Between Two Kings (26 page)

“Your Majesty, my beliefs are Catholic, but I am interested in Protestantism out of pure curiosity.” Chabot was ready to laugh at the false origin of his clothing attributed to him by the king. Henry was an odd man, and Chabot didn’t like his jokes and hints. “Unlike its meaning in England and in Spain, a yellow color doesn’t have special meaning in France,” he said, unable to restrain a smile. “It was sunny outside when I awoke, and I wanted to wear vibrant colors today.”

“In contrast to you, Your Excellency, we are not in joy and don’t wish to wear vivid clothing,” Henry noted, his fingers toying with the collar of his shirt.

“I am sorry if I displeased Your Majesty.” Chabot feigned notes of apology in his tone.

The king smiled. “On the contrary, you pleased me with your answer because it showed that I should also wear vibrant colors to elevate my spirits. I will wear crimson tomorrow.”

“The French tend to be uncreative in these latter days,” Charles mocked. “The French think that if you speak French and if you make yourself persona grata with the elite, then you will surely succeed, and news and contacts will flow to you.”

Chabot was angry with Brandon, but he masterfully contained his indignation. He wasn’t going to cajole Henry and Charles with sweet speeches and was prepared to defend the French with admirable courage and tasteful sense of wit. “Last week, I heard many complaints about French eccentricity from the Imperial ambassador.” His expression was perfectly innocent. “Next time, when I hear similar complaints, I will definitely refer the ambassador to Your Grace.”

Charles blanched at Chabot’s words, defeated and angry.

Feeling the tension in the air, Henry maneuvered to another topic. “Your Excellency, I am very much concerned how our
brother
 François is doing.”

Chabot flashed a smile. “His Majesty King François is in Italy now. He is doing well.”

Henry narrowed his eyes. “I have heard that King François married the noblewoman in Venice after he annulled his marriage to Eleanor of Austria and sent her back to Emperor Charles V.”

“Your Majesty has accurate information,” Chabot asserted.

“And from which noble house does François’ new wife descend?” Henry questioned.

The ambassador shrugged. “There is no information about it.”

King Henry and the Duke of Suffolk exchanged bewildered glances.

Henry raised a brow and twisted his fingers on his right hand. He didn’t like what Chabot said to him. “Your Excellency, who is the lady who has recently become the Queen of France?”

“Even if I wanted to tell Your Majesty the new queen’s name, I couldn’t do that. Because of the recent regicide attempts on King François’ life, the name of our new queen is confidential at this point. It is done to protect her life in case a new assassination attempt happens,” Chabot explained ceremonially. Truth be told, he was tired of all the secrecy around the deal François placed on his shoulders and baffled by the mysterious Queen of France.

King Henry stared at the ambassador, his eyes challenging Chabot. “Your Excellency, who wanted to take the life of our
brother
François?”

“It is not a secret what my king is thinking,” Chabot commented briefly.

“Thank you for the clarification,” Henry replied with feigned gratitude. “Let me also congratulate François with his new marriage to his savior. It should be pleasant to be again married.”

Chabot bowed. “I will pass Your Majesty’s congratulations to my king.”

“Will you be able to send our gifts and honors to Italy to François?” Henry asked.

The French ambassador peered at it with mock seriousness. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you,” Henry answered. “The Duke of Suffolk will be our envoy.” Then his gaze shifted to Charles. “Charles, you will go to Italy and find François there.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Duke of Suffolk responded.

As the French ambassador left the room, Henry sighed heavily and stared at Charles. They were a little amazed that François had been granted an annulment by the pope so quickly.

“I must know everything about the current relations between François and the emperor. I intend to investigate the background of the mysterious French queen,” Henry instructed.

“There are a lot of rumors about this enigmatic woman,
the Savior of the Knight-King
. This lady has become very popular in Northern Italy, including the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Savoy, and the Duchy of Milan. King François is using her image to boil people’s hatred for the emperor. In Northern Italy and in Savoy, the new Queen of France is known as a hero. In France, the common people are worshiping her as a saint because she saved their king,” Charles reported.

“They create too much noise around nothing,” Henry said briefly.

