Oh my I'm sure Henry will be very angry if he has another daughter with Catalina... it's quite nice to see young Fernando preparing to be King of Spain, it seems that his grandfather has taught him well. Excellent chapter!
Six Roses, Red and White: A Tudor TL
- Thread starter HortenseMancini
- Start date
"Henry’s gaze fell intensely on her, “Are you truly that naïve? I called you here, Katherine, because I plan on you being pregnant with our Duke of Cornwall by the time we leave.”
Well Henry had his weetbix today. Good luck for a son there mate.
All change in Spain then. Good luck King Fernando.
Well Henry had his weetbix today. Good luck for a son there mate.
All change in Spain then. Good luck King Fernando.
Old Fernando did indeed teach his namesake well. And thank you so much!
He’s giving it a try at least! As for whether he and Katherine are successful…
W
I know it’s going to be a girl, but one can hope.
Humm… what if Henry got his healthy son, but the boy was an albino..?
Well Six Roses, Red and White could mean one is a boy?
I know it’s going to be a girl, but one can hope.
Humm… what if Henry got his healthy son, but the boy was an albino..?
Henry would invent sunscreen.W
Well Six Roses, Red and White could mean one is a boy?
I know it’s going to be a girl, but one can hope.
Humm… what if Henry got his healthy son, but the boy was an albino..?
XXVIII: November 1517
Nancy, November 1517
“Sister!” Henry’s face lit up like a child’s at Yuletide as his eyes rested on the Duchess of Lorraine for the first time in three years and he rushed into the inner courtyard of the Ducal Palace ahead of his entourage. He pulled his younger sister, who had stood there awaiting him, into a bone crushing hug before lifting her and twirling her around, the skirt of her light green wool gown fanning out around her.
“Well hello to you too,” Mary giggled as Henry sat her down, “I’m glad to see you’ve arrived safely.”
Henry grinned widely, “The sea knows better than to take a King of England. Now, tell me, how have you been? Does your husband treat you as he ought to treat a princess of England?”
“He does indeed,” Mary said, smiling at her brother, “And you must meet him soon, for Antoine is eager to show you the hunting around here.”
“I like him already then! But before I meet your duke, I have a surprise for you. You are aware that the Queen’s father has recently passed, yes? Well, she is still in mourning and was unable to come but I arranged for someone to take her place…”
Henry gestured then and a young girl of six or seven years old stepped forward. She was taller than she had been the last time that Mary had seen her, and more in control of herself, perhaps more so than some grown women. But there was no mistaking that it was the same little girl who had been nothing more than a blur of reddish hair streaking through the gardens of Greenwich.
“Eliza,” Mary murmured, genuinely shocked to see her niece again.
“Hello, my lady aunt,” Elizabeth Tudor said in greeting, giving an effortless bow. She wore a velvet gown of a dark pink color, out of which peaked a kirtle of cloth of silver trimmed in pearls and emeralds. Her sleeves were lined in brown ermine and the trim of her black hood matched that of her kirtle. Around her neck, she wore a single strand of pearls from which hung a gold letter ‘E’, presumably for her name. It was all a suitably grand ensemble for the prospective heiress of England.
“I’m so happy that I get to see you again, Elizabeth,” Mary greeted her niece in return, once she had recovered herself, “I like your necklace very much.”
Elizabeth flushed with delight, “Thank you, Your Grace. It was a gift from Mama on my last name day. She said I was getting very big, becoming a proper lady, and so I needed some proper lady jewels to wear.”
“And she was right, wasn’t she, Mary?” Henry beamed down at Elizabeth, “I’m sorely proud of this one.” Henry clapped his daughter on the back and Elizabeth’s flush deepened, but she still looked happy and it was clear that she was enjoying her father’s attention and praise.
Mary smiled gently, “I assure you, Queen Katherine was right. It gives me great pleasure to see that you are growing into a fine girl. Your cousin Élisabeth is growing into a fine girl too, would you like to meet her?”
“Yes, yes!” Elizabeth said, her eyes shining with excitement, “Papa told me she is my…goddaughter. Did I get that right?” She looked up at Henry for confirmation.
“Yes, you’re Madame Élisabeth’s godmother,” Henry chuckled, “Now, let’s get you and the fair Mistress Blount to your chambers here.” For the first time, Mary noticed that Elizabeth had several women standing around her, among whom was presumably Mistress Blount.
Mary nodded, and watched as Mistress Blount, a slender young woman with light hair, stepped forward and shepherded little Elizabeth away. Henry watched them leave too but his eyes rested almost solely on Mistress Blount. There was something in his gaze on her…a desire, a hunger, almost. She had seen such a look on other men, and she had seen it on her brother before - but never had she seen it directed towards someone other than Queen Katherine. Mary frowned and as soon as Mistress Blount and Elizabeth had left, she turned to Henry.
“Who is that girl?” she said quietly but insistently.
“No one significant,” Henry replied with a wave of his hand, “She’s one of Katherine’s ladies-in-waiting, I considered her a suitable companion to Elizabeth for this experience.”
Mary couldn’t help but give a snort of disbelief, “No one significant, I quite doubt that. I saw the way you looked at her. I’ve never known a man to look at a woman like that without envisioning her in nothing but her shift, or even less. Please tell me you haven’t taken her to your bed though. She’d be poor recompense for Katherine indeed!”
Henry’s face reddened, “Whom I do or do not take to my bed is certainly not the concern of my younger sister. I’ll not discuss this with you any longer so, drop it, Mary.”
“Henry,” Mary said, reaching out and grabbing his arm, “It’s alright if you take the girl while Katherine is with child, or in confinement. But don’t forget that she is your wife and queen. If you want a son, she is the only one who can give you that.”
“I’m not sure she is,” Henry muttered, staring off in the direction that Mistress Blount had left.
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Oh, god. Henry’s going to become an even bigger idiot, isn’t he?
(And I’m so glad to see this TL continue!)
(And I’m so glad to see this TL continue!)
Ooh yay glad to see this back, and lovely to see Eliza growing into a fine young person to boot! Lovely chapter!
It's 1517, Henry is still very much a fit and healthy man. And yeah, I'll work on slipping in more descriptions of masculine clothing, though I'm less familiar with it than feminine clothing for this time period. I do know that you should envision all the men in hats pretty much all the time, except when they're in a state of undress lol
And yes, more to come!
She's growing into a smart girl, that's for sure. And thank you!
Henry's frustration with his kid situation is definitely building earlier than OTL...we'll see what decisions this may lead him to!
If you're interested, here is a portrait of Henry when he was 35, so between June 1526 and June 1527. He has a hat, a doublet, and a coat on, and this is the basic pattern for menswear of this time in Europe. I imagine he would be wearing something similar to meet Mary, probably with riding boots still on.