The Italian Rose || The Tudors

•Chapter 21

July 5th,1537, Westminster Palace.

The next morning I woke up restless. I had been brooding all night.

Today the plan would begin to gain Henry's trust.

I called in my chambermaids and ladies-in-waiting and they helped me get ready for the day.

They put me in a sapphire blue dress and I put on a sapphire necklace and sapphire earrings.

After I had eaten my breakfast I walked with my ladies-in-waiting to the nursery.

"My Lady." The nursemaid greeted me as I stepped inside.

I immediately went to the crib where James lay with his eyes open. When I saw him a smile broke out on my face.

I lifted James out of the crib and kissed his forehead. "My love, my golden boy."

I turned to the nursemaid. "Is he eating and sleeping well?". She nodded.

I kissed James on the forehead again, then placed him back in his crib.

"We're going to the king." I said to my ladies-in-waiting. We walked down the long corridor to the king's private study, which was in his apartments.

When I arrived, my ladies-in-waiting waited outside while I entered the study. "Your Majesty." I made a curtsy.

Henry sat alone, on his groom standing by the door, behind his large desk.

"Lucrezia, what do I have the honor of?" he asked surprised. "I made the list of the people who will attend our son and came to bring it to you for approval." I stood behind his chair and handed him the list.

Henry looked at the list and then put it back. "I'm okay with it. I've noticed you have the Lady Astley on the list too, why is that?"

I smiled. "I understood you wanted to send the Lady Elizabeth away from Hatfield to make way for James, but I think it would be better to keep her at Hatfield. That way she stays on familiar ground and grows up with her little brother. And if you want to visit them, you don't have to travel that much."

Henry nodded "That's smart of you. I will make sure that everything will be arranged according to your wish. Did you receive the information about your coronation from Cromwell?"

"Yes Your Majesty. It's all beautifully arranged, although I have to admit that the idea of ​​becoming a crowned queen is terrifying."

"You deserve this coronation, you have given me so much in a short time, only in this way can I thank you. I have no doubt that you will be a queen of the utmost."

I smiled and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Henry." I released my hand and made a curtsy before I left the room.

Point of view: Jane Seymour,

I sat with Edward in the library of our house. My mother sat across from me embroidering and the wet nurse stood in the corner watching me hold Edward in my arms.

Since the birth of my son, most days have passed this way. I sat with Edward or was sewing or embroidering with my mother watching me and my son like a hawk.

Father came into the room followed by my two older brothers. He motioned for the law nurse to leave. She took Edward from me and left the room.

"The Queen will be crowned at Westminster abbey at the end of the week." Father said as he took off his hat and threw at the maid standing by the door. "The king has invited our family."

I looked up. Since the birth of Edward I had been locked up in our family home is Burbage.

The king had only visited me three times during that time. The first time when Edward was just born, the second time to attend his baptism, the king had arrived very late and had left early, and the third time was to pay a short visit.

I had not seen him since the prince was born. He occasionally wrote a letter, but usually only asked about our son and not me.

I was afraid I'd ended up like all his other whores: A shamed woman. The whole society knew that I had been a whore to the king who had hoped for more, just like Anne Boleyn.

"Am I invited to the coronation?" I asked hopefully. "Yes you are invited but you will not go." said father.

I looked at him startled "but why father?"

"Father thought it a better idea to invite the king to our house. When he is here you will win him over again, you will use your son and your charms for this." Said my brother Thomas.

"And then what? Then the king will impregnate Jane again and then what? Our daughter will never be able to become Queen of England, she has already missed that opportunity. The last thing we can do is find a suitable marriage for Jane in the hope that everyone will forget her past as a royal whore." said mother

Father sighed. "There will always be a chance that Jane will become queen. Catherine and Anne were both Queens who fell out of favor with the king."

"Those two queens did not have a healthy son like the current queen. Not only does she have a son, but her marriage has brought with her a great dowry and peace between Rome and England." Argued mother. "The queen is in the best health and will not be easy to get out of the way."

The conversation started to take a different turn, and my brothers and I stood awkwardly between them.

"You're right, the queen is not easy to get rid of. And I arranged that too. When the king comes here, and hopefully the queen too, we will get rid of her once and for all."

We looked at my father in shock. "You mean you want to have her...?" my brother Edward asked.

"Yes, the Queen of England will die and our Jane will be the next Queen."