Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors.
Chapter Thirteen: Investiture.
1st of January 1531 - London, England
Kneeling before the King, Ippolito could not recall a time in which he had felt so nervous having not expected to receive such a reward for his service; his actions were being rewarded well and he had already been gifted a seat on the King's council. This was better than he had imagined and he was most certain that his father would be most pleased to see his children rise up after everything that had been taken from them.
"To all and singular, as well nobles and gentiles as others to whom these presents shall come, it is the King's pleasure, by this patent, to confer on Master Ippolito de' Medici, in his own right and on his offspring the noble title of Duke of Hertford," Cromwell announced to the court. His words loud in the small chamber where Henry was investing many that day, he was in such a jovial mood now that he was no longer tied to Katherine who had left quietly to Kimbolton and things were looking up for him.
The coronet was placed upon his head along with his new ceremonial robes, it all seemed so strange and Ippolito doubted he'd ever get used to it. His rise would make things easier on him and Clarice, he was determined to see them do well in England after they had burnt the bridges that might have seen them return to Italy.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ippolito stated rising back to his feet, he had been given lands and a place that he could call home; something that he hadn't been able to do since he'd been removed as the Ruler of Florence. He bowed his head in respect to the King before backing out of the chamber to allow the next recipient to enter once he had the patent; he nodded his head to his beloved sister who looked beautiful in the blue gown that she had selected for the event.
"Mistress de' Medici," the herald called announcing her, her hands trembled slightly and she slowly lowered herself to her knees before the King; Clarice was slightly concerned that her clammy hands would ruin the patent. It had come as a surprise to her when it was announced that she would receive a title along with her brother, it had been expected that Ippolito would be ennobled especially after the evidence that he had brought had allowed the King to free himself. Anne had been the one to point out to her that Henry would do so not only because she had been a kind and loyal friend to her but because it would also slight Francis.
"To all and singular, as well nobles and gentiles as others to whom these presents shall come, it is the King's pleasure, by this patent, to confer on Mistress Clarice de' Medici, in her own right and on her offspring the noble title of Countess of Kendal," Cromwell announced to the room. He had been most surprised when the King had told him that he wished to give the lady a title, one to make up for the fact that Francis had stolen her birth right from her at the orders of the Pope.
The title had been selected carefully, a nod to one of the King's ancestors and a title that had died out; but it could not be higher or equal to the next investment and would allow her to make a fine match in the future. As with her brother, the coronet was placed upon her head along with her new ceremonial robes; Clarice was almost in awe thinking back to how this compared to her becoming a Duchess. It hadn't been as grand as this, Francis had just written to her to inform her that she would be allowed to keep the title that had once been her parents.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Clarice whispered staring up at Henry, she had no idea why he had made the decision to grant her a title but she was most thankful for it; it granted her a freedom that she thought was lost. While she had not been granted lands like her brother had, she would live with him when she wasn't at court as a Lady-in-Waiting to Anne; it would allow her to seek out a match that was befitting of her.
Slowly backing out of the room, Clarice felt a great sense of relief and she was most glad that she was able to step away now; she had not liked all attention being centred on her. The sight of Anne greeted her and she offered the woman a warm smile knowing that this was just the start for Anne.
Making her way into the room, Anne held her head high looking every inch the Queen that she was to be in a matter of months; the date was set and Anne couldn't believe that after all these years of waiting that she was finally getting what she wanted. It had never crossed her mind that it would happen so soon, she had never dreamed that Henry would be free to marry her even though she had wished that it would happen.
Sinking down to her knees, Anne stared at Henry knowing that nothing could tear them apart now; there had been no news about how the Emperor or the Pope were taking the most recent events. It was certain that they would have heard that Katherine had been removed from her position, the lies that she had told had caught up on her and even they could not deny that King Henry had been more than fair.
"To all and singular, as well nobles and gentiles as others to whom these presents shall come, it is the King's pleasure, by this patent, to confer on the Lady Anne Boleyn, in her own right and on her offspring the noble title of Duchess of Pembroke. And also, by this patent to grant her lands worth 100,000 pounds a year, for the maintaining of her dignity," Cromwell stated hearing the whispers that erupted at the news. It had been the new Duke of Hertford's idea to reward Anne for her prolonged maintaining of her dignity, a sign that the King was pleased with her and her virtue that had remained untainted during the courtship.
Her father, her brother and uncle watched on as Henry stood from his position and moved to help Anne to her feet; he set the coronet upon her head and helped her put on robe. He kissed her cheek as she did so before moving to take the patent from Cromwell and hand it over to Anne; he took her hand and the two of them walked out of the chamber together.
"Make way for His Majesty King Henry and the Lady Anne, Duchess of Pembroke," the herald announced making everyone bow down in greeting of their King and their future Queen.
