I am not surprised that Thomas Percy is trying to make his son the center of Elizabeth's universe. It was awkward how he approached the young queen and had his son, a son of a simple knight, to invite her to dance. Elizabeth's diplomacy indeed saved the boy from utter humiliation because if she had not agreed to dance with him later, she would have created the situation in which Thomas Percy would have blamed his son for this failure. But now Elizabeth herself is in the situation when she is being gosipped about, as if she were going to repudiate her betrothal and marry Percy.

The measures to the boy's removal from court sound plausible. In the last scene the Percy father himself believes that he should send his son to continue education and have the boy get a princely education. Elizabeth is right that she is of a marriageable age, and they can try to do everything to accelerate her wedding to Prince Felipe. I am sure that King John of Portugal would not object, given that Bess and Felipe became friends and exchanged letters for five years. It seems that there was a romance between them through letters, and they are both eager to give hearts to each other.

I am glad that Jane Boleyn birthed a son named William, not Thomas of course. She and George seem to be very happy together and in love. Even Elizabeth dreams of being as happy as her aunt Jane and her uncle George. I am glad that George is now the Earl of Wiltshire - he deserves it. If Thomas Boleyn had learned about it while in Flanders, he would have been very angry, more determined to remove his grand-daughter from the throne and install Mary upon it. I wonder whether Thomas knows about his son's successes in England.

The Boleyn/Brandon scene is interesting. They both hate each other so much. I like Boleyn's acrid wit about Brandon's calloused hands of a laborer. Indeed, they were able to accumulate wealth thanks to Thomas Boleyn's talents in trade and commerce. Brandon entirely depends upon Boleyn, which makes him loathe Boleyn even more. Brandon is even hoping that Mary will later get rid of Boleyn despite his help to become queen. Boleyn's hatred for his ungrateful daughter, as he calls Anne, is nothing new for me. I find the relationship between Thomas Boleyn and Charles Brandon toxic, but entertaining for me as they are stuck together. Brandon will never get rid of his delusions. And they are already planning to approach Mary in Sweden and then go to Spain to her cousin. Oh...

Meanwhile, in Sweden a storm is brewing... Eric of Sweden's madness is historically correct, so John with his Regency Council will be installed as King of Sweden soon. So there will be heriditary monarchy in Sweden finally?! Their kings used to be elected, which surprised Anne many years ago. If John is already slandering Mary, then it is a horrible sign. She can be ordered to leave Sweden if her son becomes king and if his councilors demand it.

Excellency Damião is a nice character. I like him far more than Chapuys, and I loved the scene of his chess match with Cromwell. It seems that Thomas Percy spread rumors about Bess' possible marriage to his son so that the ambassador learned about them. Glad you bring Mary Stafford into the mixture.

I agree with Anne that it must have cost the Duke of Norfolk a great deal in terms of cursing and bile to compose such a friendly letter as the one we see in this chapter. I find the correspondence from Norfolk to Rich and then from Rich to Norfolk, then back from Norfolk to rich amusing. Cromwell is right that Norfolk would not have believed if Richard had immediately consented to work for him given that in the past Norfolk wanted to have Rich hanged, drawn, and quartered. So, Rich’s response that he demands more for their joint work sounds realistic.

I like how in one of the first scenes Rich’s face falls at Cromwell’s suggestion that all the money paid to him by Norfolk should go to almshouses. But of course Rich eventually agrees with it. I like how Rich became so attuned to Cromwell’s mannerism that these two men communication with each other so easily! I like how you have transformed Rich over time.

Liking how Norfolk feels like a caged lion in his magnificent castle in Arundel. He does not even suspect that Rich is a double agent, and that this might lead him to an early grave.

The news of Gustav of Sweden’s death is not welcome by Anne and her councilors. So, Gustav died like Henry VIII as they both fell from their horses and died on impact. I hoped that Gustav would have a longer life and would make Mary happy, for as it is clear from this chapter, they loved each other. As long as Mary is allowed to worship Catholicism in private in Sweden and her son is still too young, she will remain in Sweden, but not her son rules so the reformers might become to persecute all Catholics and even the widow of King Gustav. I thought that you would give Mary and Gustav more children because he had more kids with his second wife in history.

It was a good idea to have Elizabeth correspond with Philip (oh, he is so inbred!) from such a young age. They seem to have become sort of friends via their correspondence. Bess is both eager to receive his letters and eager to respond, and she is interested in how life is in other realms. I liked the drawing of a bird that Philip sent her and Elizabeth’s reaction to it.

Well, finally I am back! Sorry for the delay in reviewing. The past weeks were tough.

I like how the chapter begins: Anne gets the communion wine while Elizabeth already had hers. Some religious elements for atmospheric writing are needed to create a story that is more historically consistent with the period. Anne’s thoughts that there are two Queen's closets while years ago, there were the king’s closet and the queen’s closet made me smile. Anne seems to be unable to remember Henry without a shudder, but she still remembers her late husband.

I expected that Cromwell would become Lord Chancellor, but not that he would be ennobled. Indeed, Henry had him ennobled in history, so it is high time to do so in this AU. Loved the whole scene where Elizabeth confers honors and appointments, and her speeches show that she is mature beyond her age. I am also pleased that Richard Rich got his barony, unexpectedly for him – this makes him more ties to Anne and more obligated to serve Anne and Bess well. And I am even happier for George because he became Lord Privy Seal, and he does deserve this appointment after all the loyalty he showed to Anne and Bess. I like the whole scene of the ceremony and Anne’s thoughts at the end of the scene about how her brother deserves what he is getting and how you have her silently laugh at Thomas Boleyn who would have been envious.

