When Henriette Boleyn - the young, alluringly beautiful and tempting sister of Anne and Mary Boleyn - returns from the French court, she finds herself enchanted by the handsome King and soon becomes entangled in an extravagant mess, in which she and...
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Hampton Court Palace, 1520
SIXTEEN YEAR OLD Henriette Boleyn's jaw hung wide open in amazement as she gazed her sapphire-coloured eyes over the grand palace in which she was to live. Behind her, the gold-lacquered carriage had filtered out the last of the large leather trunks, and a line of maidservants and footmen in silver livery were carting them to the family's apartments. Hampton Court Palace was no less than extravagant, though rather lacked in the gaudy embellishments that had adorned the French Palace of Tuileries, the castle in which Henriette and her two sisters — Anne and Mary — had all served as ladies-in-waiting to Princess Claude.
'Oh Anne, this is going to be the most grand home we have ever lived in!' Henriette clasped her hands and looked wide-eyed at her elder sister, who shared an equally astonished look at their new home.
'It does rather lack in the frivolity that was so common in France, don't you think? Though, I've heard that King Henry has a more voracious appetite than King Francis! Would you believe?' Anne giggled, casting a glance to their older sister, who bore a glittering necklace of cut diamonds that hung sumptuously from her frail little neck — a gift from the King of England, after she had so greatly graced him with her French manners during the exuberant two weeks they had spent at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.
'Mayhaps it shall do you well to ask Mary if that is true — as she would know after being so generous to the both of them.' Henriette remarked snidely, earning a guffaw from her sister.
'What is this talk I hear of myself? Nothing impudent I hope?' Mary had strolled over to them and now bore a stern look upon her face, one dark eyebrow arched and her lips pursed. Anne and Henriette stifled a bout of childish giggles and presumed looks of innocence.
'Oh it is nothing, dear sister, for we were just deliberating how very much the King seems to favour you.' Henriette remarked with slight snide, earning a sardonic grin from Anne but a rather displeased frown from Mary.
'I do hope you two have grown enough to be sensible. Father and I will not have you both acting with such indignity as you did in France. It is different in England; the dress, the manners, the people. Father is well respected as the French Ambassador, and he would despise it if either of you managed to taint our reputation.' Mary scolded. Henriette could not contain herself, for she felt as if she were about to burst at the seams, and began to giggle unforgivingly. Anne bit down on her tongue to force her own laughs away, for she knew better than to make a fool of her elder sister.
'What is so funny, Henriette? You aren't mocking me again?' Mary cast her eyes to the ivy that crept its way up a turret, and then back to her youngest sister who had ceased her juvenile fit of giggles. 'That is a shame. Neither of you shall speak any more of the King and I, for you have nothing to revel in any longer — he shan't grant you sumptuous positions or shower you with exuberant gifts as King Francis did. Instead I do bid that you two learn enough to keep your mouths shut and earn your own way around here without being so brash as to dishonour the Boleyn name.'
'Of course. You are always right, Mary.' Anne apologised, bowing into a perfectly poised curtsy before following their brother through the gravelled courtyard and through the carved mahogany doors of the west wing of Hampton Court Palace.
Mary faced Henriette with a scornful look, her lips turned up at the corners, a wry smile painted across her face, her eyes lighting up as she realised she had brought her shrewish sister to silence. Henriette opened her mouth as if she were about to lash out at Mary again, though remembered she wished to cling onto the last of her dignity, and it would not do her a great deal of good if she berated her own sister.
Anne had somehow always remained in Mary's good books, so long as she played the naïve and sweet-natured character that so effortlessly fooled nearly all. But Henriette was always the impish and disobedient youngest child, playing her own tricks and bringing about havoc when there was no need for any. She was good-natured, but awfully improper and had not learned to contain her crass tongue. Henriette had fallen into trouble many times in the French Court, and her family could only hope that she had learned the ways of a proper lady by now.
'I am expecting an apology, you know?' Mary said, dumbfounded that Henriette had just stood there with a wry face. She did not flinch at her sister's words, and instead pretended as if she weren't listening. It was rude, but she did not feel ready to forgive Mary for bringing about the disgrace of the family in the first place — it was she who had bestowed her most precious gift to the French King, something that you only gave up to your husband.
'Henriette, if you express your regrets then I shall dismiss myself and we can settle into our duties. There is a ball tonight for the return of the court, you would not wish to miss that for the world.' Mary warned, taking her sister's slender hands in her own. Henriette turned her head to face Mary, her cheeks bright scarlet as she attempted to contain her bout of childish fury. Mary could see this, and dropped Henriette from her mothering touch before the girl could manage to explode.
'What good shall it do me to apologise to the whore who disgraced our family. You can play the maiden all you wish, Mary Magdalene, but you are not fooling anyone. Do not berate me for being ill-mannered when you were the one that obligingly gave yourself up to appease King Francis and King Henry's voracious appetites.' Henriette remarked snidely, the words seething like poison from her lips. Mary had turned furious, her dark eyes looked as if scarlet anger were bleeding from them, and her mouth contorted into a twist of fury.
'Never speak to me so rudely again.' Mary had tried to contain herself, but could not help but to reach out and slap Henriette with her hand of fury. That would teach the girl a lesson. Henriette's immediate reaction was to caress her reddened cheek and force away the tears that welled at her eyes. She hadn't much time to think of her next actions.
Henriette, though infuriated too, had been able to contain her vexation for once, and instead of abusing her sister in return, stormed off in deep mortification. She lifted her cumbersome skirts and began to run for the tree lined forrest that skirted and edged the palace in a thick green blanket, her lungs feeling as if all the air had been sucked from them as she did so.
Henriette ignored the cries of her deeply embarrassed sister, and continued to hasten her way through the spindly bracken and sap-leaking redwoods until she felt as if she could run no further. Her breath hacked out of her lungs as she slumped down on the roots of an old oak, exhausted and weary. Henriette's french hood was askew, the black veil gathering dirt and her hair in complete disarray, spilling out from all sides.
She was sure that she could never return and face Mary. She was ashamed and wished she could have held her tongue and ill-manners as she had practised in France, and soon felt she deserved that iron-handed slap. If she weren't so irreverent and flippant, perhaps she would have looked forward to the ball this afternoon.
She did indeed have a penchant for delicious sweet-meats, velvet gowns and the waltz. But due to her contemptuous behaviour, she no longer looked upon the evening festivities with any delight, instead sulking at the thought of a further punishment. Learning the ways of a polite and good-mannered woman was not going to be an easy task at all.
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an: so what did you guys think of this first chapter? lemme know if you think it's any good. i have some ideas planned but i am not exactly sure how to execute them just yet. oh well, expect an update in a week or so if this is received well! i'm enjoying it so far. thank you again for reading!
