Charlie Fenton’s Reviews > Intractable Heart > Status Update

‘I have heard it whispered that my mother’s trial was a farce, the charges trumped up by her enemies. I wonder how she felt on the day she had to face them accused of such heinous things. Had she had time to make up a credible story but … the difference between my mother and I is that she was innocent of the charges. I am not.’

‘I have known plenty of stepmothers, but never mourned one as I do her. And I am wracked with guilt for the horrid way I mistreated her. Katheryn offered me everything I had ever missed. She filled the gap in my soul that was carved by the loss of my real mother. I cannot forgive myself. I know I am an ungrateful, undeserving wretch.’

‘We name her Mary, in honour of the princess. I cannot keep away from the nursery. For the first time I have a girl I can worship, one who will love me back, unconditionally. Long years of adulation stretch before me. I see her toddling toward me with outstretched arms; mounted on her first pony; donning her first silk gown.’

‘I grab her wrist, twist it roughly so she falls to her knees with a sharp cry. Ignoring Kate’s shout of protest I fumble for my knife with my other hand and begin to hack at Elizabeth’s skirts. At first she is so astounded, she does not fight back. We are both surprised as the fabric rips in two. And then, as if I am possessed, I find I cannot stop.‘

‘I don’t think it is love; I am not given to sentiment. It is more a case of finishing what was begun all those years ago. I have never forgotten that hour in her bed. She was a widow when I took her for the first time; she is a widow now, and close to the young king. If I can possess the queen, I will stand a better chance of gaining control of the boy.’

‘I know Henry intends me no slight in commissioning a portrait of himself and his wife, Jane, with their children meekly beside them. It is the epitome of family unity and it hurts to be left out. More than I’d thought possible. They are my children. I’ve welcomed them, without hesitation, into my heart, into my household. His dead wife should stay in her grave where she belongs.’

‘My mother always stressed that when one sets oneself a task, one should attend to it with the best of one’s ability. Since I am queen I have decided to be the best, and hopefully the last, of Henry’s wives. My chosen motto is ‘To be useful in what I do,’ and I am determined to be more than wife. More than queen. I will be his consort.‘

‘“That is good to hear, Your Majesty. You need a young woman to cheer you and fill your nursery with princes.”
“NO.” The word is short, harsh and cutting. “Not a young woman. I made that mistake last time … with her, with Katherine.” I look at my lap, my throat closing in panic at the intimate turn of the conversation. “Lady Latimer, I have it in mind to marry you.”’

‘She throws her head back, her laughter a welcome return after so many weeks of forced solemnity. I know she mourns Father as is her duty but, after witnessing her ecstatic joy when in the company of Sir Thomas Seymour, it is obvious to me that she never loved him. I find myself, in idle moments, wondering how long she has known Seymour and if there is anything between them.’

‘London is plunged into mourning for the queen. Women weep in the streets for the pitiable motherless prince and his poor bereaved father. Forgetting the harsh rule of the last few years, the populace overlook the burnings, the disembowelling, the murdered monks, and their hearts fill with grief for their unlucky monarch. As Queen Jane’s body is carried to Windsor, the crowd stand silent in the rain.‘