My Nephew, My King

Anne Boleyn

King Arthur grew to be a tall, handsome, charming young man. He was gentle and kind as well as intelligent. He reminded Katherine very much of his father, which made her feel both happy and sad.

One day Arthur was attending a masquerade at Whitehall Palace when he saw a young woman who completely captivated him. She was slender, with long, very dark brown hair. Although Arthur couldn't see her face, he could tell that she was lovely and couldn't wait to meet her.

The dance finally ended, and the dancers left the floor. Fascinated, Arthur watched the young woman as she took a seat and put her mask down. He gasped when he saw that she had a beautiful face, with eyes that looked like dark pools of ebony and a slender, swan-like neck.

Almost timidly, he approached her. "Forgive me," he said. "But I am enchanted by your beauty and would very much like to make your acquaintance."

She gasped with surprise and delight. "Your Majesty!" she exclaimed. "I'm deeply honored. My name is Anne Boleyn, and I've just recently arrived from France to be a lady-in-waiting here at the English court."

"You're the loveliest woman I've ever met, and a marvelous dancer as well," said Arthur.

"Thank you," said Anne. "France is a lovely country, but I'm happy to be home in England again. I grew up in the countryside here with my brother and sister, and I missed it."

"Tell me about them."

"We've always been very close. Mary's the oldest. Her husband died of the sweating sickness. She has a little girl, Katherine, and a little boy, Henry. George is the second oldest. He's only a couple of years older than me."

"I'd love to meet them sometime," said Arthur.

"I'd be happy to introduce you," Anne told him.

For the rest of that day, Arthur couldn't get Anne out of his mind. He couldn't wait until he had a chance to see her again.

"Who was the young woman I saw you talking to earlier?" Arthur's younger sister, Joanna, asked him that evening.

"Her name is Anne Boleyn, and she just arrived from the courts of France," said Arthur.

"She must be very sophisticated, then," said Joanna. "If I were you, I'd be careful."

Arthur saw Anne frequently over the next several weeks. They went for long walks together on the palace grounds, and sometimes had picnics when the weather was nice. Before long, Arthur realized that he was in love.

His Uncle Henry spoke to him about it one day.

"You're a King," Henry told him. "You could marry any of the princesses of Europe you chose. Why would you settle for a commoner?"

"I don't consider it to be 'settling' at all, Uncle Henry," Arthur replied. "Anne is just as beautiful and intelligent as any European princess. She can't help it that she wasn't born royal. I love her just as much as if she had been."

"You're still very young," Henry continued. "You've never even been with a woman before. Why not simply take Anne as a mistress? Then later, when you're ready to settle down, you can choose a virginal bride from amongst the royal families of Europe."

"But I love Anne, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her," Arthur protested. "Just because I've never been with a woman doesn't mean that I'm not ready to settle down yet. I don't have to bed multiple women to feel like a man."

"You're the King, and I can't tell you what to do," said Henry. "But I have a feeling that if you marry your Boleyn commoner now, you'll regret it some day."