Chapter Thirteen
If you be fair and fresh, am I not of your hue?
And for my vaunt I dare well say, my blood is not untrue.
For you yourself have heard, it is not long ago,
Sith that for love one of the race did end his life in woe.
~Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
April 1, 1537
Thunder cracked and lightning made the dark skies white for brief seconds. Inside the great hall, candles lit up the room with an almost magical glow.
Jane Seymour was dressed beautifully in a light cloth of gold gown, jewels sewn along the hems, waistband, wrists and collar, with a matching hood. She danced around and around with one man at court after another until King Henry himself cut in.
As of yet, I hadn’t been able to get her alone to hear her good news, but I suspected it was that she thought to be with child.
“So, my lady, you’ve returned.” The voice of Surrey snaked along my ear and agitated every nerve in my body.
I resisted the urge to retch and instead kept my gaze on Jane. “I have.” Better to keep our conversation short than entertain him for longer than necessary.
“You were sorely missed.”
“By whom?” I asked, hoping my tone conveyed my boredom with his presence.
“By me, of course, and the other courtiers. I suspect Queen Jane was devastated at your long departure, and perhaps even the king himself. There is something draining and mundane about a court that is absent of the famous Anne Stanhope.”
“Lady Beauchamp.”
“Very formal. I take it we are not friends then?”
“The only reason you acquaint yourself with me, is to pant around the hem of my skirts, hoping I might drop a scrap of some bit of rubbish for you.”
“It is not a scrap I hope will drop, but the gown itself.”
“Ugh,” I harrumphed and turned away from the man in disgust.
“Childbearing has done good things for you.” His fingers tickled their way up my arm to my elbow. “Very good.” His eyes lingered on my breasts and hips, which were rounder than before.
“You are severely inappropriate, my lord. Kindly refrain from talking to me in so familiar a fashion.” My nerves bristled, and the hairs on my arms stood on end.
He bowed low, his eyes holding an evil glint, his lip curled sardonically. “As you wish, my lady.”
He turned and left, and I did not waste my breath on a word of farewell. Would I hear a vile and vicious poem about myself on the morrow?
Truly, the man needed to learn a lesson. I gritted my teeth painfully and resisted the urge to toss the goblet of wine I had drained. All these years he’d spent tormenting me. At least now as a woman grown, married and now a mother, I had more gumption to meet him at his level, give him hell right back.
“My lady wife, might I have this dance?”
I turned, eyes widened with surprise and a bit of relief to see Edward standing beside me. He bowed and I curtsied, took his proffered arm and let him lead me to the dance floor, where a new set was beginning.
“I am pleased you have returned. I have not had a chance to talk to you much since Mass this morning. Could we… talk tonight?” he asked as he twirled me.
I knew Edward sought much more than talking, and in truth, I wished to feel his strong reassuring hands on my body. It’d been months since I’d felt desired or passion. But I had also been struggling with the idea of banning him from my bedroom for the time being. I dared not conceive again until Jane did, and even then, I did not want to become with child until after she’d given birth. There were precautions we’d used in the past, but even those hadn’t worked—our little Eddie was proof. Queen Jane would need me during her pregnancy. If anything should happen to her, I needed to have all of my wits about me to be strong, and if I were with child myself, I could not guarantee that I would be with her.
“Edward…” I started but was uncertain how to finish.
He swept me in a circle.
“Do not say it, Anne,” he whispered in my ear. “I can see in your eyes you mean to set me aside, but do not dare. I need you.”
I swallowed hard. The man needed me. And in an odd way, I needed him, too. His strength was what fueled me. And how ironic it was. His strength fueled me to help him be a stronger man. Neither one of us could have survived without the other.
“I shan’t say it, but we—mustn’t.”
Edward nodded emphatically. “We shan’t conceive for the time being, but that does not mean we cannot enjoy each other’s company.”
“Enough. A great many curious ears are straining to hear our words.”
Edward remained silent, but twirled me for the next several dances. I was eager to be back at court, even happier than I had imagined I would be, but still I felt the void. I missed my child, and after having born him, the intrigues of court did not hold as much fancy for me.
