at the mercy of the queen; a novel of anne boleyn

832019 At the Mercy of the Queen A Novel of Anne Boleyn

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullat-the-mercy-of-the-queen-a-novel-of-anne-boleyn 112



This is a work of 1047297ction All of the characters organizations and events por-

trayed in this novel are either products of the authorrsquos imagination or are

used 1047297ctitiously

983137983156 983156983144983141 983149983141983154983139983161 983151983142 983156983144983141 983153983157983141983141983150 Copyright copy 2011 by Anne Clinard Barnhill

All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America For information

address St Martinrsquos Press 175 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10010

wwwstmartinscom

Design by Anna Gorovoy

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Barnhill Anne Clinard

At the mercy of the queen a novel of Anne Boleyn Anne Clinard

Barnhillmdash1st ed

p cm

ISBN 978-1-250-00519-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-312-66213-4 (trade paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4299-2554-9 (e-book)

1 Anne Boleyn Queen consort of Henry VIII King of England1507ndash1536mdashFiction 2 Great BritainmdashCourt and courtiersmdash

Fiction 3 Great BritainmdashHistorymdashHenry VIII 1509ndash1547mdash

Fiction I Title

PS3602A77713A94 2012

8136mdashdc23

2011036004

First Edition January 2012

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



One

A lready the grassy 1047297elds surrounding Hever Castle

were greening though Easter was several weeks

away The nearby forests had put out tender buds and

the barley 1047297elds sprouted fresh green shoots Though the gray

sky still shrouded the land one could feel a hint of warmth the

1047297rst indication that spring would come after all This along

with the birth of her favorite bitchrsquos puppies made Madge Shel-ton frisky that morning able to shake 1047297nally the feeling of

dread she had carried since her arrival in the south of England

Although she could not know it yet this was the last morning

of her old life the 1047297rst morning of the life shersquod hoped would

never come

ldquoThe fat one the one with a bit of red on his chestrdquo said

Madge leaning over the roughly made pen that housed ten set-ters her unclersquos newest stock of hunting dogs



4 Anne Clinard Barnhill

ldquoHersquos already been spoken for Master Boleyn left word that

the biggest and best pup was to be trained for the huntrdquo said

Ben Whipple the son of the yeoman who managed the Boleyn

farm

ldquoWersquoll see about that My birthdayrsquos coming soon and I

shall ask my uncle about the hound Irsquom likely to get him you

can be sure of that My uncle gives me whatever I fancy these

daysrdquo Madge said She held the pup to her bosom and stroked

behind his ears

ldquoYoursquoll be mine pretty boy And wersquoll roam the 1047297elds to-

gether Irsquoll teach you to point Wersquoll show my uncle how a good

dog and a brave girl can hunt with the best of themrdquo Madge said

ldquoMaster Boleynrsquos a-wanting to groom the biggest pup for

the queen He knows how she fancies a smart cur You wonrsquot get

your way this time mistressrdquo said Ben He picked up the runt of

the litter a pitiful-looking setter with only a spot of white at the

tip of its tailldquoShall I drown this one Itrsquos only a bitchrdquo he said

ldquoDonrsquot you darerdquo said Madge

ldquoMaster Boleyn told me to get rid of the runt and spare only

the smartest healthiest ones He canrsquot afford to keep the whole

passelrdquo said Ben

ldquoGive me that little one then Irsquoll keep her saferdquo Madge said

She put the fat pup back into the pen and wrapped her handsaround the small black one The pup nuzzled against Madge

and licked her hands ldquoShe knows Irsquom saving her from a watery

grave Look at how grateful she isrdquo

ldquoTell you what Irsquoll let you keep her if you give me a kissrdquo

said Ben

ldquoYoursquoll let me keep her Ben Whipple kiss or nordquo Madge

stood up abruptly still clutching the puppy She smoothed herskirts with one hand while holding the dog against her chest



