?" Katherine asked. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"You are not pregnant, my lady. It was a figment of your imagination," the doctor replied.
Katherine stood in angry. "What? You're lying. I know I had morning sickness."
"You simply wanted to believe it so much that you imagined the symptoms of pregnancy."
"No!" Her mind raced but she had to ask. "Am I infertile?"
"No. But you are nearly 27 and your ability to get pregnant drops as you age. I would suggest trying around the peak of your menstruation. When you really began to feel that your course is coming soon."
Katherine nodded and paid the doctor well to keep what was said a secret.