September 3, 1536, Westminster Palace
The weeks after the wedding were almost the same every day. I had breakfast in the morning alone in the company of my ladies-in-waiting and then spent my day with several women of the court. In the evening I dined with the king and we slept together.
The king did everything in his power to father a son with me, but to our sorrow I was still not pregnant and I felt myself getting more and more under pressure.
I walked through the gardens again with my ladies-in-waiting, hoping to relax. The warm sun and the scent of blooming flowers did indeed make me feel calm.
"My lady, the king is coming but he is not alone" Bianca warned me. I turned and made a curtsy for the king. "Lucrezia, how are you?"
I smiled "I'm fine, how was your day?". I looked at him questioningly as I peered at the strange woman next to the king. "It was exhausting, I had a council meeting today that seemed to last for hours" the king noticed that I was looking at the woman next to him "May I introduce you to Jane, my mistress"
I looked at him bewildered. "Your mistress?" I stammered. Jane made a short curtsy "My lady". I ignored her and continued to look at the king who avoided my gaze. "We will leave in a few days for Hampton Court where we would stay until Christmas."
I nodded "I'll have my things packed, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling tired" I made a curtsy and hurried to my bedrooms.
When I got to my rooms the door slammed shut behind me "How can the king have the nerve to introduce me to his mistress like this!" I shouted angrily "He embarrasses me in front of the whole court, that's why people were always whispering when they saw me"
Giulia hurried over to me "my lady please keep calm" she soothed as she pushed me into a chair. "How can I keep calm? I have been married for over a month and am not pregnant. What if Jane gets pregnant before I get pregnant. The king will put me aside for her child, especially if it is a boy."
"So that's why you need to get pregnant as soon as possible." She said making me glare at her "Don't you think I'm trying Giulia?" I hissed. "When was the last time you bled madonna?" Clarice intervened in our discussion.
Suddenly there was a silence. Giulia looked at me wide-eyed "I think a few weeks ago" I stammered, "a month or so" Bianca said "we need a midwife"
"No," I said, "they would go straight to the king if I was pregnant or not. We'll wait. I haven't had a single morning sickness maybe it's a mistake"
Their nodded "we'll keep it a secret then" Giulia whispered
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The Italian Rose || The Tudors
Historical FictionYou know how a story ends but you don't know how it starts, to get to the core of the story you have to go back to the beginning. After the death of Anne Boleyn, Lucrezia De'Medici is married off by her great-uncle, The pope, to the King of Englan...
