As 1533 continues, I notice Anne's household grow further away from her. "What is going on?" I ask her.
"You did not hear?" Anne asks. When I ask, we are in her rooms, and I must admit that I don't keep up with politics. So far, they don't concern me. I shake my head. "The King passed the Act in Restraint of Appeals."
"So, what does that mean?"
"No one can appeal to Rome for help. Not even Catalina can." Anne groans and sinks into her chair. Catholicism is critical to Catalina's identity, even if she doesn't follow all the Church's teachings.
"Then where is everyone supposed to get help from? The King most certainly won't give it."
"I know, but it is the law now. There is nothing we can do to change it, even if we succeed."

The following morning, Thomas and George Boleyn join us. There are so many Thomases here, and my mind is reeling when I try to keep up with everyone. I know it was a popular name, but did so many people have to call their sons Thomas? It's a bit ridiculous and over the top. I sit with them for a while, and we begin planning when we should target the King. "It should be after Elizabeth's birth," Anne says. "That way, I will be out of confinement and able to help."
"That is a great idea," George says. "Jane, can you get the herbs?"
"People will ask questions if I do." As Jane speaks, I find I want to put an arm around her and comfort her. That's when I get a thought—are my feelings towards her changing because of my new hunger? I hope that's not the case. Jane will be disappointed if that is the case.
Mum presses a pouch into Jane's hand. "This should be enough that they don't ask questions and get you what you need. If we do it over time, it could be best. King Henry would never know."

Never know... He will never know we are changing history, and he is at the heart of it. If I am killing a Tudor king but making it look like he's still alive, can I change anything later? Is it possible? Could I potentially save—get a grip, Emma! Saving someone from death is much different than killing them before their time. But what if we make history worse? Elizabeth, an infant, will become queen. That alone could spark a civil war. Many people will side with Princess Mary, and she might turn against her sister and Henry Fitzroy once her father dies.

I never thought about that before.

I go on my computer, and I'm about to search about civil wars in Tudor England when I think of something. "Mummy?" I ask.
"Yes?"
"Why do we have an internet connection in Tudor England?"

Mummy opens her mouth and closes it again. A thoughtful expression crosses her face, followed by a confused one. "I never thought of that before. The internet hasn't been invented yet, so how can we research things?"
"Maybe that's a question we must ask the Doctor when he next turns up."
Mummy nods. "Did you find what you're looking for?"
"Not yet, because I haven't searched for it!" I type in English civil wars and hit enter. The only one that pops up is the one that will take place in the Stuart era. I'm not looking forward to that one. Instead, I look at wars in England. While it will come up with previous wars, it will also look at ones yet to come.

Weird. The only ones I can find are the Wars of the Roses and the Spanish Armada. "Getting rid of Henry VIII early won't cause a civil war."
"No, because people will still believe he is still alive," Anne says.
"I know, but I thought I should research it just in case." I next type in Henry VIII. Will other things change if we kill him this year?

A lot of news articles come up. I click on the one from the BBC called Who Reigned Instead of Henry VIII? This one may give me some answers. I read through the article and found a lot of information, but it gives me more questions than answers. I go to the next one—still nothing. I groan and shut my computer. It looks like history will continue as it should. At least that is one less thing to worry about. Or does that give us more to worry about? There will be so much we must fake, and I don't know if I can keep up with it.

I look around the room, and everyone is busy talking or looking at me. "Nothing I've found has given me any answers about what we do during this time or how we fake Henry VIII being on the throne." I shake my head. I hoped I'd get answers, but if it's only just been discovered, there's a lot more to find out. Historians will now go over Tudor history to determine what happened since Henry VIII died. Will it affect us all in the future? Maybe I should call my friends and ask them what's going on.

But I won't do it here. People might understand that I have technology that helps me research the future, but that's only because it's critical for my mission. Getting in contact with someone from my time could be risky if I do it in front of too many people. I'll do it tonight. Hopefully, someone will be awake and able to talk to me.

