Chapter Nine - Welcome to Court, Lady Anne
A Note from the Author: I know that Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn have always been portrayed to be rivals and I'm sure they were, most historians agree from what I've researched, towards the end of their relationship. I'm shaking it up a little bit though. I can imagine Katherine didn't have the greatest relationship with Mary Boleyn, but Anne Boleyn was not her sister - she was her own person and I get first impressions, but this is a fanfiction and I already gave the warning that history was going to be changed on purpose. I can imagine that they probably did start out on relatively cordial terms at first. Henry VIII always gets in the way of things and has a tendency to ruin relationships in general.
Fun fact: Katherine of Aragon originally was called Catalina in Spain but when she came to England, it was Anglicized to Katherine and she herself began spelling her name with a 'K' (which I didn't know before), info from historic royal palaces website. And York Palace was the original name of Whitehall Palace, the home of Cardinal Wolsey, who DEFINITELY will remain an enemy of Anne Boleyn.
. . .
Whitehall Palace was massive as Anne peered out the carriage window. The king's men and women were everywhere - hundreds of people vacated this palace, just like the French court. Anne wasn't nearly as impressed with the people as she was with the palace itself. She'd always had a fascination with the architecture of buildings - how different each royal residence looked. There were some similarities of course, but even so - each King had their own unique taste. The carriage came to a halt. Anne stepped out with Mary close behind her. Anne was happy that her father and sister were familiar with the place. They could eventually show her around and help her familiarize with the place.
Mary pulled her along and showed her where she would often stay when they were here. Anne would stay in the same place as there was plenty of room for both of them. The servants were bringing in Anne's trunks already. Their father told the girls to meet him in the grand hall after the short tour. He would bring Anne to meet Katherine of Aragon once again. This would be her second meeting with the Queen of England. Anne braced herself for the introduction. It did not help that Katherine of Aragon was the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand. All of Europe knew about their reign. Apart from the Tudor family and Plantagenets, Katherine's mother and father had been the most powerful monarchs in the known world. They were feared across Europe and revered in Spain as well as Portugal.
Her parents had financed the conquest of the New World and brought back riches beyond Europe's wildest imaginings. And they had made the strongest allegiance by marrying Queen Catherine to first Prince Arthur, then his brother Henry. Isabella had reformed Spain and now Spain was in the lead when it came to Catholicism. Aside from Rome, Anne didn't know any other country that was more Catholic than Spain. Yes, England was - but not in the same way. They were stout Catholics and unwavering in their convictions.
Anne felt intimidated by the Queen's convictions, especially considering Anne no longer agreed with the Catholic church's doctrines. Being in the Netherlands and France had opened Anne up to reform in the church and the freedom to worship God as individuals and to worship how they pleased. And not only that, but to have the Bible translated so everyone had the chance to read it. Not everyone felt the same way, sadly, Anne thought. To even have such opinions, Anne knew that it was heresy and she could easily be executed for sharing her thoughts of reform. She had to be careful, especially in court. This was not a safe place. Any royal court was a battleground, or even a chessboard - all pieces being moved around for personal gain. Thankfully, Anne knew how to navigate the treacherous waters. Her experience in France and Netherlands came in handy - especially with courtly love and dalliances. She prayed that this would be no different. That it would be just a position to work for. She prayed that the king would keep his attention elsewhere - that it wouldn't wander to Anne. That was the last thing she wanted was to be someone's mistress.
Anne and Mary made their way to visit the queen. They made their way and found the Queen's apartments easily enough. Mary knocked gently three times and one of the other ladies opened the door.
"Ah, Lady Maria, welcome back to court! Sa Majestat has been expecting you," the older woman said, with a heavy Catalan accent.
"Thank you, Lady Inez, it is good to be back. My sister Anne is present too, I know my father was able to get her a position as lady-in-waiting." Mary greeted back.
Lady Inez opened the door and let the Boleyn girls in. Queen Katherine was sitting amongst her ladies and they were listening to a court musician play the lute. They had an array of food on one table and some of the ladies were feasting. Lady Inez walked up to the Queen and whispered softly to her. Katherine waved her hand once and the court musician stopped playing.
