Chapter Two - Departure to France
The year was 1514, it was late September and Anne was already packed, three trunks full of clothes, books and accessories. Princess Margaret was saddened to see Anne go, but she knew that there would be more opportunities for this lovely, English rose to bloom and grow. She was confident in Anne to make quite an impression. As Anne looked around her apartments for what would be the last time, Princess Margaret came through, knocking lightly on the door. She smiled at Anne.
"La petit Boulin, you look so forlorn." Maggie commented, taking hold of her hand.
"It has been quite an exquisite year and a half being with you, Maggie. I can't believe it's coming to an end." Anne replied, feeling a knot grow in her throat.
"I know, but you are going to do great things. You can always write to me and tell me of your progress. And you MUST inform me if you have any suitors - which I believe you will have many. The men here at my father's court are just dull. I know that no one here struck your fancy, Annie. But, you know the French - ever so eager to parade their love around."
Anne laughed heartily at Maggie's comment.
"I am so going to miss you, Maggie!"
The two embraced one another warmly. Princess Margaret broke the embrace and pulled away. She patted Anne on the shoulder and sighed.
"When are you leaving us?" Princess Margaret asked.
"As soon as my trunks are on the carriage. I need to ring for the servants and then I'll be off."
"You write to me as soon as you are settled in France. I wish to know that you made it alright without any bandits or ruffians going after you. I will send extra guards with you and you may take two of my ladies to accompany you on the journey. It is quite boring, the road to France."
"Thank you, Maggie."
"Helga and Lieke will go with you. They both have known you the longest out of all my ladies. And I trust them with my life."
Anne rang for the servants to retrieve her belongings. The carriage had already been waiting for her and she bade farewell to the other ladies-in-waiting. Helga and Lieke stepped into the carriage with Anne. The carriages departed the Imperial Palace at half past ten and soon, the palace and the city were behind them. They spent three days traveling through the Netherlands. At the border of Flanders, Anne stopped at a quiet country lodge for a brief respite. The horses needed to be changed and the three ladies had been quite bored out of their minds from the dusty road. They'd tried to play cards and dice, read each other books and enjoy some savory delights and sweets. The ladies replenished their strength and supplies and soon, on the third day of rest - they packed up again.
It would be another week before their arrival to France. The Royal Palace of Tuileries was in Paris and Anne was rather looking forward to being in Paris now that it was approaching steadily nearer. Of course she was excited to see her elder sister Mary, too. It had been almost two years since she'd last seen Mary. They had written twice to each other during Anne's stay in Holland. Once they were closer to Paris, Helga and Lieke ordered another carriage to take them back to Holland. At another lodge they stayed at, the ladies said their goodbyes the seventh morning of traveling.
Anne traveled alone with the guards into Paris and she looked out the window as the city came to view. It was nothing like how she expected it to be. The Seine twisted and turned through the city, rather reminding her of the Thames. She spotted Notre Dame and knew she was close. Anne continued staring at the magnificent cathedral even as it passed by. They passed the Louvre Palace and crossed a bridge to the other side where the Tuileries Palace was.
Even beyond the Palace walls, the city was bustling with nobility and tradesmen. The peasant markets had been on the other side of the bridge and soon the carriage rolled past the gates and up into the courtyard. Anne spotted her father and her sister waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Anne was giddy with anticipation when she saw Mary. When the carriage came to a halt, she nearly jumped out and embraced her sister. Anne and Mary giggled and praised one another affectionately.
"I cannot believe you are here at last, Annie!" Mary cried.
"You look so much older, more womanly - do you have any suitors yet? If you do, I'm quite envious of you."
"Nonsense, I don't have anyone yet. Although the young men here aren't all too bad."
"When's Mary's wedding?" Anne asked.
"Mary isn't even here yet, she's crossing the Channel though. An envoy came ahead of her. She'll be here in a day or so; that means we have to help her get ready and prepare for the wedding day."
"I can't believe she has to marry Louis. He's so OLD!" Anne whispered.
"I know, it's rather disgusting in my opinion. She's not much older than you or I. Father, please do not force us to marry old men." Mary looked around to their father who shook his head laughing.
"I'll do my best for you girls, but we have to look out for our interests also. What will benefit the Boleyn family the most?"