Thomas Boleyn and Charles Brandon didn’t lose their wealth thanks to Boleyn’s shrewdness. I hoped they might die like Chapuys during the pandemic of plague. Charles seems to be as delusional as ever about Queen Mary and that they should make her queen. Does he believe that Mary would leave her son in Sweden? If Gustav had lived longer in this AU, Mary would not have embarked upon the insane adventures in later chapters. So, now Rich will be paid by Norfolk to work for the emperor who is likely to make Norfolk his secret friend, but at first the new Imperial ambassadors should arrive in England and meet with Norfolk in secret. Boleyn’s callousness is not surprising: he probably hoped that Anne and Bess would die of plague.

This is my favorite paragraph in this chapter because it illustrates how delusional Charles is. He tells himself that he turned against Anne and Bess for the sake of England’s better future and for his friend, for the sake of a promise to his dead friend. Ouch, but Henry VIII’s will was that the crown will be inherited by children born in his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Anyway, it’s nice:
“He shudders at the thought. To assassinate a crowned head is a dangerous act that stands against all that he has ever believed. England has done nothing to remove the child - but then, to whom would they turn now that their true Queen presides over a son in Sweden? All that he has done, he has done for the sake of a great Queen and a true friend to whom he made a promise. Even now, he refuses to relinquish that commitment: he promised Henry that he would see the crown set upon the head of the true heir of England, and it is a promise that he will not, will not, break.”

Charles Brandon will not break his promise even if he has to kill the child-queen of England. Really? Is he ready to go through the regicide of the innocent child-queen? I have no doubt that Norfolk and Boleyn are ruthless enough to do this, but Suffolk… I have no love for him, but I hoped that he would be less cruel and more rational. It seems I was mistaken.

So, Felipe of Portugal is chosen is Bess’ potential husband because he is a third son of King John III of Portugal and Catherine of Austria. Bess will soon start correspondence with him – good for her because he is only a third son who is unlikely to become King of Portugal. In reality, the line of King John and Catherine of Austria died out soon after John’s death because most of their kids were so inbred that they were born sickly and fragile, and few of them lived into adulthood. You are going to keep Felipe alive, aren’t you? But if his brothers all die, then he will have a claim to Portugal, or one of his sons with Elizabeth will have a claim to Portugal when the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 escalates, and the subsequent Portuguese-Spanish war for succession will start in the 1580s after the death of the Cardinal-King Henry the Chaste in 1580. Also, you bring the inbred Aviz and Habsburg blood into the House of Tudor, which is very bad.

I am very interested in whether Percy’s dukedom will be restored to him. This man is clearly more arrogant than Anne and most of the Council members would like to tolerate. I liked Anne’s wistful thoughts about Harry Percy and their failed betrothal and shattered hearts.

York… The seat of Dukes of York and once the seat of power of Edward of York… Middleman that once protected two Richards… This place is so much steeped in history, even though some moments from the past are better to be forgotten (Warwick’s deeds and Richard III’s treachery).

I am glad that Elizabeth and Anne is finally reunited! I love the scene of their heartwarming reunion. Of course, Bess runs into her mother’s embrace, all decorum be damned. Anne is right that it would have been far worse to lose the Queen of England than her, although both losses would have been unbearable for England. Anne’s approval of Elizabeth’s behavior ensures that Bess will continue down the path of learning more about her subjects and commutating with her people. I am glad that Mary and George Boleyn took care of Bess during their separation.

This is my favorite paragraph in this chapter – the description of Queen Bess at present:
She knows at least a little, thanks to George's letters; but Elizabeth has her own mind, and her own perspective. She is, despite her age, a perceptive girl who sees all, and misses little. If nothing else, this shall serve as a lesson to her that to reign as Queen is more than to be dressed in fine jewels and crowns - but also a dark, harsh drudgery of endurance as her realm suffers, and needs her to lead it. They have been fortunate this time; but there is no certainty that the plague might not stir again in years to come, and do so more brutally. As it is, there is still much to be done to ensure that the losses of working men shall not leave them with hungry mouths to feed for want of hands to bring the harvest home.

I think Elizabeth is indeed learning to govern. Now she knows that being a great queen means that she has to be close to her people and earn and nurture their love. In the last scene in this chapter it is clear that Elizabeth won their heart and they love her as much as they never loved Anne. Yet, Anne is right that many loves her for walking among the sick people while in Canterbury, and the rumors of her bravery spread across England. I like the scene set in the church and all the descriptions of Elizabeth and her cortege, and the crowds cheering her.

I like the explanation of Anne’s love for Cromwell as Anne speaks with Jane, who long became her close friend. As for Mary, I am glad to see her with Anne and not dead yet, for she died slightly earlier in history. Are we now in 1543 or 44? Mary is right that they don’t know what would have happened if Henry had survived, but I think that it is quite clear that Anne would have been dead, and Anne herself knows that because she knows from Cromwell that Henry had ordered the investigation into her conduct to find a means to get rid of her.

So, the emperor is again going to attack France… as always…. I am sad that France was so weakened by plague, but England is weak too now. I wonder whether Thomas Boleyn and Charles Brandon are unhappy now that both Anne and Elizabeth are alive.

