Emma's Six- Six Wives

1509/1510- Christmas and New Year

By my seventeenth, Mum becomes an integral part of my life. Catalina employed her too, and Mum and I even have our own bedchamber. Thank goodness I have a lot more privacy. Mum and I take turns in using the bed at night and use the time most people use to read or talk to swap places. We also moved a pallet bed into the room so one of us can use that. I get to keep K-9 in our bedchamber, as well as everything from the twenty-first century.

We should not celebrate on the twenty-fourth. It seems to be a solemn day before the twelve-day celebration starting on the twenty-fifth. Hardly anyone knows the twenty-fourth is my birthday- the only people who know are Catalina, Maria, and Mum. 'Happy birthday, darling,' Mum says when she wakes me up.
'Thanks, Mum,' I smile and sit up. It's still pitch-black outside, but I need to awaken before dawn, so I am ready to serve the Queen. These Tudors are strange. Not only do they wake up earlier and go to sleep earlier, but they also have odd times for their meals. People serve the midday meal between eleven and twelve, and supper usually starts at five in the evening. Sometimes, these meals can last for hours. During this time, Mum and I must remain on duty, along with all the ladies in Catalina's household. Catalina still looks pregnant, but we can do nothing about that. Catalina has an infection, and we must let it run its course. All the ladies are excited about the royal birth, but only a handful of us know the truth of what this pregnancy will bring.

I hear Mum flick a switch, and I look up at her. It looks like she's... holding a torch? Where did she get that from? She opens one of my suitcases and goes through the clothes I brought with me. 'How about the blue dress?'
'Mum, it's too cold for that.' I close my eyes and collapse into bed again.
'None of that, you, come on!' Mum pulls the covers off, and I curl up. Mum grabs my hand and pulls me out of bed. We hear a pop, and I scream. 'Sorry.' I try moving one of my fingers, but it feels numb. My neck and arm are tingling.

MUM PULLED MY ARM OUT OF ITS SOCKET!

'Shoot,' I say. 'My training did not include how to pop an arm socket back in place.'
'I think I brought a medical book with me. Lie down on the table and let your injured arm hang down.' I lie face-down on the table and let my injured arm hang down. Mum sits down cross-legged on the floor. 'I'll apply pressure on your arm for the next ten to twenty minutes, okay?'
'Okay.' I feel Mum's hands on my arm as she applies downward pressure.

How did this happen on my first Christmas here? Why did I decide to come here rather than stay at home? I would be safe at home, but then I would never exist. Maybe I should be here. I am ensuring the survival of my friends and family. Besides, I might learn a thing or two here.

I allow my mind to wander as Mum sets my arm back in place. She holds it down for twenty minutes, and I start getting feeling in my hand and fingers again. 'How does that feel?'
'Better.'
'Sorry about that.'
'It's okay, Mum.'
'No, it is not. I will never forgive myself for doing that to you.'
'You made things better. Do not bring yourself down because of it. You made one mistake, no one can blame you for that.'
'I ruined your first birthday away from your family.'
'No, you didn't. You are my family, Mum. Nothing will ever change that.'

Mum starts looking through my dresses again. 'What about this one?' She holds up a navy-blue dress and an orange kirtle.
'That's perfect,' I smile as I hop off the table. Mum helps me into my clothes, and I help her, just like we do every morning.

There are many upsides to having Mum here- albeit a younger version of her. We get to learn about Tudor England at the same time. But there are not many people willing to teach us- most of the women don't want to talk to Mum and me, Maria avoids us, and Catalina is almost always busy. But at least she tries to help us.

The sky starts to grow lighter as Mum and I walk towards the Queen's chambers together, passing many guards in the red Tudor uniform. As Catalina entered confinement, only her ladies can wait on her. We walk into the darkened rooms, and I smell the burning candles. Only a sliver of sunlight enters the rooms through a slit in between the curtains. Catalina's ladies are sewing or reading from the Bible, and I head over to Maria. She glances up and starts shifting away from us. 'How is Queen Catherine?' I ask.
'She is not up yet,' Maria says. She stands up and moves away from us.