Hampton Court Palace (June 1529)
The court was abuzz with the news of the long-awaited Legatine Court Proceedings. For the King and Anne, however, the court gossip was for all the wrong reasons. A verdict had yet to have been reached, with Campeggio stalling once again. But the worst of all was the actions of Queen Katherine. Her impassioned and brave speech that she gave, before the King on her knees, was being lauded by both the court and the general public.
The King was furious. If anything, the Queen's speech only further proved to him his need and desire to remarry. He was often seen stomping around the court and losing his temper with his ministers. In particular, Wolsey's influence was hanging on by a thin thread.
Anne was also temperamental. Bessie had tried to support her friend as best as she could, omitting the respect that she held for the actions of the Queen.
Currently, the two women were trying to enjoy the usual entertainment in Anne's rooms. Mark Smeaton, a new musician in Anne's service, was playing a cheerful tune on his lute to try and lighten up the mood of the room.
"Isn't Mr Smeaton's music wonderful, Anne?" Bessie said, smiling at the young musician.
"It is lovely," admitted Anne, though her gaze was travelling around the room of courtiers. "But it does not drown out all the gossips in this room."
It was true. Even Bessie could hear the hushed whispers. Jane Boleyn, nee Rochford, the wife of Anne's brother, was particularly relishing the latest scandal.
"Your brother's wife is loving it," Bessie remarked quietly to Anne. Neither of them harboured an affection for Jane.
Anne scoffed and rolled her eyes, though she quickly straightened her posture and fixed a smile when the King arrived with a large group of gentlemen. The King was in deep conversation with Charles Brandon, though, so did not come to his beloved straight away.
Bessie quickly scanned the group, and as always, her heart skipped slightly when she saw Edward.
Her feelings quickly soured, however, when she saw him make his way over to Jane Boleyn. He said something to her quietly, to which she made a show of laughing heartily. He then looked at Bessie, to make sure she was watching.
She wished she could not pander to his games. They left her with waves of jealousy and unpleasant feelings. He greatly infuriated her.
"It bothers you, doesn't it?" asked Anne, making Bessie tear her gaze away from Edward and Jane Rochford.
"Yes," Bessie admitted reluctantly, "But I cannot do a great deal about it."
"Of course you can," said Anne, a knowing glint in her eye, "You need to make him jealous too. Flirt with another gentleman. Make him regret letting you go."
Bessie thought for a moment. "But which gentleman?"
Anne surveyed the room, and her eyes landed on Thomas Wyatt.
"You could have any of them if you wished to Bess. But…Wyatt. He is clearly attracted to you, and unhappily married."
"Very well," Bessie said, with a small smile on her face.
Bessie stood and made her way over to Tom, plastering her brightest smile on her face. He was sat by the window and writing in his composition journal.
"Bess!" he exclaimed, visibly pleased to see her.
"Well met, Tom," she bobbed him a quick curtsey. "I am so glad to see you."
"And why is that?" he asked, with a teasing smile.
"I just wished to see if you had composed any more sonnets about me recently."
"I have."
"Can I not see them?"
"Perhaps they are private," he replied, a glint in his eye.
Her eyes were drawn to his composition journal. The cover was beautifully decorated with drawings of plants, with beautiful colours of moss green and gold.
"May I see the cover? I promise I will not peak inside," she asked.
She sat by him, and he moved to pass it to her. As he did so, their hands brushed, and she saw him swallow and take a breath at their touch.
She examined the beautiful cover and asked Tom where he had bought such a lovely journal. They continued to converse and laugh a while longer until she excused herself to rejoin Anne.
"Perfectly done, Bess," Anne said, amusement written upon her face. "He could not look away from you and Wyatt, and he looked positively furious."
…..
That evening, Bess found herself with an unusual desire to go to the palace chapel. She was not the most devout member of the court, but she sometimes felt the need to pray in quiet reflection when a lot was on her mind.
Once she reached the chapel, she sank to her knees in front of the statue of the Virgin. She closed her eyes and prayed for Anne. Anne's safety in particular, for she had been worried for her friend ever since she had begun her relationship with the King.
She opened her eyes and looked up at the statue, cradling Jesus, and vividly lit up in the moonlight. She wondered if she would ever marry and have children of her own one day.
Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly by the chapel door opening. She heard hard, likely male, footsteps stalk slowly across the floor, then stop as the person quietly sat on a pew.