Charles laughed. “Exactly. The French create too much noise from nothing. The meaning of all these assassination attempts and King François’ marriage is exaggerated.”

Henry didn’t like all the secrecy around François’ marriage. “Isn’t it strange that François married so quickly after an annulment?”

Charles shrugged. “I don’t know. I will go to Italy and investigate. I can depart as soon as the gifts for the Queen of France are ready.”

“Charles, what will we send to François and his queen?”

Charles smiled. “I have one excellent idea.”

Henry raised his brows. “What is it?”

“In Italy, I will be able to buy a great piece of art. King François loves art and will undoubtedly appreciate Your Majesty’s taste.”

“Very well, Charles. I am relying upon you,” Henry replied.

“I will do my best to find something rare and gorgeous as a gift,” Charles pledged.

King Henry frowned. His eyes turned thoughtful. “I do believe that it was the emperor who tried to kill François. The emperor must be furious, especially after the recent annulment of François’ marriage to Eleanor.” Henry wasn’t pleased that the pope had annulled the King of France’s marriage when he had refused outright to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon
.

“Your Majesty, if Emperor Charles indeed tried to assassinate King François, then we can no longer help him in his military campaigns,” Charles said cautiously.

The king sighed. “I hope that François doesn’t know that I financially supported the emperor when François was captured at Pavia.”

“I don’t think that he knows,” Charles assumed.

Henry wasn’t so sure that such a thought had never crossed François’ mind. “François is not a stupid man. He is also a powerful monarch, even despite his dismay at Pavia and his captivity, when he was forced to make major concessions to the emperor to ensure his release. France has changed since 1526. François has created a powerful, well-trained army that might rival the Imperial army. Also, don’t forget about France’s alliance with the Ottoman Empire.”

“Your Majesty is right,” he said. “I have also heard that King François is going to establish an alliance with the Republic of Venice.”

“I will talk to Cromwell about it,” the king added.

“How is Her Majesty Queen Jane?” the Duke of Suffolk asked.

“Jane is feeling unwell and is always tired. Doctor Linacre decided that she must stay bedridden till the birth of our child,” Henry supplied.

“When should we expect the Prince of Wales?”

Henry’s face brightened up, his eyes dancing. “Charles, I am so happy that will have a son in less than two months I.” He paused, his smile growing wider. “It will be a son, a Prince of Wales England has been waiting to have for so many years!” he asserted.

Charles also hoped that Henry’s new child would be a son, otherwise he didn’t want to be at the court to find out what would happen. The king was growing impatient for a male heir. Perhaps it was a good time to go to Italy for several months. “Yes, Your Majesty, you will have a son,” he said.

In a week, when gifts for the French royal couple were prepared, the Duke of Suffolk left London for France.

October 1537, Venice, the Republic of Venice

François and Anne played chess in the small, cozy study room decorated in high Renaissance style. The walls were painted a light blue color, one wall was taken up with a large black-oak sideboard with an exquisitely polished silver plate on display and another wall was covered with three fine Italian paintings, which were much loved by François and Anne. The room was warmed by a large golden floor mat and many pieces of gilded furniture. There were numerous costly vases and statues placed throughout the room.

Cardinal de Tournon bowed as he entered the room and paused at the doorway. “Your Majesties, we have some news from our English spies,” he said.

Brosse also bowed. “The news is very important.”

François and Anne stared at them in anticipation, dark shadows passing over their faces.

François smiled. “Please, gentlemen, sit down.”

Brosse and Tournon bowed again and sank into two high-back leather-covered chairs.

François cast a quick glance at the chessboard and then glared at his visitors. “Your Eminence and Monsieur de la Brosse, tell us what news you want to share.”

Anne stared outside the window, looking at the sky darkened by recent autumn rain.

Tournon inhaled and exhaled deeply. A heartbeat later, he cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Your Majesties, the ambassador Philippe de Chabot learnt who made the most ridiculous claim among all the charges brought against Queen Anne.”

At these words, Anne’s head swiftly turned to the cardinal. Her eyes were blazing but her voice was calm and cold as she spoke. “Which charge do you mean, Your Eminence?” She had already guessed that it was the incest charge because it was the most ludicrous of the lies about her.

