An Endless Supply Of Rubies

Dessension and Punishment II

Fanfic: An Endless Supply of Rubies Ch 26, Tudors | FanFiction

A/N: After Robert Aske dismissed his followers in December/January 1536/1537, there was a second uprising. This uprising was not authorized by Aske, who was widely considered to be the leader of the rebels. Instead, it was led by Sir Francis Bigod, who knew that the promises the King made would not be met. The Duke of Norfolk quickly squashed this insurrection and arrested several rebels, Bigod, Aske, and Lord Darcy. Bigod was later hanged at Tyburn.

This is also another moment where the timeline gets weird. In the show, Queen Jane tells Lady Rochford that she is pregnant before the second uprising begins. However, history tells us that Jane's pregnancy was celebrated on Trinity Sunday in May of 1537. This story will take history's side and have Jane announce her pregnancy much later.

The word "zounds" is used in this chapter. It was a pretty serious curse in medieval times, kind of like the f-word today.

23 January 1537

A peaceful resolution. That was what Amelia had hoped for, and that was what she received. Her father had forgiven the northern rebels, and as far as she could tell, he was intent on keeping his promises.

With the dealings with the rebels hopefully over, Amelia could once again focus on being at court. It was wonderful to be back, to see all of the people that she hadn't seen in months.

The King had arranged for private apartments for Amelia and her family at all of his palaces, so she could once again travel with the court as it moved around without having to leave her family behind. Elizabeth was to live with them as well, since she was still rather young and not old enough to live on her own. Mary, on the other hand, had her own private quarters, with Elizabeth and John loved to visit.

One morning, Catherine and Frances came to visit. Elizabeth and John delighted in seeing their friend again, and the three raced off into one of the other rooms to play.

The two women sat by the fire, Amelia holding Owen and Catherine holding her son Henry, who had been born shortly before Owen had. It was nice to spend some time with someone else who had a young child, even if they were just catching up on gossip.

"Did you hear about Lady Ursula Misseldon?" Catherine asked, her eyes wide with anticipation, as if she was about to burst out some huge secret she shouldn't be sharing.

Amelia shook her head.

"Apparently, she's having an affair with someone powerful!" Catherine exclaimed. "She's engaged to Sir Robert Tavistock, you know, the one who complains about every little thing. He caught Lady Misseldon posing nude for a portrait by Master Holbein! When he took his complaint to the King, the King dismissed it because of Master Holbein's genius!"

Amelia tilted her head to the side. "How does that show her lover is powerful?"

"Because only people with lots of power and money can afford Master Holbein." Catherine gasped. "What if it's the King?"

"Please, I don't need to think about my father having a mistress," Amelia shuddered. "Besides, I have great love for Her Majesty, and would hate to think about my father doing anything to betray her."

"I'm sorry," Catherine apologized. "Sometimes I forget that you're His Majesty's daughter."

"It's true that I am His Majesty's daughter," Amelia responded, "but more importantly, I am the Duchess of Suffolk. I think that outranks the title of 'King's bastard daughter.'"

They were silent for a moment, before they began telling stories of their children and laughing at their antics. It wasn't long before the door opened and Charles came inside, a grim look on his face. Catherine and Amelia both recognized that look as one that spelled trouble, and Catherine quickly excused herself to the other room where the children were playing.