The Tudor Witness

“Catalina, you silly little girl. Only ten, you are. You don’t know anything about the world yet, it seems,” Juana explained, hugging Catalina close to her.

“I know I am young, sister, but I do know things. The world is such a dangerous place! Must you really go all the way to Belgium?” she was now crying and wailing.

Juana sat her sister down on the bed and took up her hands.

“Listen to me Catalina. I am 16, old enough to marry. I am also a princess. Maybe people do think that princesses and nobility live as they please, but we all know ‘tis not the case. Our marriages are not for love, not at all. They are only to supply an heir. That is the one thing you must keep in mind yourself when your time also comes to marry.”

Catalina slowly wiped her tears away, thinking of who she might marry and how far away the marriage would take her, away from her family forever.

Soon, the day came for Juana to leave. Catalina tried not to cry, and underneath her smiles, she saw that Juana was nervous. There was no reason not to be nervous-she was going to a new place and marrying a man she did not even know.

Before she left she pulled Maria and Catalina over to her and they stood together in a circle. With fumbling fingers, Maria took a small round object out of her pocket and held it out for her sisters to see.

“It’s a miniature,” Maria said.

The boy upon the miniature was the most handsome boy Catalina had ever seen, far better looking than any man at the Spanish court.

“His name is Philip the Handsome,” Juana giggled.

“Oh, Juana, that is your betrothed!” Maria cried and elbowed her giggling sister.

“No, Maria that is his name, his actual name. Everyone calls him that! Oh just think about it, me being married to heir of the Holy Roman Empire!” Juana was so excited to finally leave, she had told Catalina that. Why Juana had ever wanted to leave Spain, to leave her home, Catalina did not know.

As the carriage rolled down the street and Juana traveled off to her future, Catalina could do nothing but wave and wait for her time.

=+=

Autumn

“Wake up, sleepy. The king is out on a hunting trip all day and the queen says we may all go riding,” Anne declared in a sing-song voice.

I quickly sat up. “Do you mean horses?”

“Yes, of course!” she exclaimed and tossed a dress onto the bed.

“I don’t have any riding habits for you,” she called from her closet. “None even from my sister, who was as short as you.”

“You have a sister?” I asked, and saw her body stiffen as she walked out of the closet.

“Well, yes, and a brother as well,” she frowned and then went back into her closet. “Do you wear corsets?”

“My mother never let me. She told me I was too young, and it would cost us money,” I explained.

“Well, you don’t really need one now, but soon I will give you my old ones,” she replied.

I slipped on the dress. It was a light green and it was outlined in tiny buttons on the top of the bodice. When I had it on, Anne exclaimed, “Oh, Elizabeth, you look so beautiful! ‘Tis cut in the French style. That’s the only style I can bear to wear in this dreary place.”

“Is France beautiful?” I asked.

“More beautiful than any place I have been to. The palaces are most made of gold!”

“Do you wish to go back?”

“Everyday,” she sighed. “But I must stay here and marry-if I ever find anyone at all.”

“Anne, you are the most beautiful woman in court!” I exclaimed. “You will find someone for certain.”

“I hope I do,” she smiled slightly, dressed in her riding habit, her long dark hair flowing down her back.

“Is riding a horse scary?” I asked the queen as we went down to the stables.

She laughed. “It was the first time I tried. It was here, in England, when I first did, when I was much older than you. I must admit I was very scared, but I was a princess, and I had to get over it, for if I fell, then there I went.”

Anne and I both laughed.

“The horses in France are terrible!” Anne exclaimed. “I could not even ride them.”

“That was probably why I never learned at home, for my mother was fair afraid of them!” the queen laughed.

It was wonderful to talk and laugh with Anne and the Queen of England.

“Horses are such beautiful creatures, though,” Anne sighed. “Can Elizabeth ride Colette?”

“Colette would be perfect for her!” the queen exclaimed.

One of the other girls caught up to us. She shot an angry glance at me and then one at Anne. “Your Majesty, must we ride side saddle today? No men are around.”

“You may choose what you wish,” Queen Catherine nodded.

“Anne,” I whispered. “You will teach me how to ride, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I would like to ride next to Anne!” another girl shot in. She had a plump face, and she was shorter, and plain.