"My Lord Rochford," Clarice greeted crossing paths with Anne's brother, the feast was in full swing and everyone seemed to be in such a joyful mood especially considering the recent events that had seen Katherine cast out. A part of Clarice was surprised to see how quickly the court had adapted to the fact that they were suddenly without a Queen; she doubted many realised just how soon the King planned to remarry.
"My Lady," George greeted in return, he bowed his head and offered her a fresh goblet of wine, the feast had not died down since he had arrived with Anne and his sister had been swept away by the King. They were so close to getting what they wanted but George could not shake the feeling that they had not won quite yet; he was sure that the Pope or the Emperor would have something to say about recent events.
"Is Lady Rochford not with you this fine evening?" Clarice asked not seeing George's wife, she was sure that the woman would be in attendance given how big a day this was for the Boleyn family. Anne had been elevated to pave the way to make her Queen, she was a Duchess in her own right and looked every inch the Queen that soon she would be; the date was set and now planning was secretly in full swing. There would not be an official announcement yet and when there was, Clarice wondered what reception would be received; she had no doubts that the people would be a tad warmer now that Katherine had been disgraced.
"She has gone back to her family home," George informed her, he was almost relieved that Jane was not here; he liked her not and found her rather dull especially her constant need to complain. Nothing seemed to please her, she found faults in everything that he did and she was most dissatisfied with Grimston Manor a place that he called his home lamenting that it was nothing on where her parents lived.
"You don't seem to sad about that," Clarice teased sipping on her wine, her eyes wandering around the feast and she found herself a little more at ease. There was no one staring at her and the attention firmly seemed to be settled on Anne, she was most pleased for the woman and soon her engagement to the King would be announced. It would be a joyous occasion and as one of her ladies-in-waiting, there would be quite a bit of planning involved for the day.
"The King has agreed to have the marriage annulled. She has gone to live with her parents until she can be remarried and then she shall be welcomed back at court if she so wishes," George admitted feeling a strong relief in finally being free of her. Of course, he had no doubts that already his father and uncle were planning his next match and one that would boast Anne's impending position as Queen.
Anne would need all the allies that she could get and her siblings being married into prominent families would help her with that; Mary had recently been widowed and her children were being raised by the Carey family and they were linked to the Howard family via their mother.
"Then we should make a toast. To new beginnings," Clarice announced with a smile, everything was on the up and while her title might not have been as grand as Duchess of Nemours; it was something that she could support herself on. There would be no dependency on her brother who was newly elevated himself and for the first time had something that he could truly call his own; he was a Duke and Clarice was certain their father would be proud.
"To new beginnings," George toasted alongside her, a smile on his face at the idea of that; nothing was going to be the same and this was the mark of a new era for England. The King had started to question the Pope's authority and was moving away from the papacy because of the corruption that was now becoming most clear to him. Anne had helped show him the way, she had shown him works that once the King wouldn't have even dared look at and would have ordered her burned as a heretic; now he welcomed them as an answer to the issues that he faced.
Sipping on his drink, George could not imagine that his father's ego could take much more; they were so close now and he could almost see all their hard work paying off. Anne would be Queen of England, his grandson would be the future King and everything would be perfect; they had reached a height that they had never imagined.
Staring down at the letter that had arrived from her father, Mary could not believe that this was happening; her title had been stripped from her and her beloved mother had been banished from court. The messenger stood nearby watching Mary, he had not said a word since he announced that he had a letter from the King; she waved her hand to dismiss him wanting a moment to repair her thoughts.
At fourteen years old, Mary had known that things were not right in her parents' marriage; she had heard her ladies whispered about the harlot that was trying to steal her mother's rightful place as Queen. Now it seemed that the harlot had been successful and Mary could not understand why her father could not find his way back to his true wife when her mother had been nothing but loyal to him.
Her hands moved to clutch at the rosery that her mother had sent her as a Christmas present, she had been so disappointed to not have been summoned to court for Christmas but now she knew why. Her father had confronted her mother on false chargers and bullied one of Katherine's most loyal ladies into betraying her; she did not believe the lies that her ladies told her.
There was no way that her mother would have betrayed the King, she was his true and loyal servant and the Emperor certainly wouldn't have acted in such a way if her father wasn't trying to break away from her mother to marry his whore. The halls of her home were silent and Mary had noticed that several of her ladies had disappeared since the judgement that her father had announced.
No longer was she a Princess, destined to take the throne and follow in the footsteps of her grandmother; she had been declared a bastard and lowered to the rank of her bastard half-brother. Perhaps this was a test from God, one to ensure that when she succeeded to her throne that she was prepared to fight for what was hers by right and stop any pretenders stealing the throne.
Closing her eyes, Mary clasped the rosary tightly in hands until her knuckles turned white; she would not allow this injustice to stand and surely when she was allowed to reunite with her father then she could make him see the truth. The whore could not be allowed to win, her lies against her mother would not stand and when her father was reunited with the pearl of his world then he would break free from whatever spell the harlot had him under.
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