The King's Painter by Alison Weir

Author:Alison Weir
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2019-09-18T22:00:00+00:00

She did her best to win back Anna’s confidence. She showed herself the most willing of all to perform the most mundane tasks; she took the Queen’s part in every issue; she tried to make her smile or engage in the kind of easy conversation they had once shared.

Susanna warned her not to listen to gossip. ‘Pay no heed, Madam,’ she said, ‘it is just malicious talk. You do not need to hear what people are saying.’

‘Yes, I do!’ Anna flared. ‘You kept too much from me before.’

Susanna fell silent. It seemed that she was not to be forgiven.

In bed with John at night, she wept with remorse. ‘I have betrayed the kindest mistress who ever lived,’ she sobbed.

‘Now you are being dramatic,’ he soothed. ‘She will come round, you’ll see.’

But she did not. When it was announced, in July, that the King’s marriage had been dissolved, the news came as a shock to Susanna, for by then she had been consigned to the fringes of the Queen’s circle. She soon discovered that other ladies had been taken into Anna’s confidence, and knew she had been left out in the cold.

On the day the Queen’s household was broken up, and all who had served her stood in line to say farewell, Susanna prayed that, on parting, Anna would show her some kindness and leave the door open to rebuilding their friendship. But when her turn came, and she searched the Queen’s face for any sign of affection or regret, Anna merely inclined her head, and Susanna had perforce to walk away.

Had she hoped for a place in Anna’s new establishment? Her mistress was now the King’s dearest sister, with palaces of her own and a great income, but clearly she did not want Susanna in her life. The door was firmly closed to her.

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