Chapter Ten - The Chateau Vert Pageant
A Note from the Author: It's long overdue, but here's my imagining of who would play Anne for this story: Daisy-Edgar Jones and Henry Percy would be William Moseley. I pictured Kevin McKidd as Henry the VIII and Indira Varma as Katherine of Aragon. Adrian Lukis (OG Mr. Wickham) as Thomas Boleyn. I know she already played Lady Elizabeth Boleyn but Kristin Scott Thomas as her. Alison Oliver as Mary Boleyn and Aneurin Barnard as George Boleyn. David Bamber (OG Mr. Collins, if you know you know) as Cardinal Wolsey. I'm also NOT going to include Thomas Wyatt at all in this.
I also included a reference to the original Mr. Collins in this chapter; considering, after all, David Bamber played him in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I only thought it fitting : )
Anne met with Henry Percy at least once a week to play chess or cards. Their friendship was growing stronger and their fondness for one another. Not only that, they had lunch together when the games were going too. Queen Katherine had permitted Anne one or two afternoons a week to meet her friend. Anne had been completely honest with the queen about her intentions and she was grateful Katherine approved. She told Her Majesty about his predicaments as well and the queen found herself to be sympathetic with Anne's story. They were both young, but Queen Katherine could see they were in love with one another. Cardinal Wolsey, however, did not approve of the idea of Henry Percy cavorting with Anne. He let it slide, though, assuming it was just going to be a friendly game of chess amongst friends.
Anne promised Queen Katherine that she would be present in the room with her and the other ladies, that way there wouldn't be any confusion or questions from others why Henry Percy was sneaking off while he was engaged, and likewise with Anne with her unwanted engagement to James Butler. As long as they were chaperoned, all would be well, she hoped. Anne loved her weekly visits with Henry and she improved greatly in chess, too. Anne was also happy with the fact that if anyone tried to start anything, she had Queen Katherine to back her. Katherine was daunting when she had to be. Even Anne did not dare cross her, as much as they were allies. Anne knew her boundaries and she learned them quickly.
It had also been time for the pageant for the Chateau Vert. They had gone through rehearsals several times, without costumes and now they were performing one final practice before the day. Anne was wearing her white satin dress with the white and gold sash around her that said 'Perseverance'. She wore a white-laced mask over her face and stood with the other ladies behind Chateau Vert, standing on a platform overlooking the Great Hall. The other eight ladies playing the villains wore black satin dresses with black and gold sashes with their names embroidered on them. They, too, wore black masks over their eyes to hide their identities.
The gentlemen came through the Great Hall, demanding the release of the ladies in white, Lady Scorn called back in a scathing voice to the men, refusing to allow them entry to rescue their ladies. Despite the warnings of Lady Scorn, the men jumped into action and rescued the captured and then brought them to the dance floor. The men who had roles were of Wolsey's household and also included King Henry and Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk (who'd rescued Mary Tudor, as was fitting). King Henry had been cast as 'Honesty', leading the gentlemen of the court and Henry Percy had been given a role as 'Loyalty'. The men were dressed in black suits with velvet, royal blue cloaks draping over their shoulders, hooked on with gold brooches provided by Cardinal Wolsey himself.
Originally, Henry Percy had been given the chance to rescue Anne from the chateau, but it had changed suddenly, without notice and now the duty had fallen to King Henry himself, but Anne had been unaware of these changes. Cardinal Wolsey started noticing their interactions as being more than friendly, and that angered him. He had encouraged the king to play a part with Thomas Boleyn, to distract Anne from Henry Percy. The last thing he needed was a little vixen trying to toy with a member of his household. As much as he didn't like Anne, she had won the favor of Queen Katherine, so, there wasn't much currently that the cardinal could do. Anne caught her breath when she saw the man behind the mask, uncertain of who it might have been. He was broad shouldered and fit as he was able to lift her down from the chateau as though she was light as a feather.
His blue eyes were vibrant and gazing at her with passion. The musicians began to play and the line of dancers began the estampie. Cardinal Wolsey was keeping a watchful eye on all who performed and gathered in the Great Hall, most importantly a watchful eye on Henry Percy and Anne. Thankfully, the King had her attention and Henry Percy had also been distracted by Jane Parker, a daughter of Henry Parker, Baron Morley. Unfortunately, Lady Mary Talbot had not been present at court to distract her fiance, but Cardinal Wolsey had written to her father a week ago, in urgency, insisting that she would come to court sooner rather than later. He did not approve of Henry Percy's friendship with Anne Boleyn. He made it clear from the start to Henry not to fraternize with the Boleyns.
