The Other Henry VIII

You Are My Destruction

10th December 1522

Clara spied James leave the stables through her bedchamber window. The frosted glass meant she couldn't see his expression or his gait very clearly but she knew it was him. A single ice-cold tear slid down her cheek and dropped to the floor at the Princess's feet. She watched him head towards the forest where, no doubt, he would wait for her in vain under their tree.
Clara would never meet him.
That little snake Anne Starling had grown irritated that the Princess still ventured to the forest every three days despite the blackmail. She had raised her game to not even seeing James, otherwise she would tell. Clara's stomach turned over, suppressing rage and hatred in favour of determination: she had to get back at Anne for this utter imprisonment. James was worth it.

"You really are shameful, aren't you?"piped an irritating voice from behind her. Clara turned her head only, eyes immediately dry, to face Anne Starling with the most dirty look she could make.
"There's no shame in being attached to someone,"the Princess replied firmly and faced the window again.
"I think there is,"shot back Anne a little too quickly. "You should be ashamed, meeting a grubby stable-boy like you did. And I do look beautiful in your gowns, see?" Clara turned her entire body this time and felt herself take a sharp intake of breath. Anne stood right behind her, clothed in a rich gown of royal blue, trimmed with gold silk and pearls as big as marbles. The dark material made her skin look even paler and sickly, heavy on her skinny body. Perhaps Clara would have gulped it down and spent her energy waiting for her next meeting with James, if Anne had not raised the price of keeping her mouth shut. This was all too much.
Clara stretched out her arms and gave Anne a hearty shove, knocking the younger girl to the floor. As the Princess tried to walk past, Anne reached out and pulled her legs so that Clara fell face flat on the floor. Panting, the Starling girl climbed on top of Clara and began shaking her, trying to resist the struggling. Finally, Clara grabbed Anne's flailing wrists tightly, using all her strength to keep them off her while kicking out her legs. At this helpful moment, there was a firm knock on the door and the girls immediately ceased their fighting. Anne quickly leaped off Clara and they both lightly scrambled to their feet in a split-second as if nothing had ever gone wrong.
"Come in,"called out Clara, positioning herself on a chair with a book in her lap.
"I'll get you for this later,"hissed Anne, at which she received an 'I doubt it' look from the Princess just as the door opened.

"Your Highness, Mistress Starling,"greeted the sharp voice of Lady Bryan. "A letter from court  arrived for you, Your Highness, with the request that you must open it first." She crossed the room in three long strides and passed Clara a cream envelope with the royal crimson seal. The Princess shakily broke the seal with her finger, feeling Anne's burning glare, and began to read the letter.
"Oh, it's Papa! I mean, um, His Majesty. He's invited me to court with my little sisters for a family Christmas and says I can stay until the New Year!" Clara's eyes lit up immediately and her stomach turned over in excitement. She hadn't seen her father in months, nor had Elizabeth and Esther. Perhaps he was trying to forget that he even had two little daughters from the wife he had executed.                                                                                                                                            

"Does it say who'll go with you?" asked Anne immediately, craning her neck to read the letter. Clara flinched away and pressed the letter to her chest as if it was her most precious possession. "A small company, since it's Christmas and the servants will want to visit their families. Lady Bryan, you must come, His Majesty says your son has come to court to serve under the Duke of Norfolk." The Princess moved her eyes to Anne, who was obviously wondering whether she had been invited too. Her father hadn't specified if she should bring her companion, whom he himself had found, but perhaps this was a good opportunity to be free of the Starling girl for at least a couple of weeks. However, Lady Bryan got there first.