At the Mercy of the Queen 5

ldquoWhy wonrsquot you kiss me Madge You did once down by the

creek Let me againrdquo said Ben

ldquoIrsquoll never kiss the likes of you again Ben Whipple I am

cousin to the queen and must act according to my new station In

a few short weeks Queen Anne will be crowned and then you

wonrsquot dare speak so in my companyrdquo said Madge

ldquoPshaw Nan Bullenrsquos no better than a whore and everybody

knows it Catherinersquos the rightful queen and Old Harry canrsquot

change that Nan Bullenrsquos as common as these pupsrdquo said Ben

Madge pushed Ben out of her way still holding the black

pup She stomped across the barnyard Halfway she stopped

turned toward Ben her cheeks 1047298ushed and her red hair 1047298ying

every which way in the early morning breeze

ldquoYoursquoll live to regret those words My familyrsquos no longer

simple wool merchants Yoursquoll seemdashthe Shelton name is some-

thing these days and you Ben Whipple better watch your

tonguerdquo Madge turned again on one heel and headed for themain house where her nurse would have hot tea ready and maybe

a tasty bit of raisin cake

Margaret Louise Shelton Madge as she was known to the

servants and farmers on her unclersquos manor in Edenbridge Kent

was 1047297fteen years old and already a handful for her nurse Cate

Tall and thin with a smallish bosom a delicate waist and 1047298ar-

ing hips Madge was quickly becoming a beauty and she knewit Her green eyes were wide and expressive showing every nu-

ance of feeling a young woman could experience When angry

her eyes narrowed and actually darkened When happy her eyes

seemed lit from a secret sunshine within When sad her eyes

turned watery and red-rimmed much to her chagrin

Though she gave her nurse Cate a good deal of trouble

Madge was happy to have Cate with her for she was unused toliving with the Boleyn family especially now that Sir Thomasrsquos




daughter Anne was married to the king Unlike her own fam-

ily where she was the youngest of 1047297ve children and likely to 1047297nd

a partner in any devilment she could think up at Hever Castle

Madge was younger than the Boleyn children by 1047297fteen years

or more No one laughed at her jokes or her funny faces No one

wanted to act out the story of Punchinella and Madge couldnrsquot

1047297nd one person who would sing duets with her in the early eve-

nings after supper

Cate was all Madge had to remind her of Great Snoring

her home far away Madge longed for the 1047297elds of the family

lands in Norfolk where she spent summers cavorting with the

new lambs Catersquos presence wasnrsquot enough to make up for the

familiar life Madge longed for Besides Cate insisted Madge

practice her best behavior all the time She could never relax at

the Boleyn residence There was too much at stake for that

ldquoWhat have you dragged in this timerdquo Cate said when she

saw Madge carrying the pup into the elegant rooms they sharedldquoBen was going to drown herrdquo said Madge She sat on the

low stool near the 1047297replace and warmed her hands allowing the

pup to make a nest in her skirts

ldquoThatrsquos your good wool girl You donrsquot want to be smelling

of dog when you meet the king do yourdquo Cate grabbed the pup

and held it up for examination ldquoNothing but a runt Not even

interesting in its markingsrdquoldquoGive her back I donrsquot care what I smell like when I meet

