The Other Boleyn Girl [1] by Philippa Gregory

Author:Philippa Gregory
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780743269834
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 2001-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

She rounded on him. “When I am, I will know who my friends are. Mary is my lady in waiting and I keep good order in my household.”

“Surely she can make her own choice now.”

Anne shook her head. “Not if she wants my favor.”

“For God’s sake, Anne! We’re family. You’re where you are because Mary stepped back for you.

You can’t turn around now and act like a Princess of the Blood. We put you where you are. You can’t treat us like subjects.”

“You are subjects,” she said simply. “You, Mary, even Uncle Howard. I had my own aunt sent from court, I had the king’s brother-in-law sent from court. I had the queen herself sent from court. Is there anyone who has any doubt that I can send them into exile if I wish? No. You may have helped me to be where I am—”

“Helped you! We bloody well pushed you!”

“But now I am here I will be queen. And you will be my subjects and in my service. I will be the queen and mother to the next King of England. So you had better remember that, George, for I won’t tell you again.”

Anne rose up from the floor and swept toward the door. She stood before it, waiting for someone to open it for her, and when neither of us sprang up she flung it open herself. She turned on the threshold. “And don’t call me Annamaria any more,” she said. “And don’t call her Marianne. She is Mary, the other Boleyn girl. And I am Anne, Queen Anne to be. There is a world of difference between us two. We don’t share a name. She is next to nobody and I will be queen.” She stalked out, not troubling to close the door behind her. We could hear her footsteps going to her bedroom. We sat in silence while we heard her chamber door slam.

“Good God,” George said, heartfelt. “What a witch.” He got up and closed the door against the cold draught. “How long has she been like this?”

“Her power has grown steadily. She thinks she is untouchable.”

“And is she?”

“He’s deeply in love. I should think she is safe, yes.”

“And he still hasn’t had her?”

“No.”

“Good God, what do they do?”

“Everything, but the deed. She daren’t allow it.”

“Must be driving him crazy,” George said with grim satisfaction.

“Her too,” I said. “Almost every night he is kissing her and touching her and she is all over him with her hair and her mouth.”

“Does she speak to everyone like this? Like she spoke to me?”

“Far worse. And it is costing her friends. Charles Brandon is against her now, Uncle Howard is sick of her; they have quarreled outright, at least a couple of times since Christmas. She thinks she is so safe in the king’s love that she needs no other protection.”

“I won’t tolerate it,” George said. “I’ll tell her.”

I maintained my look of sisterly concern, but my heart leaped at the thought of a gulf opening up between Anne and George.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.