– Not only him, but the whole of Spain is buzzing like a beehive! Henry had never missed an opportunity to bed young beauties before, but always returned to Catherine. But Anne Boleyn is different. She's been poisoning his mind for years now, and it's unheard of! He's never held on to the hem of the same lady's dress for so long.
– Then there is something special about this woman," Alienor concluded in a deep voice. – I do not pity the Queen one bit: she is older than Henry, and she has not brought him an heir, and he needs one. Not only the King needs him, but all England needs him!
– Hush, my love, keep your tongue! – hissed at her daughter Lady Norton and pulled so hard on the lacing of the kirtle that she even exhaled – so tight it was tightened. – Catherine is a great woman! Her parents are Isabella and Ferdinand! When she was young, Henry was delighted with her beauty and married her, despite neither the warning of his stern grandmother nor the displeasure of the court…
– You said it yourself, Mother: "When she was young!" – giggled the girl, setting aside her comb and straightening the folds in the hem of her rich dress.
– 'But you never saw her once; how can you laugh at her? – Lady Norton grumbled unhappily. – I saw her in the hall, and even dared to say a word to her, and she answered me so affectionately… Catherine is still beautiful, and her bearing is so majestic that you will know without a word that the Queen of England stands before you. She is beloved by the people, as is her daughter Mary. And mark my words, my dear: Anne Boleyn will not win the battle for Henry's heart. He will return to his lawful wedded wife's bedroom and conceive a son with her.
– And what will become of Anne? – Alienor asked indifferently.
– She will be sent home, or worse, banished from the court and her name shamed forever… Ah, my beautiful daughter! You shine like a ray of sunshine in a dark room! – Lady Norton walked round her daughter, and, taking her thin delicate palms in her own, added: – You will outshine everyone! Even that dishonourable favourite of the King's!
– Alas, mother, I cannot outshine Brigid," said Alienor, somewhat irritably.
Blond, with eyes as blue as the summer sky, Alienor was a beauty, and she knew the value of her beauty. Yet her humble friend, her named sister Brigid, copper-haired and blue-eyed, surpassed her in beauty. It was Brigid who was called the " The Flaming Rose," and at this moment, when the Norton castle was visited by the king, Alienor felt a slight envy for her.