The Italian Rose || The Tudors

•Chapter 29

July 15th, 1537, Burbage/Hampton Court

The next morning my part of the household left early. I didn't say goodbye to Henry, I didn't need that at all.

The journey to Hampton Court was only two hours, but it was the hardest two hours. The doctor was right, I should have stayed in bed, but I really couldn't wait to get away from that shabby Seymour mansion.

When we finally arrived at Hampton Court I immediately got into my bed and fell into a deep sleep.

July 20th, 1537, Hampton Court.

5 days passed and I soon recovered from my concussion. In those 5 days Henry had decided to stay with Jane but today he would come back.

I dreaded it. Who knows, he might have taken Jane and his bastard with him.

I looked bored at my reflection while giulia styled my hair. I was wearing a simple dark blue dress, a dark, sad color in the middle of summer, but it didn't interest me much.

"Have you any news from the king? Is he at Hampton court yet?" I asked giulia. She shook her head, "I haven't heard from him yet.

"I swear if he takes that whore with him I'm going to go crazy. I finally have a son, am finally crowned queen and then she stands in my way." I said in a plaintive tone as I put a pair of earrings in my ears.

"You need more influence, not only at court but also with the king. You made him pretty pissed off the last time you were together. Try to be more like the woman he wants next time." said Giulia.

I turned to her in one swift motion. "Henry wants a woman without a spine, a woman who will not contradict him as Catherine and Anne had in the past. He wants me to be a obedient ,quiet woman like Jane, but I'm not. I am Lucrezia De'Medici and I will not bow to a man. If I have to I will fight him in my marriage, anyway it won't be long before I will have more allies than him." I hissed at her.

She looked around. "Be careful, we never know who is eavesdropping." She whispered, "How do you even intend to find allies at all, everyone knows you are the Queen of England."

I smiled "that doesn't matter for now, I have to get rid of Cromwell first, which is going to be easy but also hard. Many people are against him but the king is still under his influence, so I must win his love and trust. That way I will become Cromwell's end." I whispered.

The bedroom door suddenly flew open and Henry walked in.

Startled, I stood up from the stool and made a startled bow with Giulia.

"Majesty." I said softly, I looked carefully at Giulia who was also looking at me. I knew we were both thinking the same thing: had Henry heard us?

"Lucrezia, I see you're doing better." He said. I sighed, he hadn't heard us. "It is indeed much better, I was able to rest well and immediately feel more energetic."

Henry smiled. "That's good because I have a surprise for you." He clapped his hands twice and Lady Bryant walked in with James in his arms.

I looked at Henry in surprise and then rushed to Lady Bryant to take James from her.

"O James, my dear son." I said kissing his forehead. "Henry, thank you. I missed him so much." I looked at him gratefully.

"When I wanted to come to Hampton court from Burbage I thought it would be a good idea to visit my son at hatfield house. I missed him terribly and assumed you missed him as much as I did. Your lady-in-waiting here wrote me a letter, she told me that you fell asleep with tears almost every night because you missed him so much, is that true?".

I watched giulia who bowed her head

"that is indeed true. It is terrible for a mother to be away from her own child, especially when he is so young. I was raised by my parents and it's a very strange concept to me to send your kids somewhere else." I said, I looked at James again, he seemed to have grown in the two weeks I hadn't seen him.

"How long will he stay here?" I asked Henry. He smiled. "I have chosen to leave him at court so that we will both be near him. But for now I don't want to move him too much so we'll stay at Hampton last until his first birthday."

I looked at him happily. "I'm so grateful Henry, really. And I'm sorry for the words I said to you the other day, it was terrible."

"But it was the truth."

I nodded quietly and handed James back to Lady Bryant. "You may go." I said to her and giulia.

I turned back to Henry. "It was indeed the truth. Ever since I've been in England I've always felt like your concubine. I was your wife but Jane was your real wife. Perhaps it was also because I had expected the marriage differently, I had hoped to have a marriage like my parents. One without mistresses and one in which we would love each other and have children." I sighed "we already have a child but he was accompanied before his birth with a bastard brother and love, there is none between us."

Henry sighed too. "My parents also had a happy marriage. They really loved each other and I always took an example from their marriage. But after everything I've been through with Catherine and Anne, I've given up. The difference between my parents' marriage and mine was that they already had several sons, they had already secured their dynasty and I didn't."

"But now you do." I grabbed his hand "what if we tried, not only for ourselves but also for James so he can later use our 'happy' marriage as an example." I looked at him expectantly.

"We'll try. I'll leave Jane behind if you do too. We'll start over."

I nodded, smiling, "a new start." I thought for a moment 'where is the Lady Elizabeth by the way? You were on hatfield, weren't you?"

"I left her there."

"But why?" I asked surprised.

"Well I thought you wouldn't want her here, and she reminds me too much of Anne." Henry said, I smiled "she may be Anne's daughter, but she is innocent of her mother's actions. And I love to have her with me, if I could raise her with James I would love that. She needs a mother role anyway."

Henry smiled "Very well then, I'll invite her."

I smiled again. My plan gradually started to take off.