My Nephew, My King

The Good Luck Charm

Joanna opened her eyes, and at first she couldn't remember where she was, or what had happened. Gradually the memories returned to her. She was married to George Boleyn and was expecting his child. The last thing she remembered was feeling hot and very sleepy, but to her that seemed like a long time ago.

"Joanna! Thank God you're awake!" Joanna heard her husband's voice and turned to look into his worried eyes.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You fell ill with the sweating sickness," George told her. "Oh, Joanna, I was so worried!"

"The sweating sickness?" Fear suddenly came upon her, and she grasped her belly. "The baby!"

"The baby's just fine," George assured her. As if to second his words, she felt the baby's movement inside her right after George had spoken and was greatly relieved.

Joanna was quite weak for the first few days after her recovery, but as time passed, she gradually grew stronger. Early one morning, she felt an unfamiliar tightening across her abdomen. A wave of excitement shot through her, and she shook her husband awake.

"George, the baby's coming!" she exclaimed.

George was instantly awake and on his way to fetch the midwife, who arrived and examined Joanna.

"It'll be a few more hours," she told them.

At first the contractions were fairly mild, but as time passed, they grew stronger and stronger.

"You're doing just fine," the midwife told her. "If you feel like crying out, don't hold back."

Soon the pain became so intense that Joanna began to scream, wadding the bedsheets up in her hands and pulling on them.

After awhile, the midwife saw her groaning and straining and examined her again. "You're ready," she announced.

Joanna pushed and pushed until sweat was streaming down her face. The midwife examined her again.

"It won't be long now," she said. "I can already see the top of the baby's head."

Another mighty push, and the baby's head emerged. After a few more pushes, Joanna felt the rest of the baby's body slide from her own.

"It's a girl!" the midwife exclaimed.

A girl! What would George say?

To Joanna, the newborn's wail sounded like the mewing of a kitten. The baby was wrapped in a blanket and laid in her arms. As she looked down into her daughter's smoky blue eyes, she felt an overwhelming love for her, one such as she'd never felt before for anyone.

"Hello, beautiful!" Suddenly George was there, beaming. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?"

"She looks just like you, George," said Joanna. "I want to name her Georgia, for you."

"Why, thank you, sweetheart. I'm deeply honored," said George. He kissed his wife's cheek, then took his new daughter into his arms.

When Henry came to, he found himself lying flat on his back, staring straight up into the bright sunshine. A sea of concerned faces surrounded him.

"Are you all right?" asked his younger brother, Edward.

"I...I think so," Henry stuttered, struggling to his feet. Edward and his other younger brother, Charles, helped him to stand up. "What happened?"

"You took a direct blow to the throat," Charles told him. "Only a miracle could have saved you."

Henry felt the charm around his neck holding the amulet which Jane Seymour had given him. He took it from around his neck and looked at it, gasping in shock when he saw the indentation where the lance had struck it.

"Lady Jane Seymour's good luck charm saved my life," he said in awe. "I must go to her right away and thank her."