Fanfic: An Endless Supply of Rubies Ch 34, Tudors | FanFiction
A/N: I'm so sorry. It's been like, what, two months now? I got caught up in school, then I had a solid month of work, and then it was spring break! Don't worry, I still intend to finish this story. I guess I just went on a short hiatus.
In history, Thomas Cromwell's execution was the same day as Katherine Howard's marriage to the King. For the added drama, we're going to keep it that way. Also, "Mad Walter" was another man accused of treason (one of the reasons being predicting how long the king was going to live), not those other crimes. To keep that nice T rating, we're going to stick with history.
19 April 1540
"Who is that who you just brought to the King?" Amelia asked her husband when he returned. "She's so young and scrawny-looking. Where did she come from?"
"Her name is Katherine Howard," Charles replied, gently wrapping his arm around his wife's waist. "She's related to the Duke of Norfolk."
Amelia froze. "Are you meaning to tell me that you are trying to find the King a new wife?" she whispered quietly.
Before Charles could answer, Duke Philip cried out that Mary had stepped on his foot, leading to the man limping off the floor followed by Mary, muttering apologies after him. Amelia laughed as she watched the scene. Mary was one of the best dancers that Amelia knew. She certainly would never step on her partner's toes.
"Perhaps," Amelia whispered, an idea forming in her head. "If, for some reason, the King found that Queen Anne was not his lawfully wedded wife, he would consider a union between Mary and the Duke of Bavaria to keep our nation's ties to the German states strong."
Charles couldn't think of any reason to disagree.
24 April 1540
"He's done what?" Amelia cried, a look of shock and surprise filling her face.
Mary sat across the table, shaking her head. "He's given that wench a sizeable piece of property," she repeated. "It's got two houses on it. Two!"
"But she's a child!" Amelia exclaimed. How did Katherine Howard manage to get the King to award her confiscated property?
"I think that she's his mistress," Mary said quietly. "When we were very young, His Majesty took a woman named Elizabeth Blount as his mistress. She was younger than Katherine is, but his affection for her did not cause him to dissolve his marriage to our mother."
"But Anne Boleyn did," Amelia replied. "I can't help to feel that Edward and Charles are to blame for Katherine's appearance at court. I feel sorry for Her Majesty. She has no idea that any of this is even happening."
Mary was silent. "I still am not sure if I like Her Majesty," she whispered.
"It's not Her Majesty's fault," Amelia retorted. "It's my Lord Cromwell's fault. He was the one who convinced the King to marry Anne, to take her from her homeland and transplant her here and expected that everyone would just be fine with it." Her voice grew louder and more passionate as she spoke. "I can relate to Queen Anne, only my husband truly loved me when we were married, whereas our father only gave her a fleeting chance," she finished softly.
"But what of Katherine Howard?" Mary asked.
"I can only hope that she is the recipient of the King's fleeting affection, and nothing more," Amelia responded. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. "I am with child," Amelia suddenly said, keeping her voice low.
Mary looked surprised, but didn't say anything.
"I haven't told Charles yet," Amelia continued, rising from her chair and walking over to the large window that was behind her seat. "In fact, you're the first person that I've told. I just can't help but to feel a little... guilty."
"Guilty?" Mary repeated, mulling over her sister's choice of words.
"Yes, guilty," Amelia confirmed. "I'm pregnant with my fifth child, and Her Majesty has been married to our father for nearly four months, yet she herself is not with child. I mean, it's every wife's greatest duty, is it not? Especially a Queen?"
"I'm sure there is a reason that Her Majesty is not with child," Mary replied. "Maybe I myself will soon be married with child."
Amelia spun around to face her sister, a mischievous grin on her face. "What happened between you and the Duke?" she asked.
Mary simply laughed at the expression on her sister's face.
10 June 1540
Although they had hoped and prayed for the last month that Duke Philip would be Mary's match, it appeared to not be so when Mary burst suddenly into Amelia's apartments with tears streaming down her cheeks. Everyone in the little family had gathered around Mary as she fell to the ground at Amelia's feet, her head resting on Amelia's lap. Amelia stroked her older sister's hair gently, reassuring her that everything would be just fine, and that the King could always change his mind.
No one was really sure how long they all sat, with all six of the children gathered around Mary and trying to get her to smile again. Mary tried to smile, but the all-too-familiar feeling of emptiness and loneliness kept creeping back into her heart, reminding her that she might never be a mother as she had always dreamed she would be.
"Cromwell was arrested on suspicion of treason this afternoon," Charles told his wife as they prepared for bed.
"Oh really?" Amelia responded, feigning interest in her husband's topic of conversation.
"Are you upset with me?" Charles asked.
Amelia turned to face her husband, only to see that he had moved to stand right behind her. She jumped when she turned, and his hands gripped her waist to keep her from falling over.
"A little," she whispered. "I'm still a little bitter over Katherine Howard, although I haven't seen her at court lately, so I guess I should not be concerned." There was a pause, where Amelia and Charles simply looked at each other. "I'm pregnant," Amelia blurted out.
