Lady Jane: A Time For Us

Things To Come

The group huddled close together in the dark, hardly daring to whisper, glancing around nervously every few minutes. Suddenly, the door burst open, and a group of rough-looking men forced their way in. From the way they were dressed, it was obvious that they were in the service of Queen Mary Tudor. Snatching up Bibles and hymnbooks, the terrified men and women scrambled for escape. Their struggles proved to be for naught, as one by one they were overcome and dragged away to an open field with a number of stakes driven into the ground.

Each captive was bound securely to a stake and doused with some liquid. As Jane watched in horror, a man holding a torch walked down the row and set each one on fire. The figures writhed and screamed in agony as their skin began to blacken. Jane's screams joined theirs, and she felt a hand cover her mouth...

...and her eyes flew open to gaze at the familiar surroundings of the attic, and she realized that the hand covering her mouth was Guilford's. Seeing that she was awake, he lowered his hand and looked at her with dark brown eyes full of love and anxious concern.

"It...was terrible...people were being burned alive...people just like us...our own countrymen..." Jane could hardly get the words out.

"Shh, there, there, it was only a dream, my love." Guilford took her into his arms and held her tightly as she sobbed. "It's all right now, darling. I'm right here." Lovingly, he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

A moment later Suzanne appeared, her face soft with concern.

"It's all right," Guilford told her. "Jane just had a bad dream."

Suzanne's eyes were full of sympathy. "Ma cherie." She patted Jane's arm and kissed her cheek. Jane, unused to such displays of affection from nonfamily members, blushed slightly.

"Guilford, I fear that my cousin Mary will stop at nothing to prevent the spread of the true faith. I fear for the immortal souls of our countrymen. They will be forced to chose between a horrible death or eternal separation from God."

"I know, my love." Guilford sighed heavily. He knew that his wife's dream had likely foreshadowed true events, and it sickened him.

"The worst thing is that there is nothing that we can do about it," Jane said desolately.

"Yes, there is, Jane. We can be patient and trust God. He knows best, and his will shall prevail."

They held one another, each taking comfort in the other's presence.

As she faithfully crossed each day off as it passed, Jane realized that if not for the calendar, the absolute monotony of life in the attic would make it seem as if the passage of time were but an illusion. The one break in the routine was the weekly church service, which Jane enjoyed very much, despite the risk it entailed.

One morning in June, Jane awakened to discover that she felt...different. Normally ravenous upon awakening, she found that even the thought of food made her feel nauseous.

"You can have my share of breakfast," she told Guilford. "I'm not very hungry."

"I'll save it for you in case you get hungry later," he replied.

Jane felt slightly better later in the day and was able to eat a small amount, which greatly relieved Guilford, as he realized that to summon a physician was out of the question.

The same thing happened the following morning, and every morning after it for the rest of the week.

"It's a peculiar sickness that seems to cause you to feel ill only in the morning," Guilford observed. "You seem to have no other symptoms, save your increased need for sleep of late."

It was true. Jane did seem to be very drowsy much of the time, much more so than before.

One morning, Jane lay wide awake in bed, staring at the roof of the attic by the scant sunlight afforded her. Her breasts felt strange, full and heavy, with a tingling sensation at the n*****s. Absentmindedly, she gently squeezed her right n****e and felt a small drop of moisture appear. And she knew.

Glancing at Guilford sleeping peacefully beside her, she decided to wait until he awakened to tell him.

"I am with child, Guilford." The words were out of her mouth as soon as she saw that he was awake.

His eyes widened with surprise. "Are you sure?"

Jane nodded. "I haven't bled since the first week of May. I normally would have bled the first week of this month as well, but I never did. That's the first time that's ever happened to me."

Guilford's face registered amazement, then delight.

"My Jane." He took her into his arms and held her gently. "It never occurred to me that we may be creating a new life while hiding in this attic. My only hope was to survive from day to day, and to show you how much I love you."

"But what kind of life can our child hope to have?" Jane asked mournfully. "To spend every waking hour in the confines of this attic, never to feel the sun shine on its face, never to run barefoot through the grass or drink from a clear stream..."

"Jane, Jane." Guilford embraced her. "The life we live now we will not live forever. One day we will be free to return to our beloved England, free to roam the fields and climb the hills once again."

"Do you remember the boat? I sat with my bare feet hanging over the front. Those were such good times, and now they seem so long ago. An eternity ago."

"We will sail that boat again some day, Jane, with our child."

Jane was silent.

"Remember what I told you so long ago, Jane? You and I are two sides of the same coin."

"I am intelligence and you are courage." She smiled bravely.

"Don't you ever forget it." He grinned back at her, and suddenly everything was all right.