Festina Lente

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Fondness for Apples

3rd of September 1531 - London, England

The chattering of the hall seemed to cease when Anne walked through it, the blue dress that she wore flowing with each step as Lady Zouche and Madge Shelton; it was hard to believe just how fast things had progressed since she had been crowned. 

People bowed to Anne as she moved passed them, despite the fact that she was now Queen in fact and not just in name; Anne could not help but feel that things had changed for her now. 

Her every move was watched and sometimes she felt rather stifled by the fact that everywhere that she went she was in the attendance of her ladies; there was not much room for her to breath at times. 

It was a small price to pay for the position that she now held, she recalled her time serving in Queen Claude's household and that of Katherine of Aragon's; she knew why she was watched and always in attendance but that didn't mean that she had to like it. 

"Father," Anne greeted spotting him chatting with other members of the court, she walked towards him with a smile upon her face; it was a beautiful day and she had much to be happy about. 

Thomas Boleyn and his fellow lords got turned and bowed in the face of their Queen; with Anne now on the throne, Thomas had found himself rather popular and many nobles sort his favour. 

"Your Majesty," Thomas replied moving to kiss Anne's cheek, he was much impressed with all that she had achieved so far and the benefits that had been heaped upon him since her rise. 

It had all worked out better than he had hoped for when he had set about putting Anne in the King's view so that she might remove Wolsey from his position; now someone of his blood was seated on the throne. 

"You know what?" Anne asked linking arms with her father and leading him slightly away from the nobles, a coy smile on her face as she thought about the news that she was about to impart. 

It gave her hope that things had worked out the way that it had, she had worried that perhaps things would have proven a little harder especially given how things had started for her.

"I have a furious hankering for apples. Such as I have never had before. It started three days ago," Anne stated with a smile, she didn't look at her father who would know exactly why she was telling him this. 

She'd kept this quiet for long enough and having already broken the news to Henry, she felt confident in revealing such news to others; her husband had been overjoyed at the news that they were already expecting their first child together.

"Apples?" Thomas asked not catching the meaning of this, it surely was not his business if his daughter decided that she was hungry for such an item. 

Anne had servants of her own to do her bidding, they could surely deal with such a thing for her; he was a busy man afterall, he had things to do and important matters to attend to. 

"Yes apples. The King told me that it was a sign that I was pregnant but I said it was nothing of the sort," Anne told him, she stared up at his face for a moment waiting for the news to sink in. 

She didn't have to wait long to see the smile forming on Thomas's face, her point across she walked away knowing that the news would spread; she was carrying the King's child and she knew that if it was a boy then she'd be secure. 

Henry had expressed his excitement that she was carrying his son, already planning all sorts of celebrations for the child that had not even been born yet. 

The midwife predicted that Anne would deliver early in the New Year, possibly a few weeks after Clarice delivered her own; God willing that everything went well, Anne feared what would happen should she fail.