The Italian Rose

Twenty-Eight

After finishing his meetings for the day, Henry decided to visit the Royal Nursery, but it seemed that fate seemed to be working against him.
Twice, he had mysteriously bumped into Lady Jane Seymour, first was with her brother, Thomas,  and secondly was by herself.

It was hard to unnotice that Lady Jane's dresses had changed from English traditional gowns to that of French fashion, though the shades of fabric dis nothing for the poor girl's complexion, she still seemed rather pale and plain looking.

Henry also noticed that Jane wore a pearl rosary around her neck, the cross tucked between her breasts, as if it was there deliberately for men to look at.

Perhaps it was a ploy to start conversation, Henry kept his eyes forward as Jane lowered herself in a deep curtsey, only glancing her way as she rose. It was a bold move to purposely bump into a king, it was inexcusable to do it twice, he immediately knew what trick they were trying to pull as both Henry and Charles Brandon had done it many times before on the women that caught his interests.

It was the trick called 'the path of fate', a person would purposely place themselves in the path of their intended target as if they were always fated to meet, and the victim would usually fall for it.

But he will not fall for it.

"Lady Seymour," Henry spoke, almost rolling his eyes at Jane's pathetic innocent façade. "Should you not be attending to her majesty, the Queen, my wife?"
"Her majesty has dismissed me from her service."

Henry already knew this. His spies within the Queen's service had filled him in. Apparently, Jane Seymour overstepped her boundaries, and that fueled Isabella's ire, he fiend ignorance towards it.
"Oh?" Henry replied, with mock curiosity. "Amd pray tell, why is that?"

It was a test to see if Jane would be truthful or paint Isabella in a bad light, like how Blout had done many times with Catherine.

"I... " Jane began, a flush of colour danced across her cheeks as she clenched her fists. "I may have overstepped my boundaries as her majesty's Lady-in-waiting."

Henry was positive that Jane would try and paint herself as an innocent victim and Isabella as the villian, but it seemed that was the exact opposite.

"Ah, a fair punishment."
"Your majesty?"

Henry gave Jane a smirk. "You, Lady Jane, overstepped your boundaries as one of her majesty's ladies. Did you really think there will be no consequence for your disrespect towards the Queen?"

"Forgive me, your -..."
"It is not my forgiveness you should seek, Lady Jane, but the Queen's."

With that said, Henry sidestepped around Jane and continued towards the nursery, leaving a very confused Jane Seymour behind.

Henry walked into the Royal Nursery, immediately noticing that Isabella and Anne were already there, but what got his attention was that Elizabeth's wet nurse and Henry Fitzroy's maid were kneeling in front of them.

"What is going on here?"

______

"Your majesty." Lady Pole greeted, curtseying low before rising as Isabella peeked over Charles's crib.
"Good morning, Lady Pole. How is Charles?"

"The Prince of Wales is doing very well. He only woke up twice last night. Once for a feed, and the other was for his nappy to be changed."

Isabella brushed a finger against the sleeping babe's cheek. "How can he be a month old already?"
Lady Pole smiled, offering Isabella to take the seat beside the crib as she took the rocking chair. "Do not worry, your majesty, his highness awaits for your or his majesty's presence to do things. Like opening his hands or smiling at you."

"And how is the Princess Mary?"
"The Princess is in good health. Her governess speaks highly of the Princess's fluency in French, Latin, and Italian."

"And what of Elizabeth and his grace, Duke of Richmond?"
Lady Pole slightly paled, she fidgeted with the edges of the bible. "If I do not wish to assume, but I believe that Lady Elizabeth and his grace has been left unattended for long periods of time."
"Do you believe they are being neglected?"
"Whenever Lady Boleyn or your majesty is here, the children are not left unattended, but the moment you all leave..."

Isabella nodded, not wishing to hear any more. "I understand, Lady Pole. Thank you for your honesty."

Not even a moment after Lady Pole filled Isabella in on the neglect her stepchildren, Elizabeth's wetnurse and Henry's nursemaid both walked in, giggling as if they were nothing more than children.

Were they drunk?
It was then they both realised that they had been caught, quickly falling into a curtsey.

"May I ask why you both saw fit to leave your charges unattended?"
"Your majesty, they were not unattended for Princess Mary's ladies, and Lady Pole is here...-"
"Ah, so you push your duties onto others?" Isabella replied, her tone firm. "Duties that his majesty, the King, and Lady Boleyn pay you both for?"

"We... We were only gone a little while, your majesty."
"Anything can happen within that 'little while'. And if anything were to happen to Elizabeth or his grace, Duke of Richmond, whom do you think his majesty would punish first?"
Anne Boleyn walked into the nursery, wishing to see how her daughter and adopted son were fairing, only to notice that Isabella was scolding the ones in charge of her children's care.

"Your majesty," Anne called, bowing into a quick curtsey. "May I ask what is happening here?"
"Elizabeth's wetnurse, Beth, and his grace's nurse, Lady Mistelton, had left their charges unattended."
"What?"
Anne quickly walked over to Elizabeth, noticing that her poor daughter was in a soiled nappy, God only knows how long for.

"Mistress Sheldon, it seems that Lady Elizabeth is in need of a bath," Isabella spoke, turning to face the woman. "I leave Elizabeth in your care unless her grace, Lady Boleyn objects?"

"No, I do not."

Isabella glances over at Elizabeth Fitzwilliam. "Mistress Fitzwilliam, I task you with overseeing the care of his grace, Duke of Richmond."

Beth and Lady Mistelton had wide eyes. Had they been removed from their positions?

"What is going on here?"
All eyes fell onto the King, who stared at no one but Isabella, he may have shot Anne Boleyn a glance or two.

"Your majesty, it seems that these ladies here have been neglecting their duties."

"Your majesty, it is not true!" Lady Mistelton shouted. "Her majesty has misunderstood us!"

"Misunderstood?" Isabella snapped, her eyes narrowing towards the disrespectful woman. "Pushing your duties onto others, leaving those under your care alone, returning from God only knows where drunk and bellies full, whilst your charges are hungry? Is that the misunderstanding, Lady Mistelton?"

"Guards!" Henry yelled, pointing at the two maids. "Take these two to the Tower, have them flogged ten times and their wages withheld for a month!"

Beth crawled forwards, clutching the hem of Henry's cloak. "Your majesty, please forgive me..."
If Henry glanced down, the neckline of Beth's gown was low, and her bosom was almost ready to burst from how tight the corset was.
But Henry did not. He kept his eyes forward, not being swayed by the woman's words.

Henry stepped away from Beth, picking Henry up as the boy seemed rather upset that Lady Mistelton was in trouble.

The guards dragged both women away, their pleas for forgiveness still echoing through the corridors until they faded away.

"My Queen," Henry spoke, handing Henry over to Mistress Fitzwilliam. "Would you like to dine with me tonight?"

Isabella glanced over at Anne, who seemed more focused on the wellbeing of her daughter than the King. "I had thought that your majesty will be dining with Lady Boleyn?"

Henry shook his head. "We had not dined together since the birth of Charles."
That was true, Henry and Isabella last shared a meal was the night of Charles's baptism, and that was over a month ago.

Isabella then nodded. "Then I shall dined with you tonight, your majesty."