"You are the bastard child of the King and that witch, Anne Boleyn."
"You are no longer a Princess, you shall now be known as The Lady Elizabeth."
Throughout my life there was only one person, other than my beloved brother, who showed me any sort of love. And that was my fourth stepmother, Catherine Parr. She took charge of my education, making sure I was taught the art of public speaking by the Cambridge scholar Roger Ascham. She treated me as her own. And after the king passed and my brother Edward took the throne, I moved in with her. Then, slowly, she became distant...less trusting. She started treating me the way many had before her.
She had this strange notion that her new husband, Thomas Seymour, and I were having some sort of affair.
Leave it to a Seymour to ruin my life yet again.
As my beloved brother's health deteriorated I felt a sinking feeling. Something was going to happen, but I couldn't fathom what. All I knew was I would be cast aside yet again. Once again to be seen as the black sheep of the royal family.
Fate is cruel as she mocks me. Never letting me have peace. Never letting me hold on to any love I may acquire. My fate was set in stone long before my birth, but as it plays out I wish more and more I could change it.
But we all know that is impossible, so instead I live by the lessons I have learned:
If you love someone, you will lose them.
If you care for something, someone will come along and destroy it.
If you trust someone, they will tear you down until you are left with nothing.
All of these lessons lead to one conclusion...
Trust no one
YOU ARE READING
I am My Mother's daughter
Historical FictionI look back at the memories of people that have told me I would never be seen as a princess, much less the Queen of England. My brother Edward VI and my sister Mary I were before me in the line for the throne, so I had no intent of being the queen...