"Come on, let's go to our apartments. It's quite a nice place and we have a good view of the Seine! You HAVE to tell me everything about the Netherlands."
The two sisters linked arms and made their way up into the palace. Mary introduced her sister to several noblewomen as they passed by certain groups of ladies. They were civil but Anne knew they spoke about her immediately. She could hear their whispers in French, thinking Anne probably only spoke English. She raised her brow at them and smirked.
"You know, you really ought to be careful what you say. I happen to speak several languages, including French - and very well, ladies." Anne remarked, in French.
One of the older women raised a brow at Anne and pursed her lips at the young lady. The lady's companion smiled and gave Anne a subtle nod of approval. Anne and Mary continued on, down the vast corridors and up several flights of stairs before finding their apartments. The heavy doors creaked as Mary opened the gilded door. Anne had been mesmerized by the palace. It was a stunning place - far lovelier and grander than the Imperial Palace. Mary smiled as she saw Anne's reaction to their apartments. Anne walked around, looking at everything. On the north wall, there had been a fireplace lit and candles around every table. There were lovely flower arrangements on some table settings and portraits of French royals hung on the walls.
She could hear the servants shuffling around in the other room, no doubt bringing in her trunks. She could hear something heavy drop lightly to the ground. Anne opened the door to the bedroom and spotted her servants quickly leaving after her belongings had been brought. Mary helped her unpack and settle in. It would be some time before Anne could be comfortable here. These apartments were larger than her previous ones. This room was quite drafty as well and Anne had to make sure the hearth was lit during the winter months. She could hear the wind whistling through the palace walls.
"Mary!" Anne called.
"What is it?" Mary came through the hidden door to the bedchamber.
"Would you help me unpack? I didn't even realize how much I had with me. Oh, there's also a few books I brought with me from Holland that you really ought to read. They're about reform in the church."
"I don't know, Annie, that seems rather risky, don't you think?"
"Well, there's a lot of things that could be changed within the church itself, I think. It made sense when I started learning about reform."
"Don't let the nobles hear you say that, or His Majesty. You think us English are stout Catholics, you should see the French when it comes to Catholicism." Mary quipped.
"I'll keep the warnings in mind and limit how much I read about reformation."
The girls continued settling in and once all of Anne's clothes, accessories and books were put away, the girls rang the bell for a servant and requested trays of food to be brought up and some wine. Their meals were brought up at a decent time. The girls sat by the table which had been located by the stained glass window. Mary unlatched the hook and pushed it open for some air. The girls listened as they could hear the bustling city life beyond the palace walls. Distantly, they could hear the bells of Notre Dame ring twelve times, marking midday.
"So, when is the wedding supposed to be, really?"
"Princess Mary is set to arrive tomorrow morning with other ladies-in-waiting. They will be joining us on this floor of the palace, as you saw the other doors. They are all royal apartments. This is the east wing, where the ladies of the court stay. We have the nicest rooms, apart from Mary of course, because of our position."
"Father really did go through a lot of trouble to make us secure, didn't he?"
"I suppose so. Sadly, we can't do much else. We can't really inherit anything until we marry. George is soooo lucky. He can do whatever he wants to just because he's a man. You know, he's not written to me or Father about anything."
"It seems you and Maggie have the same opinion. We have little to no say in anything as women. I want to change that, Mary. Everything we know has been dictated by our fathers and kings. Imagine what we could do if we had such influence as kings?"
Mary rolled her eyes.
"You KNOW we can't, Anne. As nice as that idea sounds, we're stuck."
"I don't think we'll always be. I promise you, Mary, if I have my own children one day - they will live in a far better world than we got, perhaps my children can marry royalty. They will rule and nothing will bring them down."
Mary smiled and shook her head.
"Oh, Anne, you always were such a dreamer." Mary exclaimed, laughing. "I wish I could have such goals as you do. I'll do whatever Father asks me to do, I suppose. I know I have to marry well."
"You should look for love too. Who knows, you might be lucky and marry for both love and money."
"That'll be the day. Look at Princess Mary - she is forced to marry old Louis because her brother wants an alliance with France. He shipped Margaret to marry into Scotland."
There was a knock on the door and their father entered the apartments. He shut the door quietly behind him and examined the room before making his way to his daughters.
