Had the Queen Lived:

by Raven A. Nuckols

  Anne gave a beautiful speech following Henry’s decree, thanking the Duchess, the orphanage staff, and inviting them all to spend the entire week as her guests in the palace, to be treated as royalty. The gestures from both of their majesties were magnanimous, yet cruelly recorded by Ambassador Chapuys of Spain. He wrote to his master that it was a mere act to impress their subjects, pathetically executed and without warmth or sincerity; it was another mischaracterization meant to slight the Queen’s involvement. In truth, in the midst of the seriousness of the rebellion, this show of pageantry and graciousness uplifted everyone’s spirits. After the emotional performance, Henry and Anne retired to his chambers to spend what remained of the evening together.

  The Lady Mary dismissed her servants, which was odd, and retired to her chamber instead of joining in the dancing, claiming a severe migraine from the evening’s activities. She told her trusted maid servant that it was now time to bring the rebel leader Aske to her chambers discreetly. It was vital that no one know of his presence in her chambers. A few moments later Aske arrived and dropped to his knees, as if he were greeting her as the true Princess she was, to which she smiled and humbly raised him to his feet. She thanked him for his kind letter, even though it was dangerous, and for his own safety she cautioned him not to write to her again, in case it might be intercepted, putting them both at risk. She did admit to him in private that she was hopeful that he would succeed in his plight and restore her, but she dare not think it, for that alone was treason.

  Aske replied that it was his primary mission in bringing a true Catholic England back to its rightful place in Christendom, and that could only happen by restoring her to her true place in line for the throne. He also reassured her that no one, not even an earthly King, could make the truth treasonous, which brought Mary to smiling tears. He prayed with her, offering her a blessing. Out of fear of being caught, she told him their meeting could not last long but thanked him for his cause and prayed that he might be successful, stating that he truly had been sent by God. All her faith and hopes at restoration to her former titles now lay in his hands. Then she placed the six-carat raw diamond in a pouch in his hand with discreet instructions to tell no one of this meeting, nor where he got the diamond, and to sell it for the supplies his groups would need. Aske dropped to his knees, again calling her Princess, and thanking her for her generosity, giving her his word that what they had discussed would die with him. With that, Aske was dismissed and left her in peace. The meeting would last no more than ten minutes, but would be enough to damn Mary.

  Unfortunately for the conspirators, Anne’s father, Lord Rochford, was paranoid of Mary’s visit to the court in general, and had her followed. Mary stood no chance. She was being watched by spies of both Cromwell and Rochford. Her slightest movements were reported to Rochford first, including her midnight rendezvous with Aske. Cromwell’s agents were elsewhere enjoying the revelry instead of their charge, and missed out on this vital opportunity to catch Mary so brazenly in the act of treason. The following morning Rochford told the Queen at once so they could strategize their next move. While Rochford admitted he was not present in the room to hear exactly what was said, he advised the Queen to have Mary’s chamber searched immediately, for he felt she was a part of the activities to bring down the Lady Mary for years; only she could not figure out how. Now with the rebellion going on, her enemy may be eliminated all on her own. He and Anne strategized throughout the morning on the best way to bring this news to Henry’s attention. Nonetheless, Anne considered Mary to be the final remaining enemy who could ruin her, and decided Mary had to be dealt with accordingly. She railed against the outrageous display of loyalty Mary had pathetically shown. She often fantasized that if Henry were to leave her as regent she would do away with Mary entirely, imprisoning her in the Tower, or having her permanently banished to a nunnery like her mother, or poisoning her in a variety of horrible fashions. As a final twist, when Mary’s fate could be proven Anne wanted that chalice to be enclosed in her prison cell so that she might contemplate on her wicked ways; it was clear of Anne’s intentions.

  This proof of Mary’s traitorous ways, by meeting with the head of the rebellion in the King’s own palace, would do away with Anne’s enemy for her. Best yet, Anne had nothing to do with setting it up. Her only role now would be to convince the King to do the right thing, and order the potential rival heir to death. A common metaphor in 16th century England was the image of nurturing a snake in one’s own bosom; Anne would use the phrase by repeating it to Henry in private, describing how, after all he had done for Mary, by giving her own estates and allowing her to keep her household and servants despite her bastard status, she nevertheless proved herself to be in league with traitors.

  First though, for all her plotting, Henry would have to be notified. Anne and her father had both grown weary of Cromwell’s involvement in such machinations, and they debated the benefits and detriments of having Cromwell tell Henry of Mary’s treason. Because the two factions were not working together any longer, each had no idea that the other was investigating Mary’s actions. Ultimately it was decided that, because it was Lord Rochford who directly learned of the treasonous meeting with Aske, he would be the one to go to the King.

  Anne prepped her father on the best time of day to approach the King with news so, when Henry’s mood would be highest and most receptive, such as before or after the hunt that she would take him on the following day, ensuring that his spirits would be heightened by the prospects of having caught game. Anne instructed her father to Act humbly and humiliated even to have discovered this, and even more so to tell his majesty that all he could prove was having witnessed Aske entering Mary’s chambers at midnight. That would be all it would take for Henry to grow outraged and demand that action be taken. From there, Anne would play her part well in private and exercise that prowess she was well known for. She would have Mary’s head if it was the last thing she did.