I will miss Sussex too! I am glad that Anne and the others give tribute to him.

Finally, I am back to reviewing this marvelous story. As I said, I am sad that Sussex is gone because I liked him a lot in all the previous chapters. Anne’s Privy Council is not depleted of its valuable members, but at least she still has Cromwell and Rich at her side. So, Cromwell was not infected with plague – he had only a mild fever and a mild rash, so he recovered. I am glad that he is not dead because Anne and Elizabeth will both need him a great deal in years to come.

I am delighted that Anne received a letter from George informing her that Elizabeth is fine. I am very, very happy that during their progress they were always ahead of sickness and went further north, almost to the borders with Scotland. At Middleham Castle that once belonged to Richard III, if my memory serves me well, Anne’s Privy Council will be reassembled, and I wonder who the new members will be. Maybe the Marquess of Northampton or the Earl of Oxford?

Young Elizabeth is a fearless creature despite her tender age. She is wise beyond her age and beyond belief. Indeed, queens should not be seen as very ruthless unless it is necessary, unlike men – although King François I of France, for example, was never seen as ruthless and was celebrated as the Knight-King. I am very impressed that the young queen walked freely among ordinary people and distributed alms. Her subjects must be impressed with their young queen, forgetting Mary Tudor completely and loving their Good Queen Bess.

This is my favorite paragraph because it says a lot about Bess and her queenship, as well as differences between kingship and queenship. Love this:
“Not only has Elizabeth granted alms to those in need, but has walked amongst ordinary folk without hesitation or fear. If she is truly honest with herself, Anne would not have thought to do so - but equally would have forbidden such a manoeuvre upon the part of her child, too. In spite of her tender years, Elizabeth is proving to have a remarkable understanding of her people, and the intelligence to use that understanding. A Queen is not a King - people expect and value ruthlessness in a man, but fear it in a woman as an unnatural vice. Instead, she looks to a gentler path; and reaps the reward in renewed and increased love for her from her subjects. There shall be a need to be ruthless in time, that is not in doubt; but to have a cushion of regard upon which to rest when she does so is a worthy investment.”

Audley and his friend fled from the plague, and it might turn out that they got infected in their estates or on the way to their estates. Indeed, they should not serve their queen – they are cowards. Sussex remained and died, but he proved himself as a man of high honor and integrity.

I like the conversation between Anne and Cromwell. They are indeed like father and daughter, and they confess to their friendly feelings for each other in the private conversation. I am impressed with Cromwell’s integrity as he initially wants to resign from his positions because of his tender feelings towards Anne. But Anne is right that he should stay because of England and Elizabeth. Now Anne and Cromwell cannot believe that they were once enemies, but it is pleasant to know that Cromwell would have fought for Elizabeth’s claim to the throne in any case because Bess was Henry’s heir in accordance with the legislation and the late king’s will.

I also like how they remember Wolsey. I understand the reasons why Anne hates Wolsey who made her marriages to both Henry Percy and James Butler impossible only because of the late King Henry’s obsessive desire to have Anne at any cost. I always believed that Henry asked Wolsey to eliminate Percy from Anne’s life, but not Butler. The marriage negotiation came to a halt for unknown reasons, as far as I remember, but maybe you are right that the king interfered. Wolsey was Cromwell’s mentor and made Cromwell a courtier. It is nice to see that Cromwell gives tribute to the dead man despite the fact that he could have contributed to Wolsey’s downfall years ago. Wolsey made both Anne and Cromwell who they are today in this fiction.

I like Anne’s desire to take care of the afflicted populace of England. Indeed, many lost men, and people of both genders died, so there might be a severe famine in England. They need to find funds in the state treasury to help infirmaries and give more alms to the poor.

I am glad that the plague is over, and the Regency Council will soon be back to normal life. But several councilors are gone, including Sussex who supported Elizabeth and Anne from the very beginning and helped them deal with Mary’s rebellion. I liked Anne’s thoughts about Sussex’s death and her anguish, but she is right that now Cromwell can become her Lord Chancellor. At least one of them still recovered from the plague, Petre, and will continue serving Anne.

My favorite episode is when Rich is trying to run away, only to be stopped by Cromwell. Everyone knows that Rich is a coward, or at least he is not brave, but the words Cromwell tells him – that everyone can be afraid – are so true that they resonate with a panicking Rich. Cromwell also confesses that he is afraid as well, but a sense of duty calls to him to continue serving England in this horrible honor of need. I like the insight into Rich’s personal life as his nurse died, and he still has her medallion – this explains his fears very well.

This is my favorite passage in this chapter as Cromwell talks to Rich:
Rather than turn away from his weeping colleague, instead, Cromwell sets his hands upon Rich's shoulders, "I am sorry. I thought your act to be naught but rank cowardice - but now I see there is a motivation behind it. There is no shame in fear, you know that as I do. The shame is in a refusal to face that fear. You are not alone in being afraid - we are all afraid: I am no more willing to throw my life away than any man. I do not demand that you stay; but instead I ask you not to go. We have proved to be a great bastion against which the tides have battered but not prevailed - and I fear I cannot meet this challenge alone. Unlike most men, I have learned to trust you, and thus I ask again: please do not go. I need you here - I cannot do this without you at my side."

