The court was on its way to Greenwich, and as the great procession grew closer Mary felt her heart growing heavier. William would be there, and after a summer of bliss with Henry she dreaded having to confront her husband.

She hoped that she would not have to rejoin him in their married quarters. To reunite with him might mean sleeping in his bed, and that she did not want to do. She knew one of the reasons she had appealed to Henry was the fact that she was married. If she were to have a child William would be the legal father. Henry would not acknowledge it, as he had Bessie Blount's, even though he found her a husband. Henry Fitzroy was his only living son, and he had taken the child from her to raise as his own.

William had probably been relieved that he would not have to join the court on their progress and see himself humiliated, even though Henry had been discreet when it came to the attention he paid to Mary. Would he be content to play the role of husband, or would he want to claim her as his wife? What would he do if she became pregnant with Henry's child? Would he do his duty and accept the child as his, even if it was in name only?

Why Sir Thomas insisted that she try to get pregnant puzzled her. What good would a pregnancy do to further his plans? He had gained lands and offices from her liaison with the king. Furthermore, Henry was married, he had to attain permission from the Pope to marry his brother's widow. Any attempt to put the queen aside would be met with failure and rebellion against the church might find him excommunicated. There would be no confessions, no baptism, people would be forbidden the rites of the church. England was a Catholic country and subject to the laws of the Church. As a declared "Defender of the Faith" Henry would take no unnecessary risks.

The court was glad to return to Greenwich. No moving from estate to estate, no living in pavilions. The castle had been cleaned and the nobles that made castle their home were glad to be back in their old quarters with their servants at their beck and call. The gypsy like existence of being on progress lost its allure after the first few weeks, all had been glad to return home.

Mary decided not to return to the rooms she shared with William, but returned to the dormitory where the unmarried ladies lived. Her maid was there and had lit a fire and had a bath prepared for her. Mary sank into the hot fragrant waters, welcoming the soothing effect it had on her aching body. She soaked in blissful silence, grateful for this time that she had to herself, for soon she would have to go in to dinner and William would certainly be there. She would have to play the role of his wife and begin the great deception again.

The waters began to cool and she stood up and Gemma, her new maid, wrapped a towel around her and helped her dry off. She wrapped her robe around her and sat down as Gemma brushed her long, light brown hair.

"Madame," said her maid, "Are you near your time of the month? Should I fetch some rags?"

"No, why do you ask?" Mary replied.

"Your breasts look a little swollen and your nipples are darker. I did not think that you would be pregnant for your husband has been at his home over the summer."

"Oh, my goodness," Mary thought, no, this can't be, I cannot be pregnant, I can't, not so soon. Please, god, don't let this be true.

"Do you think you could be pregnant, ma'am, if it is not your time of the month. When did you last have your courses?"

"Two months ago, but I paid no attention to it. I suppose I will have to tell my father and my husband." And the king she thought, to none of them would she reveal the dismay she felt.

"It is a good thing to have a child, my lady, your husband will be pleased when you tell him, a child is a blessing."

"Yes, I am sure it is." Mary forced a smile onto her face. "Please fetch me my yellow silk gown and the matching hood and slippers. We will have to see about having some gowns made for when I am in the last months and can no longer fit into my clothes."

Thoughts were racing through her head. What would she tell Henry? They had never discussed children and her giving him a child would serve no useful purpose. Her getting pregnant was inevitable, after all, but would Henry care if it was his and not William's? She was a married woman and therefore any children she bore would officially belong to her husband.

But the child was not William's, it was Henry's. If she was pregnant, she wanted him to want the child because it was her child. He, or she, she reminded herself, wouldn't be a royal bastard in name, it would be the child of William Carey and considered legitimate.

She remembered the early days of her marriage when she wanted children so badly, before her father and Uncle Norfolk started pushing her at the king. She had imagined William proud and happy, waiting for the birth of their child, hoping, of course, for a son and heir. How proud he would have been!

Now, things had changed. She would have to tell William she was pregnant and it made her afraid. He would have to watch as the baby grew in her belly, knowing that he would have to raise a child that was not his, but the king's. Would he have all the same regrets that she did? Would he carry the old anger knowing that Thomas Boleyn and Norfolk had taken away all his dreams, and most of all the wife that he had loved?

It was almost a week before the king sent for her. When she came to his chambers, something of the old eagerness was gone from her, replaced by the urgent need to tell him and receive advice from him as to what she should do.

She curtsied and he took her hand and raised her up. "I have something to tell you, your majesty," she said, "And I must tell you now before I lose my courage." She took a deep breath, "I am going to have a child." Her hazel eyes looked up at him, pleading.

