At the Mercy of the Queen: A Novel of Anne Boleyn (27 page)

“I fear most from you, sweetheart,” she said quietly.

“Me? You know you have nothing to fear from me. I am your beloved—I would lay down my life for you, Pretty Madge,” he said.

“You may not feel so after you hear my words. I may as well begin,” said Madge. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

“The queen has asked me to take an action which is both dangerous and odious to me. ’Tis also a mortal sin,” said Madge.

“She has not suggested murder, has she? The lady Mary or the princess dowager?” said Arthur.

“No, no,” she said.

“Then out with it, dearest. Maybe I can help you accomplish this dangerous mission!” said Arthur.

Madge laughed out loud and then became quiet again.

“The queen wishes me to capture the king’s eye. She desires His Majesty should turn his attentions to
me
rather than to Mistress Seymour,” said Madge.

“But this is whoredom, mistress! You cannot give yourself to the king if that is not your desire—or is it your wish? I know well how His Majesty pays his whores! Jewels and silks and satins—the soul is a costly thing, as well the king knows. He has the means to purchase yours!” said Arthur, his voice cold and hard.

“No, ’tis not my desire to become the king’s whore—and I hope to avoid such if I can. But, I will do as the queen instructs me—she is my sovereign liege and I will help her within my power. She has been ever kind to me and has been my true friend since I came to court. She has lost her babe and her little Purkoy. She has lost the ability to bring the king to, well—the king has not virility with her and she fears it is because she is older now and has lost her beauty. She blames herself,” said Madge in the faintest of whispers.

“She still has beauty, though I will agree ’tis not as alluring as before. The stresses and strains of court have taken their toll. As for the king, he is in the middle of his years. Often, men who live as he has lived, those who eat their fill and drink their cups, have such difficulties. ’Tis not the queen’s fault,” said Arthur.

“Do you not see—the king faults her—and is ashamed in her presence. He will no longer come to her. And there are so many rogues who would see her fall from power, would see her put away or worse. Her state is desperate,” said Madge.

“That may be, but why sully such as you, dearest? Surely, there is another way!” said Arthur.

“You have not heard all. The queen has promised if I do this for her, she will see that we can marry and she will give us a small manor house near Great Snoring. We shall be away from this den of iniquity forever and shall live in happiness and peace near my own people,” said Madge.

“She dangles before us that which we desire above all else. Yet, I would not see you despoiled by such as the king. ’Twould be a stab unto mine own heart,” he said.

Madge raised her hands to cup his face. She looked deeply into his dark eyes.

“My love, I do not want to do this thing. But my queen asks it of me. And I believe her when she says her very life is in danger. My allegiance is to her and by following her commands, I follow God’s. She is an anointed queen and rules by God’s will. If I do not obey her, then I do not obey God,” said Madge.

“Is this what she has told you?” said Arthur.

“Yes. ’Tis also in a wondrous book and she showed me the pages.
The Obedience of a Christian Man
by Master Tyndale. This tome tells us our duty is always to obey our sovereign and in doing so, we obey God. Though it seems sin to us, such as the queen requests is really for the common good of all. For if the queen is successful and roots out the usurper, Mistress Seymour, then the king will return to her and, hopefully, get a son upon her,” said Madge.

“She has her ways with you, Pretty Madge. Does she tell you that you can avoid the king’s bed?”

“She believes this is true—if I but catch his eye and smile and dance and laugh with him before all the court, it will serve well enough. Because of his ‘troubles,’ the queen does not believe he will try to bed me—he will simply appear to do so in front of the court. Then, though the queen does not conceive, he will look to one and all the most active and virile of men,” said Madge.

“And what if it goes another way? What if he does demand you in his bed?” said Arthur.

“Then I shall go and I shall whisper good things about our queen. I will use that time to turn his mind once more to Anne,” said Madge.

“I like it not! I will not allow it!” said Arthur.

“You cannot allow or disallow such things, sir. You are not my husband nor have you any power here,” said Madge. She immediately regretted her harsh words and sought to soothe him. “I will make a pledge unto you. If it seems the king will have the use of my body, I will give myself to you first. You shall have my maidenhead and my love forever.”