  The following day, true to her word, once Henry had finished his Privy Council meeting, he was told by Edward Seymour, Keeper of the Stables, that his and Anne’s horses had been made ready for a hunt, as a surprise by the Queen. Confused he took the bait, as he always enjoyed a welcome distraction from the business of court. Since Henry had already been briefed by Brandon about the meetings with the rebel leaders, he wanted his Privy Council to be notified and asked that Brandon keep him abreast of their discussions. On such an important day, when he should have been present, Anne’s surprise intrigued him, and he found it hard to say no to her, especially while she was with child.

  As he was preparing to head to the stables to meet Anne, Lord Rochford burst in at the appropriate time, delivering the most unnerving news in private. He played his role of humility and embarrassment to perfection. Naturally the King was enraged at Mary’s insolence, but with Anne waiting he had to hide his temper and thanked Lord Rochford for his discretion in the matter. He advised his father-in-law to keep this matter private until further measures could be taken.

  Anne was waiting at the stables, already aware that Henry would know of the Lady Mary’s meeting the night before. She played the unassuming Queen with dignity and poise. Whatever bad mood Henry was in, he could always count on Anne to uplift him from it. True to form, after several hours of hunting and demounting from the horses to take a walk holding hands, he confided in her and tried to be as gentle as he could in “informing” his Queen about the actions of the Lady Mary. Anne appeared to act shocked at her betrayal. She carefully listened and waited for the right opportunity to discuss Henry’s next steps regarding the Lady Mary.

  While the King and Queen were out attempting to enjoy the hunt, the rebel’s demands had been delivered via Brandon to the Privy Council, who were undertaking a thorough review before coming to consensus. The restoration of the Lady Mary hit a particular nerve with more than a few members. They all had sworn to the Oath of Succession and the majority at least outwardly
supported Anne. Back at the Privy Council meeting that same day, Brandon remained silent while Lord Audley read aloud the rebel grievances for the group to debate. After their careful review, they were to decide the most appropriate steps to advise His Majesty on taking against the rebel traitors including the leaders. Most were incensed that the King would even entertain holding a formal grievance court at York. They already had Parliament, which was established for such matters, but any member who spoke so boldly against the King’s design was quickly reprimanded by Cromwell, who kept them all in line.

  Cromwell suggested that, while the rebel leaders were in residence, they all should be taken to interrogation at the Tower. The minister firmly believed that only under further interrogation would they truly uncover all they needed to know. The council members did not dare disagree publicly with the minister, but Brandon still held his reservations to himself. The rebels had been more than forthcoming about their movements and resources, and besides their openness at parley, the entire rebel management was there to agree to a peace treaty under false pretenses. Despite their success at rousing the people and gaining an audience at court, they were yet a dysfunctional and unorganized group at best.

  Cromwell’s harsh proposal was seen as purely an act for the minister to save face before a King he knew he had fallen out of favor with. Brandon also held the paranoid thought that there were evil advisers in the council who agreed with these traitorous rebels. Regardless, Cromwell persisted. He would privately take this matter up with the King. The rest of the council agreed that the King was doing the right thing by having grievance hearings held at York, and none spoke out against it. There was not a single member who agreed with Cromwell’s plan to arrest and torture the leaders of the movement, (at least not in public) any such decision should be Henry’s alone.

  Upon leaving the council meeting, Cromwell ordered private investigations of the council members he suspected of any potential involvement in the rebellion. While Cromwell investigated the Privy Council members, Lord Rochford ordered his agents to further investigate the Lady Mary’s residence, discreetly, for any evidence of treason against the King, especially any evidence regarding Aske or communications with the rebel movement. Their primary instruction was to search her residences and the belongings of all of her servants for any evidence, specifically regarding the rebellion, her letters with Chapuys, Aske and any other Acts of treason against the King or Queen that they could find. Their investigation would take a deliberate and shocking turn.

  An urgent dispatch sent to the Rochford—in the late evening hours of December 27th revealed evidence of Mary’s contact with the rebels. It was during their search at Hertfordshire that Rochford’s agents uncovered the damaging evidence. The search was conducted in the late hours with her servants being barred from the premises, under pain of death. The intruders quickly suppressed the little security detail the King had allowed for Mary and entered the castle having their way of the grounds. Mary’s household were not informed who these men were, but were most likely scared within their lives to give them any information they wanted; they were unnamed henchmen who destroyed most of Mary’s property in their search.

  Rochford’s agents tore the place apart leaving it to appear as though the entire palace had been robbed, although in truth nothing had been taken but the evidence to bring Mary down. The men were not dressed in the any royal liveries, in order to disguise their identity, and they most likely frightened the poor servants greatly. Guards assigned to watch the palace were put under the same threat at knifepoint and ordered to stand down. They ransacked the lodgings, breaking fine china and crystal gifts. They destroyed tapestries worth a fortune, which ironically were owned by the King himself and were not Mary’s property. The few remaining servants were questioned thoroughly, and while no direct notice of torture was given, the agents stressed in their report to Rochford that the methods of interrogation were “deliberate” and revealed that the servants knew nothing of their mistress’s affairs.