"Come forward," Katherine commanded, gracefully.
Anne and Mary walked elegantly towards her. Anne counted her steps in her head and did her best to breathe quietly, so not as to show she was nervous. She and Mary stood in front of Katherine and dipped into a curtsy - as they had been taught since childhood. Anne kept her gaze down, despite the fact Katherine's gaze was on her the entire time.
"You must be Mary's sister, Anne." Katherine said, as the young woman remained low.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Anne replied, not looking up.
"You may rise, child," Katherine continued. "Ladies, I would like to have a word with the Boleyn girl. Leave us for a moment."
The ladies got up and left the room, dress skirts shuffling about and Mary left also, giving Anne a subtle nod. Anne rose from the ground and kept her gaze low.
"I wanted to thank you for your discretion during the Field of the Cloth of Gold. It has been two years since then. You took my demands very well for one so young." Katherine explained. "And for that reason, I asked your father if you could be placed into my household, as your sister is also. There are not many young ladies with strength of character and I am thankful for it. I read your references from Queen Claude and I must say I am quite impressed with your skills and talents."
Anne looked up completely surprised.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Anne exclaimed, hoping her voice didn't tremble when she spoke. "I am honored to be included amongst your ladies. I hope I can prove myself to you, Your Majesty."
"I hope so too, Lady Anne." Katherine agreed.
. . .
A few days later, the rehearsals for the play started. There were eight ladies in different roles, each of whom had worn their white sashes for the roles over their regular dresses. The Chateau Vert would be erected a week before the performance. It was just the beginning of January so the lords and ladies had plenty of time to rehearse and get their parts just right. The Countess of Devonshire was to play 'Honor', Mary Brandon was given the role of 'Beauty', and a young woman by the name of Jane Parker would play 'Constancy'. These ladies of good and noble character would eventually be locked up in the castle, guarded by their opposites. There were eight more ladies as malevolent captors who'd play roles of jealousy, danger, disdain, anger, and the like.
The women were all gathered in the hall, rehearsing their lines and how they would go about the dance of good and evil. Just as there were eight ladies of noble character, there would be their male counterparts coming to their rescue from the likes of Lady Scorn and Lady Disdain. Anne was having such fun during the rehearsals she hardly noticed a young man in the presence of Cardinal Wolsey watching her, a smile on his face. The Cardinal was also watching their performance and chuckled at the ladies' giddiness and excitement of putting on a production. Soon after the first rehearsal, the ladies begged the court musicians to play music again so they could dance. The musicians complied and enthusiastically began to play a jig. A few ladies had removed their high heeled shoes and danced barefoot around the grand hall. It wasn't very lady-like, but there was no one aside from Cardinal Wolsey to scold them off.
He stood in the corner, deciding to let the young women have their fun. It was not often the King's eye was on any of them. This was one of those rare occasions where the court women were able to enjoy themselves. The young man who'd come in with Cardinal Wolsey continued watching the ladies dance as well. He smiled as he watched the young woman with raven black hair twirling about in time with the jigs that were being played. Her eyes were practically glowing with mirth and pure joy. Something about her enticed him and he wanted to know more about her and who she was. Henry Percy was so distracted by Anne Boleyn that he hardly noticed Cardinal Wolsey asking for his attention.
"Henry Percy!" Cardinal Wosley snapped, finally getting the young man's attention.
His eyes flicked over to the good cardinal and he cleared his throat. Henry straightened his posture as Cardinal Wosley gave him a stern look. He brushed his fingers through his wavy, dirty, blond hair, fixing his appearance. Thankfully, there had been a mirror in the makeshift dressing room and he checked everything. Cardinal Wolsey did not like it when his staff was unorderly or out of sorts.
Henry Percy's reflection stared back, deep brown eyes full of curiosity for the young woman who he'd just witnessed having fun. His fair skin had a few freckles across his nose and cheeks. And his full lips were a naturally light shade of pink. He was quite tall, not as tall as the King of course, but about three inches shorter thereabouts. He was lean and built, a fine catch for any young woman looking for a good husband. Not only that, he was heir to his father's title - the Earl of Northumberland. He finished adjusting his appearance and went back to catch up with Cardinal Wolsey and complete whatever duties the man asked of him.