“I do love you, Pretty Madge. I will take your pledge and give you one of mine own. Though you go to the king and are his for a while, I will continue to love you and we will marry,” said Arthur.

“Yes, my beloved. We shall be man and wife. When we are far away from all this, the memory of it shall fade like a bad dream. Happiness will rule us and I shall bear you many sons,” said Madge as she kissed him.

III

1535

That Thin Old Woman

DESCRIPTION OF QUEEN ANNE BY SPANISH AMBASSADOR EUSTACE CHAPUYS

Twenty-seven

“The king has taken notice of you already, Lady Margaret. I have seen him smile at you and he often inquires about your health. There is something between you, is there not?” said the queen as she spoke softly to Madge in the late evening. The two women sat across from each other at the gaming table, the queen sipping wine and Madge eating a quince tart and drinking hot milk.

“Yes, madame. Though ’tis not what you think—I had not wished to tell you of this but I want you to know His Majesty is innocent of lusting after such a one as I,” said Madge. She felt her cheeks grow hot remembering how the king had saved her from Norris.

“What then? Why this change in His Majesty’s manner toward you?” said the queen.

Madge did not know how to begin her story. She hesitated but the queen did not speak to fill the silence. Instead, Her Majesty waited. After a long moment, Madge gathered her courage and began the tale.

“While we were on Progress—that day of the archery contest between the ladies and the gentlemen—remember? Sir Norris set out to ravage me in the forest. He followed me to the great woods and if the king had not heard my screams, my virtue would be ruined. His Majesty pulled Norris off of my body where he had pinned me against a rock. The king has continued to help me by keeping Norris busy at court, giving him no time to pursue me. His Majesty warned him away from me, though we are still betrothed. At least I know Norris will not take me by force. That is our secret, Your Grace,” said Madge, her voice strained with recalling the frightful events of that day.

“Dear cousin, I am sorry for your trials. But for our new purpose, this situation is perfect. Old Harry likes to think himself a hero. For you, he actually
is
one. You can play on this, Margaret. Here is what you must do to bring him round,” said the queen, looking at Madge steadily. Madge held her gaze.

“First, when you catch him glancing your way, hold his eyes and then, very slowly lower yours. Then, if you are close enough to him, whisper that he looks especially handsome—make note of his clothing or the way he moves. If, perchance, he asks to partner you in the dance, hold yourself close to him and afterward, touch his arm when you speak. Flatter him and praise him. If you see that you have captured his interest, withdraw yourself and become shy and modest,” said the queen.

“Madame, I do not think I can do as you tell me—I am by nature modest and retiring. I am not one to call attention to myself. The king would know I was not myself,” said Madge.

“You must do exactly as I tell you—Margaret, you are comely and graceful—the whole court refers to you as Pretty Madge! Do you think the king does not know this? You would be a shiny coin in his pocket,” said the queen.

“But what if he should wish to take me to his bed? You have told me he cannot complete the act but, excuse this, Your Majesty, what if he is able with me?” said Madge.

“Well, then go through with it. All the better!” said the queen.

“But Your Grace, his pate is balding. He hath a bigger belly than your own when you birthed Elizabeth. Indeed, he hath become old since then. And, well, there is an odor about him…” whispered Madge. She feared revealing the king’s flaws to his own wife, but she could not contain the revulsion she felt when she imagined His Majesty touching her person.

“He is no longer the handsomest prince in Christendom, it is true. Yet, there is much to admire in him—his courtesy and his hearty laugh. You are not instructed to love him, lady. You are instructed to woo him away from Jane Seymour—for my sake,” said the queen. “As for the smell, it comes from his leg and is not there always. Only when the leg has an open sore.”

“Think you he has the pox?” said Madge.

“No. The pox has other parts which His Majesty does not have. ’Tis his old jousting injury that sometimes vexes him. Pay it no mind,” said the queen.

“Madame, Master Brandon wishes me to ask it once more—will we be able to marry after I have done as you ask?” said Madge.

“Yes, yes. If all goes as I plan, you and Arthur will be wed by summer,” said the queen.