“My lady, Anne, welcome back to court.” King Henry approached me as I left Edward to his own counsel.
“Majesty.” I bowed low before him, and when I looked up, I caught his gaze roving over my body.
“I see your time away has kept you well.” His smile was solicitous, which I ignored. No doubt, he would promise to keep me very well himself.
“It is good to have returned. I missed the excitement and the company.”
“Indeed. Jane has missed you a great deal.” He leaned in closer, took my elbow in his firm grip. “I know you are the one to have supplied her with a certain list of exotic eats.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. Oh, Lord! But when I gazed on his face, I saw him smiling. He was not angry at me, merely amused.
Dear God in heaven, please send Jane a child! Let her new happiness be for that very reason!
I nodded and smiled. Swallowing down my nerves, I spoke. “Her Majesty will soon have some news that makes you and her most happy, Majesty.”
Henry grunted, bowed in a most royal manner, and then turned to the next object of his fancy—thankfully, the queen herself.
I went to one of the grooms for a cup of wine, which I quickly downed before grasping another. Queen Jane walked up then, her smile radiant and contagious. I smiled in return and curtsied.
“Majesty.”
“My lady.” She gently grasped my hands. “Will you help me ready for bed this eve?”
“Yes, it would be my pleasure, Majesty.” I wrapped my arm through hers and squeezed. She did not feel as frail as she had the last time I was there, which pleased me greatly. She was under less pressure, and if my suspicions were correct, she was also with child.
We entered the queen’s bedchamber, and I dismissed the few ladies who waited there. I undressed Jane as she’d requested, pulled a white linen nightshift over her nude body, and then brushed out her long hair.
I found myself examining her belly as I undressed and redressed her. But she was also so thin, and it was hard to tell whether her belly had a slight bump in it or not.
“I cannot hold it inside any longer, Anne!”
Jane pressed her fingers to her lips, her excitement nearly bubbling over. She jumped to her feet, and her hands moved to her thin belly.
“I am with child, I know it. I feel it!”
I swallowed hard, my mouth going dry. “How do you know it?”
“My monthly. I have not had it in at least two or three months. And I feel it in my bones, I feel different! I have an amazing craving for quail and quail eggs!”
I rushed forward and hugged Jane. All of our prayers had been answered! A child! I pray, a prince!
“Do not say anything to His Majesty quite yet,” I advised with caution, my eyes boring into hers, my countenance serious.
Jane’s smile faltered. “Why? His Majesty would be so pleased.”
“Yes, I agree. But imagine if you were mistaken? You want to know for certes. Wait until the quickening, when you first feel the baby move. It will be like a fluttering of butterflies in your belly.” I clasped her hands in mine, my own excitement taking over. “Oh, Jane! You are almost there!”
After tucking Jane into bed and seeing that one of the maids was settled in a trundle to await her, I headed back to my own chambers. The corridors were quiet, except for the few couples I passed on the way, huffing and panting in alcoves, behind tapestries. For a moment a pang of jealousy hit me. How I wished to frolic and fornicate with such abandon. No worry for the consequence or who might see. But such was not the reality for me. I was Lady Beauchamp. Sister-by-marriage to the queen, aunt to the future prince.
When I arrived at my own apartment it was empty, save for Jenny. Edward had not yet returned from the court festivities.
“My lady,” Jenny whispered and handed me a piece of sealed parchment.
I took it from her and opened the plain seal.
Tomorrow night.
Those were the only two words. No name, no signature. But there did not need to be. I knew the long scrawling handwriting. My stomach dropped down to my toes, and my vision blurred.
Sir Anthony had summoned me.
April 2, 1537
“Do nothing that will allude to your true identity.”
Annie Bassett stood in the shadowy corridor outside the darkened music room I had chosen as the location for tonight’s tryst. She wore a cloaked mantel over her thin-as-air ivory chemise, and silky slippers. All the items were mine, smelling of my French lavender cologne. I had wound her hair up tightly, coiled beneath a maroon velvet cap. Her hair was so different than mine. Her dark to my blonde. Beneath the cap, hopefully, her identity would be kept for at least a few minutes.
