Evermore

Chapter V

A MESSAGE FROM SCOTLAND

Greenwich Palace, May 24, 1536

In the rush of the moment, King Henry forgot all about his youngest daughter and thus rushed to his privy counsel with the toddler in his arms. Once there the scornful eyes of the counsel-men alerted him to her presence, but he paid them not attention. Instead he moved to the head of the table and sat the toddler down at his chair. The council-men found Elizabeth's presence to be improper, but none dared to object it. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, this little girl will preside over empires one day." He said, proudly as he stood behind his chair.

Elizabeth gazed at the council-men with amazement. Amazement which many of them met with animosity, animosity that she rose her head up to. The very same way she often saw her mother and sister do.

"Well, then gentlemen. What's so urgent that you felt the need to part me from my family?" He said, glancing down at his joy.

His use of the six lettered word shocked the council as many of them had been made aware of his eldest daughters' presence in the Queen's rooms.

"As your majesty may already know, your once beloved niece Marget was recently sent to the Tower of London at your command for contracting a marriage with Lord Thomas Howard, the Queens uncle." spoke up one of them.

"And this is urgent because?"

"Your sister, Margaret pleads for you to send the girl back to her and vows to that she will be of no further trouble to you, if you do." replied another

Henry turned a deaf ear to his sister's pleas. "Next time, you pull me away from a private moment with my family on a urgent manner. I suggest that it actually be urgent! And as for the girl, she can rot in the tower with her lover for all I care." he said, scopping Elizabeth out of his chair and into his arms.

One of the council-men opened his mouth to speak, but Henry quickly silenced him with a simple raise of his hand and with that he departed as quickly as he had arrived.

Back in Anne's bedchamber things were tense between the young queen and her formal ladies in waiting. "Remember." she whispered to one of her homely maids as Madge sauntered over to a plate of food that had been left for her at a table. "Be vigilant. These women aren't to be trusted around my food."

The homely maid took her for her word and went to remove the food from the table. "Throw it out." ordered Anne. "And please bring me another." Madge gave her a perplexing look. "Anne..." she said softly. "Cousin..."

Anne glared at her with the force of hell. "I am not your cousin, Lady Shelton. I am your queen and you would do well to address me as such."

Madge lowered her head like a scolded child. "I'm sorry..." she whimpered. "I didn't mean to speak against you — Cromwell —"

Anne raised a hand. "Save it." she said. "You betrayed me when I most needed you and there's nothing you can say or do to justify yourself — and just so we're clear you're — all of you — are only here by the king's will, not mine. If it were up to me the lot of you and that arriviste would be hung for your crimes against me."

Her ladies looked at one another with concern.

"Mama!" exclaimed Elizabeth, as she came running into her bedchamber with Henry following closely behind.

Both her ladies and homely maids stood and gave them a curtsy.

"Elizabeth..." Anne said, smilingly as she directed her attention to her daughter.