The Dracula Chronicles: Bound By Blood - Volume 2 Read online

“I was thinking of you.”

  “And I you.”

  Henry looked up at the stars. “It is a pleasant night.”

  “Yes. I enjoy the warmth of the summer.”

  “Then it is a shame you cannot enjoy the sunshine against your skin.”

  “Yes,” he sighed. “I miss it.”

  “So what were you thinking of?” Henry asked. “No doubt you have an idea running through your head?”

  “Yes. I have been thinking of it much.”

  “Then share it with me. It has been a most mundane day.”

  “It is in my mind that you should start thinking of bringing Anne to court.”

  Henry laughed. “Oh, that would go down well with the majority.”

  “I think it is time. You have separated from the Queen a good nine months.”

  “She is still at court. Many there still favour her.”

  “The courtiers will warm to Anne. She is young and vivacious.”

  “Yes. She is that. But might it complicate the divorce?”

  “On the contrary I think it will aid the process.”

  “I cannot see how. It will only serve to antagonise the Queen.”

  “I believe it will put pressure on her to agree to your terms.”

  “Perhaps,” Henry shrugged. “I am still not so sure.”

  “If Anne becomes popular then it will strengthen your position. I know they will adore her.”

  “This may come as a surprise to you, but I do not enjoy hurting my wife.”

  “Then stay married to her. Tear up the petition.”

  Henry squinted his eyes. “You know I cannot.”

  “Then do what is required, Majesty. If you want Anne for your own, as your queen, you need to force the issue.”

  Henry sighed. He knew Dracula was right as always. “I will write to Anne on the morrow. Let us see what she thinks of the idea.”

  Wolsey watched them from a window. He eyed Dracula with disdain. Just who are you? he wondered to himself. I will get rid of you somehow.

  Henry walked away. Dracula looked up and saw Wolsey there. The look in his eyes chilled the old man to the bone. It prompted him to step away from the window. He took a deep breath and left in search of Henry.

  “Goodnight, Thomas,” Henry said when he saw him.

  “You are retiring, my Lord?”

  “Yes. I am tired.”

  “I see your friend was with you again?”

  “You mean Vlad?”

  “Yes. He has been coming here a year and I have yet to ascertain his purpose.”

  “He is a friend.”

  “Who only calls at night?”

  Henry offered Wolsey a steely look. He did not like the way his aide was probing him. “Is it any of your concern?”

  “Everything to do with you is my concern, my Lord.”

  “Vlad is good to have around. He gives me sound advice.”

  “Even after a year I can find out very little about him. That is a worry.”

  “He served the Emperor for many years. That has its benefits for me.”

  “Do you not consider that he might be spying for the Emperor?”

  “That is nonsense.”

  “I think you should bear it in mind, my Lord.”

  “Are you telling me what to do?”

  Henry’s face turned red. Wolsey could see his temper rising. “Oh no, my Lord. It is just that you have always come to me for counsel.”

  “You worry about securing my divorce.”

  “You know I will, my Lord.”

  “That is your job for the now. So do it.”

  A day had not passed in the last month when Anne had not thought of Ruxandra. Making love to her was the most wonderful such episode in her life. She began to realise she had fallen totally in love with her.

  But she had not called since that day. Anne began to wonder if she would ever see her again. A whole month had passed. Still there was no sign of the object of her desire. Some days she sat at her window for hours hoping her lover would call.

  She thought much of what Ruxandra had said. The opportunity was there to exploit the king’s feelings for her. Who in their right mind would not? His letters became more frequent. In them he spoke of his love and his desire for her to be his queen. He let her know he was pushing hard for a divorce from Catherine. Now he had started bringing Anne around to the idea of coming to court.

  Anne responded to his letters. Where he might send her ten without a reply, he now received at least one a week. It eased his aching heart. His own letters grew bolder with his protestations of love. Anne let him think he would have all he dreamed of when they were married. Yet it was her female lover she pined for.

  In truth she did not even know who her lover was. Ruxandra was just a woman who came to her one night. Anne had not asked anything about her. She did not even know her name. As the days passed one after another she began to doubt she would ever see her lover again.

  Anne sighed thinking about her. She sat down and re-read Henry’s last letter. “You foolish man,” she whispered to herself.

  She knew she ought to write a reply. The letter had been with her two days past. She sat down at her writing table. Dipping her quill into the ink she started to write. My dearest Henry.

  Ruxandra came to the forefront of her mind once more. She sighed a second time. Thoughts of her lover still distracted her from anything she tried to do. She looked down at the parchment again. In the morning a messenger would call to see if the king had a reply. She started a new line. Thank you for your letter. It is with a tender heart that I dip my quill and compose this modest reply.

  She heard the door. Looking up she saw Ruxandra standing there. Anne rose to her feet at once. Her heart skipped several beats. She felt her knees tremble with the excitement racing through her. “You have come back,” she smiled, barely above a whisper.

  Ruxandra returned her smile. “Yes I have.”

  Anne ran across the room and into her arms. She closed her eyes and kissed her hard on the mouth. Ruxandra wrapped her arms around the younger woman and responded to her kiss. They remained there for a time, locked in a tight embrace.