“Are you certain he won’t realize?” Mistress Bassett was visibly nervous. Her fingers shook as she clutched the cloak tight to her chest.
“He will not know until it is too late, and by then, you will send him to me.”
The man would have worked himself into a lusty lather, waiting for his time to claim me. But what Sir Anthony Browne did not understand was that he did not make the rules.
I did.
Anne Stanhope Seymour. Viscountess Beauchamp. Lady with an iron backbone. My will be done—only that of God and the king before me, and even the latter could be manipulated if needed.
I’d ignored his missive while at Wulfhall and had avoided him since returning. I knew I’d make an enemy of him, but I could not allow myself the temptation. The Seymour faction came first.
I was certain his note to me was a last attempt to regain control—I refused to believe it had anything to do with outright feelings for me. We played a game, he and I. A power game. Who was stronger, who had more allies? Who could outwit the other, and who could play the patient watcher the longest?
My plan for rebuffing his attempt at control was set in place, and I was confident that Anthony would soon realize the error of his ways and forget about a relationship with me, but instead focus on our mutual cause.
Annie Bassett’s tear-pooling eyes pulled me back to the present.
“Go, and do as I have instructed.”
She timidly opened the door. Light from the corridor made a line on the darkened floor inside the room. I stepped out of view, my gut clenching tight. She slipped inside and shut the door. I stood a moment to listen, until I could hear the heavy panting and soft moans from within. He hadn’t even bothered to see if it truly was me before pulling her into his arms. I admitted to having a twinge of jealousy, but I wouldn’t allow those feelings to rule over me.
Besides, Anthony not noticing right away was half of my plan. I wanted to crush him. To make him forever forget about me. To understand that I made the rules and if he was wanted I would summon him. Not the other way around.
I would not be a pawn in anyone’s games.
I counted off the seconds, waiting for Anthony to burst through the door and demand an explanation. But he did not. I contemplated for a moment whether I should go to the great hall and attend the queen or remain where I was. I felt stuck, uncertain. On the one hand, making my presence known in the great hall, and the lack of Sir Anthony’s, would prove to Edward I was a loyal wife. Yet, if I left now, I risked Sir Anthony bursting into the great hall in a fit of rage and making a mockery of us both. In that case, I could end up on the scaffold, tried, found guilty and beheaded for adultery. Adultery was a crime and I was certain Edward would insist I be punished to the full extent of the law.
I pressed my hand around my throat, my breathing constricted. I had no desire to die. None, whatsoever.
I pressed my palms back until they connected with the cool stone of the castle walls, and leaned my head back, hoping that the coolness of the walls would somehow calm my racing pulse and still the sweat that dripped down my spine.
What to do? If I did not leave, Edward could assume I was in flagrante delicto and come searching for me, intent on bursting onto the very act itself. He’d had his suspicions of Anthony and me before, and now both of us were absent from the great hall. In that case, he would see me standing guard, burst into the room anyway and find out what had happened.
My stomach tied itself in so many knots it must have been close to representing the ancient Celtic symbols carved on so many a relic. Perhaps it was better to head to the great hall. My presence would quell Edward’s suspicions, and if Anthony burst into the crowd shouting accusations, all could be denied. Hadn’t Surrey said himself that I had a wolf’s tongue?
I pushed away from the wall and took a few steps, my feet suddenly unstable. Stupid woman, I chided myself. The Viscountess Beauchamp never walked in shaky slippers. I took a deep breath, let it release slowly. Squared my shoulders, lifted my chin, and walked—one hand pressed to my belly, but only for a moment.
When I turned the corner, music from the great hall, shouts of laughter and loud conversation echoed down the corridor which brimmed with gawking courtiers. They were always looking for some bit of gossip, fodder for their starved minds and mouths. They gazed with bug-eyed glances at one another, at myself, at anyone who walked by and might be worthy of some information or even worthy of a story made up for entertainment. Not surprisingly, Jane Rochford was among the crowd, hissing behind her bony fingers to this lady and that.