Anne’s determination to see Cromwell when he is reported to be sick of something is heart-touching, but it is foolidsh. It proves how much she is emotionally dependent upon Cromwell, for he indeed became her second father to her, and she is very afraid to lose him. But it is not even clear whether Cromwell has plague or not – it might be a usual fever, so he might recover. I agree with Cromwell’s words he says upon awakening – he should remonstrate with Anne.

I shall miss Lord Sussex because I like him a lot, but I’d like to see Cromwell as Lord Chancellor. Brandon and Boleyn have no reason to rejoice – Anne and Bess are not dead.

I love the way Anne was tender and yet strict with Elizabeth who of course insisted that she would stay in London because of her feeling of duty to her subjects. The scene of Anne’s partying with Elizabeth, with the participation of Mary, Cromwell, and George, is great and sad, and I’m glad that Bess will have her relatives by her side as they travel north. A crying Anne asking Cromwell to forgive her for the vulnerability… they are already like father and daughter.

Anne’s bravery is admirable! Many of her council members ran away from London and to their estates, but as it is correctly pointed out, they took the sickness with them to other parts of the country, so the outbreak of plague in England is going to be colossally dangerous. I agree with Anne’s decision: those who escaped and left their government posts, especially members of the Royal Council, should be punished for their poltroonery, so Audley and Baker will lose their places at the Queen’s Council forever despite their knowledge of the government machine.

Thomas Boleyn and Charles Brandon are still in Brugge. They know that they cannot be apart because Brandon will not survive without Thomas who has many talents to sustain himself, and they will lose the ghostly chance of having Mary installed on the English throne. Fate has a bizarre sense of humor that these two men have to live under the same roof for so long despite their hatred of each other. Boleyn’s words about how he eliminated Anne and Bess from his life because Anne deprived him of privileges shock even Suffolk – Boleyn perceives it as a betrayal of him. But at least Suffolk, though still delusional, begins to understand that Mary might be unwilling to leave her son and husband in Sweden. So, they are receiving funds from Norfolk who is also supporting their cause? I am sure Cromwell’s spies know that very well.

Brandon, Norfolk, and Boleyn all wish Anne and Elizabeth dead. Bastards! Anne’s own relatives are her worst enemies in this fiction, and this makes me very sad. But there is nothing to be done to change the situation. Cromwell, who is not Anne’s blood relative, is a far better man in this AU than Boleyn and Norfolk. I am very glad that Anne has her brother, sister, and Cromwell by her side, for they are now her family who help her survive through thick and thin.

I like the scene when we see Anne sitting in a windowseat, wrapped in a cloak over her night garment. She watches the night outside and compares it to the night of illness and death in her daughter’s kingdom. Then Cromwell’s letter comes, and I agree with her lady that it is high time to flee for Anne and for Cromwell to manage the realm from London without her. Bess is not old enough to rule on her own, so she will need her mother desperately. I like how Anne’s thought float back to her father in this scene, creating a symmetry with the previous scene.

I laughed how it was sad half-sarcastically, half-seriously that Cranmer decided to stay in London because of his palace’s distant location. I wonder whether someone of clergy will flee.

Hello my dearest EvilFluffyBiteyThing! I am sorry for my lack of reviews during the past two weeks. I’ve been depressed, hurting after my fall down the stairs in Italy, and just busy with writing a novel. Now I am back with re-reading this marvelous fiction of yours.

Let me repeat: I am glad that Jane Boleyn is with child and will give George a male heir, I hope. Rich’s wife was often with child, if my memory serves me well. It was amusing how young Elizabeth heard about female sickness during pregnancy! I also like the frank conversations between Rich, Cromwell, and Boleyn – they are true friends at present.

Indeed, Henry also flew from the sickness at its first appearance. He was chronically afraid of it. I understand why Elizabeth’s courtiers are so surprised when she does not want to run away. They compare her with Henry and attribute her wishes to her youth, but time will prove that they are wrong. Yes, sweating sickness was a disastrous thing for Tudor England, and its roots were not clear; it was probably assumed that Henry VII’s troops could have brought it from Brittany.

I was always interested why Cromwell was such a radical Protestant. I like this explanation that is not only religious and political, but also has a personal undertone:
Cromwell shakes his head, and sits, "It is more than that - for my foolishness coloured more than my feelings for a woman - it caused me to abandon my faith, and to turn my face from Rome. While I have accepted and given myself to the reformed faith, my anger at Rome was aimed at more than the mere corruption of the prelates - but at its cruelty towards a single individual, and that is not a sound foundation upon which to base a critical opinion."

Anne survived through the sweating sickness in 1528 or 29, so she is kind of immune to it. I understand her decision to remain in London, and it is good that she sends George with Bess away because in case something goes wrong, Bess will need her uncle a lot. Anne’s worries about commoners who will simply die of the sweat show how much her inner world changed – she became a less selfish person, she is now a mother of her realm. Anne is right that there were many examples of the most egregious acts of cruelty to innocents who were blamed maladies.

Elizabeth’s bravery and desire to stand England’s trials are admirable! But Anne is right that Bess must leave London and go north with George, for her life is precious now.

I adore the description of a great celebration of Pentecost. Although the English court is no longer as profligate as it had been in Henry’s times, sometimes it is necessary for official occasions. It made me smile that Henry’s old jewels were used as gift for his daughter.

