Greenwich Palace, Kingdom of England, November 1512
Sun shone through the windows of the chapel, while the men and women within murmured, the sound of trumpets blaring as an entourage made its entrance. That entourage was that of the girl who would be Queen of England, while her predecessor looked on. Giovanna fixed her gaze upon young Eleanor, who wore a satin dress of cream, while her veil was silk of the same color. The girl to her left whispered,”What do you think of her mother?”
She turned to Catherine, feeling a sudden sadness in having to leave the younger children behind with her mother,”She’s rich and young, pretty enough too from what I can see. I hope that your brother does not stray from her.”
Catherine pursed her lips,”I should think so, did he not set aside the Frenchwoman?”
Giovanna nodded,”Yes, Mistress Popincourt has been engaged to William Willoughby, and they will wed in August, a fine match for the both of them. So yes, without Jane I think that Henry and Eleanor may be happy with another.”
“Good, I should hope so.”
Giovanna returned to looking at the teen girl as she said the vows alongside Henry and mused,
This is the girl that is to be Queen of England, I hope that she is not too frightened by the prospect.
…
Eleanor of Austria sat in her chair, flanked by her ladies. Her wedding feast had concluded over an hour ago, and she had bathed, changing into her nightclothes. Her chief lady, Johanne, a Dutchwoman from Rotterdam brushed her chestnut curls. As she continued doing so Eleanor asked,”What do you think of King Henry Lady Johanne?”
The older blonde woman suppressed a chuckle,”Well, I’ve seldom seen a man as handsome as he… Charming too my dear, I think that you can do very well for yourself as Queen of this land.”
Eleanor smirked to herself as she heard this, for she had the exact same impression as her lady. Soon enough Johanne had finished brushing Eleanor’s hair, and one of her German ladies, Helga, fetched the young Queen a cup of wine. Eleanor sipped the wine, frowning,”This is not very good, I swear the only reason why the feast was any good is that it did not have any English food.”
Johanne took the cup away, and replaced it with a goblet of water, and as she took it into her hands Eleanor asked,”Tell me Johanne, you have been married twice so you must know… Does it hurt when a man first takes you to his bed?”
The other woman frowned,”Yes, but if he is gentle it should not hurt too badly.”
Eleanor nodded at this,”Good, I trust that he should know what he is doing.”
She looked to Johanne, prodding her for information,”Tell me, have you seen him look at other women today, in ways that he should not?”
Johanne shook her head,”No I have not milady, he seemed to have eyes for you alone tonight.”
“That is well, thank you.”
Eleanor drank some of her water, which was, fortunately, better than the wine,”May I tell you something frank Johanne?”
“Of course my Queen.”
She smiled slightly,”This may sound foolish, but, I think that I love King Henry, even though we have just met. He made me laugh so many times during the feast, and he flatters me so, I can think of no better pastime than being his wife!”
Johanne grinned at this,”Oh that is not foolish at all. I fell in love with my husband’s quickly as well and loved them until the day that God took them from this world; Korneel after just a year of marriage in the winter of 1490, while I was married to Lars for nearly twenty years, until as you know, he died two autumns ago. What you feel is natural, and I am happy to see that you love the King of England.”
As Eleanor rose to her feet, there was a knock on the door, and an announcement from one of the King’s heralds’ outside the room,”His majesty, King Henry.”
The man entered, this time without the cap that he usually wore, and his fiery red hair gleamed in the candlelight. He cleared his throat,”Milady, I have come to see that we are wed in the eyes of God and man alike.”
The young woman could not help but shiver at the thought and waved her ladies away. Once they were alone, the two met halfway across the room, their lips meeting in a deep kiss. After breaking off for a moment Eleanor looked at him, tilting her head back, and smiled coquettishly,”Then let us be wed.”
Henry swept her up off her feet with surprising speed, and kissed her as he set her upon the bed, tugging at her nightclothes,”I promise you that I will be gentle my dear.”
Eleanor giggled at this, and kissed him back, running her hands across his back, and thought,
I wish that all women could experience such love.