*   *   *

Toward the middle of February, after the Feast of St. Mathias the Apostle but before Lent, the queen held a gala event in her apartments. She invited several of her ladies including Mistress Seymour, Lady Rochford, who had just returned to court, and a few others, none of whom were beauties. Indeed, when Madge saw the list of those to come, she thought a plainer gathering of ladies she had not seen. The queen explained that in such a crowd, Madge would stand out even more than usual. The queen also asked His Majesty and most of his groomsmen to attend. Master Smeaton was to provide the music and the queen’s fools were preparing a humorous masque.

The queen herself helped Madge dress for the occasion and bathed her with rosewater. They took turns brushing each other’s hair until both shone in the candlelight. The queen showed Madge how to redden her lips and cheeks. She also gave Madge one of her most sumptuous dresses, a deep yellow that set off Madge’s eyes. Both daubed kohl on their eyelids, a new fashion set by the French. The effect was to widen the eyes and make them stand out.

“Remember, smile at the king. Let him see you laughing. And dance with any man who asks you, keeping him entertained with your wit. Keep your voice low, not shrill and, if the king asks you to take a turn with him around the apartments, take his arm and keep your hand there, caressing him as he speaks,” said the queen.

“I will do as best I can, Majesty. I hope I will please you—’tis a rare thing you ask of me,” said Madge. Her stomach felt fluttery and her cheeks were tired with practicing her smile.

“We live in rare times, Margaret. You are the only person I trust among all the court. Master Cromwell pretends to be my friend but his goals are not the same as mine—he would pilfer all the church property to give to his master. We have quarreled about the issue several times. Even mine own father would side with the king against me if it were to come to that,” said the queen.

The two women looked at their reflections in the long mirror in the queen’s bedchamber. One was dark and thin, pinched with worry; the other was buxom with light red hair that shone golden in the light. Of almost the same height, Madge had more meat on her bones and her face was shiny with youth. The queen’s face was drawn, though she still used her great dark eyes with some effect. And, when she smiled, the years seemed to disappear.

“When the king enters, there will be no fanfare tonight. The men will be masked. I have partnered you with His Majesty, but you will feign surprise when he unmasks himself. While you are dancing, give him fair words, as if you did not know his royal person. Of course, his girth is a bit bigger than most of the groomsmen—I find it amusing he believes he can still hide himself behind a mask,” said the queen.

“He is a proud man, Majesty. Like most, I’ll warrant,” said Madge.

“Yes, and can easily deceive himself,” said the queen. “Come. I hear a commotion! Let us go into the outer rooms. Lady Margaret, you do look quite delectable,” said the queen.

“Thank you, Your Grace. You also,” said Madge.

*   *   *

“Mistress, I would you be my partner for the dance,” said the king, dressed in clothes of earlier times, wearing a feather in his cap and a green mask across his eyes. His suit of clothing looked like what the famous Robin Hood might wear, a plump Robin looking more like the rotund Friar Tuck of legend.

“Sir, I would be delighted,” said Madge, taking his proffered hand.

Together, they danced the slow la volta. Madge found it easier to converse with the king in his role of Robin Hood than in his role of sovereign lord.

“You dance with much grace. May I ask your name, sir,” said Madge.

“Robin Hood, mistress. And yours?” said the king.

“Lady Margaret Shelton,” she said. The king twirled her around, almost lifting her off the ground. “You are so strong, Master Robin! Why, you can pick me up as lightly as a flower.” She caressed his shoulder as he led her into the next steps.

“You are a flower of beauty—the prettiest flower in this bouquet,” said the king.

“Nay, sir, you but jest. Our queen is the finest flower in all England,” said Madge.

“Aye, she is still a beauty. But you are young, a rosebud just opening. Her Majesty’s beauty is in full bloom,” said the king.

“I find there is much beauty in age as well as youth,” said Madge.

“Hmmm. I am no longer young, myself,” said the king.

“Oh Master Robin! You jest! With arms as strong as yours and a sprightly dance, you are certainly as young as I,” said Madge.

“Perhaps you make me young and strong,” said the king.