Anne looked over to where the Cardinal had been standing - only to find the man had left the grand hall, the young pageboy following close behind. She had seen the Cardinal's pageboy staring at her; but, she'd chosen not to notice. He was pretty handsome she had to admit and something fluttered in her stomach when she'd seen him eyeing her. It was in a different way than the King had done so. There wasn't a brazen look about the young man, but more a sense of admiration. He had been enthralled by her. It almost reminded her of the way Philippe de Boudin had looked at Anne when she'd been at Princess Mary's wedding all those years ago in France. There was a genuine interest there, not just lust. Anne would be lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy the attention the young man gave her - watching her dance with her friends. She prayed he'd be careful though. If the King caught the young man watching Anne, the King would take action to have her for himself. It was like her brother George had said about the King's orders. If the King told one to do something, they had better do the damn thing or face whatever punishment the king gave.
No one was allowed to marry or fall in love without the King's permission. Anne knew that no one really followed the rule about falling in love, if they did - it was kept secret. No one knew, but it was one of those unspoken rules about King Henry. No one dared to cross him either; he was a Tudor and a force to be reckoned with. Even if he was wrong, one was DEFINITELY not allowed to say so. The King was always right. One poor chap got his tongue cut out for disagreeing with the king on the second day of Anne's arrival and it shocked her to see how much of an absolutist he was.
And whenever she saw Queen Katherine beside her husband, looking frightened - Anne felt sympathy for her. She had wished there was more the ladies could do to ease Katherine's anxiety. The King, sadly, had an insatiable lust for power and women in general. No one was allowed to stop him. The court just rolled with the punches. Anne had to learn to do the same. No young woman was really safe from the King. The only way they would be safe from his hot pursuits was if they'd leave court and if they did leave, there would be no guarantee of their return. That, also, was up to the king. Anne hoped for an ally from Queen Katherine. If the queen noticed that Anne had no intentions of forming a relationship with King Henry of any kind, perhaps she would be merciful and help to protect Anne. Queen Katherine noticed Anne watching her and looked concerned. She summoned Anne forward with a single hand motion and Anne obeyed instantly. She curtsied before the queen and went to stand beside her.
"What is troubling you, Lady Anne?" Queen Katherine asked.
"How can you tell?" Anne wondered, in amazement.
Katherine chuckled light-heartedly.
"I am also a mother, my dear. I may not be your mother but I can see when something troubles my young ladies."
"It is something I wish to discuss in private with you. This is not really the place to discuss such sensitive matters, with all due respect, Your Majesty."
"Of course, Lady Anne," Katherine said, obligingly. "Husband, if you will permit me, there is a business discussion that I need to take care of. It is a sense of urgency."
"Please," King Henry nodded to his wife in an agreeable manner.
She patted his arm and smiled gratefully. The king took notice of Anne, the shy, quiet courtier beside his wife. Anne felt her stomach lurch when he looked at her again - it was the same way as he had done in France. Her face paled and this did not go unnoticed by Queen Katherine. She urged the young woman forward and they left the grand hall.
"What is troubling you, Lady Anne?" Queen Katherine inquired.
"It's the way His Majesty keeps looking at me. It's making me quite uneasy. I had hoped if I brought this to your attention, I could seek you out as an ally for protection. I do not wish to be a part of any of the king's advances."
Katherine was perplexed by Anne's honesty and the anxiety she had about the king. She knew that Henry had been unfaithful to her - there had been plenty of mistresses. Not only that, she knew that Anne's sister was his current mistress. It appeared that this bothered Anne, too, and Katherine was quite pleased with Anne's dignity.
"I thank you again, Lady Anne, for being honest. Not many of my ladies are. Perhaps there might be some way to protect you from my husband. I must admit, I don't like it when he takes on a new mistress. I know it's what kings do, but it pains me as his wife to know that he cheats on me. I can't do anything about it."