“Who is that?” I whispered.

Anne frowned. “Jane Seymour,” she mumbled, sighing. “The Seymour’s are our sworn enemies.”

“Then do not ride with her,” I replied.

“I must,” she shook her head. “I cannot deny her that request in front of the queen. You must fend for yourself then. She’s doing this only to hurt you, you know.”

“Of course,” I sighed.

“I will try to stay longer with you and help you,” Anne muttered and then ran up next to Jane.

I walked next to the queen then, for none of the other girls liked me, as none of them liked Anne. A light mist was falling down upon us, and it felt good. Even though it was late September, it was still very warm.

I ran my hands through my long hair. I realized that Anne and I were different, very different from all the other women at court. We wore our hair down, while the rest wore their hair up and tight back.

Anne said it was the French way, yet other people said otherwise. They all said she wore it around like she was a virgin still. I was no fool. I knew what they spoke of. But Anne was still so young, not even twenty yet, and they spoke of her like she was a horrible kind of woman.

We arrived in the dark stables. It smelled like home. Hay and dirt covered the ground and it smelled of nature and of the outside.

Each girl ran to a horse, and the queen walked gracefully to hers. There was a boy in one stall, cleaning a horse.

“Stable boy!” Jane Seymour cried.

“Yes?” he asked and walked out of the stall he was in, his hair covered in sweat, his gloves covered in slop.

“My horses’s mane is very dirty. Might you brush it?” she demanded.

“Yes, of course,” he smiled at her.

When he turned around I saw his smile turn to a deep frown and he took off his gloves.

I was standing at the door and he stopped in front of me, and he did not move for a few moments.

“Will you move?” he growled.

“Oh,” I muttered and felt my cheeks redden.

I heard the boy growl and grab a huge brush from off the wall. He glared at me as he turned and walked over to Jane’s horse. He couldn’t have been older than William, yet he was the only one working in the stable.

I sat on the cool ground and rubbed my hands through the hay. I would have to wait until they were all done with their ride.

Each horse trotted out, each more beautiful than the last. Anne shot me a sympathetic glance as she rode by, and the queen whispered something to the stable boy.

He bowed to her. “As you wish, Your Majesty."

She left the stable, and I was left all alone with the stable boy. He ran his hands throw his sweaty brown hair and put the gloves back on. He went back to cleaning the stalls.

Not knowing what I was supposed to do, I stood up and walked to the end of the stall where he worked.

After a few minutes he looked back at me. “What do you want?” he growled.

“Oh…I…I was just wondering what you were doing.”

“What do you think I was doing? I’m cleaning up after the stupid horses. It’s not like the well-bred daughters of the most prominent families in England would do so. They need someone to do it.”

“I…I am sorry…”

“Do not be sorry for me. No one cares how I feel.”

“But why are you here, all by yourself?”

He looked up at me, a frown on his face. “Do you think any courtier would want to come out here and do this?”

“No…” I mumbled.

“Why don’t you just get out of here? You are distracting me.”

“I have no where else to go.”

“Listen, little girl, I have work to do, so that I can get money and feed my family. I will not do what the queen has told me to do, for I know that you can ride a horse, otherwise you would not be in her service. All she wants to do is prove how horrible a stable boy I am so that I can be fired. Now go off into the castle and go tell your mother for all I care,” he yelled, pointing his finger at me.

“My mother is dead!” I screamed and I ran into one of the open stables and fell upon a fresh pile of hay. It smelt so good, and I wanted to be home right then and there.

I heard the crunching of the old hay as he walked into the stall. He placed a hand upon my back.

“I am not who you think I am. My mother and father both died of the sweats in our one room cottage not too long ago. We had no money to our name, and my brother and I went to London to decide what we would do with the rest of our life. We stole a piece of bread, and I nearly cracked open my head in front of Queen Catherine’s carriage,” I sobbed. “And that is how I got here! I don’t know how to ride, I don’t know how to read or write or sew or do anything! I didn’t even know how to curtsy!”

“I am so sorry,” he declared. “I never meant to jump to conclusions like I did.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered.

“So would you like to learn to ride?” he held out a hand to me-a non-gloved hand of course.