I love the chapter “The Ambassador's Wife” and the insight into Cromwell’s life in Florence. He had had a rich life on the continent before he returned to England and started his career of a politician and statesman. Benedetta Conti seems to be someone who could become Cromwell’s first love: gentle, beautiful, exotic that is said even in description, and noble-minded. I am glad that Benedetta was only second in Cromwell’s heart after his dead wife Elizabeth, but I’m pleased to see that Cromwell retained part of his first love in his heart that became cruder over time.

Cromwell’s meeting with Benedetta could not be private because she is a woman and a wife of Florentine ambassador. I like all the dialogues between Anne and Benedetta, as well as Benedetta and Cromwell, although I am puzzled why she wants her daughters to marry Englishmen. They can serve the young queen while the Ambassador Conti represents Duke Cosimo de’ Medici in England, but Cosimo’s Florentine court was so brilliant, Cosimo II de’ Medici was actually one of the most brilliant Medici (after Cosimo the Elder and Lorenzo Il Magnifico, they all had their own accomplishments), so I assume I would have wanted my daughters to find husbands at Cosimo’s ducal court. I am glad Cromwell and Benedetta, who loves her good husband and still remembers Thomas, could meet and speak about the past.

Mary… she has a son in Sweden, but no one knows what might happen in the future. I am glad that Mary sent a letter to Elizabeth thanking her sister for the congratulations with the birth of her son. But given that Gustav permitted Mary to remain a Catholic in private, Mary’s life in Sweden is bright and comfortable as long as Gustav is alive. The Protestant nobles will be against her once Gustav is gone. However, so far Mary is not a threat for Elizabeth, and even Anne, who has a nagging fear of Mary, thinks that it is almost impossible to depose Bess now.

Eustace Chapuys… I still dislike him so much…. So, he is still at court, and his health is not deteriorating… I would expect him to feel worse and worse as years pass, but he seems to be as energetic and vile as always. I wonder whether he is right that Mary remains her mother’s daughter and still thinks of restoring England to the flock of Rome by deposing Bess, despite Mary having a son. I think that so far Rich’s conspiracy with the Imperial ambassador, which is known to both Cromwell and Anne, protects Bess from bad unexpected situations.

I am happy for Jane and George Boleyn. It is a pleasure to see them so devoted to each other and to know that Jane would finally give George a son and an heir.

I like this chapter! The first scene as the 10-year Elizabeth greets her subjects and articulates a quote of Cicero is amazing. We can see that Bess is growing into a great beauty, who is also smart and intelligent, having talents in languages and good memory. I wonder whether Bess knows about the birth of her nephew in Sweden and is corresponding with Mary. As the dancing begins, the girl begins to dance too, charming other men, and I think Elizabeth begins to understand that it is important to use female charms in the right way as a queen.

England, despite being a small kingdom and an obscure realm at the time, seems to be a golden prize for foreign powers who wish to marry their sons off to Elizabeth. The marriage proposal from the King of Bohemia (or Ferdinand von Habsburg) made me smile because it in a character in CWL. I wonder whom Ferdinand wants to marry off to Bess – his eldest son, Maximilian, or his other sons – Ferdinand and Charles. Maximilian will marry Infanta Maria in 1548 or 1549, so it is more likely to be his second son. I agree with Mary Stafford that they should somehow originate a love match between Bess and her prince, but it would be difficult provided that King Consort has no power over his wife. Oh… the Portuguese princes are very inbred…

It is funny how Cromwell, Rochford, and Sussex are struggling to accomplish the financial stability of the realm. Even the closure of the monastic houses, which brought considerable money into the state treasury, was not enough to cover England’s obligations. Only to mitigate them. Given that the court expenditures are significantly lower now, I hope that in several years they will be able to accomplish what Henry VII did – the full state treasury finally.

It is amazing that Chapuys is still at court and sits at the further table watching the queen. I’d like to know his thoughts about Mary’s success in Sweden – the birth of her son. Is he happy for her? Doe she understand that Mary’s duty is now to stay in Sweden with her son? It is also funny that Cromwell and the Queen Regnant know about his conspiracy with Rich, but Chapuys has no idea. My prediction is that soon Chapuys will leave the Tudor court due to his age.

The pair of exiles… in Brugge… They continue dreaming of Mary’s restoration on the throne, at least Suffolk does. He is as delusional as ever, Boleyn is more pragmatic. The share the house, and Suffolk would not be able to sustain himself without Boleyn’s trade money and Norfolk’s small contributions, but he is still ready to slit Boleyn’s throat… A poniard in the throat… I do not like this Suffolk, and as he ages, he becomes more delusional and desperate, perhaps to regain what he lost. He is happy that Mary accomplished what Anne didn’t – she gave Gustav of Sweden a son, and this happiness is of malicious nature. Years elapsed, and Suffolk should calm down and think of how to cleanse his soul of hatred, but he still hates Anne and the Boleyns. I think that Suffolk would gladly have killed Anne himself if he had been able to.

I like that young Queen Elisabeth is not present on the Council meetings; it is high time to make her acquainted with policies and subjects discussed at such meetings. I like the offer to build new roads to facilitate trade and for defensive purposes. I am also glad that Jane Boleyn is loved by George and is with child, and she will give George an heir; the gender is not important.