  Despite the Lady Mary’s precautions, a laundress maid, perhaps too thorough in her duties, discovered Aske’s letter reassuring Mary of her restoration to power and Mary’s many draft responses; the discovery was the proverbial smoking gun. At knifepoint she revealed all, and the location of these letters, which Rochford’s agent’s quickly snatched up. These letters validated not only that Mary was in direct contact with the rebels, but that she understood their entire cause to be one of replacing her in the succession, and that she had even drafted thanks and prayers for their success. Nevertheless, while the drafts alone were incriminating, they could not find evidence of a final dispatch actually being sent in return to Aske. In fact, within the trove of evidence was a draft thanking Aske for his cause, but urging him and the rebels to stand down and obey the King. She revealed that she too could not reconcile her conscience to the King’s Acts, but that he remained her true Lord and Master, ever appointed by God, and she had advised Aske to obey their King. Still, her many drafts prayed for the rebels’ health, blessed them with good tidings, and vowed to keep them always in her thoughts. It was in the last line of a particular draft, written in Latin, that Mary met her downfall. The simple phrase: “ego voveo vestry prosperitas multiplex super quod dues mos rejoice in vestri causa”: “I pray for your success many times over and God will rejoice in your cause.”

  The agents rode through the night to report the evidence back to Lord Rochford. Shortly after 2 A.M. the agents returned, detailing the treason they had uncovered with what they claimed was little force. It was far too dangerous at this time to brief Cromwell first, so Rochford was the one they left the Actual evidence with. It mattered little as Cromwell was aware that Rochford had agents who had broken into Lady Mary’s residence. He knew not what they were looking for, but this gave him all the proof he needed to know that he was no longer welcome as a trusted ally and associate of the Boleyns, which was a very dangerous place to be.

  True to form, Cromwell notified Henry immediately of the break in, unaware that Henry already knew of Mary’s private meeting with Aske. With the proof in hand, Rochford had beaten him to the King’s chamber and when Cromwell came in, Rochford had already briefed Henry of Lady Mary’s treason. Rochford woke him, apologizing profusely, but saying that there was the most urgent business to inform his monarch about. Cromwell listened as Rochford began recounting all of the evidence in its utmost detail, handed Henry the documents that Rochford’s agents had uncovered and awaited further instruction from the King.

  As Henry began to read, he grew angry, and because he was already tired, he was even more livid than usual and so ordered Cromwell to begin immediately drafting up the Bill of Attainder that would essentially list out Mary’s crimes against the King. Before he left, Cromwell also suggested that, now that they had Mary’s crimes in hand, they draw up additional bills against the rebel leaders so they could interrogate them further while they were still at court; Henry agreed. Cromwell immediately left to discharge his duty and prepare the bills. Henry thanked Rochford for coming forward with this most unwelcome news, but that he needed his rest to determine what steps next to take; he so ordered before dismissing Rochford to make certain the Queen was aware of the evolving events. Henry would go back to sleep and would comment the following day that he slept remarkably well, all things considering. Per the King’s command Rochford briefed his daughter immediately afterwards of Mary’s treason. Anne rejoiced immediately calling for George and told her family that it had been divinely ordered that the wicked daughter, the Lady Mary should fall. Anne wanted to celebrate immediately. Rochford left his daughter to enjoy her good fortune in private as he went to ensure his agents were unharmed and remained anonymous.

  Cromwell woke his clerk and, despite the late hour, immediately called for his staff to start preparing the necessary notices of Mary’s crimes to Parliament. Treason or not, it was the King’s daughter they would be acting against. Cromwell spent t
he remainder of the evening drawing up the Bill of Attainder against Mary per the King’s wishes to be presented to him in the morning. The minister was certainly grateful that the Lady Mary’s crimes had been uncovered, but he wanted to know how and why Rochford had his own independent agents investigating her first. He would in time have his own agents answer that question. He also debated how or if to even share this most upsetting news to Chapuys. For the time being he made a wise decision to keep this information to himself.

  When Henry awoke the next morning he got ready for the day, went to see Anne, and kissed her good morning while she was still asleep, along with their growing child. He eventually woke her and detailed the events from what had happened the night before with Rochford and Cromwell along with the evidence found against the Lady Mary, to which she acted genuinely shocked, another exceptional performance. The actual extent of Mary’s treason was surprising, especially given how only a few months prior she would finally taken the oath against both her faith and conscience; she did so to not risk death, and turned out only to have delayed it. The girl was apparently not quite as wise as her admirers often professed.

  Either way, Anne kept these thoughts to herself. Henry assured her that Cromwell was drafting up the Bill of Attainder for Mary that very morning and that she would be arrested and taken to the Tower within the hour. The verdict was as good as made. Naturally, he was sullen about the entire affair and his conscience, he admitted, was genuinely stricken about having to put his own to death, although in Anne’s presence he was extremely careful not to use the word daughter. He left Anne’s chamber that morning and went off to sign the warrant.