the king Give me my dogrdquo said Madge

ldquoAnd what makes you think Sir Thomas will allow you to

keep this mutt Hersquos known for killing off whatrsquos weak and

smallrdquo said Cate handing the dog to Madge

ldquoIrsquoll keep her whatever way I can Irsquoll hide her in our rooms

and Sir Thomas wonrsquot 1047297nd herrdquo said Madge She gathered some




rushes from the 1047298oor into a small bunch and set the pup in the

center of the reeds near the 1047297re

ldquoIrsquom warning you my Maddie you mustnrsquot anger Sir Thomas

Hersquos grown powerful these last ten years and your familyrsquos for-

tunes ride on him And now theyrsquore riding on you toordquo said

Cate

ldquoI know good Cate I know I will try to please Sir Thomas

as best I can But I canrsquot live for his good pleasuremdashI have a life

of my ownrdquo Madge slipped her feet from the stiff leather boots

and stretched her toes toward the warmth of the 1047297re

ldquoA womanrsquos life is never her own Maddie girl We must

make our way as we can Your father sent you here to serve Sir

Thomas in whatever way he so desires Thus far Sir Thomas

has allowed you much freedom but that may pass You must

have it in your mind to obey Sir Thomas and serve the queenrdquo

Cate stood behind Madge and took the pins from her thick hair

Red curls snaked through Catersquos 1047297ngers The red was 1047298eckedwith gold and smelled of lemongrass Cate combed through the

locks and scratched gently at Madgersquos scalp The girlrsquos shoul-

ders dropped a bit

ldquoIrsquoll make Mother proud donrsquot worry So far Sir Thomas

hasnrsquot said two words to me If Irsquom lucky things will stay as they

are and I can go back home by All Saintsrsquo Dayrdquo Madge said as

she nudged the sleeping puppy with her big toe ldquoNow what shallwe call this black runt of a dogrdquo

ldquoBetter call it Nothing That way if Sir Thomas drowns

her yoursquoll have Nothing to miss and Nothing to cry aboutrdquo

said Cate

ldquoA cruel Cate you are No Irsquoll call her Shadow Shersquos black

and shersquoll have to hide away in shadows if shersquos to survive And

she follows me as if she were my very own shadowrdquo said Madge




ldquoShadow it is thenrdquo Cate twirled the rope of Madgersquos hair

into a bun and secured it with pins She covered the bun with a

plain white cap and sat on the stone 1047298oor next to Madge lean-

ing her head against Madgersquos knee

Both nurse and girl were almost asleep when a loud knock-

ing jerked each awake Madge looked at her nurse then at the

pup She scooped Shadow from the 1047298oor then hurried to place

the dog inside the chest that held her modest jewelsmdasha small

brooch her mother had given her covered with seed pearls a

painted comb for her hair a long chain of gold to wear on her

wedding day and a miniature of her father

ldquoWhy so long to answer Nurserdquo said Sir Thomas a tall

slender man with a reddish-gray beard and thinning hair of the

same color He wasnrsquot exactly smiling but he looked as pleas-

ant as Madge had ever seen him His features sharp and hawk-

like were usually pinched together as if he were in deep thought

or as if he had enemies to smite Seeing him storm along thewalkways in the beautiful gardens of Hever Castle made Madge

hide for cover She avoided him when at all possible curtsying

to him when they processed to church and at formal dinners

She kept her head down and never dared look him in the eye

She behaved exactly as her mother had taught her and so far

shersquod escaped his notice Or so shersquod thought

ldquoLetrsquos have a look at you niece Ah yes yoursquoll do nicely Apretty one eh Georgerdquo Sir Thomas strolled into the apart-

ments his son George trailing behind him George was hand-

some with golden hair and softer features than his fatherrsquos Both

men were dressed in rich-looking silks and Sir Thomas had a

red velvet cloak lined with ermine His undershirt was cloth-of-

gold and Madge had never seen anyone look quite so 1047297ne George

1047297fteen years Madgersquos senior was taller than his father and hiseyes seemed more kind




ldquoFather donrsquot speak of Madge as if she couldnrsquot hear you

Hello coz How do you 1047297nd life at Hever Hmmm no answer

eh Irsquoll talk enough for the both of us Has anyone taken time

to teach you the new games so popular at court Chess Cards

No Well coz I shall show you After all once the king and

queen arrive you must help us entertain themrdquo said George

his voice full of fun

Madge felt her cheeks burn as her cousin chucked her under

her chin She did not know what to make of him he seemed too

full of life to have come from the same stock as Sir Thomas

She kept her curtsy wondering if Sir Thomas would ever allow

her to rise Her legs trembled

ldquoEnough George Margaret I asked your father and mother

to allow you to come to Hever Castle for a reason As you

know your cousin Anne is now queen of England This posi-

tion has been a hard-fought one and will be hard enough for

her to hold even though she sits prettily now But there arethose who would upset her from the throne if they couldmdashthe

