Chapter Twelve - Frenemies
Thomas Boleyn ushered his two daughters into the King's study. It was after the pageant, but he wanted to officially introduce his daughters to the king. King Henry knew of Anne and of course he knew Mary very well, seeing as though they were Katherine's ladies' maids. He knew that they were both beautiful, smart and talented young women. But he wanted to personally compliment them on their fine achievement in bringing the pageant to life. Sure, it might have been a ridiculous idea, but he had to see Anne again, up close and without the queen around. Katherine was always nagging King Henry about everything and it irritated him. He was desperate to see Anne. King Henry obviously was aware that Mary was his current mistress, but that didn't bother him. He was allowed to think that Anne was attractive, he was the King for fuck's sake. Anne and Mary removed their eye masks, both curtsying in front of the King.
"I'm so glad how well the pageant turned out this afternoon. Both of you played your roles beautifully. Everyone was impressed by the show." King Henry said, looking at both of the girls.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," they said.
"You were quite good at your role, too, how fitting that Your Majesty was given the role of 'Honesty'. An excellent choice for the king." Anne replied, with a smile.
He smiled back at her and chuckled softly. The king looked at both Anne and Mary - how lucky he was to have both the Boleyn girls at court - together. And how Francis, his shit-brained cousin, could suck it, he thought. In France, King Henry had learned that Mary had been called the English mare and the very great whore, simply because she had been the French king's mistress. France had proved quite an education for the two Boleyn girls. Henry wished that more English ladies would go to France to learn as they had done. The king looked at his mistress and walked up to her, he kissed her on the cheek and then he did the same to Anne. Anne was taken by surprise by his actions, but he was the king, so she had no say in what he could do or couldn't do.
"If you would both be so kind, I'd like to speak to each of you individually. Mary, if you can give me a moment with your sister?" the king looked at Mary.
She nodded and looked at the king with a playful expression. She stepped outside the door, closing it behind her but staying by to listen, hoping she could hear their conversation. On the other side of the door, Henry looked at Anne. He reached out slowly and touched the side of her face. She was beyond stunning, and he was desperate to have her. Anne held her breath, doing her best to stay calm as the king stepped closer to her.
"I would like to offer you a position, Lady Anne." King Henry said, almost purring at her. "Are you inclined to assist your king?"
"What is the position?" she asked, daring to look at him.
"I want you to be my mistress," he answered, his voice low and gruff.
"You what?" Anne exclaimed, shocked.
"I want to have you, Anne."
"Your Majesty, I -," she froze as he took her into his arms.
"Ever since I saw you in France, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind."
"You're banging my sister!" Anne hissed, glaring at the king. "And you want to put your hands on me?"
At that remark, King Henry let her go and scoffed.
"You have no idea how lucky you'd be. You don't know how many women would be desperate to be in your place right now." Henry spat. "You deny your king?"
"I have no desire to be someone's mistress, even for you, Your Majesty - as much as I honor you and wish to serve you. I will not be tossed aside once you grow weary of me."
"Is there something that you find revolting about me?" Henry questioned, his eyes flashing.
It had reminded her of the way his demeanor had changed when King Francis had challenged him during the Field of the Cloth of Gold. It was obvious Henry did NOT like to be questioned or challenged. Anne had just stepped over a dangerous boundary and was now at risk of being banished or worse.
"No, not at all, Your Majesty. You are the most pleasing king, my lord. I have - well," she paused, uncertain of how to explain herself.
It took Henry a moment to realize what Anne was talking about.
"You have never been with a man intimately, Lady Anne?" he pried.
"No, and, please forgive me, Your Majesty - but, I humbly must reject your offer. I do not wish to be with a man until I am married. I wish to retain my virtue. I cannot in good conscience be with a man who has also banged my sister. And if you were to take me as a mistress, what would happen to her?" Anne explained, pulling out of his grip.
"She would be well provided for and taken care of. I would allow her to remain at court and keep her position as one of my wife's ladies."
"And that's the other thing! I don't want to be 'the other woman' in your marriage to Queen Katherine. She has been good to me and I don't want to betray her confidence in me. I won't do that to my queen. How can you even think of asking me this while you're still married to her and openly having other mistresses on the side?"
"Enough! I'm the King! I will not be questioned! Least of all by you!" Henry shouted, venom seeping in his words. "Get out!"
Anne was taken by surprise - for a moment he was completely enamored by her and now that she'd flatly rejected him, he was enraged.
"You can send your sister to me. She at least knows not to deny her king." Henry spat, glaring at Anne.