Once the final rehearsal was concluded, Cardinal Wolsey clapped, as did some of the other attendants who were decorating the Great Hall and finishing the final touches for tomorrow's grand performance. It would be a marvelous performance tomorrow and there would be a banquet afterwards. Anne was quite looking forward to the final performance, the entertainment and the chance to spend time with Henry Percy. Thomas Boleyn had come in, only to receive the attention of the king and cardinal, pulling them aside to discuss matters of business. Anne was surprised when she realized the man who rescued her had been King Henry himself, she should have guessed, but she had been too distracted by all the fun to notice. And he had a different look about him - perhaps he hadn't recognized her either, thankfully.
With all three of them distracted, as well as the crowd of people socializing now, she found Henry Percy and greeted him kindly. He smiled at her and kept his mask on, however.
"Hello, Anne," he said, softly.
"Hello, Henry," she greeted.
"So, I have some news for you." Henry continued. "I think it would be best if we went to discuss it elsewhere."
"Alright," Anne agreed. "Where do you want to meet?"
"Let's meet in the garden, and walk through it. It'll be less conspicuous."
"I'll see you there. Let me just go speak to my father while I wait for you to go down. I have to talk to him anyway."
Henry smiled and placed his hand lovingly on her arm. He gave her arm a gentle squeeze and left the Great Hall quietly. Anne made her way to her father who'd still been discussing matters with Wolsey and the king. She caught the last part of his statement.
"...I don't see what the fuss could all be about. I have closer ties to the earldom of Ormond than James Butler does. I have a direct ancestry to that title. He is not as direct as mine!" Thomas hissed, glaring at Wolsey.
"Why does it trouble you so much that your cousin might inherit this title?" Cardinal Wolsey inquired. "You have already bequeathed the earldom of Wiltshire as a generous post from His Majesty."
"I understand that, Your Eminence, but this is my family line. I should like my grandchildren to have some kind of inheritance one day."
"My lord Wiltshire," the king began, "if this inheritance is that much of great importance to you, then I will write a decree this afternoon stating that you will inherit rather than James Butler. But, in the meantime, I have my own conditions. We will discuss those privately, seeing as though your daughter wishes to speak with you, my lord."
Thomas looked over at Anne and his gaze softened when he saw her waiting patiently.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind and understanding generosity." Thomas said, with a bow.
He left the king's presence and pulled Anne aside.
"Today is your lucky day, Anne. I am to inherit the title after all so perhaps the marriage to James Butler will not be needed after all." Thomas continued, softly.
"Thank you, Father!" Anne exclaimed, breathlessly. "I really am pleased you were able to inherit. The King has been good to us, has he not?"
"Yes, he has indeed! Speaking of His Majesty, he has expressed interest in you, Anne. He would like to get to know you better."
"You mean he'd like to have me as a mistress?"
Thomas was hesitant to answer, realizing his daughter was far too clever for her own good. Anne would not have it though. She did not wish to be anyone's mistress. She already knew the ridicule that her sister Mary got even now through the English court. Her nickname 'the great whore' seemed to float across France and found its way here, too. Even Queen Katherine slipped up one afternoon and addressed Mary as such, in front of Anne without even realizing it. Once she had, Queen Katherine had personally spoken to Anne about it - settling the tensions between them. She sighed, uncertain of what to say about this.
"I suppose if the king wishes it, I cannot refuse him. But, I cannot be a mistress. Look at what happened to my sister, Father. He just tossed her aside after three years."
"Three years is a long time to have a mistress, and even so, he will guarantee that you can marry well. He will provide for you in some way. He arranged the marriage of William Carey to your sister, after all."
"But, Father, I wish to marry for love too."
"You must get this nonsensical idea out of your head, Anne!" Thomas hissed, gritting his teeth. "You do not have the luxury of marrying for love. The English peerage almost never does that."
"Father -,"
"I said no! You WILL do as I command and what the King commands. I know you have better sense than that. You have had a good education and are clever. This nonsense about love must stop. Now. You are twenty-one years old and you cannot keep saying no to men who are interested in you, men who are not already betrothed!" Thomas snarled at her. "Now, go, I shall deal with you later."