She froze from her position on the floor. It was silent again, but she could feel some eyes piercing into the back of her skull.
She tried to ignore it, but she just had to see who it was.
Turning her head slowly to the right, she saw Edward, lit up by the moonlight and stained glass window reflections, a few feet behind her. They locked eyes, and he stood, as if to go towards her.
That was all Bessie needed to leave. She stood up briskly, crossing herself in the process, and walking quickly to the exit.
"Bessie, wait! Please talk to me!"
She ignored him as she continued down the corridor.
"Bessie!"
She began to walk faster, as she heard his boots hitting the floor hard to catch up with her.
"Are you ever going to speak with me? Or are you just going to flirt with every gentleman you see to gain my attention?"
Anger simmered deep within the pit of her stomach. She could not believe how much she hated him. Whilst he had been prone to tease her previously, he had grown arrogant and proud during his absence in military service. The memories she held onto of a tender kiss and warm embrace were long gone.
She tried to ignore him as she continued to stalk away from him.
"Is Thomas Wyatt your lover now?"
She whirled around in irritation, determined to defend herself. Her anger grew tenfold when she saw the smug and amused expression on his face.
"Why do you care? Are you jealous?" she asked harshly.
His amused expression dropped from his face for a moment, as he scoffed. "Of course not, I am just concerned for your being and reputation."
Bessie laughed without humour. "Why? You were not so concerned about my reputation when you took me to the garden to kiss me without a chaperone. You only care about yourself."
He did not say anything for a moment as he continued to stare at her.
Bessie turned quickly away from him and started walking again. Leave me alone, she pleaded inside her head.
But she could still hear his footsteps pursuing her.
"Why are you following me?" she asked.
"You think wrongly of me, Bessie."
"I do not, I am very aware of my opinion of you," she said, as she continued to walk.
"Will you just stop and speak to me?"
"No. Even if I wanted to, I am forbidden."
The breath was taken from her as she was suddenly pulled into an alcove in the corridor. She drew a breath to yell or alert for help, but Edward clamped a firm hand over her mouth.
He slowly lifted it away, to make sure she would not speak. She did not, for she was highly aware of the position that they were in. It was almost an embrace; she could feel the full length of his body against hers. Moving away the hand across her mouth, his other arm sat securely around her waist.
"What do you mean you are forbidden?" he asked, concern written over his face, and making no move to remove his arm its position.
She was breathless. "My father did not like us speaking to each other at your knighting ceremony. He explicitly forbade it, and I am unusually inclined to follow his command."
He did not speak for a moment as his grey eyes searched her face.
"To hell with Norfolk. Will you please just let me speak and explain myself to you?" he asked her, waiting for her reaction.
"Why were you in the chapel?"
"I saw you go in, but I did not wish to interrupt you. Now, may I speak?"
Bessie did not speak, but just cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him to begin.
He moved his free hand to tuck a loose curl behind her ear.
"I should have come after you that time in the garden," he started, in a low, hushed voice.
Surprise flitted across her face, but she did not say anything.
"I was afraid of how I felt for you, and I knew it would not likely work. I thought going to France would be a fresh start to forget you and what we shared."
Bessie listened to each of his words.
"I feel frustrated at myself for hurting you. I have never been able to forget you. And now coming back to court I just have to be with you, whether it's making you smile or making you angry. I cannot bear to see you with Wyatt, or any other man, and every woman I try to talk to pales in comparison to you."
Bessie was speechless. They continued to look at each other intently, breathing deeply, their bodies so agonisingly close together, and the pull between them stronger than ever.
"I'm mad for you, Bess," he whispered.
Automatically, their faces leaned closer together. Bessie could feel his warm breath on her lips, and she could see the desire in his eyes, but they did not touch. Her body was dying for him to kiss her, but her mind was trying in vain to resist.
And then it was over as quickly as it began.
He removed his arm from her waist. Checking the corridor was clear, he quickly kissed her hand, and walked into the darkness at the end of the corridor, leaving her to collect herself and once again curse at her inability to resist him.
A/N- A long chapter… and the tension is strong! Will Edward and Bessie be able to move through their issues? Some songs that influenced this chapter include the Molly Hocking covers of 'Lay All Your Love on Me' and 'Bad Romance'.
Again, thank you to anyone who reads this story. I will be trying to update at least once a week, sometimes twice. Please follow, favourite and comment on this story if you enjoy it.