I enjoyed this chapter, like many others. Glad to know that now Thomas Boleyn and Charles Brandon, former lords now in exile, are connecting with Norfolk who can support financially their enterprise to organize embassy to Princes of Europe on Mary’s behalf. Why do I like this? The plot is thickening, and more deadly intrigues appear, and it is funny that Crowell learns about the plot from Rich, who pretended to work against Anne and for the emperor. I like that Brandon – he is no longer Suffolk – has to do manual labor in order to earn some money to sustain themselves, and Boleyn’s laugh at his partner in crime whom he despises is amusing to me.

I love Anne’s relationship with Cromwell more and more. While some stories make them lovers, I find this scenario quite implausible, unless the characters’ personalities are significantly changed. But I can see them as father and daughter, especially in the situation when Anne’s father turned upon her and Cromwell was deprived of his wife and two daughters. His wise and truthful counsel helped Anne establish herself as her daughter’s regent and cement her position in England, and Cromwell’s network of spies (this reminds me of the spymaster Francis Walsingham!) keeps Anne relatively safe from external threats from Mary, Charles V, the Pope, and two exiles.

At this stage, both Anne and Cromwell know that they would not have survived without each other, and they are very close friends. I wonder who the first love in Cromwell’s life in Italy was. I like how they discuss religious matters and the events at Canterbury. The fact that Anne blames herself for the people’s sickness shows her inner grows and her character development: she is no longer a selfish and sheltered girl who set herself in the path to ensnare the king – she is a different person, regent, and the mother of her daughter and Elizabeth’s realm. It is amusing how they remember Henry’s magnanimity, which rarely happened to be displayed towards his subjects.

I am happy that Mary and Anne are reunited, but I am unhappy that Elizabeth Boleyn died and Anne was not able to see her mother again. I would love to know what Elizabeth Boleyn thought of her husband’s treachery and his escape from England to Brugge. But at least Anne, Mary, and George will be together now, and together they will be able to endure everything. I am delighted that the relationship between Jane and George Boleyn improved dramatically, and Cromwell finds them in the company of each other as they have supper. It is probably the only story where George and Jane reconcile and have a good family together.

Loving this chapter! Anne is so very brave as she goes to the room where the sick people are. I admire Cromwell’s courage too, and Rich’s cowardice, or relative cowardice is amusing to read about. Yet, Anne is right that during her negotiations with abbots about the closure of the shrine it would be better to be accompanied by her two closest councilors – Rich and Cromwell. Anne may be Elizabeth’s regent, but she is still “a lesser woman” in the eyes of most men, made out of Adam’s rib As you rightly say, and the ecclesial men would never forget about this thing from the Bible. It is indeed good news that there are no new sick people today.

The first abbot, who is described as “a choleric man with an aquiline nose and unnervingly flinty eyes”, barely tolerates Anne’s presence. I am glad that at least Brother Luke does not regard Anne with hostility and even offers her some claret, but then he witnessed Anne’s sacrificial and brave behavior as she tried to help the sick. Anne is so clever: she promises to cover all the expenses for the purchases of food, medicaments, and so on necessary for the sick people and those who are staying for a few days to ensure that they are not sick, and it seems that Brother Luke can see her in a new light again. So, it was the call of this man which was followed by people from various corners of the country, and they hastily arrived at the shrine to defend it from destruction. If Henry had been alive, Luck and all those who are implicated would have been hanged, and both Anne and Cromwell know that; Luke and his partners in crime should appreciate Anne’s benevolence and her merciful nature. If Henry had been alive, he would not have listened to any explanations.

I like Anne’s thoughts about the reasons of the illness in Canterbury. Indeed, they answered the call and came to the shrine with such fervent Catholic faith - only for it to be broken… Anne’s sadness and her guilt are understandable, meaning her inner transformation; years ago, during her long courtship with Henry when she was a sheltered girl, such charitable thoughts would not have entered her mind. I do not like the moments of Anne’s extreme vulnerability, but this scene where she weeps in profound grief over those who suffered at Canterbury is such an emotionally moving episode. I like how Cromwell says, “Come, let your tears fall upon my shoulder.” Cromwell does feel a paternal love for Anne, and this is the very reason why I do love him so in this AU.

Becket's bones can have only one future – they must be buried in a simple grave because they are not relics, and they cannot perform wonders regardless of how many people and how long they pray to this long dead man. I love Anne’s meeting with the abbot and the priest when she announces her decision and speaks of compromises, which she always had to make in her life. What she says is entirely correct, and while Anne always compromised, Henry was never inclined to any compromise, which is the biggest difference between Anne and Henry, which makes even Cromwell think, “Thank God Henry was taken first…” Cromwell understands what would have happened to all these pilgrims, at least to male pilgrims, if Henry had been alive – they would all have been hanged, perhaps would have been killed in a more brutal fashion, and their widows and children would have been allowed to leave on their own money

Another interesting and good moment! Anne provided the departing pilgrims with some money from her own pocket! She now has the wealth of the former Earl of Wiltshire and can use it for the people. This would allow Anne to win more of the English population’s love and would show her in a better light as the Mother of the Realm. Regardless of what happened to Becket’s bones, which will be treated with respect and buried, the rumors of Anne’s generosity will soon circulate through England, improving her standing with the people and strengthening the power of her regency. Both Cromwell and Anne understand this, so they are satisfied to a great degree.