He shooed her off and Anne left the Great Hall, suddenly feeling hopeless. Her father hardly ever got angry with her. This had been one of those rare instances where he had been. She made her way to the gardens. The paths were a little muddy due to the spring rain and the melted snow. She found Henry further in the garden where there was a fountain that stood dormant. He was sitting on the rim of it, his hands folded as though he was in prayer. Anne sat beside him, her hands folded into her lap as she waited for him to speak.
"My father broke the engagement with my Irish cousin. He was able to inherit the title so an arranged marriage for an alliance is no longer a necessity. I'm off the hook now." Anne commented, looking at the ground.
"That's wonderful for you, Anne. I'm happy about that at least - you won't be taken off to some God-forsaken place in Ireland. Cardinal Wolsey is trying to bring Lady Mary Talbot to court now." Henry replied, looking at Anne.
She met his gaze and she could see he was frustrated. His hands were being tied and he had no choice in the matter. Cardinal Wolsey was a beast and everyone knew it. Next to the king, no one dared to cross Wolsey twice. He was a wolf in a sheep's pen, a real snake if there ever was one in court who could be described as such. Henry took hold of Anne's hand and held it for a while.
"I'm sorry he's forcing you to do something you don't wish to do. It's not fair to you. You are a man - you have more freedom and rights than I do. Or should."
"Cardinal Wolsey doesn't see it that way. Yes, my father has some strings in court, but Wolsey is my employer. I'm just a measly pageboy in his household. I can't say or do anything. I'm a servant, really, in the good cardinal's eyes. My father's an earl - just like yours for God's sake. He's of noble blood, yet, I'm treated like dirt by the cardinal. And don't get me started on your ex-fiance. It's a good thing you're not marrying him after all. He's a total prick."
Anne laughed voraciously at the comment. She leaned far back, nearly falling into the fountain. Henry had caught her and steadied her - laughing along with her about James Butler. He'd often worked with James and didn't like him one bit. It was more his personality - the man had no sense of moral decency and treated women terribly - like the king.
"I'm so glad my father called it off. I'm in love with you, you know." Anne replied, glancing at him with a smile.
Henry was shocked at her confession but gave a short laugh. He smiled at her and brought his hand up to gently touch her cheek. She leaned into his touch and he brought his other hand up, running it through her hair. His other hand rested on her neck and he leaned down to kiss her. She smiled through the kiss and deepened it. She moved closer to him so their bodies were nearly touching. Henry stood up and pulled her in completely. She moaned and wrapped her arms around him.
"I love you," he murmured, through kisses.
He planted gentle kisses down the length of her jaw and to her neck. Anne released a gasp at the contact and felt her knees nearly give way from under her.
"Henry, we have to be careful," she begged, stopping him.
"Come with me," he urged.
They left the gardens and made their way to a hidden part of the courtyard - which Anne realized had been a part of the stables. Thankfully no one was around to see Henry push her up against the wall. He kissed her fiercely and she eagerly responded, both of them giggling as he tried to get the skirts of her dress up. She could feel her heart racing in her chest as they nearly continued their passions together. She could feel his heart pounding as he pressed against her on the wall. Before he could lift up her skirts, they were both startled by the sound of horses neighing and hooves sounding on the cobblestone path back up towards the stables. Anne and Henry looked at one another in panic and moved away from the other. Anne straightened up her white satin dress, praying she hadn't gotten any kind of stains on it. She tried to look at the back of the dress.
"Damn it," she hissed. "I'm never going to be able to get this off by tomorrow!"
She looked around and saw some dirt on the back. Henry turned around and checked behind her, examining the dress. He did what he could to carefully wipe off the dirt. Thankfully, there wasn't any horse shit on it, just a bit of sand and dirt from the brick walls around them.
"Your dress is okay. There was just some dry sand on it. I'm sorry. I should have been more careful. I forgot about the pageant tomorrow." Henry said, sheepishly.
"I ought to go, I don't want Her Majesty to worry about me. I've been gone for some time. But don't follow me just yet. Wait a few minutes and then come after me."
"Alright. Wait!"
He caught her arm and turned her back around and kissed her fervently before letting her go again. She ended their kiss and made her escape. He watched her go, feeling elated that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Henry Percy checked his surroundings, hoping no one had seen their almost love affair. He made his way back indoors, hoping to get back to Cardinal Wolsey before he noticed that Henry was gone.