Most of the day passes uneventfully, and I retire to bed with Mum and Mummy. I planned to wait until they fell asleep, but that will not happen anytime soon. "I'm going to call someone from our time," I say. "They might have more information about what will happen now."
"It's worth a go," Mummy agrees. She's curled up under the covers, which is unusual, but she seems relaxed.
I open my phone and find Luke's number. If he's unavailable, I'll try someone else. I call him, but the number rings out. I try Clyde, Maria, the other queens, and Rani.

I then find Harold's number. I don't remember putting it in, but it's worth asking him. I call him.
"Emma, it's gone two in the morning," Harry says. "And you're only across the hall."
"Not exactly. I'm in 1533."
"1533?!" He yells. I hear Charles and James complaining in the background. "I'll turn it to speakerphone. Charles and James want to chat."
"Are you sure? It sounded like they were complaining."
Harold laughs. "Right; what do you want to speak to us about?"
"Have you heard the news about Henry VIII dying in 1533?"
"We have, yes."
I look at Mum and Mummy. I know I can trust the Titanic officers, so why am I pausing? "We've only just heard about it. We've been plotting to kill the King for some time, but we need more information about what we do after he dies."

"I see," James says. "We could have a look for you, but if you're researching it and have access to articles in our time, we'll be finding things out at the same time."
"But one of us might pick up on something someone else misses. And you have more computers than we do since we only have one."
"I guess that makes sense. All right, we'll do it. Do you want us to talk to the other queens as well?"
We already have the queens on our side. "Go for it. The more information we have, the better."
"We'll let them know in the morning," Charles promises.
I sure hope I can trust him on this—but Harry and James are also listening to the conversation, so we should be fine. "Thank you, good night."
"Good night," Charles, Harry, and James chorus before I end the call.

I grin as I settle down that night. My friends are all on my side, and we should be okay with getting rid of the King. He'll become a tyrant, and I cannot let that happen. Besides, if the Higher Authority says we have a chance, I will take it. I close my eyes.

My hands and legs are bound by rope, and someone ties my body to something. I look down to see people piling hay and sticks around me. As I survey my surroundings, I see someone holding a torch close to the sticks. "Emma Smith-White, you have been charged with high treason for the poisoning of our sovereign lord, King Henry VIII. If you reveal the names of your accomplices, we will let you go."
I keep my mouth shut. There's no way I'll give away anything.
"Very well."
The executioner lowers the torch and the sticks and hay catch fire. I keep my mouth shut, but the smoke fills my nostrils. I cough and splutter before the flames consume me, and I scream.

"EMMA!" Mummy screams. I open my eyes and look around. A flickering candle darts shadows across the room, illuminating Mum and Mummy's faces. "Are you all right?"
I try to move, but my limbs feel like lead. I shake my head.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Mum asks.
I shake my head.

I go to Anne's rooms like usual in the morning, only to find Anne isn't up yet. Jane isn't there either. Mum and Mummy notice my worried glances around the room. "I have seen them, but they went into Anne's bedchamber," Mummy says. "They should be out soon." I walk over to the doors and knock, but no one answers. I squat down and peer through the keyhole.

I wish someone had talked me out of it.

I could see Anne and Jane. But they were doing something I never expected. They were kissing.

What? I thought what happened between Anne and Jane had lasted only a short time.

The two women break apart for air. "What will Emma and Catalina think?" Anne asks.
"I don't care about Emma," Jane whispers. "She's refusing to do it with me since I'm supposed to be a virgin when I marry the King. Besides, she doesn't want to be with me."
"Are you sure you did not misunderstand her?"
"Yes."
"Once the baby is born, come to me. We can soon fix that."

I stumble away from the door. Anne and... Jane? Together? This wasn't supposed to happen, not this late!

I run back to my room and begin tearing up the letters Jane sent me. We agreed we wouldn't pursue a romantic relationship and were leaving these letters for historians to find, but I started to grow feelings for her. There is no way I can ever face her again. No one can help me, except... can I even consider going against the King's will?