My favorite passage in this chapter is this one – the passage about compromises:
"It matters not to me why this happened, or whether any blame should be apportioned." Anne resumes, "I have long learned, owing to my feminine state, that compromise has been a requirement placed upon me from the moment that I emerged from the womb. Thus I consider it my duty, as my daughter's Regent, to continue to do so - but no longer solely upon my account. Always, I have been obliged to set aside my dreams, hopes and wishes to satisfy the whims of ambitious men - but no longer. I expect others to compromise as I do - to give ground for a greater good. Only a blind fool could fail to see the the Church has become bloated with wealth and corruption; where the rich can purchase forgiveness for the most egregious of sins, while the poor must labour from birth to death in misery, what little they earn taken from them in rents, tithes and taxes. They are told that it is God's will, and that their privations shall be rewarded in the next world. Thus our Parliament explores the reform of taxation to lessen the burden upon those who are least able to carry it, while we consider the reformation of England's church to permit those of lesser state to reap rewards in this life, instead of hoping for it only in eternity. Compromise has always been an obligation upon those who have nothing, or those who are female, while the wealthy and powerful are free to pursue their lives as they wish without consequences, for they can easily purchase absolution should they feel the need to."

I like the friendship between Anne and Jane Boleyn. But what about the feelings which Jane and George have for one another? Will they ever fall in love and have a loving family?

Please forgive me if this review if relatively short. Why? It is late, very late here, and I feel tired. Moreover, I admire the way you wrote the situation with pilgrims, but I can barely make myself read chapters where people suffer of sweat or some other sickness. I can read murders, battles, intrigues of any sort – but not sickness. So I read this chapter very quickly.

I do admire Anne Boleyn’s immeasurable courage to be with her daughter’s subjects who came to Canterbury in order to protect Becket’s bones and get infected with some bloody flux. As George says to Rich, Anne is stubborn and her brother has an endless list of facts that prove Anne’s stubbornness and her lack of fear even in the face of lethal danger. Anne’s brave actions will help her solidly establish herself as the Mother of the English Realm, for they will become known and the legend of her bravery will spread far beyond England, much to her enemies’ disgust.

I am so happy that we live in the 21the century. I often want to go back in time to some monarch’s court, but only if I can return in a few weeks home. I like this passage because it shows how primitive even enlightened people such as Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell were in terms of their understanding how sickness spread (bad humors, yes, it is amusing, but they believed so):
“Anne stares at her, helplessly; so many? Surely God cannot be angry with them for following their hearts - it cannot be a judgement. No - it is just an outbreak of sickness, something that seems to happen with dreadful regularity amongst those who are gathered close together. That is why the wealthy flee London in the summer, after all. Somehow the heat and proximity of a multitude always seem to lead to sickness eventually; though how that should happen, she cannot fathom. Presumably some exudation of a foul humour arising from the numbers of people present.”

I like the episode how Anne and her councilors prostrate themselves before God, asking Him to save the pilgrims from sickness and death. Anne’s thoughts of course go to Henry as she remembers the day when she lay prostrate in the chapel praying that he regains his conscience after he was unhorsed on a tournament. But Henry had a different fate – to see die. I like Anne’s conversation with someone who can barely believe that he is speaking to their Regent. Cromwell is right that they needed to approach Canterbury not in disguise, but in royal view.

Suffolk is not interested how the canals of Brugge and the picturesque city views look like. He is interested only in collecting information about Anne Boleyn, or the Concubine how he and Chapuys call her. He is happy to learn that finally, people seem to rise against her as they are gathering at Canterbury to protect the bones of the long-dead Becket. I like how Boleyn makes it clear that it will take them years to amass the amount of money necessary to represent Mary as her ambassadors in Courts of Europe. I am very eager to see Suffolk working as a laborer, for it would serve him so right if he made his hands dirty and didn’t rely only upon the income from Boleyn’s trade works allowing them to survive. This couple of traitors are worthy of each other.

What is happening in Canterbury… It was interesting to read about all the mess happening there. It seems that the commoners and the nobles who are Roman Catholic are assembling there to protect the shrine that is even not the most holy one in England, and all because of Becket’s bones and because Canterbury is the seat of the English Christendom. According to Cranmer and others, the people are planning to surround the Cathedral and are ready to even sleep outside only to preclude any commissioner from entering. Among them there are women with children, who are prepared to sleep outside with their own kids. This is sheer madness! This is also an example how the excess of religion may influence undereducated people to act like foolish flock. It is the bandwagon effect that the aristocrats and the nobles adopt a protective behavior of the Becket shrine and all gather there simply because everyone else is doing it.

It is admirable how Anne, Cromwell, and other reformers temper their growing anger as they receive the reports about how these undereducated people who understand little about the corruption in their beloved Catholic Church move to Canterbury. I share and understand Cromwell’s fears that all their hark religious work (the continuation of the Reformation in accordance with the late Henry’s laws) could have harmed the image of Anne as the Mother of the Realm. But as they travel to Canterbury with Anne in disguise, they meet someone who tells them that Anne seems to be a good person who is interested in the fates of the poor and charity, who did enough for the lower classes, so she is not a whore, but those who surround her give her a bad counsel and destroy the holy shrines out of their malice, spite, or wickedness. God this man is so naïve and undereducated that he thinks that Anne’s proclamation of religious freedom in England may mean that she will soon return the country to the flock of Rome. How naïve!

