Content warning- Mature scenes ahead…
Whitehall Palace (June 1531)
From the comfort of the window seat of her spacious bed chamber, Bessie watched as the summer sky changed from a lush, burnt orange to midnight black, peppered with sparkling stars. Her chambers overlooked the vast palace gardens, and during the past few months that the court had resided at Whitehall, she often found herself admiring the evening views.
A familiar, soft knock upon her chamber door broke her out of her daydream. She drew in a deep breath and her heart drummed almost painfully inside her chest as she rose to admit her visitor. But it was not out of fear, worry or anxiety.
It was anticipation. Excitement. Desire.
Bessie turned the handle of the old oak door to reveal a man, clad in a black cloak that concealed his face. As the door closed behind the couple, Bessie pulled the hood of the cloak away from his face to reveal the handsome countenance of Sir Edward Seymour.
The spring and summer movement of the Tudor court away from Hampton Court Palace had meant that Bessie and Edward no longer had their secret room to conduct their meetings in. Tom, Edward's squire and messenger, had been sent to scout Whitehall for an appropriate meeting place with little luck.
But they found it impossible to stay away from each other, and had thus resorted to dangerously meeting in Bessie's private bed chamber twice a month. It was extremely risky; if but one member of the court witnessed Edward entering her chambers, her reputation and prospects would likely be permanently ruined.
It was a risk she was more than willing to take. For over the past few months, Bessie had slowly come to the realisation that she had fallen in love with Edward Seymour.
Indeed, she had spent countless sleepless nights trying to come to terms with her feelings. She had found that she could no longer deny the fact that she cared for him deeply, or that no one else made her feel the way that he did. And that no matter how hard she tried to resist, she was always drawn back to him.
"Sweetheart," Edward murmured, as he took Bessie into his arms. He gently raised his hands to cup her face and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
"I have missed you," she whispered against his mouth as they slowly drew away.
"I have missed you too, Bess. The court has been intense these past few weeks."
Bessie and Edward moved to sit together on the crimson sheets of her bed. Edward reached out and held Bessie's hand as they fell into their usual rhythm of discussing the goings-on of the King's court.
"Is it true that the King and Mistress Boleyn intend to leave the Queen behind for the upcoming July progress?" Edward asked.
"I am uncertain. The Queen has indeed angered the King more so than usual, but I could not believe they could be as cruel as to leave her behind in such a way," Bessie replied, her eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"I could. Mistress Boleyn grows bolder by the day."
"She-" Bessie rushed to defend her closest friend.
"Today she announced in front of the Queen's ladies and the court that she wishes to see all Spaniards at the bottom of the sea, and that she would rather see the Queen hanged than acknowledge her as her mistress."
Bessie's eyes flew to meet Edward's in shock.
"Truly?" she asked, horrified that Anne could say such a thing.
Edward nodded. "Nearly the whole court witnessed it."
"Her behaviour has worried me recently," Bessie admitted.
"Your father has been full of himself too. He constantly boasts about Anne and the rise of the Howards to anyone who will listen to him," Edward added. He looked hesitant, however, when he noticed Bessie's silence about her father.
"He has always regarded Anne as the apple of his eye, but now she is bringing our family increased wealth and influence, and thus to him she can do no wrong at the moment," Bessie said after a while.
"Have you replied to his letters?" Edward asked.
Norfolk had sent Bessie multiple letters since their last confrontation; none of them endearing or fatherly. Luckily, with the favour of the King on her side, Bessie was allowed to reside at court in her own chambers, away from her father.
"No," Bessie said with certainty, "nor do I wish to anytime soon."
Edward pulled her closer to him and turned her face towards his.
"I vow that I will do all in my power to honour and protect you, Bess."
Bessie smiled half-heartedly and she gently kissed him. Whilst she knew he was earnest in his words, he could not truly protect her unless he became her husband.
Her mind drifted as it always did, however, when their kiss started to become more and more passionate. Edward's hands moved slowly from around her waist towards her exposed breasts at the top of her bodice, his feather-light touch making her shiver with desire.
He stood up suddenly and walked a few steps away from her. He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"What is it?" Bessie asked in concern, standing to join him.
He seemed to have an internal battle with himself before he spoke.
"Bess, do you trust me?" he asked, as he looked intently into her eyes.