"I wish there was some way I could help you, Your Majesty. I cannot even imagine how you must feel." Anne replied, sympathetically.
"There is not a thing you can do to ease my suffering, except perhaps pray. But, there is a way for me to help keep you celibate. Give me some time to pray and seek God's wisdom and I will ask for you in a week's time."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Anne exclaimed, relief washing over her. "Please know that I do not wish to disappoint you. I wish for us to be allies and support one another if we can. I am your lady-in-waiting before anything else."
"Let's go back before we are missed. We don't wish to raise any kind of alarm." Queen Katherine concluded their meeting.
Anne waited for the queen to go first. There was a pageboy by the door to open it for them. He announced the entry of Her Majesty, the Queen and the English court stepped aside for her, clearing a path for ease of passage. Anne followed a few feet behind and mixed into the crowd, hoping to avoid the gaze of the king. When she looked around, she spotted her father talking to a young man. He caught Anne's attention and beckoned her to him. She slipped through the sea of people to go to Thomas.
"Anne, this is our cousin, James Butler. He is visiting from Ireland and has expressed his interest in you."
"Good afternoon, sir," Anne greeted. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"The pleasure is all mine." James replied, with a bow.
He smiled at Anne, taking hold of her hand and kissed the back of it. She smiled awkwardly at her father.
"James has been working for the household of Cardinal Wolsey for about two years now, Anne. As you probably have heard, his father and I have had some disputes about who should inherit the earldom of Ormond. But with this union, it could procure a strong alliance. Both families would be represented. The king was the one who suggested the alliance actually. The Boleyns and Butlers." Thomas explained, glancing frequently between Anne and James.
"The King wishes for this alliance?" Anne questioned. "How could this possibly affect the King?"
"Anne!" Thomas scolded, glaring at her for speaking out of place.
She clenched her jaw and her back stiffened at her father's rebuke. It was beneficial for her family to be elevated. She knew that. She knew her father wanted success, for Anne to marry well like her sister did. Anne was not in a position to question or quarrel with him. Especially when it came to matters of the king, and it was clear her father wanted to inherit the title. He wanted both earldoms, to be the earl of Wiltshire (which he already was)and Earl Ormond. It certainly had its perks. It didn't have nearly as many benefits as being a duke or a viscount, for instance, but it had some, to be sure. If Anne agreed to marry James, the King would give the inheritance to the Boleyns. And so, any sons she would have with James could inherit at least the Earl of Ormond, if George and his heirs would inherit Wiltshire or some other title.
"Father, if I may have some time to think over this matter, I will give you an answer soon."
"This is not your decision to make, Anne. It's already been decided."
Anne's face shifted to complete discontentment.
"You made the arrangements without my knowledge?" she scoffed, looking utterly defeated.
"Yes, Anne, now you will have a suitable husband, like Mary. You will not be in want of anything!" Thomas exclaimed, almost too joyously for Anne's taste.
"Thank you, Father," Anne said, trying not to sound bitter. "I thank you for finding me a good husband."
"You're welcome, Anne. It's high time after all, you're already twenty-one."
Anne felt the sting of inadvertently being called an old maid by her father. She simply smiled and dipped into a quick curtsy before leaving her father and new fiance. Anne left the Great Hall fuming. She had never felt such rage before but now her entire life was being dictated and moved around by men. She loved her father dearly, but he seemed to be a different person here. He was always plotting and scheming here with other courtiers for wealth and position. Whatever benefited him, Thomas Boleyn went after it. And now he had thrust Anne into it for bargaining.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as she made her escape. She would not cry about this, it was pathetic and a weak excuse to weep over something so ridiculous. Had she been paying attention, she would not have run into someone in the process of escaping the Great Hall. Anne cried out in shock as she hit a strong wall of some kind. No, not a wall - a young man. Anne gasped and apologized profusely for running into the gentleman.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there at all. I -," she stopped as she finally looked up at the young man.