I smiled with my court lady’s curve of the lips, inclined my head, but my eyes remained cold. Lady Rochford would never receive anything warm from me again.
Heavy velvet draperies hung from walls and pillars. Cloth of gold was swathed from one part of the ceiling to the next. Tapestries adorned the walls. Candles dripping from chandeliers, mounted in sconces and situated in candelabras, lit up every bit of the room. Jongleurs danced and tumbled, musicians strolled and people danced. Bountiful food was everywhere. Great roasted hogs, goose, legs of lamb, seared fruit, roasted vegetables, fresh-baked bread, almonds, olives, dates. Wine and ale flowed. The scents were overwhelming, and I realized at once how hungry I was. This was court at its finest and most merry.
“The Lady Beauchamp,” a groomsman loudly proclaimed to the crowd once I entered the grand room. Heads bowed, shouts of “Good eve!” and “Come make merry with us,” went up from several passersby, but namely Edward stood out, standing so stoically beside his sister and the king. From outward appearances his features did not change, but I could see when I looked closely that his eyes sparkled with pleasure. So, he had thought I was with a man, and now he was pleased his suspicions had been rendered obsolete.
I walked to the dais and made my curtsy to the king and queen. As always I was impressed with their dress. Jane had such good taste in clothes, as did the king. The chaste queen wore sage velvet, pearls and diamonds around the cuffs of her sleeves, around her collar, down the bodice and the front of her dress, where they wound in pretty swirls to the hem of her gown. Exquisite. His Majesty dressed to match is wife in sage and cloth of gold, with diamonds crusted on his own cuffs and collar. They made an impressive pair.
“Lady Anne, we are so pleased you could join us this evening, for we have a most joyous announcement to make,” King Henry stated. I prayed that Jane had kept my counsel and not told the king her news quite yet. He held out his hand to me, and I took it, kissing the onyx ring he wore. “What kept you?”
I was taken aback by his question, as I hadn’t expected him to be so forthright. But my training and diligence to remaining elusive paid off.
“Trouble with a servant, Majesty.”
“I do hope you were able to deal with the situation?” He inclined his head toward me, and I always got the feeling he could see into my very soul.
“Absolutely.” I turned to address Jane, when Edward cut in.
“What was the trouble, my lady?” His eyes challenged me.
Leave it to Edward to see to the very bottom of the pot… he’d learned too much from me already, it was almost endearing. I quirked a brow in his direction. “’Twas simply a new maid I hired. I caught her rummaging through my jewels. Therefore, I had to terminate her employment immediately, and then take an inventory to make certain nothing was missing.”
“And were there any pieces missing?” King Henry blustered, his face turning red from anger as he sat forward.
“No, Majesty, I assure you. I concluded that it must have been the first time she’d deigned to undertake the task.”
“And you had her removed from court immediately? We abhor the idea of thieves roaming our corridors,” the king stated emphatically.
“She was promptly removed.”
Jane, who always appeared to grow weary when lengthy conversations about unpleasant things occurred, interjected. “Well, I for one am grateful it is all straightened out and no harm was done.”
King Henry patted her hand, gripped it in his own and kissed the back of it. “Lovely, Jane,” he murmured.
Jane promptly blushed and bowed her head.
“Onto our good news!” King Henry all but shouted as he stood to address the crowd.
I walked over to Edward and stood beside him, his presence as always a comfort to me, especially with my mind in turmoil as to what could be happening in an empty music room, two bodies nude and panting…
“I am pleased you arrived. I was afraid this evening would sorely be lacking in your presence,” Edward bent to murmur.
I nodded and squeezed his hand. I knew what he truly meant to say was, I am so damned ecstatic you are not f*cking that Anthony fellow.
“I would never wish to be anywhere else.”
From the corner of my eye, I witnessed Edward’s smile.
“Good lords and ladies!” King Henry started. His hands were raised in the air, a goblet of wine in one.
