Le Temps Viendra: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Sarah A. Morris Page A

apace, but that he dare not commit these to any letter. He requested that they meet without delay, and sought to do so at the earliest opportunity. Perhaps I looked anxious, for my mother reached over and gently laid her hand on mine. I was learning quickly that Elizabeth Boleyn was a profoundly reassuring presence in Anne’s life; when she was around me, her warm and generous smile and sparkling eyes allowed me to breathe more easily.
    ‘Anne, your sister and I are travelling out yet again today. We have a need to visit Sir Henry and Lady Wyatt at Allington Castle. You have been cooped up here for days child. Methinks it will do you good to get out and see some of our dear friends.’
    I remembered immediately that Allington Castle was the home of the Wyatt family, being situated about ten miles from Hever. I suspected that my mother was unaware of Anne’s relationship with Thomas Wyatt, for she would hardly be likely to expose her daughter to any further rumours and gossip given the King’s undoubted and serious interest in her. I also knew that Thomas had been married, but that the union was not a happy one. I remembered that at some point, he and his wife had separated on the grounds of adultery. However, I could not remember when, and I could not help but wonder whether this had anything to do with Anne. Yet on that day, I was curious, and as I looked into my mother’s face, I felt that she desired the company of her youngest daughter almost as much as I desired her reassuring presence.
    ‘Of course, I would like that very much, mother.’ I smiled and gently squeezed her hand.
    A little more than an hour later, accompanied by four of our liveried servants, I found myself watching Hever Castle disappear into the distance as we made our way along the track in a horse-drawn litter. As the miles stretched ahead of us, we settled in, progressing slowly through the country lanes. All around us, the bushes and trees were bedecked with spring blossom, and I realised that I’d never felt more alive. I leaned against the side of the litter, my cheek propped against my hand, as I drank in every detail of the lanes, dwellings, fields and people as they slipped slowly by. Gazing out, I was vaguely aware of the chatter between my mother and sister. Much of this I allowed to drift past my conscious attention. However, occasionally tidbits of gossip aroused my interest.
    There was much talk of my brother, George, who was preoccupied with family business, and who remained at court during the King’s visit. I was well aware that perhaps of everyone within the Boleyn family, it was George who shared the closest relationship with Anne; it was one that, in time, I would come to understand and cherish. Many times over the previous few days, I wondered as to the whereabouts of my brother, but of course, I dared not ask. I had to admit, with George’s charismatic and colourful reputation as a witty raconteur, I was eager to meet him; although I wondered somewhat nervously whether he may be the one to notice an unusual change in his sister. I dismissed the thought instantly. Why should he suspect anything? It was hardly credible even to me, a woman from the future, as to what was happening to me; of what was happening to Anne.
    As my mother spoke of him, it was clear that she despaired of his difficult relationship with his wife, Jane Boleyn, soon to be Lady Rochford; for I knew that with the King’s pledge of marriage, further rewards and recognition would soon be bestowed upon the Boleyn family. It was clear from the chatter, that George’s eye was too easily distracted from his marriage bed. Yet, I also sensed that while Mary’s reputation suffered for her indiscretions, George’s rather unfairly, remained intact.
    The journey was painfully slow. By the time we arrived at Allington Castle, I was a little nauseous from the constant rocking and occasional jolting which occurred when one of our horses stumbled. Delighted to finally