He looked just as surprised when he gazed down at her. It was the same young man who'd been in Cardinal Wolsey's party the day of the first rehearsal for Chateau Vert. The young man steadied her and then cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry. I should have also been paying attention," he said, sheepishly. "I'm afraid I've just had some unfortunate news."
"As have I," Anne answered, back with a chuckle.
"I'm Henry Percy, by the way," the young man greeted formally.
"Anne Boleyn," she returned, shaking his hand.
Their hands lingered for a moment before Anne quickly removed hers and gripped onto the skirts of her dress.
"What was your bad news?" he inquired.
"Well, I just found out my father has arranged a marriage to an Irish cousin of ours."
"I take it you're not excited about it?"
"No, not at all." Anne confessed. "He seemed rather odious to me, our cousin. What about you?"
"Same boat, actually. Cardinal Wolsey and my father have plans for me to marry Lady Mary Talbot. It's been in the works for years now. And it's starting to come to fruition."
"Have you met Lady Mary?" Anne asked.
"Once, she was rather pretty actually, but I don't know if I like the fact my employer and father are plotting an arranged marriage for me. It's supposedly going to benefit the family on both sides."
"Likewise," Anne said, with a heavy sigh.
"Looks like we're two peas in a pod, you and I, Lady Anne."
"Looks like," Anne agreed, smiling at him.
"Would you like to go for a walk in the garden? I could use a bit of fresh air." Henry changed the subject, his voice not as low.
"I'd like that!" Anne replied.
The two walked outside and continued their conversation. Anne found it so easy to talk to Henry Percy and found his company docile and pleasant, unlike most of the English court. He did have a bit of confidence now they had been out and about. He also seemed to be at ease in Anne's presence. They walked along the garden path, enjoying the snow. Henry kicked it up with his feet as they walked. Hardly anything was green but winter was still beautiful, Anne thought. She looked down and pretended to tie off her boots' laces but as Henry was turned away from her, admiring a small bird he'd seen fly onto a branch, she scooped up a pile of snow and formed a ball in her hand. She threw it at Henry and started giggling when he flinched and cried out, as some had gone down the collar around his neck.
"Oh, you're on!" he exclaimed, grabbing a fistful of snow.
Anne shrieked and ran up the path, laughing again. He got her shoulder and she stopped running. Henry caught up to her and grabbed hold of her. They were both laughing and she nearly slipped on ice. Henry thankfully had a secure hold on her. Once they were calm, he let her go - much to her disappointment. They shared a look and caught their breaths. Henry leaned down and kissed her. Anne was taken by surprise by his actions but responded eagerly.
After Philippe, there had been two other young men who'd been interested and she'd shared a kiss or two with them. She had always found the others' kisses missing something. They weren't exciting or passionate, like how she'd hoped it would have been. And for good reason. The moment Henry Percy kissed her, she felt that desire spark - what she had been looking for in the others. And no wonder she hadn't been able to find it there because it had been here, waiting for her to come home to England. She knew they had just met, Anne was completely aware. And they were both in an arranged marriage with other people, but she didn't care about that. This had been perfect. She pulled away, breathless.
"That was amazing," she whispered, holding onto his forearms.
"I know we just met, but I would like to know you better, Lady Anne."
"I'd like that a great deal, my lord."
"Call me Henry, please."
"Henry," she said, softly. "Then you must call me Anne."
"I can do that," he murmured, gently. "Anne."
"I think we should go back, in case anyone's wondering where we've been. I don't think Cardinal Wolsey would be too happy to know you've disappeared on him."
"You're right. I'll let you go first and then I'll follow in a few minutes so that way we don't raise suspicion."
Anne made her way back inside, a smile on her face and hardly cold at all, despite it being January and there was a frosty chill in the air. She realized how excited she had been, having accidentally run into Henry Percy. But she knew she had to control her emotions. She could not allow herself to truly show how she felt, in fear of her father, the arranged marriage and the king himself. If anyone knew they had gone by themselves to the garden for a walk, it could be dangerous for both of them. This is one liaison she doubted she could tell anyone about, even her siblings. For their own safety, both of them would have to appear as though nothing was happening. For now.
. . . AB . . .