The Italian Rose

Thirty-One

It was working.
Whatever Sir Nicholas and Philip Giuffrida were saying was working, twice the King had glanced her way.
If Isabella had noticed that Henry's eye had begun to wander, she made no notice of acknowledgement that had soured Jane's mood a little as she hoped to at least embarrass the Fake Queen.

Even Anne Boleyn, the King's Maîtresse-en-titre barely acknowledged the short glances Henry sent Jane's way, Thomas was sure that they would at least get a reaction out of her, but nothing.

Isabella knew that with both herself and Anne pregnant, Henry would take another Mistress if he keeps that Mistress on or discard her like he has done with others, that was he choice.
If Henry wishes to take a Mistress, then Isabella will bear it. She would try not to throw fits, nor would she allow to show him how much his actions hurt her.

Today marks the day that Isabella would be described as the Most Happy, a Queen with a heart of stone.

"Mama." Charles called, eagerly reaching out for his mother from Lady Pole's arms. His call also brought Henry out of his flirtation as he turned in time to see Isabella walk over towards him.

To him, Isabella was every inch a Queen, his eyes glanced towards her pregnant belly which to him was quite large compared to her pregnancy with Charles, there were rumours that the Queen was carrying twins but the midwives never denied nor confirmed the rumours.
Henry could not help but feel that something had changed about his wife. He had not been avoiding her, but he felt that Isabella had changed.

"Your majesty," Thomas Cromwell murmured hesitantly as he did not want to disrupt the King from his merry mood, but the matters of State came first.

Henry admired his wife and children for a moment more, as Mary joined Charles in his small game, the Tudor bloodline was secure for now and Isabella was sure to be pregnant with the Duke of York; and if not then he was sure that Isabella would give him more healthy sons.

Turning his attention back onto Cromwell, Henry nodded his head before following the man from the banquet to discuss matters of state with his privy council.

From her corner, Jane watched with a saddened heart that the King did not glance her way before his departure, naturally his departing glance was towards his wife and son - when Jane becomes his Mistress, she will try to dispose Charles as Crown Prince and place Mary in her rightful place as heir.

It is all she can do for the rightful Queen, Catherine of Aragon, who is hidden away from public at Ludlow Castle, rumoured to be ill. Jane was sure that Isabella was somehow involved with keeping Catherine there, but she had no proof of this. She needed to be smart and find proof herself.

______

Focusing on her work as her ladies giggled together across from the room, going through the gifts that the noble families of the King's court had given her for England's next heir, Isabella huddled by the fire working on clothing for the poor; Isabella felt so alone and wished that one of her sisters could here.

Lucrezia was now married to John Butler, she had moved to the Butler estate to oversee the household management  as the new Lady of the House, Sophia was busy preparing for her upcoming nuptials to Viscount Bryan, her father was still managing affairs of his Dukedom estate whilst Grace was currently in France, heavily pregnant with her first child.

The eldest De Angelo daughter was in a country by herself, due any day now, but she was surrounded by her husband's family, and from the letter that Isabella received, they were supportive and welcoming.

Isabella had thought of her younger self. When she first entered court and where she accepted Catherine's plan, she wondered what that Isabella would think of herself now.