The Boleyn Prince

Chapter 10

She remembered her way through the private passageways to the Howard apartments easily enough. The times she had traipsed through those darkened corridors to report to her uncle on her progress with the King guided her on her way. She thought she would never have to walk through them again. But for the safety of her children and her position, Anne would walk through them every day for the rest of her life.

As she parted the heavy wooden bookcase that concealed the secret passageway, she saw him, her uncle Norfolk. One of the most powerful men at her husbands' court.
"The most powerful," he had delighted in boasting to her when she was just an impressionable child and he such an intimidating figure.

His back was turned to her, facing the bay window that overlooked the river, holding what she could only assume to be parchment in his hands. His eyesight was starting to fail him as his years advanced. He could often be found standing by windows when reading, pretending to be observing what was happening outside of the window, too proud to admit to his vulnerabilities.

"Don't just stand there lurking in the shadows like some serving wench," he growled, not turning to face her.

Despite her discomfort, Anne could not help but smile at her formidable uncles' irascible temper. His eyesight may be failing, but his hearing was as sharp as ever. She thought she had been as quiet as a mouse.

"The King told me last night that he was sending you to lead his army in the North."

"What of it?" He interrupted her, tossing the parchment onto the desk.

"Well," she teased, tilting her head to onside. "I wonder what he would think if he knew his lieutenant-general shared the same faith as those traitors he has been sent to repress."

Only now did he turn to face her. "Say what you have come to say,"

She enjoyed being able to make him squirm. It was a testament to how far she had risen. She had been terrified of him as a child. Only as her own power had increased had she becomes less intimidated by him. "I have known you for a papist all my life," She said, trying to drag out his uncomfortableness.

"I serve the king," Norfolk said simply.

"Then you will understand how important it is that these rebels are put in their place."

"You have come to lecture me on matters I already understand?" His voice was tinged with irritation as he turned his back to her once again.

"I have come to remind you of your duty. As head of our family, I must ensure..."

Her confident tone was silenced by his throaty laugh. "You?" he turned back round to face her. "Head of our family. You!"

"Why is that funny?" She snapped. "I am your Queen?"

"The day I take instruction on matters of our family from a woman is the day I cut my own throat."

"How dare you?" She fumed. "I will not allow you to undermine all that I have achieved."

"And just what is it that you think you have achieved?" He challenged her. "You have done nothing than what was required of you. You whelped a pup. You have achieved no more than that bitch over there." His gnarled finger pointed to his prized spaniel curled up in a basket nursing a litter of pups in the corner of the room.

"I have given the King a son. A golden prince who will be King after him. Not even your precious Queen Katharine could do that."

"If you think that one son will secure your position for life, you are more of a fool than I first thought. Do you think Henry will be content with just one son when the King of France has three and the Emperor has two? You will need at least another if you want to keep yourself in the Kings' good graces. After all, he knows only too well how vital a second son is for the security of the realm."

"Thank you, uncle, for your advice. It never occurred to me that I might need a second son," her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Then let me tell you something else that also may not have occurred to you," he said standing in front of her. "These men are rebels, traitors to a King I have sworn to serve. The king has tasked me with ensuring these rebels are put down and I will make any promise to them to ensure they do so, but I will not consider myself to be bound by it. When an oath is made under the banner of dishonesty it is invalid. I will do this because it is the wish of my King and not because you have made some pathetic attempt to try and blackmail me. I will go to my duty, and you should return to yours. Spread your legs, provide the King with a second son and a third. Only then might I consider giving you my respect."

She stood there frozen to the spot. Not with fear, but with anger. No-one had ever spoken so crassly to her face. She was desperate to think of some sharp or witty retort to rebuke him but her anger was so intense that she could not form the words. She wanted to lash out at him. To scratch his face with her long, elegant nails but he was stronger than she was in spite of his years. Instead, she raised her head and flounced out of the room.

Tempted though she was to leave her uncle to ride away without her blessing or any fond farewell messages of Godspeed, she was encouraged to witness him take his formal leave of the King before heading north.

"Our prayers go with you, uncle," She said sweetly. "I am sure I am no less eager than His Majesty to hear of your swift success in the North.

For a brief moment, his face was expressionless, as if he had not realised she had promised the King before the whole court that he would settle the rebellion and quickly.

His bland courtier smile soon found itself. "Thank you, my dear niece, and I am sure I am no less eager than His Majesty to hear news of your own success very soon."

Her smug smile quickly fell from her face. Damn him, she thought furiously. He must have known that she had not shared a bed with her husband since the rebellion had begun.
Henry had the grace to smile, as though the old man had shared some kind of private joke that only they were privy to. He clapped the older man on the back as he led him away to his horse away from Anne. 'Indeed Thomas. Indeed," he said wistfully.


True to form, Norfolk kept the King minutely updated with news of the progress of the Royal Army as it progressed north.
As October drew to a close, he wrote of his meeting of the leaders of the pilgrim's army, confirming he had given safe conduct to delegates so that they might petition the King in person.
For the meeting, Henry travelled to Windsor, the best-fortified castle in the realm. Anne, against the King's orders, insisted on accompanying him. She was not going to allow these traitors to shut her out of the role she had fought so hard to win.

She watched the audience from behind a secret screen as the two delegates arrived in the King's privy apartments at Windsor to be rebuked by Henry.

"I know more about religion than the commons," Henry boasted, "since it was to be my calling until God saw fit to raise me to be your King."

He reasoned that the money previously reverted to the monasteries would be better served for the defence of the realm and since they were not members of his council, they could be forgiven for not having seen the sense in such action. He offered them a pardon in exchange for handing over a number of the ringleaders and pledging an oath of loyalty to the crown.

The cretins before him could barely contain their relief at the promise of a pardon and quickly agreed to the king's demands. She listened intently as matters turned to her own position.

"As to the matter of our daughter Mary, I can do no more than what it is in Gods power to allow. An ecclesiastical court has confirmed her mother's marriage was invalid and thus by Gods and man's law, she is illegitimate. You have only to look to the son God has blessed me with to see that my union with Queen Anne is just and lawful. That will be my last words on the matter."

Anne rested her back against the wooden panelling and let out a sigh of relief. She was safe, for the moment.