Seymours the Dudleys not to mention the Spanish ambassa-

dor Chapuys and the Catholics Anne is sitting on the head

of a pin and could easily be toppled It is up to us to keep her

in her position until she bears an heir Once a son is born

Anne and all of us will be saferdquo Sir Thomas stared down at

Madge never once allowing her to raise herself from the deepcurtsy shersquod taken in his honor Finally he raised her head so

that she was forced to look at him ldquoDo you understand my

girlrdquo

ldquoYes my lordrdquo Madge did not understand but she dared

not say so She knew better than to ask any questions Slowly

he raised her to a more comfortable position led her to a bench

and indicated for her to be seatedldquoYou will be going to court Margaret The king and queen




will arrive at Hever later this week I donrsquot know how many

days they shall staymdashrdquo

ldquoGodrsquos blood I hope their stay will be shortrdquo said George

winking at Madge

ldquoHowever long Their Majesties stay is not your concern

young George What is your concern is to help your sister in

whatever way you can You must remember our future fortune

depends on Annerdquo Sir Thomasrsquos voice was cold and Madge

worried that he might strike George She shivered as Sir Thomas

turned back to her his small blue eyes full of anger

ldquoAfter Their Majesties return to court Margaret you shall

follow them forthwithrdquo Sir Thomas bowed and headed toward

the doors

ldquoTo court I I cannot possibly go to court I have no

proper clothes I cannot dance I lack the graces for court Sir

Thomas Irsquom a mere girl Imdashrdquo

ldquoEnough His majesty has assigned you to be one of thequeenrsquos ladies-in-waiting and to court you will gordquo Sir Thomas

thundered Then he turned to Cate ldquoNurse see that this girl

has the best dresses available Tell my wife the Lady Eliza-

beth to give you bolts of silk to supply you Margaret will need

at least 1047297ve gowns You and my wife will see to the construc-

tion of eachrdquo Sir Thomas said ldquoAs for your want of grace I

would suggest for your own sake that you begin to cultivatethose skills you lack George after we sup you will begin to

teach the girlrdquo Sir Thomas turned quickly and left them He

stopped in the doorway and stared at his son

ldquoAnd George no spoiling this one ehrdquo said Sir Thomas

ldquoOf course not Father Of course notrdquo said George

Sir Thomas gave his son a hard curious look and then

stomped down the hall his steps on the stone 1047298oor command-ing and steady as a clock




Madge George and Cate sat still as relics Suddenly a cry-

ing sound came from the chest next to the bed Madge began

to hum trying to cover the noise

ldquoWhatrsquos thatrdquo said George as he searched the room trying

to discover the source of the sound

ldquoWhat All I hear is my lovely Madgersquos voice Tell me

deary wherersquod you learn that dittyrdquo said Cate

ldquoWhatrsquos that you are hiding Nurse Aha A pup and one

from fatherrsquos newest litter Irsquoll warrant Whatrsquos it doing hererdquo

George grabbed the puppy before Madge could get her hands

on the little dog

ldquoShersquos mine Give her to merdquo Madge tried to take the puppy

from George

ldquoSo Mousy Madge has a tongue after all Good Good for

you coz Tell me whatrsquod you name herrdquo George gave the pup

over to Madge who carefully petted the dog and held her close

ldquoShadow Shersquos my Shadow and where I go shersquoll go toordquoMadge stared straight into Georgersquos eyes daring him to cross