  Finally Anne pulled away. She sucked in a deep breath. Butterflies raced about inside her stomach. “Did you miss me?”

  Ruxandra blushed a little. “You know I have.”

  Anne’s whole face lit up. They kissed again. “I missed you too. So much.”

  “Well I am here for the now.”

  “Where have you been? Why have I not seen you again before tonight?”

  “I was travelling.”

  “That is unusual. Your family has wealth?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come and sit with me.”

  Anne led her by the hand over to the bed. There they sat facing each other. They continued to hold hands and look into each other’s eyes.

  “Do you realise?” Anne said. “I know nothing at all about you.”

  “I know.”

  “Yet we have made love and have lasting feelings for each other.”

  Ruxandra lowered her head a touch.

  “You do have feelings for me?” Anne asked, desperate for a positive response.

  Ruxandra looked at her again. “Yes I do. Very strong feelings.”

  Anne’s heart raced. “In truth I believe I am in love with you.”

  “I know. I am in love with you too.”

  The admission brought tears to her eyes. “Yet I do not even know your name.”

  She smiled. “It is Ruxandra.”

  “Oh my,” Anne said. “That sounds so beautiful. Yet I have not heard it before.”

  “I am from Wallachia.”

  “Wallachia? That is in the Romanias?”

  “Yes it is.”

  “Then you are a long way from home.”

  “Home to me is where I am happy. At this time my home is here with you.”

  Anne’s smile spread across her face. The emotions running through her were so strong
she could barely catch her breath. “Is it any wonder I feel for you as I do?”

  Ruxandra reached out with her left hand and gently stroked Anne’s cheek. They kissed yet again. Almost at once the arousal built in both women. Ruxandra could smell Anne’s sweet aroma as she became moist. It made her ache the same way she had when last they were together. She broke from their kiss. Already she had deviated from the business at hand. Anne did not detect the change in her mood. She opened her eyes and smiled. “I wish we could always be together.”

  It was the cue Ruxandra needed. “You know we cannot. Your destiny is to marry Henry and be his queen.”

  Anne screwed her face and looked down at her feet. “It did not take long for the subject to change back to him.”

  “You cannot ignore it. As much as you might want to. It is your future.”

  “I only want you.”

  “Society would never accept our love for each other. It would surely cost us our heads were it common knowledge.”

  Anne sighed again. “I know. But in my heart I can only ever love you.”

  “And I you. But that is secondary. You will be queen.”

  “Henry certainly wants it. But he is still a married man. And will be for a long time to come.”

  “Keep it in mind that he must never have you as a mistress. Only as his queen. Never let him forget it.”

  “You are happy for him to have me?”

  “No I am not. But my feelings do not matter beside your future and security.”

  Anne lowered her head in dismay. “Is there any point in being the queen if I will be forever unhappy?”

  “It will pass. You will not always feel that way.”

  “You do not know that.”

  “Yes I do. I am the present. Henry is your future. Press him to get his divorce. Let him know that only then can he have you.”

  Anne nodded. “I will.” She raised her head. “But in keeping that you are my present, will you stay with me tonight?”

  She did not answer. The warning from Ilona was fresh in her mind.

  “Please, my baby,” Anne almost begged. “Stay and make love to me.”

  Ruxandra squeezed her hand. “Very well. I will stay.”

  England. Anne Boleyn’s residence outside London.

  September 1528.

  Events moved on at a fast pace from the summer. Dracula kept court with Henry and dictated matters. Anne had hinted at her willingness to come to court. It excited Henry no end. Dracula pressed him on the issue. Henry sent a letter to summon her to the palace finally.

  This gave Dracula the chance to concentrate at last on Wolsey. He had to remove him from the picture. For that reason he sent Mihnea to travel the country. His son met with and talked to those he knew opposed Wolsey. In a short time he built up a strong network against the cardinal.

  Varkal and Anya tormented Wolsey by night. They harassed him constantly and allowed him little sleep. Slowly but surely it ground him down. His weary state caused the pressure on him to mount.

  Word had spread about the new movement in Germany. A man named Martin Luther had stepped forward to replace the corrupt doctrines of Rome. Small groups of people that shared in his ideas sprouted up in London. They met in secret. For if word reached Henry of this he would sign their death warrants. He remained a staunch and devoted Catholic.

  It all delighted Dracula. His efforts were beginning to reap dividends. The tide had begun to turn against the Catholic Church.

  Anne received Henry’s letter. She had warmed to him considerably over the last two months. The thought of going to court excited her. She had not been there in such a long time.

  Ruxandra had geared her towards her new life. In time she came to see it was the best thing for her. Her quality of life as the queen would surpass anything she had known before. As the weeks passed she wanted it more and more.

  She broke the seal on the letter. Even before she did she had a good idea of what it contained. She jumped for joy when she read it. Her dreams were coming to fruition. Dreams that her lover had instilled in her. Henry had decided at last to bring her to court. It signalled his intention to one and all that he intended to make her his queen.

