That's good, glad I did it properly! Mary should do ok... hopefully... As for a Scottish pov, I'm not sure as for now I'm trying to stick with the Catalina-Eleanor-Giovanna ones, but we'll see. We'll definitely be hearing from her though!
There and Back Again: The English Journeys of Catherine of Aragon
- Thread starter Awkwardvulture
- Start date
It sure is, and while it's possible that they'll see each other, there's plenty of reason for Eleanor to worry that they may not, pregnancies can be dangerous after all...
Chapter 177, September 1531
Eltham Palace, Kingdom of England, September 1531
The visit to Eltham was supposed to provide her with a distraction, a diversion from the sadness that she felt from Mary’s departure for Scotland. Instead, it became a source of frustration. Oh, the girls were good as they usually were. Margaret was energetic, rambunctious even, but unlike Edward, she was quite easily brought in line by Lady Fitzwilliam. Of course, all that the woman had to do was ask her what her mother would think of her behavior when she was misbehaving, and then suggest that she go do something more productive, like play with her dolls. It helped that, unlike Edward, Margaret wasn’t spoiled too much by their father. Ever since Mary left to become Queen of Scotland, Margaret was now the oldest Princess in the nursery. This added a special sense of responsibility to the girl, who though she wasn’t even five, was eager to show she was ready to be an Empress one day.
Joan meanwhile was a shy girl of almost three. She was obedient and well-behaved, hardly ever one to cause a fuss. It suited her, as a younger daughter she was very unlikely to ever inherit the throne. It was unknown what her future would be, but there was plenty of time to think about that. Regardless, Eleanor was confident that she’d eventually be able to find a match for Joan that would suit the family’s interests well. They were the first to greet Eleanor, Margaret had run towards her, while Joan had walked over more slowly. The Queen had been very happy to see them, they could never fill the void that Mary’s marriage left, but Mary wasn’t her only daughter. After embracing her younger daughters, she kneeled to speak to them.
“Have you been having fun with Margaret?” She asked Joan.
“Yes, Mama. We play dolls.”
“Oh, how surprising.” Eleanor chuckled.
Turning her head to young Margaret she asked,”I hope Mary leaving hasn’t hurt you too much my dear, you understand she had to become a Queen?”
Margaret shrugged her shoulders,”I was a bit sad at first mama, but there is nothing I can do. Besides I still have Harry, Edward, Joan, and Phillip. Oh, baby Helen too! Mistress Van Honing let me hold her, she told me that I am a strong girl and that I was very good with her.”
Eleanor smiled,“That’s wonderful Margaret. You’ve been such a good girl and I’m very proud of you.”
Baby Helen Fitzroy was the newest of Henry and Caroljin’s daughters, a bastard of course, but named after the legendary Helen of Troy. She’d likely be quite the beauty, but Eleanor hoped that she’d prove more prudent than her namesake when she came of age.
She continued talking to her remaining daughters, only interrupted by one of little Phillip’s shrill cries.
Turning to one of the nurses, a brunette teen by the name of Mabel The Queen asked,”And how is my youngest Prince. Is he growing well?
Mabel bobbed her head eagerly,”Yes, His Grace is a happy, calm baby. He only cries when he needs something. Lord Phillip makes us all proud every day.”
Edward frowned, setting down a toy soldier to chime in,”He’s just a dumb baby. How could he make us all proud?”
The Governess, Lady Fitzwilliam’s eyes widened, her stern voice coming from the other side of the room,”My Lord York, that is no way to speak of your brother! We all love him and care for him, now apologize for being rude.”
The eight-year-old shook his head,”No, I will not. It’s not fair, just because he’s new that’s all they talk about when he’s just a baby. He can’t even talk or walk.”
Eleanor felt her face grow hot while her heart pumped faster. It was what happened whenever she became angry, and true to form her temper flared.
It was if by instinct that she practically flew through the room and slapped her second son on the face, not even stopped by the gasps of her daughters.
As he whined and covered the red spot on his face, Eleanor still stood over him and glared at him,”Edward, you will not speak ill of your brother. He may be a baby now, but who knows, he may well outpace you when he’s older.”
Looking to the governess she said,”I shall now take my leave. I will be back later this evening.”
With that, she moved over to Phillip’s cradle and gave her youngest son a kiss on his soft head, which soothed him. After that, she simply left the room, without uttering a single word.
…
She was sitting by the fire in her chambers when her husband entered, taking deliberate steps as he walked.
The Queen of England pretended not to notice him, merely staring at the fire.
Henry cleared his throat,”Eleanor, I know you heard me. And I know what you did earlier.”
“Hmm?” The woman asked, turning to the seat next to her.
“I’ve heard that you struck Edward earlier. Why would you do that?”
“He was misbehaving, he said rude things about Phillip. So, I saw fit to discipline him myself. I’d hope that you’d think I did as I should...”
Henry stood up and raised his voice which boomed like a cannon,”For God’s sake woman he is our son. No, you shouldn’t have, it was wrong!”
Eleanor’s first instinct was to scowl but she thought better of it. All that would do is make Henry angrier. So, instead, she too rose to her feet and started to cry, which caused the man’s gaze to soften.
Eleanor sniffled, leaning in against her husband’s bulky form,”I’m sorry it’s just… ever since Mary left, I’ve been so sad, I miss her so much. The past months have been so hard for me.”
The man held her in his arms, comforting her,”Oh dear, oh darling. I know, I understand. Oh, my poor darling…”
Good, that took care of that just fine. He’ll be more careful in the future…
Damn, Eleanor... That was rather coldblooded. I guess being married to Henry for over 15 years will do that to you...
Oh, she sure can be. Yeah, although her grief was far from fake, she knew that strategically deploying it would help deal with Henry more easily...
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Yikes. Edward is just 8. I am sure you have plans for a girl named Helen.
Yes. He was very easily manipulated. But heaven help you if he caught you doing it.
Yeah, Eleanor learned just how to reign him in over the years. To paraphrase a series I've watched, there are two types of Queens, doormats, and matadors. Eleanor is the latter.
Yeah Eleanor overreacted a bit, and we'll see how this impacts things going forward. I sure do have plans for her, hopefully she lives a calmer life than Helen of Troy.
The American version of House of Cards, albeit in that case, the quote was about Vice Presidents.
It's certainly debatable whether it was the right thing or excessive, but she certainly stuck up for Phillip, and Edward might behave better in time...
Eleanor does know how to keep Henry in check, she can be a great manipulator when she feels the need...
The original, UK, version of that show is incredible! I mean, I enjoy the US version, but the original is just *chefs kiss*
I 100% agree.
Ian Richardson was perfect.
Hummm…. Who would he play in the filmed version of this timeline?
Although I will say Susannah Harker was just copying Susan Sarandon's Melanie Bruwer from A Dry White Season when she played Mattie. She'd acted alongside her in that movie the year before, after all...
Depends on where Thomas ends up ITTL, cos it would be a shame to waste an actor as good as Richardson on a ‘loser’ role.