“Yes,” I declared. “I’m Elizabeth.”

“I’m Thomas, or Tom, as some people call me.”

After only an hour I knew how to control a horse. I had gotten the horse Colette into a trot but yet I had not mastered side saddle.

“Why must women be forced to ride so uncomfortably?” I gasped while trying to stay on the horse.

“’Tis the way of the world, I guess,” Tom shrugged.

“Well ‘tis horrible,” I cried, holding onto the reins tightly.

“We can try tomorrow if you want,” he told me.

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” I cried.

He helped me down from the horse and I shook out my dress.

Something came over me and I asked, “Do you know Anne Boleyn’s sister?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Well, I don’t know her personally. I can tell Anne is your friend but…”

“She is my only friend besides the queen,” I laughed.

“Her sister, though, I’ve never seen her. Her name is Mary. She is rarely at court anymore, yet people say she was very beautiful, much more beautiful than Anne, yet less French. And people liked her. I haven’t really been in court. All I know about her was that she might have been the king’s mistress.”

My legs stopped walking. “What?!” I gasped. Now I knew what the queen meant. Did she really think that Anne would be like her sister?

“What does she look like? Maybe I have seen her.”

“She is blonde, they say, with light eyes and a smile on her face at all times. No one is really sure if she was the king’s mistress, though…”

At that moment Anne’s horse trotted in, Anne’s face red and smiling, and her hair blowing in the light breeze.

“That was very refreshing!” she gasped as she tied up her horse in her stall. “Did you have fun, Elizabeth?”

I nodded. “Riding a horse is not as hard as I thought. Tom was teaching me enough for today.”

“Who is Tom?” she raised her eyebrow at me.

“The stable boy,” I explained.

“Well, good, let’s go. I’m in need of a bath,” she grabbed my hand and we ran out into the sun and the light mist.

We stopped at a door near the king’s chambers.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“Oh, this is my sister and her husband’s apartment. I use her bath all the time, for they are never here. They are probably with my mother and father in Hever,” she sighed. “Just go down the hallway and take a left, then take a right, go down the stairs, and you should find your way back to the queen’s chambers.”

When she closed the door I instantly forgot her directions. I never went anywhere in the castle without Anne, and I knew I would get lost. But I would ask someone the way, and I would be fine.

I saw the king’s chambers ahead. There was a dark door off in corner, decorated in beautiful little flowers and birds. I had never seen a door so beautiful, all of them were plain; none were decorated as was this.

My curiosity caused me to move closer to the door. There was a smell of lavender coming from inside.

The door was colored in hundreds of colors of paints, yet it was so dark I could barely see it.

The door was even slightly open, I saw, and a dim light was coming out from the inside. I wondered what they would put behind such a door. It had to be something special to be carved so lovely.

I heard a woman giggle inside of the room. I opened the door only slightly. I was so small, they would never notice me. No one ever did.

I could not see much but a blonde head of hair and a bed. What was I bringing myself into?

I opened the door just the slightest bit more and looked as fast as I could before whoever was in there had a chance to realize I was there.

“Henry...” I heard the woman whisper.

I saw a blonde head of hair and a red-gold head of hair. Henry was King Henry; there were no other men with red hair in court that I knew of. And the blonde was the other Boleyn-Anne’s sister Mary.

I could not find my way through the maze of apartments and chambers. The blurriness of my eyes-all full of tears-I could not even see where I went.

I found myself at the chamber I shared with Anne eventually, but there would be no way I would stay with Anne that night. I would never be able to with what I had just seen.

I tried to believe it was not Anne’s sister, but I had heard Henry breathe her name-Mary, and I had seen part of her face. She had the same features as Anne, only she had a bit more meat on her bones.

I made it to the Queen’s chamber but could not make myself go in. All I wanted to do was tell her what I had seen so she would end it. The king was her husband, devoted only to her. I knew marriages were not always full of love, but it didn’t mean you could go around and have mistresses, even if you were the queen.

I felt a hand on my back.

“Elizabeth?” a familiar voice asked.

I turned around and saw William’s confused face. I instantly threw my arms around him and nearly collapsed from what I felt at that moment.

“Elizabeth, what is wrong?” he cried.

