A Tudor Rose

The Beginning

I don't think I even saw him until around 1520. Before that, I was the lowest of servants, a mere girl of 15. The King then was like a mystery figure to me. He loomed in my elders' every sentence.  

'Mary! If you keep scrubbing the floor with such languour, the King will come and tell you off!'

'Mary! If you don't fold those linens properly, the King will have to wear creased shirts!'

'Mary! You are letting the devil get ahold of you! Stop dawdling, you are the very picture of idleness. Good Lord, what would the King say?'

The first time I saw him was in September of 1920. Mary Boleyn was the shining star at court, newlywed to Willian Carey, since the 4th of February that year. They were having a feast, and they had a shortage of fools. I begged and pleaded to not have to be ridiculed and laughed at but my protests were 'of no importance', as Miss Finchley said.  

A small group of servants gave me something that I could wear over the top of my grubby shift. It was a scarlet vest with large, unattractive breeches edged with violet silk. As I looked in the rusted mirror in the servants' main room I wanted to cry. 

I walked down the narrow steps leading to the great hall, my terror and anxiety worsening with every step. The staircase twisted and turned, and suddenly I found myself in front of a huge oak door. I had never been in this part of the castle, but I knew it led to the banquet, thanks to the roars of jolly laughter coming from the inside. I was trembling. A servant that I had never seen before painted a grisly scarlet smile on my lips. 'Smile, little lass. You're not about to be led to the scaffold. Don't look so miserable.'  Well, she wasn't about to be ridiculed by the king. 

The door opened and I saw all of the heads turned to me. A deafening silencing roared across the room. And then I heard a deep voice that said: 'What is she doing as our fool? You can clearly see that she couldn't say boo to a goose. How is she going to entertain us?'

Then, a darker, more powerful voice spoke. 'William, you're scaring her. and She's a gorgeous lass. Come closer!'

And I remember thinking of such an amusing comment that I filled the room with merry laughter. 

That evening, the king called me into his study. 'What's your name?' he asked. 'Trinity Thomas.' "Well, Miss Thomas, I want you to be my personal maid. You see, my former maid, Mary, simply didn't do. Certainly not for the King. I was in a fit of despair, and then this afternoon I saw you. A witty young girl, perfect for the job.'