She refused to acknowledge his snark but left the study, only to find Mary still waiting outside the door. Anne felt as though she might cry but took everything in her to swallow the knot in her throat.
"What happened, Annie?" Mary whispered, concerned.
"He asked me to be his mistress and I refused. You might as well go in there and help him forget that I stood up to him. He's a total prick," Anne muttered, under her breath.
"Oh, Anne," Mary scolded.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be his side whore. I'm worth more than that." Anne snapped, glaring at her elder sister.
"Wow, okay," Mary scoffed.
"No, Mary - I - I didn't," Anne realized how that must have sounded to her sister and immediately felt guilty.
"You didn't what? You just LOVE to parade the fact that you're soooo pious and perfect in every way! Don't even bother trying to explain yourself. Just go, Anne. Does our father know that you've nearly fucked Henry Percy?" Mary snapped, feeling the sting of Anne's words.
"Mary," Anne pleaded, looking at her in stupor.
"Just, shut up, Anne - please. I get it. You think everyone who fucks around is a slut."
"Can you just -,"
"No! Just. Leave."
Anne nodded, hating the fact that she had to be so blunt about her opinions. She was always strong-willed and that often caused people to not be so happy about what she thought about life in general. She forced herself not to cry. She kept her composure and made her way back to their apartments, hoping to run into Henry Percy. At least then she wouldn't have to feel so lonely. Anne rarely ever argued with her siblings and they'd always gotten along so well, but she knew she'd crossed the line with Mary on this subject. Much to her surprise, she bumped into George. She'd been so focused on her own thoughts, Anne hardly noticed him rounding the corner.
"Anne!" George exclaimed, but not out of anger, just surprise.
The look on his face made her snap and she burst into tears. Normally, she didn't cry like this. She was stronger than that, but the fact the king had the nerve to come onto her and then still want Mary as his mistress stung. There was SO MUCH more to Anne than just sex, but the king saw her solely as an object of desire, a play thing. George's gaze softened immediately and he pulled her into his embrace as she wept. He let her finish her tears before she settled down. Once she was calm, she let go of his embrace. Anne sniffled and cleared her throat.
"What happened, Annie?" George asked, softly.
"I got into a fight with Mary. Well, Father had brought us to the king so I could meet him. And then he asked to speak to me alone. He asked me to be his mistress, George. I refused and then I told Mary about it, saying how I didn't want to be someone's side bitch. And also that I was worth more than that. I didn't realize that saying that would have affected her so much. She got SO angry about that."
"She'll get over it. She knows you didn't mean her by saying that. Our father's just been a bit overwhelmed with trying to get in with the king. Mary feels it especially with being the king's mistress. You know what Father's like when he's working."
"I know, but I shouldn't have said it the way I did. I feel so bad about it now."
"Don't worry! She'll calm down and you'll be alright again. We're family, and we have to stick together. Come on. Let's go play some dice or something. It'll help you take your mind off things for a little while. And then we can see you meeting Henry Percy again."
"Does everyone know about me and Henry?"
"Only those of us who know you well," George answered, with a playful look. "Everyone else is clueless."
"You're the best brother, George." Anne said, with a grin and she laughed.
He kissed her forehead and they walked down the corridor to their sitting rooms, hoping to find a game of dice ready for them. Anne and George sat down by the table next to the hearth. It was well lit and cozy. There was still snow outside from what Anne had seen. She poured them some wine, and George got the dice set ready. They played a few rounds of dice before Mary decided to make her presence known. Anne glanced at her elder sister. Mary raised a brow at her and walked off, sitting down onto the chaise and picked up the book of poetry that she had been reading earlier that day. Anne and George shared a look, he was clearly smirking at the two of them. He knew it was a petty argument between his sisters. Both of them were headstrong in their own way, Anne was proud of her piety and her religious reform. Mary was proud to be noticed by the king, a position sought after by many women. Mary held the current favor of King Henry and he still seemed enthralled by her - the whole Boleyn family benefited from it. George, himself, was now Lord Rochester; a small title bestowed upon him from the King after his father claimed the earldom of Ormond. And with that came more responsibility, including looking after his family if his father was away on other business.
And looking after his family, George knew that meant settling disputes between his sisters. Mary was sensitive about her position as a mistress, already being verbally attacked by the English court and now her sister, one person Mary thought she could rely on. Anne clearly thought she was just another common whore, like all the rest of the court. Mary did what she had to in order to protect and keep her family secure and wealthy. Anne didn't seem to understand that. No one could say no to the king, it was a matter of life or death. Saying no meant one could commit treason, whatever that may be, whatever the king decided. The sooner Anne learned that, the better off she would be.