"You are alone here, girls?" he asked.
"Yes," they responded.
"Mary, I have a position for you. Francis has offered you a position to be his mistress. He is the King's son and has found he has great interest in you. He wishes to see you for supper and asked me personally if you would be so kind as to join him." Thomas said, nearly bursting with excitement.
"The Dauphin of France wants me to be his mistress?" Mary asked, completely shocked by the surprise.
"He was quite taken with you the other night at dinner. Anne, this was before you arrived. There was a great celebration for the arrival of Princess Mary for the king and they have all begun to have parties well into the night. Seems this joyous occasion has brought out passionate desires in all the French. They are thrilled their king is marrying again. It gives them something pleasant to talk about."
"Another excuse to drink and play games too, and spend money on pomp and circumstance," Mary replied, with a playful look which she sent to Anne. "The French know what a good time is. You'll be witness to their merriment in no time. Particularly on the wedding day."
"What fun," Anne said, smirking back at Mary.
"I trust you'll accept Dauphin's offer, Mary?" Thomas asked, in all seriousness.
"Yes, Father, I shall. Should I write him a note and have you pass it along?"
"That will do the trick I think." Thomas said, with a nod.
Mary fumbled around the desk for some parchment paper and dipped her pen into the inkwell and began writing her response. Anne peered over her sister's shoulder and admired Mary's writing.
My Dear Dauphin,
I give you my most sincere gratitude for asking me to dine with you this evening. I gladly accept and will meet you at seven. I shall be wearing a lovely blue gown with the necklace that you sent me yesterday evening. It is such a beautiful necklace and I thank you for the gift.
Your Faithful Servant,
Mary Boleyn
Mary fanned the paper and blew on the ink to dry it before folding the letter. She sealed it with wax, her initial stamped into the mold and she signed the back of the parchment paper with Francis' name.
"You should put a heart over the 'I'. It'll be a sweet little touch. He'll know you're interested." Anne whispered.
"That's a clever idea. I'll put a little one there."
She waited for the ink to dry again before giving the letter to her father. Thomas shook his head lightly and chuckled at his daughters' playful nature.
"What necklace did Francis send you?" Anne inquired.
Mary got up and smiled at Anne before leading her through to the other bedroom. She rummaged through her bedside table, the top drawer and pulled out a blue velvet box before opening it in a tri-fold. Inside held the most beautiful necklace, no doubt expensive. Anne's eyes went wide as she saw the sapphires and diamonds glittering in the firelight.
"Oh my god, Mary! That has to be a royal jewel, there's no way he'd give you just anything. It looks like something a queen would wear! What dress do you have that would match that?" Anne exclaimed, in excitement.
"Will you help me put this on first and then I'll get the dress?"
Anne agreed and Mary carefully lifted the necklace and wrapped it around her neck. It was quite heavy and it latched on easily. The teardrop shaped beads fell just over Mary's bosom. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. It really was a gorgeous necklace. She fanned her wavy, strawberry blonde hair over her shoulders that fell to her waist.
"Should I keep my hair up or tuck it into a French hood?" Mary inquired, looking at Anne.
"Wear your hair down. You're so pretty; and, I know Francis will not be able to resist when he sees you like this. Show me the dress!"
"Right! Yes!"
Mary went through her wardrobe and found the deep royal blue dress that she had planned on wearing, embroidered with gold. It was styled in the French fashion and would have been considered highly promiscuous in the English court. Anne marveled the dress.
"Wow! Mary, I need to get one of these dresses for myself. I think I'd ask for mine to be tailored in red and gold, though."
"Let's get dressed for supper. I know that they will eat a little late tonight, but we have time to get ready before we are both presented. Father will have a place closer to the King. We'll have a good view of His Majesty when we dine in the Great Hall."
"Let's get ready then. We have no time to lose if we're planning on winning favors in the French court!"
Anne and Mary helped each other get ready, both anxious for what the next few months or so would bring. With Princess Mary still on the way, only time could tell what all would happen. Anne was prepared. She felt that Maggie had done such a fantastic job at being her mentor and preparing her for courtly life. But Anne knew even then, there was much more to learn if she were to master the French court. She made up her mind to be ready to face whatever storm the French women threw at her.