The music and conversation stopped. His fool, Will Somers, bounded to the dais and then flopped into position at His Majesty’s feet, a look of purely concocted adulation on his face. King Henry laughed and gently nudged Will with his foot.
“I have good news. Restorations on Hampton Court are nearly through! We shall be settled and merry there when the time comes to celebrate Christmas.”
While the crowd opened into a deafening roar of pleasure, for a grander palace meant more lavish entertainments and fare, I let out my held breath. Jane had kept her secret safe. Hands clapped, pewter mugs clinked, shouts of excitement drowned out the king’s voice.
“Pray for us, for I have good cause to believe a son will be born there!”
And good God, pray for us. Jane is with child. The rising of the Seymour family is almost complete. Please Lord in heaven, bring her a son!
After much celebrating that night, I allowed Edward to accompany me to bed. Truth was, I missed his arms around me, his lips on my flesh, and the tender way he caressed me, bringing me to heights of pleasure that caused me to forget the turmoil we lived in. My nerves were in such an upheaval from the situation with Anne Bassett and Sir Anthony that I could not bear to be alone. I had yet to hear news of how their evening ended, and this did not bode well for me or our alliance.
And so I lay with Edward. But I still was not going to take a chance of conceiving until Jane delivered a healthy child. I drank a bitter vinegary herb draught after we finished and washed with it for good measure.
Edward left for his own chambers, presumably to work on correspondence and other such paperwork. The man hardly slept anymore. He proclaimed that he never would until our position was solid.
I was nearly half asleep when I jolted awake and sat straight up in bed. Feet slid across the plush carpet. Someone was in my bedchamber.
“Edward?” Had he returned to share the bed yet again? When we’d first married, he’d been known to do so.
“Shh…”
Not Edward. But I could not make out the voice. The shadowy figure loomed closer. Tall, lithe. A man’s figure.
At once I knew who the shadow belonged to.
I scrambled from bed, threw on my wrapper, but did not light a candle. I did not want to alert Edward to my consciousness and have him coming in to see why I was not asleep.
“What the devil are you doing in my bedchamber?” I spat in hushed tones.
“Care to explain your little ruse, my lady?” Anthony hissed.
“I do not care to explain anything to you, Sir Anthony.” I hoped to convey my superiority over him, and even in the dark, I could see him flinch.
“We had a deal.” He walked forward, but I did not retreat as I wanted to. I stood my ground.
“Now that is exactly where you are wrong. My body, myself. I never agreed. I am no bargaining chip for your flights of fancy. Do not presume you can rule over me.”
“Shall I call Edward in, and see what he thinks?”
I laughed bitterly at his bluff, for I knew the man well, and death was the last thing etched into his life plan. “Do not play games with me. I’ve had better teachers, and better seconds than you could ever hope for. Do you forget I served the king’s first wife? I’ve been at court much longer than you,” I said with mock bravado, recalling every bit of teaching since I’d been at court as a child. “Want to feel the roughhewn length of rope around your neck? Want to dangle in the air as the breath is choked from your body? While the crowd throws manure, rotten eggs and spits on you?”
He took a step back, and I took a step forward. I had the upper hand now. “I did not think so. You won’t mention a word of our transgressions for fear of your own death. You won’t so much as breathe of it, for fear all your hard work, the many hours spent on your rise within court, be torn to shreds. You won’t jeopardize that.”
“It is just as Surrey says,” he hissed under his breath. “You, Lady Anne, are a vicious bitch!”
I bit down hard on my cheek, wanting to scream and at the same time wanting to grip my chest, my heart hurt so badly. His words more than stung, they shook me to my core, but I could not let them consume me. I kept my shock, dismay and pain inside. I had to keep up the pretense that he meant nothing to me, for both our sake’s.
Feigning that I hadn’t heard his comment, I continued, “Furthermore, you will continue to issue to me any pertinent information. If I so much as hear a whisper of your defection, I will see to it you are just another body tossed in a grave at Saint Peter ad Vincula.”