her

ldquoThen Shadow will be going to court soon Best keep her

safe Madge Mouse And yourself toordquo said George ldquoCourt isnrsquot

for the faint of heart Yoursquore going so you better learn to mas-

ter yourself and your bettersrdquo

ldquoNo no no You must hold the string down more 1047297rmly Madge

Mouse See like thisrdquo said George placing his 1047297nger across the

neck of the lute and pressing the catgut until the tip of his 1047297n-

ger turned white

ldquoIrsquom trying I do not seem to have the strength for it Perhaps

we should explore another instrumentmdashthe virginalsrdquo saidMadge Two hours earlier when the lesson began she would




never have spoken so boldly to the great George Boleyn But her

1047297ngers hurt her head ached and she wished to return to her

rooms

ldquoThe lute is the easiest to playmdashany dolt can learn it All

you must needs do is strum a little so you can sing The king

loves music and is quite accomplished as is my sister I play and

carry a tune rather well myselfmdasheven our sister Mary can do

such Surely you have some of the family abilityrdquo said George

ldquoEvidently I do notrdquo said Madge

ldquoDear Margaret forgive my impatience I am to prepare

you for court in a fortnight teach you those things my sisters

learned over years at the French court It is a quick study and I

fear I forget how many hours I spent teaching my own 1047297ngers

to press the proper string Let us put the lute away for tonight

and try again on the morrowrdquo said George

ldquoThank you cousin I am quite ready to retire But if you

would like I shall sing you a lullaby one my mother used tosing to us as we drifted off to sleep I do have a small gift with

a songrdquo said Madge

ldquoThat is encouraging Yes let me hear you Madge Mouserdquo

said George He picked up the lute and waited for Madge to

begin

ldquoRock-a-bye donrsquot you cry for we will go to see NannyUp

the hill by the mill to see the wee little lambierdquo Madge sangsoftly her voice breathy and tender

George motioned for her to repeat the song and he strummed

along with the lute The sound of the strings gave Madge more

con1047297dence and with Georgersquos encouragement she sang out

more forcefully



This is a work of 1047297ction All of the characters organizations and events por-

trayed in this novel are either products of the authorrsquos imagination or are

used 1047297ctitiously

983137983156 983156983144983141 983149983141983154983139983161 983151983142 983156983144983141 983153983157983141983141983150 Copyright copy 2011 by Anne Clinard Barnhill

All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America For information

address St Martinrsquos Press 175 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10010

wwwstmartinscom

Design by Anna Gorovoy

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Barnhill Anne Clinard

At the mercy of the queen a novel of Anne Boleyn Anne Clinard

Barnhillmdash1st ed

p cm

ISBN 978-1-250-00519-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-312-66213-4 (trade paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4299-2554-9 (e-book)

1 Anne Boleyn Queen consort of Henry VIII King of England1507ndash1536mdashFiction 2 Great BritainmdashCourt and courtiersmdash

Fiction 3 Great BritainmdashHistorymdashHenry VIII 1509ndash1547mdash

Fiction I Title

PS3602A77713A94 2012

8136mdashdc23

2011036004

First Edition January 2012

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



One











never come









farm





behind his ears


















said Ben













































nings after supper






























Cate













ders dropped a bit







said Cate































































girlrdquo











winking at Madge









the doors






























on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully



One











never come









farm





behind his ears


















said Ben













































nings after supper






























Cate













ders dropped a bit







said Cate































































girlrdquo











winking at Madge









the doors






























on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully







farm





behind his ears


















said Ben













































nings after supper






























Cate













ders dropped a bit







said Cate































































girlrdquo











winking at Madge









the doors






























on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully











































nings after supper






























Cate













ders dropped a bit







said Cate































































girlrdquo











winking at Madge









the doors






























on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully









Cate













ders dropped a bit







said Cate































































girlrdquo











winking at Madge









the doors






























on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully




























































girlrdquo











winking at Madge









the doors






























on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully







winking at Madge









the doors






























on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully














on the little dog


from George





her








ger turned white








rooms


















begin






more forcefully






rooms


















begin






more forcefully

at the mercy of the queen; a novel of anne boleyn

Documents