Anne had gone down to her and Mary's apartments to change from the pageant dress. She put away the white dress and stepped into a dark maroon and gold embroidered dress, with the help of a maidservant. It was well after twelve now and Anne wondered if she could find Queen Katherine attending prayer in a private chapel that had been for the sole use of the monarchy. It had been built for the kings and queens of England to reflect in solitude and to seek counsel from God himself. Queen Katherine had come here often to pray for her husband and both of her countries. She knew there was tension amongst the royals. But, she often prayed for wisdom for these things. Anne waited with the other ladies in the back of the chapel as the queen prayed. The only lady-in-waiting not present was her sister, Mary.
Anne sat with the others in silent contemplation, thinking prayers to herself in English, rather than in Latin. God was omniscient after all, was He not, Anne wondered? Surely it was no sin to pray in English and directly to God. Still, she kept her opinions to herself. All of Katherine's ladies were stout Catholics and very much against reform. If any of them detected anything but the old ways of religious practice they would narc about it to anyone who cared to listen. Anne knew that religious reform was on the way and she was excited to see what the next few years would bring.
Queen Katherine had finished praying and stood up. She found her shoes and slipped them on. She walked down the aisle of the church, her heels clicking on the stone floor. She greeted her ladies and folded her hands in front of her.
"I hope that you were edified through prayer, my ladies. Is there anything on your mind to share with one another this afternoon after reflection?" Queen Katherine asked.
"I would like for us all to pray for my sister. I know she was feeling unwell from the last letter she had sent. She is back home in Cadiz currently and had been a lady-in-waiting to Queen Juana. I haven't heard anything else yet, but I hope it isn't anything serious." Lady Inez was the first to respond.
"We shall keep her in prayer, of course. Should you and your family need anything, Lady Inez, do not hesitate to ask."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lady Inez replied, dipping into a curtsy.
"Now, come - let us go for a walk through the gardens. It would be a shame to waste this beautiful day God has given us." Queen Katherine said, with a smile.
She stepped out of the chapel and led her ladies back up the path, walking gracefully past others and greeting them as they honored her and gave her blessings. Anne could see how much the English subjects loved their queen. Anne dared to think that if she were in such a position, she hoped there would be those who felt the same about her. But, she knew this was just a fantasy. Yes, King Henry had been displeased with Katherine often. She had heard the rumors. Every time he grew disappointed with her, he got himself a new mistress in order to ease the pain and forget about their arguments or the fact Queen Katherine couldn't give him a son. She didn't know how Queen Katherine could handle it all so well. Anne wondered if that's also what the queen prayed about, maybe begging God for a son - one who would survive past infancy. The only known son King Henry had acknowledged was a bastard boy - by one of his previous mistresses from years ago, Bessie Blount.
But, everyone knew a bastard could not inherit, but supposedly the boy was rewarded handsomely and had been well taken care of in his own household. Anne had heard all these things from her sister, Mary. Anne knew better than to spread anything. If she did not want to be the subject of gossip, then she refused to do that to others. She spoke to Mary and George about things, but they were her siblings. She and her siblings had always been the closest of friends. Anne wanted to appear as innocent as a dove but as shrewd as a viper. She had to be, in order to navigate the Tudor court. Even her father had to learn to maneuver through treacherous waters; all the nobility formed allies to make gain for themselves. Allies were made and dropped and it was all for selfish gain. Even if it had seemed like there were close relations and friendships, it was a facade.
The ladies all walked through the gardens twice before following Queen Katherine back inside Whitehall Palace. The long corridor had a few nobles scattered throughout in groups. One such noble was Cardinal Wolsey. He greeted the queen with such fervor that it made Anne grimace. Cardinal Wolsey was in a word: slimy. Such an ass-kisser, Anne thought to herself. Queen Katherine affably accepted his delicate, little compliments - completely rehearsed beforehand, no doubt. Anne would not have done so, even to be polite. It was too fabricated. Once the exchange was finished, Queen Katherine continued down the corridor to her apartments for the evening. Cardinal Wolsey greeted all the ladies in the queen's circle, even Anne, but it had been a false kindness to her.
Beneath his expression, she could see his resentment towards her. Anne didn't like the vibes she got from him at all, a snake if there ever was one, she continued to think. Even after they had passed by him, she dared to look back and saw he was still giving her a sharp look, one that Anne would have considered a threat. A knot grew in her stomach, a shaking feeling she couldn't get rid of for the rest of the evening. She had to keep both eyes open around Wolsey and keep looking behind her. One wrong move and he could also betray her, if he really wanted to. He had the king wrapped around his finger. But, not for long, Anne thought. Dear God, please not for long at all, Anne thought.
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