“Venomous woman! How does your husband stand it?” But his words weren’t meant for me to answer, more to sting. His eyes glittered with anger. His teeth flashed in a near snarl. “You’d not betray me, love, for doing so would unravel all you have worked for.”
His words… They pained me much. I swallowed back my tears. Steeled my back and pressed forward. This was for the best. This would forever sever us. Save me. Save the Seymours from ruin. “Do not cross me, Anthony. There are plenty of courtiers to replace you.”
Anthony drew back, stunned and a myriad of emotions crossed his face. For a moment, I felt guilty. Almost took him into my arms, begged his forgiveness for my harshness. But I shoved my own flights of fancy aside. There could never be anything between us.
“What happened to you, Anne, that makes you so cruel?” He stepped close enough I could feel the heat of his hurt and anger radiating off his body. “I loved you. Would have been good to you. Would not have ever betrayed you.”
My fingernails dug deep into my palms and how I hated myself. “You can see yourself out. I believe you know the way?” My voice was sugary sweet, yet underneath tangy and bitter—not much unlike chocolate-covered orange peels.
When my room was empty of the man I’d loved but kept at a distance, I lay back on my bed and stared at the darkened ceiling. I prayed in time he could forgive me. Because, in truth, Anthony may have been the only person who actually loved me for who I was, and not for what I could provide.
April 5, 1537
“Where have you been?”
Annie Bassett flinched from the danger in my soft voice, but her eyes remained cast down.
“I have been with him.”
“Him?” My eyes narrowed. Dare she say it? I turned more fully to face her head-on.
“Sir Anthony, my lady.” Fingers clasped together in front of her hips, knuckles white.
“What exactly have you been doing and where?” Jealousy gripped me tightly in the chest, and it took all of my power to keep it out of my tone.
Her feet shifted. “My lady, only as you bid.”
“Only as I bid?” I sputtered, my hand came to my chest in mock exasperation. I clenched my other fist at my side, forcing myself not to slap the girl. Betrayal! Full and powerful… I had been betrayed. And yet, there was no one else to blame but myself. I’d pushed Anthony away, and I’d led Annie right to him. Still, I lashed out. “I bid you tease the man for thirty seconds and then relay a message, not spend three days f*cking him!”
Annie looked up, tears falling from her eyes. “But he said…”
I took a deep breath in an effort to calm myself. Folded my hands in front of me and wiped the anger from my countenance in order to put Anne at ease. “He said what?”
“He said he visited you that night and you told him to do with me as he pleased. That you wished for him to train me in the ways of a lover.”
I laughed bitterly at that, pride warring with jealousy. So, he had had his vengeance. He’d known how I would feel, too! Even with my carefully manipulated cold demeanor, he’d seen right through it! The girl’s lower lip trembled. Bastard! But with that, I knew I would have nothing more to fear from him again. He’d had his revenge. He’d used up my virgin prize, ruined my chances of luring her to the king with a firmly intact maidenhead. On the other hand, at least she would now be skilled enough to keep the king’s attention lured until Jane was once again ready to entertain him sexually.
“And did he treat you kindly?”
Now little Annie looked confused. “Yes, my lady.”
“You must be tired.”
“Indeed I am not, for I spent most of my time in bed…” She trailed off, her face flaming.
“Were precautions used?”
“Yes, my lady. He—”
“I do not care to hear the details. Did he teach you to love a man well?” I suppressed the rage once more rising in my chest. But why? I had a good husband and Edward was a good lover… But there was something different about Anthony. Something carnal and base. And I’d yet to feel it. Perhaps that was where my jealousy sparked. I coveted what Mistress Bassett had experienced. For shame, God would damn me.
“Aye, my lady, he did.”
“Then you shall be prepared when the king comes calling for you. It will be soon. Go and clean yourself up and report to the queen’s chambers. You will tell her you’ve been ill.”
“Yes, my lady.” She turned to leave.
“And Annie?” My eyebrows raised in challenge.
She turned back to face me, her face devoid of emotion. “Yes, my lady?”
“Not a whisper of this to anyone, or it’s back to the country with you.”
“As it pleases you, my lady.”