The Italian Rose || The Tudors

•Chapter 10

December 22nd, 1536, Hampton Court

I stood tense on the podium in the throne room as I waited for Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth."You should sit." Henry said sitting on his own throne.

"I'm too nervous to sit still." I replied as I also sat down on my throne."Oh yes, I have received several letters from people in your household who offer their daughters as Maids-in-waiting, what is your opinion on this?" I tried to change my mind to get rid of my nerves.

"It is quite normal for an English queen to have more than a few ladies-in-waiting. You currently only have your 4 Italian ladies-in-waiting, it might indeed be useful to add a few English ladies-in-waiting to your court as well. During your confinement need a lot of company to entertain yourself." He said.

I nodded in agreement. "I'll write him all back when I get the time, probably after the holidays."

The door of the throne room opened and I heard the trumpets. "Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth!." cried the lackey.

The Lady Mary walked in front of the Lady Elizabeth. She looked haughtily ahead, as if she were still a princess, but she knew as well as I that she was no longer a princess of England, but that she was a bastard like her sister the Lady Elizabeth.

Lady Mary was two years older than me, but everything she'd been through made her look over 20. She was beautiful, I had to admit, but I couldn't see the joy in her eyes.

And then you had little Elizabeth. Like her father, she had red hair, only hers was more fiery than her father's.

Elizabeth was only 3 years old and I could tell she hadn't gotten the best quality of life given her rank, as her father had doubts that Elizabeth was not his daughter.

When the two arrived at our thrones, they made a curtsy."Your Majesty." said the Lady Mary.

"Welcome, Mary, Elizabeth. It is with great joy that I see you again with these festive days, please take a seat." Henry said, gesturing to the two chairs placed on either side of his throne.

The two sat on the chairs and I smiled sweetly at the Lady Elizabeth who studied me shyly.

Henry stood up again. "Dear people, I want to inform you that the Queen is pregnant, may God save her."

"God save the queen!" Everyone in the place shouted as they clapped.

~
Point of view Jane Seymour.

I felt myself go white at the king's words.

Lucrezia was pregnant. She was pregnant.

My pregnancy was now worth nothing.

"Did you hear that?" Said my brother Edward to my father and I. "Of course we heard that." My father hissed at him. "Just when our Jane is pregnant with his child, the Queen is also pregnant. We finally got rid of Anne the whore and now we have this problem."

"We'll have to solve it." My brother said coldly, "we can't let this chance slip between our fingers."