I pressed my finger to his lips. “You must be quiet.”

“No! I will not unless you will tell me what is going on!” he yelled.

“Take me to your chamber,” I whispered. “And then I will tell you.”

“Okay,” he sighed.

I could not feel my legs, and finally, angry that I would not walk fast enough for him, he picked me up in his arms and carried me to his room.

His chamber was small, smaller than Anne’s, for he was only a page. I plopped down on his unmade bed and began to tell him.

“Well, I went riding today, and then Anne came back and then she went to take a bath, and I was so curious and there was this door that was so beautiful…”

“What?!” he gasped. “Elizabeth, what are you trying to tell me?”

“There was this beautiful door near the king’s apartments. I was curious, and I wished to know what was inside. So I opened the door only slightly, and inside was the king and Mary Boleyn, Anne’s sister. And they were not just talking, William.”

He shook his head. “Elizabeth, please do not lie to me. I am not feeling well tonight.”

“No!” I yelled. “I am not lying. I can take you there, right now, and I can show you. I will tell Queen Catherine, I will tell her!”

I got up and ran to the door, but I was held back by William’s grasp.

“No, Elizabeth, if what you say is really true, telling Queen Catherine will be the worst thing to do. If you tell her anything, be sure never to use Mary’s name, for she will never trust Anne again if you do so.”

I nodded and turned to go.

“Remember,” he whispered. “What you tell the queen may change the history of England forever.”

Incredibly I found the queen’s chamber in record time, and I walked into the room like nothing had happened.

It was almost night now, and the maids were all sewing by the blazing hearth. They glared at me as I walked in, and I knew I should have been there the whole time. Why had my eyes wondered to that door? Why hadn’t I just come back in the first place?

“Wonderful of you to join us, Miss Rushford,” the queen nodded at me, looking worried. “Anne is coming soon I hope…”

I cut her off for I had run up to her and threw my arms around her. I knew it was wrong to do so, and I heard one of the maids gasp. But I had to do it.

The queen smelled like a mother should-loving and kind and wise, and she reminded me so much of my mother. She put her arms around me as well, and even though I promised myself I would not cry, I did.

She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. “Miss Elizabeth, you look horribly troubled.”

“There is something I must tell you,” I whispered.

She nodded, understanding how serious it was. “Follow me.”

I followed her through the closet and into her bedchamber. It was decorated in beautiful dark colors and the bed was nearly ten times the size of the one Anne and I shared.

I felt my legs shaking.

“It is ok, Elizabeth, tell me,” she placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I have much reason to believe, Your Majesty, that your husband is not…is not fulfilling what he has promised he would fulfill to you when he married you.”

She nodded, a nasty wrinkle appearing on her forehead. There was a scared look in her eyes. She embraced me as I began to cry again.

“You were not wrong in telling me so, little one, what you have done is very brave. I thank you,” she whispered.

I would not stop my crying, and I did not talk to Anne the rest of the day.

I ran into Tom in the hallway the next day.

I hadn’t had any sleep the night before, for I had slept in the queen’s chambers. Anne looked worried about me that night I did not talk, and it was actually her suggestion that I was with the queen.

“Elizabeth, you look terrible!” he cried.

“Oh, Tom, I fell terrible,” I mumbled, careful to draw no attention.

“What happened?” he asked. “You said you were coming for lessons again today.”

“I just need some time to think,” I whispered.

“What happened?” he asked again.

“Mary was with the king and I saw them,” I whispered quickly when I was sure no one was around.

“But she is married now, and I thought she was not even in court,” he gasped.

I shook my head sadly. “No, she is still here. I saw them together. Tell no one.”

He nodded.

“I will try to come tomorrow,” I said and walked off, pretending I hadn’t told him anything.

I found myself in front of Anne’s chamber.

I could not blame Anne for what her sister had done, and maybe now we would be closer, for I knew their secret. Or maybe she wouldn’t even know herself.

I opened the door and walked inside. Anne was sitting at her desk, writing a letter.

“Oh, are you feeling better Elizabeth?” she asked with a smiled.

I nodded. “Anne, if I told you something, any thing in the world, would you get mad at me?”

“Of course not Elizabeth! Why, what is wrong?” she asked, looking up at me with her dark eyes.