"My dear, that is wonderful news. Have you told your family?" He did not ask if she thought it was his, or William's. Since she had started sharing his bed, she had exiled herself from William's and hoped that Henry knew.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "I have not told my family yet. My father and Uncle Norfolk are not kind. They may be happy that I am having your child, but I can never tell. It will make no difference that I am happy and I am happy. I was so afraid, sire, that…"

"I would be angry with you? No, Mary, I am not angry, I am delighted. The queen has lost so many children and I need to know that I can father a healthy child. I have one son, but one son may not make it to adulthood. I was not supposed to be the designated heir, but my brother Arthur died young and overnight my life changed and I was destined for the throne instead of the Church. The queen has given me no living sons, only a girl and a girl cannot sit on the throne of England."

My god, thought Mary, he is all but saying he is going to put Henry Fitz Roy on the throne. What will the queen say to that? I know she is counting on Mary becoming queen but Salic Law applies here as it does in France. Oh god, will he put the queen aside and find someone to marry who can give him children? But how? The queen's nephew is the Holy Roman Emperor and if he tries to annul the marriage he will make an enemy of Spain.

She was relieved that instead of having her spend the night he sent her back to her rooms. Maybe she should have minded, but she didn't. Perhaps he needed to be alone, perhaps Mary telling him that she was pregnant reminded him of the queen's failure to provide him with an heir.

The next day she gathered her courage and went to see her father. She was feeling braver than she thought and when he asked her what she wanted to tell him the words "I'm pregnant" came more easily than she expected.

"Are you sure?" he asked, and she nodded.

"I've missed my courses twice which is not usual for me. I'm feeling no nausea or weakness but I am healthy and perhaps that is why. I am sure, Father, more than sure, otherwise I would not have told the king."

"You told the king before you told me? How dare you? This is news I should have given him myself."

"It is his child and I am the one who is carrying it. I wanted to tell him. I also needed to find out if he was angry that I'm pregnant."

"And was he?" Her father was angry and surprised that Mary was growing more confident in herself. He would expect this from Anne, but not from her and the surprise was not pleasant.

"No, he seemed happy. He wants to know that he can father a healthy child. He did not say it outright, but I think he would declare Richmond his heir were it not for the queen. She would see the Princess Mary inherit."

"Did he come out and say that he intended to?" Her father asked.

"No, but he did not need to. It's common knowledge that he does not want to see a foreigner sit on the throne of England, and that is what will happen when Princess Mary weds."

"But that could open the door for you," Lord Thomas said, "Give him a healthy son and he might see fit to make you his wife."

"No, Father, he can't. The queen is beloved and the people would not take it well if he set her aside. Also, he would have to try to have two marriages annulled, and the likelihood of that happening is almost nil. William and I consummated our marriage, and we shared a marriage bed, up until the time you decided to remove me from it. Queen Katherine is the aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor, she represents Spain's interests and right now England can't afford enemies. Henry has Henry Fitz Roy who he may or may not make his heir. And don't forget, it is possible that the baby I carry is a girl."

"Anne would not argue with me," said her father.

"Anne is not married and you have no match for her. If you want to dangle her in front of the king you will have to bring her back from Hever. I'm sure if you want to marry a daughter to a king, she is the daughter you want."

"Anne will stay where she is for now. In the meantime, you are expecting the king's child and we certainly reap rewards from it. Have you told William you are pregnant? This will certainly make him deserving of his knighthood."

"Not yet, though I know I must. I do think he will take it well. All this time he has been a loyal servant to the king. The king has taken his wife as his mistress, yet he is not Sir William as he deserves to be. He appreciates the lands and the manors, but without the title they don't mean as much. I will tell him soon, but not yet."

"Do not put it off for too long, it is better that he hears it from you than from court gossip. He will know that it is the king's child but cuckold's horns are never easy to bear. There is not much that you can say that will soften the blow, but remind him that he will probably receive a generous reward from the king. How many know of your liaison with the king?" His penetrating eyes stared and she could not look away.

"Only a few, Henry has been discreet, and I am glad. People will assume that this is William's child, only a chosen few will know otherwise. I would be happier if things were different. I have wanted a child, only I assumed that it would be William's. I did not expect to share the king's bed, let alone have his child."

"Tell William, Mary, tell him soon. He will not be pleased but he will do his duty, as do we all. You must make sure you bear the king a healthy child, as of now this is our only concern."

Mary curtsied and left the room. As she expected, her father saw this as a way to further his ambitions. She felt sorry for the child she carried, it was not even born yet and had become a pawn on the Boleyn chessboard.