[Henry VIII] Tudor Crown

Anne of Cleves was showing the Countess of Nottingham and the Duke of Richmond on a tour of Michelangelo's gallery when William III's exploits were reported back to London.

Because the Countess of Surrey had married to Scotland before William III set off, and Queen Juana and William III were not in London, the former queen of England had to take on the duties of the Duke of Richmond and Mary Stuart at the same time. Art's education work.

Fortunately, the 15-year-old Countess of Nottingham can share some of the work of looking after the children.

The character of the Duke of Richmond is very similar to that of William III when he was young. He was gentle and polite, so not only Anne of Cleves and the Countess of Nottingham, but even some people who served him liked him very much. Gentle little master.

"This is what you looked like when you were just born." The Countess of Nottingham and the Duke of Richmond stood in front of a statue of a lady holding a baby in her arms, pointing to the little white swaddle and said: "Your baptism was given by Henry VIII. He personally officiated, so His Majesty the King wanted to commemorate this great occasion with a statue."

"Then who is holding me?" When William III and Queen Juana left, the Duke of Richmond was only three years old, so he couldn't remember what his parents looked like.In addition, the painters in the court all have the same brushwork, especially the French painters, who seem to be able to paint the same face from Anne of Brittany to Queen Juana, so you let the Duke of Richmond stand in a pile Before the sketch of the Princess of France, he probably couldn't really tell which was his mother.

"It's Your Majesty the Queen." The Countess of Nottingham was adopted by William III shortly after she was born, so she spent her childhood in Queen Juana's small court: "Queen Juana will soon take your Brother is back, I believe you will get along very happily?"

"My brother?" The Duke of Richmond recalled the Prince-Bishop in St. George's Church he had seen at the Knights of the Garter celebration, but actually did not expect his brother's return.

After all, the relationship between William III and Edward Tudor is obvious to all.

If the Duke of Richmond's younger brother succeeds in returning, then the Duke of York's seat should go to the king's second son.

The Countess of Nottingham did not notice the change in the expression of the Duke of Richmond, but said to herself: "Speaking of which, your younger brother was born on Queen Juana's coronation road to Belgium, so the two of you are in different places. Baptized."

"Mary." Anne of Cleves finally noticed the abnormality here, so she stopped the Countess of Nottingham's chatter.

"Your Highness, I think you can go back to the carriage and take a rest." Anne of Cleves looked at the Duke of Richmond gently, and then asked her maid Charlotte to take him away.

After being scolded by her step-grandmother, the Countess of Nottingham also realized that she had said something wrong, and then a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, not daring to look Anne of Cleves in the eyes.

"Mary, you've been in the court for so long, haven't you seen what happens when you say the wrong thing?" Anne of Cleves knew very well that William III would not easily blame the Countess of Nottingham who grew up in St. James's Palace. So I can't guarantee whether the king will hold this blame on himself as the temporary guardian.

Facing the reprimand from Anne of Cleves, the Countess of Nottingham still wanted to struggle: "Alexander is just a child, how can he think so much?"

"Didn't you think of these things when you were six?" retorted Anne of Cleves, "The Duke of Richmond is no ordinary child, and even if you grew up with him, you should treat him like a grown man. Jazz treated him that way, you understand?"

In the end, Anne of Cleves slowed down her tone.

After all, the Countess of Nottingham was also one of the children she watched grow up, and the soft-hearted former queen always couldn't bear to criticize her too much.

"I see, and thank you for your reminder." The Countess of Nottingham saluted Anne of Cleves dejectedly, but was stopped by Anne of Cleves at the moment she turned around.

"Besides the attitude towards the Duke of Richmond, there is one more thing I must remind you." Anne of Cleves walked up to the Countess of Nottingham with small steps, then patted her on the shoulder, and said in a low voice: " You're very close to one of the petty guards at St James's, but I don't want you to go too far before your marriage."

The Countess of Nottingham's shoulders trembled slightly, but she was quickly controlled by Anne of Cleves.

"Edward Stafford. Anyone who is interested can easily find out the name of a small guard." Anne of Cleves warned: "And those who are interested know that he is a cousin of the Boleyn family who has no noble blood."

"But his mother is an aristocrat." It is always difficult for a girl in love to listen to her elders, especially a well-protected aristocratic woman like the Countess of Nottingham.

"Aristocrat? Oh! You mean his mother is a woman from the Boleyn family who obtained her title through gold, silver, and sexual bribery? And he also has an aunt who was beheaded?" Anne of Cleves said in disbelief: "Aside from these things, Edward Stafford's father was just a commoner who served in the court, not to mention he was a cousin of the Countess of Surrey."

Anne of Cleves was in disbelief at the thought of the girls she had watched growing up falling in love with such a man: "My dear Mary, I know what men want? You are beautiful and the king's niece , with the titles left by your parents and a large inheritance. In the eyes of those men who hope to make a fortune, you are the golden Mary, the next Duchess of Burgundy."

"Anne Boleyn should not have been guillotined if Edward Stafford hadn't had a heart for your property."

After hearing what Anne of Cleves said, the Countess of Nottingham also calmed down, but she still could see that she had not given up on this relationship.

Seeing that the tough persuasion didn't work, Anne of Cleves softened her attitude again, and said persuasively: "Of course, I know that the throbbing of youth is unstoppable, and we are all poor women who cannot marry independently. So Mary, you can experience this wonderful feeling, but I hope you don't cross the line."

Anne of Cleves stared into the eyes of the Countess of Nottingham, and said word by word: "His Majesty the King will not tolerate the scandal of his niece losing her virginity before marriage and getting pregnant out of wedlock. If you don't want to be imprisoned in the Tower of London , or watching your child being taken away at birth, and then living a poor life with no clothing and no food to eat, then don't be blinded by temporary feelings, and then recklessly put yourself Take them all in."

"I think you still remember what happened to the Countess of Salisbury's family." Anne of Cleves suddenly said in a very cold voice: "The Countess is not only the niece of Edward IV, but also raised Your grandfather. But when she threatened the throne, not only the Countess herself, but her children and grandchildren were thrown into the Tower of London."

"Mary, you are a potential heir to the throne. If you are really used as a gunman, no matter how much your adoptive king loves you, he will choose to imprison you to death or directly execute you like your grandfather. .”

The Countess of Nottingham seemed to feel a gust of wind blowing over her neck, and her whole body shivered.