“Ok, I will just say it…”

“What?” she asked in her sultry accent.

“I’ve heard things, Anne. I’ve heard about your sister…”

“You have…I knew you would someday. But Elizabeth, listen to me, it was to guarantee our ties to the royal family. I was opposed to it, and I didn’t wish to hurt Queen Catherine, for I love her like a mother. I assure you that that affair is much over and I don’t see how it would affect you,” she explained, not even looking up at me once.

“Last night, I saw them together…”

She dropped her quill and stared up at me with anger and surprise in her eyes.

“No…no…you did not see them…” she shook her head.

“Anne, I…I am sure of it…”

“And you are positive that it was them?” she asked, her head in her hands.

“Yes…they said each other’s names and I assure you that they were not just talking.”

She stood up and ran over to me, her eyes full of hate. “You haven’t told anyone, have you?!” she screamed.

I felt tears come to my eyes.

“Have you?!” she yelled, looking about to attack me.

“No, Anne, I have told no one,” I sobbed.

She hugged me tight. “And no one but us will know, okay?”

I nodded.

“You must promise me. As I am your only friend at court, you must promise me. Not many will believe it anyway, for no one really knew of their original affair, but you must promise.”

“I promise on my life that I will tell no one,” I whispered.

“It is time for me to tell you…everything…”

Anne lay next to me is our bed again, and she was beginning to tell me everything about how things had come to be.

“My sister Mary was older than me. She was always more beautiful that me, she was more English than I was. Back when she had been in France, she had been their king’s mistress. My sister was always promiscuous. So it was natural that she became King Henry’s mistress, for she wanted to please our family, she always wanted to please them.

“She became his mistress nearly right after she was married, and it went on for quite a bit. The king liked her, very much, and Mary had once been a maid for the queen. She didn’t care. She knew the king wanted pleasure above his old queen and she gave it to him.

“Our family rose to much power, and then it just stopped. No one was sure what had happened, but the king had just tired of her very suddenly. She finally went back to her old husband.

“You see, my sister, my brother, and I had been so very close when we were younger. But I was in France, and my sister was busy with her men, and my brother was fast becoming a courtier. And it all changed when she became his mistress, really. I never forgave her for it, and neither did the queen. That is why she is near banishment from court. Her husband is noble, though, and a friend of the king, so she will stay.

“And that is my family,” she laughed slightly, shaking her head sadly.

“Why has she gone back to him?” I asked.

“Why wouldn’t any woman? He is a handsome king, the king of the greatest empire in the world-so they say-and every woman wants to give him more pleasure than his old wife can give him.

“What Henry wants is a son. He has a bastard son, yes, but what he needs is a real son. His wife is too old and too weak to have anymore children. ‘Tis a miracle she even had Mary.

“What I think is that the king needs a new wife!” she cried.

I gasped. “Anne! He loves Catherine. He cannot merely divorce her just so he can have a legitimate son, can he?”

“I don’t think so, but if he is that desperate, he might. I would never want that of Catherine, I swear to you! I just think he wants a son, and he is getting very impatient.”

“But the queen can still have child, right?”

“She is getting too old even for her courses,” Anne sighed.

“Courses?” I asked.

Anne looked about to cry. “I feel so terribly for you, Elizabeth. There is so much you need to learn about the world, and you were so young when your mother died and she never got to tell you,” she almost started to laugh. “’Tis so sad. My sister told me everything, though. I didn’t need my mother to explain things to me.”

“But what does it mean?” I asked.

“You need not worry for a few years,” she smiled.

She kissed my forehead and turned over on her side. “Goodnight, little one,” she declared.

“Goodnight, Anne,” I whispered, and snuffed out the candle.

William caught me on my way to the stables.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“I’m going to ride my horse,” he smiled and walked ahead of me.

“What?” I ran up to him. “You’ve already learned to ride a horse?”

He nodded. “I learned ages ago, for I am a page. I must deliver messages to the king’s people in and around London.”

“Really! That sounds like much fun!” I exclaimed, wanting to go with him.

“You know, I never really thought we would make it here,” he sighed. “I cannot believe how easily I was pardoned.”

