Tudor Rose

xv. an honest mistake

July 23, 1519

"Lady Anna Holbrook, you have been brought upon this court to be tried for first degree murder, is that correct?" asked the booming voice of the judge.

I contemplated my answer, looking around the room with a cold, hardened expression. I examined the faces of those around me, each one having a collage of emotions flashing on their otherwise uninteresting face. It was amusing, in a way, to decipher their feelings. My eyes flitted from person to person, deciding exactly how they were feeling. Some were harder to read than others but, without fail, I assigned some sort of word to everyone. Sad. Satisfied. Angry. Indifferent. Disappointed.

"Yes, that is correct."

I heard a few murmurs, but paid no attention to them. After all, I had helped my sister murder her husband. I truly was guilty, and I'd finally met an accusation that I couldn't run from. No, this I had to face. 

"You are also aware, I presume, that your marriage to His Majesty was declared null and void yesterday evening?" the judge asked.

"Yes," I responded, "I was made aware of that... that unfortunate happening just this morning."

So far, I had told the truth. Murder was the only thing that I was actually being tried for. And despite being stripped of my queenship four days prior, it was not until I arrived at the court that I was informed of the annulment of my marriage to Henry. It was heart wrenching, yes, but inevitable. After all, if I hadn't murdered the Scottish man, I never would've landed in the Tower in the first place. But I'd been so overcome with pity that the prospect of leaving my sister tied to a man that made her so deeply unhappy, it seemed like the only option at the time. It was an honest, unfortunate mistake and it was becoming more and more clear that I would have to pay the price.

"And do you deny murdering Lord Aitkens using a fatal dosage of arsenic acquired through the late Mr. Thornton?" 

I inhaled sharply. So, John really had confessed everything? It was quite shocking, really, that a man as cowardly as John would reveal his own part in our little dalliance. Then again, he had not a drop of noble blood in him and was probably tortured until he confessed. It didn't matter, though. His confession came and it seemed quite true to reality.

"I do not deny it."

"So you admit to murdering Lord Aitkens?" 

"Well, yes, I suppose so," I answered, "But you must understand the full story-"

The judge, a graying man who I never wished to see again, looked at me with a scowl. "We do not have the time nor interest to hear the 'full story', Lady Anna. Surely you understand that?" he said, "Now, one more time, for our records. You admit to murdering Lord Aitkens?"

I remained silent, stubborn and resilient as ever. The ticking of a clock was the only thing that was audible. If they would not let me tell the story in a favorable light, then I would not admit to it so willingly. 

"My lady, did you or did you not murder Lord Aitkens?" he pressed. The sheer volume and urgency of his voice was enough to make a poor old woman in the first row jump, but I managed to maintain my calmness despite his impatience. "A simple yes or no will suffice."

Still, I did not speak. The answer was clear enough, was it not? Or did they need me to repeat the answer until their ears fell off?

"I will ask you a final time, my lady. Did you or did you not murder Lord Aitkens?" he repeated, his tone growing more annoyed with each word.

I remained silent once more. This made the noblemen quite mad, for they erupted into a gaggle of incoherent yells and cries. The words all blurred together, but there were a few things that were loud enough for me to understand. It was a bit amusing, really, to hear them so riled by me finally being silent. So long they advocated for me to quiet myself, and when I finally did, they wanted nothing more than for me to speak.