"I was wondering when you were going to tell me," Charles responded, barely batting an eye.
"You knew?" Amelia asked, completely caught off guard.
Her husband laughed, pulling Amelia close so that she could feel the rumble in his chest. His chin rested on top of his head. "Of course I knew," he replied. "I share a bed with you every night. It would be hard for me not to notice."
"I'm so sorry, Charles. I should have told you much sooner," Amelia apologized.
"There's no need for apologies," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "It's been a hard few weeks for all of us."
Amelia slept better that night than she had for the past month.
24 June 1540
Henry barely listened to Edward Seymour as he spoke, opting instead to look at his wife. Even though Anne had been Queen for a few months now, she still looked frightened and confused by everything that went on around her. He could not have someone like that as his Queen, not after seeing how diplomatic Catherine was, how tenacious Anne was, and how kind Jane was. Anne had taken on none of those qualities. Was she even fit to be Queen of England?
"... And that Your Majesty never consented to it," Edward said in a low tone. "To be even more diplomatic, you could propose an alternate match between England and the Duchy of Cleves through a marriage between the Princess Mary and Duke Philip of Bavaria."
Henry paused, mulling over Edward's words. "Send a deputation to Mr. Cromwell, demanding of him written evidence supporting my annulment," Henry commanded. "Doubtless, he'll remember how often I spoke to him of how my nature abhors that woman." He thought for a moment. "Send some ambassadors to Bavaria. I want to know more about Duke Philip, everything there is to know about him."
Perhaps exchanging one German match for another would work in England's favor.
9 July 1540
Amelia would remember this day as one that brought her incredibly mixed emotions.
First, the King announced that his marriage to Anne of Cleves had been annulled, and that she was to formally be known as the King's sister. On one hand, Amelia was happy that Anne had been spared the unhappy fate of her predecessors, but on the other, she wished that Anne would have been allowed to return to her home country, perhaps to find a husband who would truly love her.
Second, the King formally announced a betrothal between Princess Mary of England to Duke Philip of Bavaria. It was easy to see that Philip won over the hearts of the people, and those who watched Mary carefully could see her radiate pure joy and happiness from underneath her diplomatic mask of indifference. The date of their marriage had yet to be set, but everyone hoped that it would be soon.
Third, Charles had decided that the latest outbreak of plague in the city was reason enough to move the entire family back to Westhorpe, and Amelia did not disagree. She missed Suffolk greatly.
Fourth, it was rumored that Katherine Howard would become the next Queen of England. That did not sit well with Amelia at all.
27 July 1540
Amelia walked down the halls of Westhorpe slowly, one hand running over the ledges of the open windows that filled the house with fresh air, the other rubbing small circles over her slightly swollen stomach. Tomorrow, Thomas Cromwell would die and Katherine Howard would become Queen of England.
Although she hated Cromwell for what he had done to Anne of Cleves, she would never wish death upon any man. There had to be something else that could be done to punish him.
And Katherine? She wasn't quite sure on her feelings towards the girl herself, but she knew that she was not happy with the concept of her father marrying someone younger than herself. She could not complain about the age gap between Katherine and her father without saying bad things about her own marriage.
She heard conversation and laughter coming from down the hall, and hurried to see what was going on. Amelia pressed her back against the wall next to the doorway, simply wanting to hear without being seen.
"Will Your Grace be on Tower Hill tomorrow?" she heard her husband ask.
"Try to keep me away," a male voice responded. Sir Francis, she believed.
"I can vouchsafe to Your Grace that his final end will be the most ignominious ever," Charles said.
"So I have heard, Your Grace," Sir Francis replied. "So I have heard."
"What is he talking about? Tell me," a woman's voice chimed in. Amelia wasn't able to place the voice in her head. Perhaps it was someone she spoke to in passing?"
"Cromwell is set to appear on the same scaffold as Lord Hungerford, otherwise known as Mad Walter, who has been sentenced to death for various offences, including paying magicians to determine the length of His Majesty's life," Sir Francis said.
"At least he won't have to pay them to predict the date of his own," another male voice added. Edward Seymour, the voice in her head told her. There was laughter all around.
"Well, then Cromwell will be humiliated," yet another male voice said. This one, she did not really recognize at all. "The false churl who was so ambitious for others' blood."
"Ah, that is not our only device," Sir Francis said. Amelia could practically hear him grinning. "Tom and I have conceived some more sport at his Lordship's expense." His emphasis on Tom's name told Amelia that the man named Tom was in the room.
"What kind of sport?" she heard Edward ask.
"Patience, Edward," Sir Francis responded lazily. "Patience."
At this, Amelia turned to walk down the hallway more quickly than she had come up it, feeling bile rise in her throat. Sir Francis's reputation for doing awful things was no secret. It made her sick to think about what might happen to Cromwell. Even if she hated the man, he still deserved a nice, clean death.