  Anne was so excited she did not see Ruxandra enter. It startled her when she turned and saw she was not alone. Her initial fright gave way to joy when she ran into Ruxandra’s arms.

  “I see he has summoned you at last?”

  “Yes,” Anne said, more than a tinge of excitement in her voice. She held up the letter. “They are coming for me on the morrow.”

  “I am happy for you,” her lover said, though without conviction.

  “Are you really?”

  “Of course. It will be an exciting time for you.”

  “It will be scary more so. I am as nervous as anything.”

  “I would not worry too much. You will be well protected.”

  “Yes, but the Queen is still there. She is loved by many.”

  “That will change in time. When the people see the King is happy they will warm to you. There is no one who would dare incur his wrath.”

  “Then they will only be pretending to like me.”

  “That is up to you. Win them over. You know you can.”

  “What about you? Will you be there?”

  “No. I will not be there. This is our last time together.”

  The news was like an arrow to Anne’s heart. Almost at once the tears flowed down her cheeks. “The last time?”

  “Yes, dear Anne. On the morrow your new life begins.”

  “But I love you.”

  “I love you too. But we can see each other no more after tonight.”

  Anne threw herself onto the bed. She sobbed for quite some time despite the best efforts of Ruxandra to soothe her.

  “There is so much you can achieve,” she told Anne. “You have the power to make all your dreams come true.”

  Anne turned her head away so that she had her back to Ruxandra.

  “Soon you will be queen. You can be the mother of the next king of England. You will be writing your own place into the history books.”

  Anne still refused to look around or cease crying.

  “You will have the chance to avenge yourself against Wolsey. For the wrongs he has done you.”

  The mention of his name had an immediate effect. She turned to look at her lover. “Yes, Wolsey.”

  The extent of the hatred in her eyes startled Ruxandra. But if it was enough to encourage Anne to go to court then it was a good thing. Ruxandra allowed herself a quiet smile. She knew that when Anne came to court it would signal the beginning of the end for the aging cardinal.

  Anne looked straight into her eyes. “Will you stay with me tonight?”

  Her lover touched the back of her hand. “Yes. I will stay.”

  “Good. Right this moment I need you more than ever before.”

  Henry brought Anne to court as planned. For her it felt good to be in that circle again. However, her first few weeks proved difficult. Any time she ventured outside the palace the people ridiculed and abused her. Some called her an adulteress. Others spat the word sorceress for bewitching the king. By the same token Catherine remained as popular as ever. The people cheered her any time they saw her.

  This prompted Henry into action. He ordered Wolsey to orchestrate some change at court. Behind the scenes the cardinal quietly exerted his influence. The result saw the courtiers begin to ignore the queen. Instead they sought out Anne’s company. Despite this hurtful snub, Catherine remained true to her principles. She dug her heels in. When the king’s aides pressured her to accept a divorce she resisted them.

  Wolsey had already sent a second delegation to Rome. Gardiner and Foxe headed this. At first it proved as unsuccessful as the first. Foxe eventually left with a commission. He brought it back to Wolsey to commence a divorce trial. However, the wording was so ambiguous that Wolsey found it useless.

  In desperation he instructed Gardiner to exert as much press
ure as was possible on the Pope. Gardiner took this order to the extreme. Clement resisted him, but gave some ground. In the end he issued a secret commission. He decreed that only Wolsey and Cardinal Campeggio could witness it. Campeggio then left Rome to try the case with Wolsey.

  He arrived in London at the end of the month. Right away he set to work with Wolsey to prepare drafts for the hearing. Their brief was to declare the original dispensation from Julius II illegal. If they managed this it made the document null and void, and the marriage with it.

  Before trying the case Campeggio decided to meet with the queen. He wanted to make one last effort to resolve the issue.

  For two whole days after receiving word she was on edge. She was both nervous and excited. In her heart she hoped he was bringing a message of support from the Vatican. On the day of the meeting her attendants worked hard to make her look her best. They dressed her in an elegant gown and tied back her long black hair.

  She waited in her rooms to greet him. The minutes passed like hours. To help ease her tension she clutched her rosary beads and said a whole novena.

  The king sat alone in his bedchamber. In less than an hour he had drunk a whole flask of wine brought in by one of the servants. He had expected Wolsey some time ago. Yet his aide had not come.

  Henry grabbed the flask to pour another drink. When he saw the flask was empty he threw it across the room in temper. Wolsey entered in that moment. His heart leapt when the flask bounced off the wall close to his head.

  “Where have you been?” Henry growled.

  “I had to finish work on a document, my Lord.”

  “You were meant to be here.”

  Wolsey bowed. “Apologies, my Lord. It was a paper for the divorce case. It needed my urgent attention.”

  “Is Campeggio back yet?”

  “No, my Lord. But he is due at any moment.”

  “Do you think he can convince the Queen?”

  “Who can say, my Lord? But he will certainly try.”

  “My patience is wearing thin. Let us hope he can do what the rest of you cannot.”

  “Yes, my Lord. But we still have the trial to come.”

  Henry growled under his breath. “We will see. Leave me. Do not return until you have news of the cardinal’s visit with my wife.”