The Pearl Of Great Price

Chapter 40: Fallen

The King had the family remain at court for an extra thirteen days. It was during that time he married Jane Seymour. The woman took her place as his third wife and Queen. Everyone wished the couple well and the court put up a strong show of support. They all hope she will make His Majesty happy and give him the son he has always wanted.

All this did was make Mary ill at ease. Like her father will ever be truly happy because he isn't a happy person. He has poor moral character and is so unlike her Duke in every way that counts. He's a cheater. The mark of a cheater always demands the loyalty of others, all the while they're the ones being unfaithful. And that is who her father is. He demands his court, his subjects, and his family be loyal to him, while he strips away titles and does whatever he wants on a whim. 

So no. If these people were to ask her opinion, which they never would, she'd tell them the woman will never truly make him happy. Only if she bears him a son will that appease him and make her worthy in his eyes. Theirs is not a true love match. It's not even a love match. It's an "I need a son" match. True love is not based on what your spouse can do for you, can give you, but rather it's the relationship itself— the give and take, the friendship, and the passion you share together. It's the knowledge that you'll never find another love, another person, like this ever again. It's once in a lifetime. 

This ostentatious show of affection aggrieves her spirit. But she put on a happy face regardless and tried to stay calm. The babe she's carrying is worth more than all of this farcical revelry combined. It was during the ridiculous wedding feast that her husband asked her to dance. He hates dancing so this was a pleasant surprise. 

Her plum-colored dress was making a statement all on its own. From the beading to the silk fabric, to the mesh overlay with the embroidered vines, flowers, and thorns. It's a masterpiece that she needs to remember to send her dressmaker a handsome thank you for. In fact, Charles commented "The thorny vines wrapping your arms are quite something to behold. I like it. Are you trying to tell me something?"

She laughed. "No, not you. It fits my mood, prickly. This whole thing makes me feel bristly and tense. It's one of the reasons I chose to wear it. This feast tonight sets my teeth on edge."

He knows this, as the whole thing makes him feel the same as well. "Sweetheart let's just hope he's finally happy." Then he murmured with a low voice, "Even though we know he won't be." It was then his rival decided to cut in. It made his jaw clench, along with his neck muscles. That damned Edward Seymour. All he can do is stand and watch, while he tried to make conversation with Tony.

As she danced, the Duke of Somerset stated "Isn't this a wonderful feast? It's truly one of the finest I've been to in a long time. I think we're in for a happier kingdom."

There's that word again— happy, happiness, and all its derivatives. It grates her nerves and stirs up her baby hormones. Why does everyone think her father will now be happy when his first two wives didn't make him so? Why this particular woman, who is entirely opposite of him in every way? If she looks hard enough, then she can see shades of her mother's personality. But unlike her mother, the first and true Queen, Jane Seymour is sickeningly sweet. And anyone knows too much sugar makes one ill and unwell.

By way of response, Mary smiled. Then she told him, "The only thing that will make a person truly happy is being content with who you are and what you have. Happiness is an inside job." That shut the man up for the remainder of the dance, for he knows the King is never content. 

Once he handed her back to Charles, she stuck to her husband's side. As she took a goblet of purified water, she muttered to him "If I hear about my father's happiness anymore, I will scream."