Evermore

Chapter VIII

"I —" he stuttered.

Anne placed a hand on her forehead and kept the other firm on her hip. "Can't believe this is true?" she said throwing caution to the wind by charging herself at him. "But so easily believed it was true in my case?"

"Anne..." he uttered, softly for she was right, he had so easily believed every accusation made against her, but was reluctant to believe this about his mistress.

"No!" Anne said, pushing him away as he reached for her. "No..." Her pain visible in her sterling eyes.

"Majesty — ies..." Jane spoke, haltingly as she entered his bedchamber unannounced for Anne's very presence was something to fear.

"Jane..." Henry said, with a hand on his chin, the other on his hip, and his eyes on the ground so as to avoid her angelic face.

"Majesty..." Mary said, sauntering into the room with a curtsy and Charles Brandon at her heels.

Henry lifted his eyes from the ground and directed Anne to a chair in front of the fireplace with his eyes. "Lady Seymour, the queen has informed me that she and my daughter witnessed you and your brother in a compromising position — in the gardens. Is it true?" he said, finally setting his eyes on the young blonde.

"Uh... uh. No, no your majesty." stammered Jane, her pale face flushed with fear. "Of course not. I — we would never do such an ungodly thing." Her eyes wandered onto Anne and Mary who met hers with disgust.

"Mary?" Henry said, turning to his daughter for she had no reason to lie for a woman she hated. "Is the Queen's accusation true?"

Mary nervously glanced at her stepmother and then at the blonde. "The Queen tells the truth, father." she said, unwaveringly. "I was the first to witness Lady Seymour's immorality, your majesty."

"Bring Edward to me." Henry ordered, Charles Brandon with firm anger. "And escort my daughter back to her quarters."

"Your majesty! I can explain!" cried out Jane, as Charles Brandon left to retrieve her brother.

"There's nothing to explain, Lady Seymour. My daughter is no a liar!" Henry said, raising his voice at her for the first time.

"Your majesty! It wasn't what it seemed!" Jane continued to plead as she fell to her knees. "It wasn't at all what it seemed. The Queen and your daughter must've misunderstood the circumstances,"

Anne scoffed at the weeping blonde. "Oh really?!"

"Yes! There was a loose string in the hem of my skirt and he was fixing it?!" Jane said briskly, heart in her stomach.

"What skirt?" inquired Anne as she sauntered over to Henry and stood in front of him. "For it appears all were lifted."

"The bottom one..." lied Jane in an attempt to keep her head. "The smock... your majesty."

"Henry, lift my skirts and smock." Anne said, looking back at him with her hands on her hips.

"What?!" Henry said, dumbfounded.

"Lift my skirts and smock enough to see its hem," said Anne, her eyes firm on the blondes frightful one's.

Henry glanced down at Anne then slowly begun to lift her skirts just enough to see her hem.

"This is what fixing someone's hem looks like, Lady Seymour," Anne affirmed then she looked at Henry over her shoulder once again. "Now stand closer and lift them higher."