15th of March 1531 - London, England
"I have decided to grant you the Palace of Beaulieu in celebration of your marriage," Henry announced having put much thought into the wedding gift for the man that would be his brother soon.
He had thought long and hard about the decision and it seemed fitting especially considering his impending marriage to Anne; he wanted everything to be perfect and he wanted his new in-laws to be most comfortable.
The Palace of Beaulieu had originally belonged to the Duke of Wiltshire before he had sold it to the crown back in £1,000 and Henry felt it was only right now to return the place to the Boleyns now that he was marrying Anne.
"I don't know what to say, Your Majesty," George stated a little stunned, he had lived at Grimston Manor for many years now and it had been his home since he had married his first wife.
The place held memories of his first marriage and the constant complaints that had come from Jane Parker because she found it a down step from where her parents lived.
"It is the least I can do. I have no brother of my own anymore, God called him to his side and I should hope that we could be brothers after I marry Anne," Henry stated looking towards his beloved.
Arthur had been a constant thought on his mind as of late, especially when it came to thinking of his doomed marriage to his brother's widow.
He had very nearly brought about the end of the Tudor reign and Henry could not help but fear what would have happened if he died; he had no legitimate son and any daughter he produced would be ruled by her husband.
He had been a second son and if it weren't for Arthur's untimely death then he would not have become King of England; he feared that his lack of male heir would lead to another war like the Cousin's War.
"I should imagine so, Your Majesty," George stated not sure what to make of that, he didn't know the King like Anne did and he did not wish to say something that might upset him.
He had no brothers himself since he and his sisters were his parents only surviving children and George could not say he knew what it was like to lose a brother like the King had.
"Henry," he insisted patting George on the back, if they were to be brothers then it would not do for them to be so formal; Henry had done what he could to make sure that Anne's family were treated well.
Her father was now Duke of Wiltshire, her brother was Duke of Bedford and had been given a fine match in the form of Clarice de' Medici; there was only her sister Mary who had yet to benefit from Anne's rise to power.
But that would certainly be dealt with in time, William Carey had passed away leaving her with two young children to care for; in time Henry would make sure that she was married well.
"I trust you shall treat the Duchess of Bedford with much respect," Henry asked of him, the marriage between George and Clarice did not just tie the Medici family to the Boleyns via marriage.
The Pope's actions had led to the siblings turning against him and away from their French royal cousin and instead they had found themselves the entire of English court since they had arrived.
Henry wanted no reason for them to turn against him, he had made sure that Ippolito was ennobled and held offices that completely suited a man of his talents; he was the grandson of the famed Lorenzo de' Medici.
A man who was a powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance, something that Henry wished to bring here to England; especially with everything that was happening right now.
"I shall do my upmost," George promised staring at the King, he didn't need anyone else adding pressure to his marriage especially with his father's constant talks of not trusting Clarice and ensuring that he quickly produces an heir.
However, George didn't feel the need to rush such a thing and wished to adjust to his new wife especially given that they were going to leave court shortly.
They would spend the next month at their new country home and George was almost relieved to hear that neither he nor Clarice would be expected to make the trip to France with the court in the coming weeks.
***
Standing in the new chambers that she would share with George at court, Clarice could not help the anxious feeling that had settled upon her; she was now dressed in her night gown and only two of her ladies remained with her.
The music from the feast had long since faded away and the silence seemed almost suffocating as Clarice waited for the arrival of her husband; her fingers tangling in the material while she tried to ease her mind.
After what felt like a lifetime, the doors to the chambers opened and in stepped George who looked rather surprised to see her already waiting for him.
Her ladies offered a quick curtsy before leaving the room, their leaving making Clarice even more nervous as George started to strip himself of his finery for bed; she stood awkwardly not sure what she was meant to do.
George peered at her, his dark eyes taking in the woman that he was expected to bed now that they had been wed; he patted the spot next to her slightly concerned she'd bolt for the door.
Hesitating for a moment, Clarice made her way over to him pausing only once more before she took a seat on the bed; her eyes firmly fixed on the floor while George removed his undershirt and tossed it to the side.
"We don't have to do this tonight," George informed her, he didn't wish to frighten off his bride when there would be many more nights in their future.
Ones with slightly less intrusive people gathered around, even George was not foolish enough to think that they were not being spied upon in the Palace; there would be people wishing for them to fall at the very first hurdle.
"I wish to do my duty as your wife," Clarice whispered, her voice so soft that George almost didn't catch her words and her eyes remained focused on the ground before her.
Her words made him sigh knowing just what was expected of them both this night, the bed had been blessed and people were counting on their marriage to work and produce offspring.
Nudging her shoulder with his own, her eyes lift from the floor and look at him; trepidation filled her eyes and George offered her a kind smile not wishing to cause further embarrassment to his bride.
He didn't think she would appreciate his offer to have his mother sent for so that she might help her prepare slightly for what was to come; surely there would have been no guidance for this while she had been in Rome.
"I am unsure what to expect," Clarice admitted weakly, no one had even told her what she should expect on her wedding night and she had been told to guard her virtue when she had gone to visit her cousin, the King of France.
Her mother had died before ever preparing her for such a thing, in truth Clarice thought that Filiberta had avoided such a talk in fear of admitting that her only child was a grown woman ready to be wed.
"You do not need to do anything that you are not ready nor comfortable with," George soothed, the King's words still played on his mind and he was not a fool; should he not treat Clarice as she deserved then there would be consequences.
The woman held some very powerful relatives that would likely wish to see his marriage to her fail in order to regain control of her.
News of Catherine de' Medici's engagement to one of King Francis's sons had reached England only days ago, the same would have been expected for Clarice if she had not come to England when she had.
George wondered who would have been deemed right for her, he very much doubted that he was what the King of France and the Pope had in mind for a woman of her breeding.
Her cousin would be married into a royal family, it was likely that the same would have happened to Clarice if anyone would have taken her after what the Pope had planned for her.
"Well then. Let us do our duty," George told her, his hands moving slowly to pull her night gown from her shoulders to rest around her waist; he ducked down and pressed his lips softly to her bare shoulder for the barest moment.
Clarice watched him, her heart pounded in her chest as George pulled back and stared into her eyes; she felt like he was trying to read her mind or soul with how he looked at her.
Leaning forward, George kissed Clarice and the two of them slowly fell backwards onto the bed, their lips moving slowly against one another before George pulled himself up to hover over her.
He pulled back for a final time, his eyes searching her face for any signs that she did not wish for him continue before he ducked down again to kiss her.