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Chapter Fifteen: The Duke of Bedford.

22nd of January 1531 - London, England

"I believe that congratulations are in order," Norfolk mused approaching the new Duke of Bedford, he had been most pleased when the King had agreed to make George a Duke; it hadn't taken as much convincing as Norfolk had thought it was. The King was most eager to have the Medici completely settled in England, he wanted no doubt of their support and having Clarice married into Anne's family was a sure sign.

"You should be thankful. The King is most eager to see you both married soon," Norfolk continued ignoring the look that George offered him, he had not taken the news that he was to marry Clarice well. It was another arranged marriage, as if the last one had worked out well when George had been married to Jane Parker; a woman who he had struggled to get along with.

"What have I got to be thankful for uncle?" George asked sipping on his wine, his eyes focused on his bride-to-be as she danced with his sister; it seemed that Anne had done her best to ensure that Clarice was dressed well for the celebrations. The fact that not only George but his father had been made Dukes, something that would pass along their family for years to come if everything went well.

"She's a fine woman. You could ask for no better," Norfolk stated knowing just what his nephew griped over, he had done nothing but complain since he had been told of Norfolk's marriage plans for him. The new title was just the start and should everything work out a planned then this time the Boleyn name would be secure and George would have an heir that the Parker woman couldn't give him.

"I have no doubts that the Countess is a fine woman. My issue remains that I had no say," George muttered glaring at Norfolk who seemed almost amused by all of this. He turned away and looked at Clarice, the smile on her face while she danced made her look carefree for the first time since she had arrived in England.

"You are doing this for your sister. We need to ensure the Medici do not turn on us, you will marry her and get as many children you can from her," Norfolk told him, growing tired of having to explain this; he'd had enough of an issue with Wiltshire who seemed even more unimpressed at the match than George did. His brother-in-law didn't understand that Anne would need to have all the support that she could get; she would need people around her that would be loyal for the right reasons and would not turn on her when things went bad.

"Her brother won't turn on her. He'll be forced to remain on our side to protect her and those children," Norfolk continued eyeing Ippolito while he spoke with the Duke of Suffolk and his wife. It was a surprise to see the King's sister in attendance and she looked rather well, she had taken to avoiding court pleading illness when the King had started to court Anne openly.

Now that Katherine had proven to be a traitor and the King's marriage to her had been annulled by the Archbishop of Canterbury; the papers being signed of her own well this cleared the way for the King to remarry. Something not even his sister could deny him, she might not have been Anne's biggest supporter nor had she liked the woman but there was no way around it now.

George scoffed shaking his head and walking away from Norfolk, he doubted that refusal was an option now that the King knew that he was planned to marry Clarice. His Majesty had even mentioned that an April wedding would be welcome making it clear that he expected George to marry Clarice before Anne was married to him in the summer.

Norfolk frowned watching George walk away from him, he hoped that his hard work would pay off and the young man wouldn't screw this up for him; he could easily be replaced if needed with a Howard that would do the job. The last thing that Norfolk wanted was to have everything fall apart when he had worked so hard, it would all pay off soon and Anne would be Queen of England.

She would not forget those who had put her on the path when the time came to reward them all once she had given Henry the son that he needed.

"I hear our dear cousin Catherine is to be married to the Duke of Orleans," Ippolito informed Clarice once they were alone, he had heard today and a part of him wasn't surprised that their cousin the Pope would do such a thing now. The Pope's hold on England was weakened and his actions on the Emperor's behalf had made him look like a fool to everyone now that Katherine was no longer Queen here in England.

Catherine had always been set to marry royalty and there was no secret that Clement had planned to use her to secure more power for the Medici; her other suitor had been King James V of Scotland but that clearly hadn't worked out. Now Clement clearly hoped to bring France into the fold now that he had lost control of the situation between the Emperor and King Henry.

"I'm sorry brother. I know how fond you were of her," Clarice replied squeezing his arm, she recalled how Ippolito had been caught in an embrace with Catherine before he had been sent away to become a cardinal. If Catherine was now promised to marry Prince Henri of France then there was nothing to be done about it; at least there she would be offered slight protection from whatever their cousin tried to do next.

Ippolito didn't speak, he didn't want to think about Catherine when she was so far away and she would be married to a Prince soon enough. From what he had heard, Clement had promised Francis quite a bit of money for Catherine's dowry since their cousin had no title of her own and was common in origin.

"Father would have approved. He's a Duke and he'll be the Queen's brother once Anne is wed to the King," Ippolito stated changing the subject, this would make sure that no matter what happened that she would be cared for. The two siblings could only imagine what things had been like for Catherine after they had turned on Clement; they might be making their own path but they were alone in this.

Their father had passed of consumption when they had been children and Clarice's mother had passed several years ago also passing from consumption. Ippolito wasn't sure what had happened to his own mother, she might have birthed him but she had disappeared after that; he'd never gotten to ask his father what had happened to her. Other than her name, Ippolito didn't know much else about her and he doubted that he would ever find out more about her especially now that he was settling into life in England; he had no intentions in returning to Florence unless he was declared Ruler again.

"I am sure he would be. I wonder if they would be proud of all that we have done," Clarice murmured thinking of those who had passed before them. It sometimes felt like they were carrying the legacy alone, the damage that Clement had caused would not be forgotten and there would be plenty wishing to jump on the chance to bring the Medici down especially in Florence.

Thinking of her parents, Clarice felt a lump form in her throat wishing that she could speak to them and ask for their advice; there were so many questions that she didn't have the answers to. If her marriage was now decided then Clarice knew that it was only time before she would be wed, her stomach twisting at the thought of her wedding night.

Clarice wasn't sure what to expect nor did she knew who she could talk to about the situation, she didn't feel comfortable enough to speak with her brother nor did she know Anne well enough to ask her. She might consider Anne a friend but there were certain things that she still didn't feel right talking to her about; religion being one of them, the book that Anne had gifted her had been rather insightful. Clarice had taken her time reading through it, a lot of what it said she found herself agreeing with especially after seeing how corrupt the church was at first hand.

Not that she had shared her reading with Ippolito, her brother may have been released from his vows by the Archbishop since they had been forced upon him by the Pope and he had not heard the calling of God. Ippolito had been most relieved by this, he didn't know what Clement had been thinking by trying to force the church upon him; he was glad to be free to live his life the way he wished to do so.

"I am sure they are. We're the first Medici to reach England and that counts for something," Ippolito encouraged her, this was just the beginning for them and there was no going back for them now.

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