There and Back Again: The English Journeys of Catherine of Aragon
- Thread starter Awkwardvulture
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Hoping this baby survives! Also the perfect age for the Dauphin if Francois and Claude have the same children in the same order they did OTL...*slaps cradle* this here's your future Queen of France
This child is even more robust than her older brother, so little Mary is likely to survive. As for where she marries, we will simply have to see 😉. Thank you so much!Hoping this baby survives! Also the perfect age for the Dauphin if Francois and Claude have the same children in the same order they did OTL...*slaps cradle* this here's your future Queen of France
Chapter 80, May 1516
Greenwich Palace, Kingdom of England, May 1516
“Ooh look at this pie, it must be delicious!”
Giovanna barely wanted to correct Mistress Boleyn,”It is a crostata Mary.” She looked at the dessert, for once she was not in the mood for sweets, yet she was intrigued,”Who sent it to you?”
The girl shrugged,”The servant did not say, perhaps the King was so kind to have one baked for me.”
The Dowager Queen felt apprehensive She does not know who sent it? Still, Giovanna could understand why Mary seemed pleased, if Henry did so it was an undeniably sweet if cheap, sign of favor. When Mary cut into the pastry she wrinkled her nose,”This smells strange… Like garlic. I did not think that they would put that in them.”
Giovanna’s mother walked over to the table and rose her brow. Without a word she took the spoon from Mary’s hand,”Do not eat that silly girl.”
“What? why not?” Mary asked
Joanna shook her head,”Bah youth! That smell is arsenic, poison. Someone seeks to be rid of you Mary, and I suspect there is one woman with reason to want to.”
“The Queen?” Giovanna guessed
Her mother turned to her, a grim look on her face,”Yes I fear so. She must think her position insecure with the birth of a daughter, and wants to ensure Mary can no longer be the King’s mistress.”
Mary Boleyn stammered,”But I… Surely she would not.”
Joanna wetted her lips,”Her grandfather, my late brother Ferdinand, did not hesitate to strike against those he deemed his enemies.” The old woman paused,”So I see no reason why Eleanor would be any different. I would advise you to be more careful from now on Mary.”
The girl’s face turned white as a sheet as she moved to dispose of the offending pastry, tossing it into the fire.
Joanna of Naples sat next to her daughter for a few seconds humming before speaking agian,”Daughter, I do not think that I will be with you for much longer...”
“What could you possibly mean mother?”
“I am dying.” As her daughter gasped Joanna placed a hand on her chest,”I have a cancer in my breast, the same that caused the death of my mother. Doctor Linacre says that there is nothing he can do to cure it.”
Giovanna sighed and hugged her mother tight,”I am so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I have lived a long life my daughter. Seen you as a Queen, and twice over no less, you have given me fine grandchildren too. You have nothing to apologize for… Besides, Linacre did not say that this will immediately kill me, I feel well enough right now, I have at least a few more months, maybe another year or two.”
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Maybe she was, after all she has good reason to want to get rid of her husband's mistress... Thank you very much though..
Oh she may not have done all the work, but Eleanor was certainly the one who had it sent. Joanna of Naples will likely live another year, she's in her sixties so it's not that bad for the time. Thank you so very much!
Eleanor really is acting incredibly foolish if she was the one who tried to murder Mary. Henry would likely tire of her on his own, but if he knows that she is capable of murder, then he would likely grow very cold to Eleanor
Well to be fair to Eleanor, she is heartbroken by the fact that Henry has continued to carry on with Mary and wants her permanently out of the picture. Still, we don't know if Henry will find out, but we'll see how he reacts if he does... Thank you so much!
Oh he would, but there are limits to what he can do to her..
Why thank you, I'm glad to see that you liked it! Mary will definitely have to act with more caution. As for who exactly did it, we'll see that soon enough
Chapter 81, May 1516
Greenwich Palace, Kingdom of England, May 1516
Her husband, the King stomped into the room, red with fury,”Did you do it?” He demanded,”Did you try to poison Mary Boleyn?”
Eleanor arched her brow and smirked,”I do not know, did I?”
Henry grabbed her by the collar and pushed her against the wall, all but spitting as he seethed,”Listen woman, I will not have poisoners in my midst, and nor will I allow my Queen to behave in such a way, so you have better stop this nonsense.”
The Queen of England glared at her husband, she may have been scared, but she would never show it,”You insult me, you humiliate me, you have left me with no other choice. Should that whore die, it will be your fault, not mine.”
“Or you could act with dignity, shut your eyes, and your mouth, as many other women before you have.”
Eleanor sniggered at this,”Ah, you, who are fawning over some blonde chit from the countryside would tell me to act with dignity?”
Henry grunted, raising his hand for a moment, and so Eleanor berated him,”Go on then, hit me. Show my ladies the sort of man that you really are.”
After hesitating for a moment he had let go of her, and skulked out of the room, cursing under his breath. Eleanor of Austria shook, her heart thumping hard in her chest, but she could not resist the urge to get the last word,”Yes, run to Mary Boleyn and your other women, I am sure that they will provide you with a Duke of Cornwall.”
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See, ive admitted to doing a lot of things i didnt do. Still dont think it was her.
Perhaps but it would not be in her interest to falsely admit to such a thing...