Next came the stomacher, something similar to a lace-up corset but prettier because it would have been likely to show. Often, these were embroidered in Tudor times, but mine is made of a silky red and black fabric with no extra decoration. Stays made of wood were used back then, but somehow, I could not imagine myself standing that straight and stiff, so Becky found something more flexible: plastic.
The contraption is hard to get on—I can’t do it alone, and the first time I wore it, I thought I would never get it off. With my husband’s help, we finally lifted it over my head.
The petticoat or slip will be next, red to match the stomacher. Red was also the color of martyrs and Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a red petticoat at her execution. Then, around the waist is tied a “bum roll,” to help the skirt stick out.
So far, only the undergarments are completed, so I suppose I will be addressing audiences in my skivvies, basically. Rest assured, even the underwear is more modest than anything we wear today.
By the time the next book comes out, I hope to have the complete outfit ready, including velvet flats sewn with jewels and pearls. I already have my Anne Boleyn “A” necklace, thanks to theanneboleynfiles.com, and can’t wait to struggle into the entire getup. I’ll need several ladies-in-waiting to help me remove the garment or I just may be wearing it for a very long time indeed.
Recommended Reading
Nonfiction
Alison Weir
Henry VIII: The King and His Court
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Eric Ives
The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn
David Starkey
Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII
Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne
Antonia Fraser
The Wives of Henry VIII
Derek Wilson
In the Lion’s Court: Power, Ambition, and Sudden Death in the Reign of Henry VIII
The Uncrowned Kings of England: The Black History of the Dudleys and the Tudor Throne
Retha Warnicke
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn
Joanna Denny
Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England’s Tragic Queen
Fiction
Jean Plaidy
The Lady in the Tower (and all others)
Jeane Westin
His Last Letter
Norah Lofts
The Concubine
C. W. Gortner
The Tudor Secret
Diane Haeger
The Queen’s Mistake
The Queen’s Rival
Reading Group Questions
1. At the Mercy of the Queen takes place during Anne Boleyn’s reign as queen. What did you discover about England at this time? Who were the major players and what were their motivations?
2. Anne Boleyn is one of history’s most popular figures. Why do you think she continues to exert such fascination, so many years after her life?
3. How would you describe the character of Henry VIII? Was he a monster or a hero for religious reform?
4. Did Henry really love Anne? Do you think Anne truly loved Henry? What do you think went wrong in their relationship?
5. How was Madge, or Anne for that matter, different from other women of her era? Do you think she was “ahead of her time”? What do you see as her most and least admirable qualities? Take a moment to talk about women and their place in Tudor society.
6. How does Arthur’s illegitimacy affect him?
7. Who was your favorite character in the book, and why?
8. Why do you think Anne Boleyn’s plan did not work?
9. To what extent do you think Anne Clinard Barnhill took artistic liberties with this work? What does it take for a novelist to bring a “real” period to life?
10. We are taught, as young readers, that every story has a “moral.” Is there a moral to At the Mercy of the Queen? What can we learn about our world—and ourselves—from Madge’s story?
In her upcoming book, Anne Barnhill takes us to the court of Elizabeth I. The queen finds herself betrayed by her ward, Mary Shelton, a young woman she has raised almost as her own daughter.
I shall have their heads! Traitors! To marry without the permission of one’s prince is treason! Treason indeed! Heads will roll—the priest who dared marry them—the witnesses who arranged the wedding! God’s death! The Tower will be crowded with their stinking carcasses!
Parry, did she think her treachery would go unpunished? After our most kind treatment of the baggage! Oh, Parry, when I think of how she came to us, not much more than a babe in arms, how her chubby arms clung to my neck for comfort—God’s blood, she shall pay! All I have given her—hearth and home! Food and drink! Satins and silks to show off her beauty! Rubies and pearls to sparkle in her hair and on her person!
Dear Parry, I gave her my heart—you know it is true! Does she put so little value on my love that she would turn traitor? I have cared more for her than I have for any man! A purer love. For she has been the daughter of my heart, if not my body! But she tossed my love back to me! Without a care!
No! I will not forgive her, Parry! She has gone too far! Ungrateful wench! I shall see her and that new husband of hers in the Tower! They shall suffer a traitor’s death. I shall send for the guards this instant.
ALSO BY ANNE CLINARD BARNHILL
At Home in the Land of Oz: Autism, My Sister, and Me
What You Long For
About the Author
Anne Clinard Barnhill has published short stories, poetry, a memoir, and hundreds of articles and book reviews over the last twenty years. This is her first novel. Barnhill has taught writing in a variety of venues and been the keynote speaker for numerous events. She lives in North Carolina.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
AT THE MERCY OF THE QUEEN. Copyright © 2011 by Anne Clinard Barnhill. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Barnhill, Anne Clinard.
At the mercy of the queen : a novel of Anne Boleyn / Anne Clinard Barnhill.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-250-00519-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-312-66213-4 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4299-2554-9 (e-book)
1. Anne Boleyn, Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England, 1507–1536—Fiction. 2. Great Britain—Court and courtiers—Fiction. 3. Great Britain—History—Henry VIII, 1509–1547—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.A77713A94 2012
813'.6—dc23
2011036004
eISBN 9781429925549
First Edition: January 2012
At the Mercy of the Queen: A Novel of Anne Boleyn Page 38