I admire Anne’s bravery in this chapter! She takes off her royal garments, travels in disguise to Canterbury with the Ormond coat-of-arms, and then finds shelter in Cranmer’s palace. She has only a few men at arms, and she does not intend to cause any bloodshed, yet she intends to have Becket’s bones buried and the reforms continued. I wonder how Anne will manage to persuade her disobedient and rebellious, or almost rebellious, subjects, to disperse without an army. I like the mention of Henry who would have sent a royal army to showcase his might and to deal with those who rebelled against him – it is in late Henry’s style. But Anne is not Henry.

So, some illness – a bloody flux – is spreading among the people. Well, there are so many of them in such a little space that I am not astonished. It seems that the whole country traveled to Canterbury, bringing filth and infection from various corners of the country to one place. Anne’s decision to stay here and work on behalf of the sick people is even more admirable. She is acting as the true Mother of the Realm, and this passage is my favorite one:
"Stop that, Gentlemen." She chides, crossly, "Now is not the time for dreading fears that may not come to pass - this must not be carried out into the city, or beyond. I refuse to run from this - should I do so then I shall truly be naught but a self-loving wanton. My child is safe at Whitehall - should I miscarry, then Sussex and Southampton can serve as Lords Protector in my stead. God's blood! We cannot sit upon our hands and do nothing!"

Thomas Wriothesley can have good organizational and managerial skills. You mean Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, right? Although he supported Henry VIII in England’s break with Rome, and he was handsomely rewarded during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, he persecuted Calvinists and Protestants when political winds blew in a different direction. As far as I remember, he was a religious turncoat who could serve many masters, and now he is serving Anne, and he is serving her loyally, as it follows from the story. But I understand why at the scene at the beginning of the chapter Southampton feels uncomfortable when he faces all the mountains of wealth that the religious houses accumulated and the royal commissioners would have to destroy. It is good that Cromwell can watch Wriothesley and what he is doing.

I am very sad with the grievous news from Sweden, which arrived in England together with the excommunication of Queen Bess and Queen Regent Anne. I am delighted to see the change of Anne’s heart as she feels for Mary Tudor who lost her child again. A second child lost! Anne knows the pain of losing an unborn child, and Cromwell knows the pain of losing two daughters who barely reached adulthood. By the way, I am very interested in Crowmell’s private life, for he also mentioned another Italian woman in one of the previous chapters.

I am glad that Anne and Cromwell both understand that for a woman as pious and prepared for the life of a princess of the blood as Mary Tudor is it is impossible to end the life of her own baby. Regardless of who is Mary’s husband – a Catholic or a Protestant king – it is her duty to give him heirs, or as you correctly say “her very existence was created entirely for the bearing of sons to a King”. So, no, Mary would not have done that, and her two miscarriages happened for another reason – she could have fasted excessively, just as Catherine of Aragon did, or she could have had unfortunate pregnancies due to the genetic material she is carrying – the Avis and Trastámara material was full of inbred genes because of many intermarriages between the members of these families. The rumors circulating in Sweden are just nasty gossip spread by those Swedish Protestants who dislike Mary and want Gustav to take another wife.

I reiterate that I don’t think Gustav would have taken another wife at this stage. He said that they would try again, and they would. It seems to me that the King of Sweden and Mary are already romantically involved at this stage. If Gustav is in love with Mary, he will protect her from the slanders of his courtiers, and God bless him for a long life. Mary can find happiness with him. As Cromwell’s practicality resurfaces, and he says that Mary’s assassination might end their troubles, Anne’s practicality also resurfaces and she reminds him that they cannot lose a good ally – Sweden – in a situation when England remains rather politically isolated.

Most of all in this chapter I like Anne’s conversation with Cromwell about power and its affection upon personality. I, too, don’t think that Anne can be a tyrant, unlike Henry who died in this story before he could descend into utter madness. But Anne is right that power is addictive, and its call is strong – she gives the right examples. I like this passage very much:
"Do not think that I could not be a tyrant, Mr Cromwell. Until you have held power such as this, you cannot imagine the strength of its call upon you. It was that call that drove Mary to attempt to raise England against me, and it speaks in my ear each day - telling me to protect Elizabeth from the burden, to let her wear the Crown as but a mere bauble. Remember that I have told you this, Mr Cromwell. Remind me of it each and every day." Her expression is fearful now, "Its call is strong - dangerously strong, and I am not immune from it - but the day when I believe that I am grows ever nearer, and I must fight to ensure that day never comes."

And now Becket… Cromwell is right that to disband and despoil any religious shrine that is sacred for those who are unwilling to abjure the old faith leads to the situation when their anger towards the royal commissioners might drive them to try and protect the shrines by going on a pilgrimage. And now when they deal with the shrine where Becket’s bones are kept they risk creating an upheaval in England among peasants who don’t understand that bones cannot do wonders regardless of how many hours they pray over them prostrated on the floor in some cathedral. Cromwell rightly says that Canterbury is at the centre of England's Church, and they need to be especially careful as to how to proceed. Anne’s order to have Becket’s remains interred in a suitable grave within the precincts of the cathedral sounds logical, but I don’t think that most people (commoners) would agree to give these “scared” bones freely – they will flock to Canterbury and try to defend what they consider one of the wonders of England.

It made me smile that some foreign monarchs, including the King of France, want to purchase or receive donations of some valuable things obtained during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Anne is right that no one should be given anything, and Becket’s bones should be buried in a simple tomb, while bones of horses and animals, which monks used to make people believe they are bones of saints must be buried in some common graves. I think Anne’s decision to go without an army is correct, even though Cromwell says that they may need men at arms.