Festina Lente

Chapter Seven: Change in Circumstances

What claim did Philip have other than he was a man that usurped her own right; her father had been the last Duke of Nemours followed by her mother, now that they had both passed the title was hers. 

"I am sorry, my Lady," Charles uttered looking away, there were no more instructions that he had been given; he truly felt her plight and wished her well in all of this. 

The loss of her title and lands had left her at the mercy of those around her, the change in her address would be noticed by all now that she was not entitled to Your Grace. 

"I think it best you leave, Your Eminence," Anne instructed standing tall, she turned to the ambassador sure that Clarice would like a few moments to collect her thoughts; the news had come as a complete shock to her. 

Nodding his head, Charles offered Clarice one final glance before departing knowing that the change in her circumstances would greatly affect her; she would have to send several of her ladies away. 

Whispering filled the room from even the most loyal of Clarice's ladies, the loss of Clarice's income meant that they would have to leave while the woman that had been their mistress was strained here. 

Ushering the ladies from the chambers, Anne was almost thankful they had been in Clarice's chambers when the news had come to her. 

Only once they were alone did Clarice speak freely, her hands shaking as she spoke knowing that there had to be a reason that this had happened; Francis would never do such a thing not when he had promised not to ever do to her. 

"This has to be the Pope's doing... Francis would not steal what is rightfully mine without cause," Clarice whispered trying to make sense of the fact that she had left all that she had, there was no doubt in her mind that her uncle would make himself comfortable in her home and anything that she had left there would be destroyed or sold. 

A part of her knew that this had been coming, she really had the chance to be in Nemours but she had loved the time she had gotten to spend there; she spent time with the people and they had loved her. 

Anne did not speak, her dark eyes-only watching Clarice as the woman began to rant against her cousin; it hurt to see the woman find herself in this position because of the game that men had decided that she should play for their benefit. 

As much as it angered Anne that the Pope had dragged his feet for so long on ending the marriage between Henry and Katherine; the time for inaction was coming to an end that much she was sure. 

 "It's because I have not done as Clement asked of me. He wished for me to depose you in the King's affections but I had not the heart nor will to do such a thing," Clarice fretted knowing that Anne had worked all that out, she turned to the other woman wishing that there was an easier way to explain why she had been sent. 

Many had assumed that Clarice was here to spy for the Pope, her admittance to court after the Pope's demand that Henry return to Katherine had not gone unnoticed and in some ways even with her closeness to Anne, she was still an outsider. 

Shaking her head, Clarice knew that there was only one thing that would upset the Pope in away that she would be able to show him that she would not be a pawn in his game any longer. 

"As God as my witness. I shall help you gain the throne to spite the Pope in taking from me what is mine by birth right," declared Clarice moving towards Anne, she had not played her hands yet and the men that thought that they could control her forgot who she was. 

She was the granddaughter of Lorenzo de' Medici and her great-great-grandfather was Cosimo de' Medici; however, she was also descended from great women, she had heard been told the tales of the women that had married these great men. 

Her own grandmother, her namesake, had been a representative of her husband in his work while she travelled around Italy when they could not return home. 

The silence at Clarice's declaration made Anne pause for a moment, her eyes searching Clarice's face unsure if she even realised just what she was saying; the vow was something that was not said lightly. 

Taking a deep breath, Anne tried to sort through her thoughts knowing that if this worked then the Pope and Katherine's undoing would come from their dismissal of Clarice. 

"Do you mean it?" Anne asked not wanting to place all her hopes on what Clarice was saying, everything had stalled and they moved no further in any of this no matter what Henry demanded. 

Her child bearing years were passing by and there was nothing that she could do, she would not give herself to Henry in fear that any child, she bore would be a passed. 

"I would not make such a vow with God as my witness without meaning it," Clarice told her, she would see this to the end and she would see Anne reach the throne and give the King a son as she so promised. 

Reaching out and taking Anne's hands, the two women knew what they were up against; the entire world might be against Anne being Queen but they would find a way to make it happen.