Tournon briefly touched his red square-quartered cap. “Your Majesty, I mean the incest charge.”

François put a long finger under his chin. He often did this when he was thinking. “Who put out that wretched lie about my wife? Thomas Cromwell?”

Tournon averted his gaze. He didn’t know how to say that the betrayal had come from the Boleyns. Feeling the cardinal hesitated to speak, Brosse took the initiative. “Your Majesties, the news is not pleasant.” He sighed heavily. “It was Lady Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford, who said to Master Cromwell that Monsieur George Boleyn had an incestuous relationship with his sister.”

“Philippe cannot be mistaken?” François questioned, lowering his eyes to the chessboard. The King of France was shocked. He hadn’t expected that Anne’s own sister-in-law was such a cunning and dishonest woman. His gaze drifted to Anne’s beautiful face, pale in her delicate condition. He knew that it had come like a bolt out of the blue for Anne. He was afraid that Anne would be very anxious and would hurt herself and the baby. He still remembered the letters from his ambassador to England and from his spies at King Henry’s court, the letters about Anne’s two miscarriages, which had resulted from high stress as she’d tried to secure her position as the queen and as she’d struggled with Henry’s mistresses. However, Anne still looked calm.

Tournon sighed, shivered, then stiffened. “Your Majesty, Monsieur de Chabot can’t be mistaken. He and his people looked through the materials of the deal. During the investigation led by Cromwell, several ladies-in-waiting were questioned, including Lady Margaret Shelton and Lady Anne Shelton. The ladies-in-waiting said that several men visited the queen’s suite in late afternoons, like Mark Smeaton who played for the queen. These ladies didn’t accuse the queen.” He paused. “Monsieur de Chabot wrote that there are so many loopholes in the deal that if King Henry decided to look at it, he would be shocked how his former wife could have been found guilty.”

François looked at Brosse and Tournon. “Lady Rochford accused the queen and her brother of incest,” he said. It wasn’t clear whether it was a question or an assertion.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Tournon answered.

“It is an unexpected turn of events that Lady Rochford did that,” the King of France declared.

“Maybe Jane Boleyn is an evil, envious woman,” Brosse blurted out.

“Perhaps, she wanted to take her revenge on Monsieur George Boleyn for something unknown,” Tournon suggested accurately.

Everybody was silent, anticipating Anne’s reaction. An ominous, startled silence pressed on them.

As the silence became unbearable, the queen spoke in a cold, unemotional voice. “It is indeed unexpected news. I could never have imagined that Lady Rochford had been capable of spreading such an ill-favored lie. George and I were always close as a brother and a sister, but there was nothing more. He was my favorite sibling who always supported me.” Then Anne cast her eyes down at the chessboard. She took her bishop and moved it across the chessboard. She did it automatically, without thinking. Anne steeled herself against the sensation of rage. She felt a shiver deep in her chest, but she would not show it. She was angry, very angry that Jane Boleyn had turned out to be a traitor and that she had helped Henry Tudor and Cromwell murder her innocent brother. She loathed and hated Jane Boleyn, with all her heart.

Anne didn’t understand why Jane had hated both George and Anne so much. What had they done to her? Why did she accuse them of incest? Why did she want Anne and George to die? Or did she wish George dead and accused Anne to get rid of George? Who was Jane Boleyn? Anne thought that Lady Rochford was a traitor, a dimwitted hateful woman. If Jane had had any problems with George, she could have come to Anne and told her. Anne clenched her fists under the table. She couldn’t let François and his ministers see her rage. The queen’s behavior had to be regal.

Anne raised her chin up as she had become adept at doing, and forced a controlled smile onto her face. “I think Jane Boleyn hated my brother. They had a really unfortunate marriage. They never wanted to marry, neither of them. However, my father forced them into matrimony. Jane probably wished to take her revenge on our family for her misery as George had never been an ideal husband to her. I truly don’t know what other reasons she may have had to cause her to act this way.” A malicious grin crossed her lips for an instant but her blue eyes remained blank as though nothing had happened. “Jane Boleyn should be pleased that my innocent brother was executed on the back of those ridiculous charges,” her dispassionate voice resonated.