"Yes?" Bessie answered, a questioning look on her face.
He took her hand and drew her over to the window seat that she had been sitting on before he came.
She sat down on it, confused, expecting him to sit beside her.
Instead, he dropped to his knees in front of her.
"Edward, what are you-," she began to ask, but words escaped her as he lifted the cream skirts of her gown and went underneath them. She felt him slowly take off the stockings on both of her legs, and watched as he tossed them to the side.
"Edward, I-," she tried again, but this time her words were cut off by her soft gasp as she felt him start trailing kisses up the exposed skin of her thighs. Heat and pleasure coursed through her body as his kisses travelled to her inner thighs. As he got closer to her private parts, she finally mustered the words to speak to him. She had never felt this way before.
"Is this a sin?" she whispered.
His mouth stopped for a moment. She could feel his hot breath and facial hair against her skin.
"No, not if you privately repent," he murmured against her, "May I continue?"
"Yes," she managed to reply, before his mouth finally moved to between her thighs.
Her head tipped back in ecstasy and her hands tightly gripped the fabric of the seat at the sensations his mouth and tongue bought out of her. As she writhed, she could not control the soft moans that escaped her mouth, and his hands increased their intense grip on her thighs.
Previously, she had only known the lustful feelings of kisses and touch. Never in her wildest dreams had she experienced something so pleasurable.
The sensations continued to build in her core until she saw stars in her vision and her legs shook.
Edward gave her one last kiss and came out from under her skirts. His hair was tousled, and his face bore a satisfied smirk as he took in her flushed and breathless appearance.
She knew something had certainly changed between them, once again, and that things would never be the same.
…
Later on, Edward took Bessie into his arms one last time to embrace and kiss her before he left.
Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Anne decided to walk in unannounced into the bed chamber. She froze in shock as she took in the scene.
Bessie went to quickly move away from Edward, as if it made a difference, but he grabbed her hand and held her close.
"Good evening, Mistress Anne. I was just leaving," he said with an unreadable look on his face.
Anne did not speak, but she looked furious, and Bessie felt deeply uncomfortable about the fizzling, unspoken tension between Anne and Edward.
"Good night, Bess," he said to Bessie. He kissed her hand, then swiftly left the room.
Silence descended between the two women before Bessie confidently met Anne's furious eyes.
"What in God's name are you thinking Bess? Do you wish to be completely ruined?" Anne seethed at her.
Bessie said nothing for a moment as she faced Anne's fiery temper.
"Having a gentleman in your chambers at night is bad enough, Bess, but a Seymour? The one you claimed to break your heart?"
"I love him, Anne," Bessie interrupted her friend calmly.
Anne almost rolled her eyes in exasperation. "My God, Bess, do you not see? He wishes to take your maidenhead, and then he'll marry Anne Stanhope upon the orders of his family!"
"You know nothing about him."
"He is a Seymour and cannot be trusted! You must put a stop to this relationship before it goes too far!"
Bessie's calm demeanour suddenly snapped.
"You are not my mother, Anne! You cannot order me about this way!" she fumed.
Anne did not back down. "I am as good as an older sister to you, Bess, and I intend to protect you from men like Seymour. I will not stand by and let you become Seymour's whore!"
Bessie saw red.
"God's bones Anne you are such a hypocrite! You are perhaps known as the most famous whore in all of England for seducing the King away from his wife!"
In a flash, Bessie heard the sound of Anne's hand meeting her cheek before she felt it. Then it started to sting, and she held her face as she met Anne's eyes. She saw regret in Anne's expression before it quickly changed to a steely cold mask.
"How dare you?" Anne said to her quietly.
"No, Anne, how dare you! You cannot speak to me of morals and my reputation when your own reputation is in ruins! My relationship with Edward is the only thing I have in my life that is truly mine. Everything I have ever done has been for you or our family and I am sick of it!"
Silence descended between the two women as Bessie's words were processed.
"Very well if that is how you feel, then ruin yourself, Bess! I will not protect you any longer," Anne said coldly.
And with that Anne's burgundy skirts swished aggressively as she left the room, and the oak door slammed behind her.
A/N- Apologies once again for the delay in finishing this chapter. Will Anne and Bessie make up? Who do you think is right? And what will happen now that Bessie and Edward have taken their relationship to *another* level…