"Alright, you two need to cut it out already," George scolded, stopping the game of chess.
"What the hell are you talking about, George?" Mary seethed, glaring at him.
"George!" Anne exclaimed, kicking his shins underneath the table.
He winced and groaned at the contact of her heeled shoe. He lifted his leg up and rubbed his shin, sending Anne a look as if reprimanding her. Mary stood up, putting the book down and came to sit at the table with her siblings. She also sent Anne a look, clearly not happy that Anne had gone to their brother for comfort.
"First of all, I don't appreciate being kicked in the shin like that. That wasn't necessary. Two, both of you need to get over this rivalry you have going on. You are both strong-willed and each of you have your own opinions, which is fine! You're allowed to have your differences. Fighting over who gets the king is rather ridiculous if you look at it from my perspective. Clearly, Anne doesn't want anything to do with him, so I don't understand why you're so upset, Mary."
"Because she thinks I'm a whore, like everyone else does! If SHE thinks it, then it must be true. She even said so herself, she doesn't want to sell herself short and be a king's mistress, if it were asked of her." Mary explained, angrily. "Not everyone who sleeps with the king is a whore. Sometimes it's to gain a position or to help your family!"
"I NEVER said you were a whore, Mary." Anne chided, in her own defense. "Just because I said that I, myself personally, don't want to be his side whore, doesn't mean that you are. Look at all the mistresses he's had before you, sis. Where are they now?"
Mary remained silent.
"I don't want to lose my virtue because the king can't keep it in his pants. I'm not going to do that to myself. I don't want to be thrown out or banished from court like Bessie Blount if I were to have the king's child. This has nothing to do with you. It has to do with him taking what he wants and throwing it out like it's nothing. He likes to have his playthings and then when he gets bored, no one wants it afterwards. And not only that - no one here is brave enough to say no to the king. It's his way or the highway. I'm not an object. I am a woman and I have feelings, ideas, and interests I want to pursue. I can't do any of those things because I'm a woman. I don't like the way he looks at me, Mary. It makes me uncomfortable."
"I didn't know you felt that way, Anne." Mary said, after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry for coming down on you the way I did. I just - I feel like all this is weighing on me, too. After being Francis' mistress, you'd think this would be easier. Father expects me to do so much because I have the king's ear. Maybe I am just a pawn, an object for men to use and push around like a chess piece."
"No, you're not! You are worth so much more than that! I know it because you're my sister. You are a Boleyn. You might be an object to them, but remember what Queen Claude taught us? The man may be the head, but the woman is the neck, we have our own power to control them and they don't even realize it. The neck controls the head. No offense, Georgie."
"None taken!" George exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender.
George was smiling as he watched the interaction between his two sisters. Somehow, he'd managed to help them get past their issues and they were talking things over, and by the looks of it - everything was smoothing over.
"You're right, Anne. I'm sorry for getting angry at you earlier." Mary replied, with a remorseful look.
"It's alright, we're sisters. And sisters are bound to fight sometimes. I'm sorry if it sounded like I called you a whore. Please, forgive me for that. I honestly don't think that you are."
"I know you don't. I just - things have been so tense. I just want to go back home with William. I miss being there and being able to have a quiet life."
"I don't blame you at all," Anne said.
"I'm so proud of you both," George chimed in.
The girls looked at their brother and rolled their eyes, still smiling.
"You seem to have a knack to stop arguments, Georgie." Anne commented.
"Well, we have to stick together, us Boleyns. There's so many here who don't like the fact that we're rising in power. We have to show those nay-sayers that we are a family that will not be shattered so easily."
"Who doesn't like us?" Mary wondered, suddenly feeling her stomach drop.
"For starters, Cardinal Wolsey doesn't seem to like Anne. I don't think Jane Parker's father likes me very much either, since I started flirting with Jane. And, I imagine the women of this court don't like you because you're the king's mistress, Mary."
"Well, shit." Mary deadpanned, sighing heavily.
"I don't like Cardinal Wolsey either, to be fair. He doesn't like the fact that Henry Percy and I spend time together."
"Henry's in love with you, Anne. But he's set to marry Lady Mary Talbot."
"Cardinal Wolsey can suck it," Anne muttered, finishing her wine.
George shook his head and Mary laughed.
"Oh, Anne, you have such a way with words." George chortled. "Just be careful around him."
"I will be."
I hope, Anne thought.
. . . AB . . .