“We were lucky,” I took his cold hand in mine, feeling the cold November breeze.

He nodded and let out a deep breath.

“I want to know that mother is in a better place,” I muttered.

He rubbed my hand. “Mother is fine, she is looking down upon us.”

I nodded, trying not to think about her.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” I turned around and saw Anne running towards me.

“What?” I asked, only wanting to get to the stable and ride Colette.

“The queen wishes to see you,” she whispered, a smile set on her face.

“But I wanted to ride,” I whined.

“I think you will like what Her Majesty tells you,” she smiled.

“Goodbye, then, brother,” I declared and embraced my brother. Did he know what was happening?

“Have fun, sister,” he laughed, and I followed Anne through the garden.

I followed her through the gardens, into the tall maze of hedges until we were in the middle of the gardens.

She stopped and grabbed my hands in hers and I could see the tears in her eyes.

“Anne, I am not sure the queen is here…” I muttered and sat down on the cold bench, wrapping my wool shawl tightly around me.

“She is not,” Anne growled. “’Tis much worse than I have thought, everything.”

“Is this about the queen?” I asked, wondering why she had taken me away from my riding time.

“Listen, Elizabeth, there is something terribly wrong that has happened. My family is overwhelmed with joy, but I know things will not go as they planned.”

“What do you mean?”

“I trust you, Elizabeth, with every word I say, but I swear to you, if you tell one soul what I am to tell you, I will make your life more terrible than you will ever imagine.”

“Anne!” I exclaimed and shot up from my seat. “What is going on and why are we out in the garden?”

“We must be away from all who will hear, for no one can know,” she bent down next to me. Her voice dropped low, so low I could nearly hear it. “My sister is with child.”

“She is married,” I shrugged, a pang of worry going through my body. Even I knew what she meant.

“The child is the king’s,” she whispered, her lips nearly against my ear as she told me.

I felt my whole body quiver with fright. “So…so what happens now?”

Anne shook her head, the tears pouring out of her eyes. “I know not what will happen. My family believes it is the most wonderful thing that has happened. I believe otherwise. This morning…my sister told the king…” She stopped and wiped away the tears from her face.

“And what did he say?” I whispered.

Anne sat down next to me on the bench and took up my hands. Her hands were cold and shaking.

“He banned her from court, Elizabeth. No one really knows, for no one really knew who she was. Her time to shine came years ago, and many believed she was banished years ago. Neither she nor I will tell my family, for who knows what might happen to her. I used to love her, Elizabeth, but she turned against Catherine. She snuck behind the queen’s back and stole his husband!”

She buried her face into my shoulder, wailing and sniffing in her tears.

“I am fair afraid, Elizabeth, that we will fall from power. I might not leave court for years, or I may leave tomorrow. The king refuses to believe that the child is his; he said he hasn’t had relations with her in nearly three years.”

“Oh, Anne, I do not want you to leave!” I exclaimed, crying now as well.

Anne looked up at me, her black eyes piercing through me. “I believe there is only one way that I may keep my position here. It will be terribly hard for me…but I must do it. ‘Tis for my family, and I cannot turn away from them.”

“What do you mean, Anne?” I asked, knowing I would not like her answer.

“Elizabeth, I must attract the king’s attentions. It is all what’s left to do. I must be the king’s new mistress,” she sighed.

“Anne!” I cried. “You must be kidding with me!”

She shook her head. “I have a powerful notion that my family, once they know about my sister, will want me to do as such. Elizabeth, once Catherine knows then she will not trust me anymore. All I want is her trust and I want her to understand what I must do. It will be very hard, even though the king is quite the catch,” she laughed, tears once again streaming down her beautiful face.

“I will be there for you Anne, I understand,” I smiled through my own tears as she threw her arms around me.

“Nothing I do will hurt you, Elizabeth. You will still keep your position,” she took my shoulders in her hands. “Just know that I have many enemies, for people don’t ever seem to approve of me, and I will always have enemies. Everything that happens, I wish you to tell me. And everything they say I need to know. For that way I can do what I must to keep Catherine’s trust and Henry in my grasp.”

I loved Anne so much, but I would not just help her. I still had a debt to the queen for saving me. And I would not forget it. I would never forget it.