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Never Say Never; Tag: Norfolkey
Topic Started: Nov 13 2010, 10:19 AM (196 Views)
Anne Parr
Unregistered

"If you should depart, go. I shall remain here for a while longer." Her words carried over the boisterous sounds releasing throughout the Great Hall, the noise abounding against its stone walls like in an incessant drum, constant and beating. Anne placed a tender kiss upon her sister's cheek as Katherine evacuated the room, Anne's gaze following her as she moved amongst the crowd, whispers of polite farewells pursuing her. She could spot her sister's deep ocher hair anywhere. Perhaps it could be imputed upon an otherworldly connection between the two siblings. No matter. As soon as Katherine pulled out of her line of sight, Anne's attention once again returned to the festivities, drowning within the music of the Christmastide celebrations and the band of musicians playing upon the other side of the brimming area.

Did she care much for it? She would have remained hesitant to respond. The amusement offered to those at Court was welcoming and oftentimes captivated her awareness, but the line was drawn between the diversions of music and theater, and the proletariat that swarmed Hampton Court on a daily basis. Selective, to say the least, but Anne was exactly that. Those she affiliated with were chosen based upon what merit she herself professed; virtue and a streak of cleverness, if not goodness to accompany it. She was not one for gossip, so rarely did she mingle with most women. A few close friends were enough for her. For now, at least. No doubt, she would soon be required to stretch out her hands further, even to attract alliances with those she did not wish to.

However, the festivities were enough to divert her mind from other matters close to her bosom. William's grief with Anne Bourchier still lay heavy upon his judgment, she herself and Katherine had barely the opportunity to speak, and the impending duties that Anne would accumulate rested upon her shoulders, though willingly. The news would wait, of course. It needed to be stated publicly quite yet. The Parr family had their fair share of farces as of late. She was trusting that Christmastide and beyond would bring her and her siblings some relief. William appeared emphatically formidable as the days wore on. A brief sigh passed her lips as Anne herself turned from the music, realizing that even her own diligence had wandered away from the merriment. What sense was there to hymns and tunes when one's own observation lacks severely from it?

Following the identical route her sister had taken, Anne brushed past other courtiers in an effort to escape as elusively as possible. Holding her skirts partially as she walked, she kept her eyes relatively lowered to deflect any possible attention. Not soon enough apparently, as her vision captured the sight of the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Howard, as she approached him. Inwardly, she felt repulsed immediately. If the Duke of Norfolk had his eyes upon anything, there was a particular reason. She did not know the man as personally as her brother, but knew enough that he was a man of inducement, his motivations branching out beyond his mere person, ambitious in every possible sense of the word.

"Your Grace," Anne's smile was hard as she brushed by him, offering a polite but quick curtsy, hoping that she was incorrect in her assertion, but she did not believe it likely. She had more than enough troubles currently. Why not add yet another in order to grieve her so? In an effort to use this moment to evade these grievances, she only continued to move past him, avoiding any more eye contact that could possibly spur an interrogation.
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Thomas Howard
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Ever since the meeting with Lady Ursula in the Hampton’s Grounds, the Duke of Norfolk was toying with the idea of tying the Parr family closely to the Howards, and to himself. William was not the problem. Lord Essex already submitted himself willingly to Norfolk’s power. But his sisters, it was an entirely different matter. They were independent. Normally, Thomas didn’t bother himself with ladies, but when their brother was showing so much willingness to obey and follow him in everything, not turning the sisters into pawns appeared such a wasted opportunity. Norfolk gave it a lot of thought and decided that, of the two women, Anne Parr was the more obvious commodity. Katherine Parr was a spinster, an old maiden whose tardiness to marry might have turned her womb to barrenness; the long established medical fact was that a woman who strayed too long from lying with man lost capacity to bear life. The last thing the Duke wanted was to give his nephew, a Howard nephew, a wife who couldn’t deliver sons. The Howard name needed to grow and extend into many lines, not only survive but expand aggressively, which obviously put Anne Parr as the Duke’s preferred choice. That and the older sister’s contentiousness, paired with pesky interest in male affairs a woman had no right to meddle in. It was whispered among court that Katherine Parr was educating herself; that was despicable and Norfolk would rather write her off than risk contaminating ladies of his family with unhealthy ambition.

When he had made his mind as to what he wanted, Norfolk began the wait. He wasn’t sure that approaching William, who seemed rather dispirited as of late, was the best option. Not until the Duke probed Anne herself. A summons was out of the questions, because he didn’t want to scare her and give her all sort of wrong ideas, and also William could feel somewhat offended that he wasn’t informed of Norfolk’s intentions first. So he set out to find a good occasion to approach her. First though, Lady Anne was away, to Powis Castle as he was informed, and he pondered with some bafflement what could have taken her so far away to the remote Wales. As soon as she was back though, Norfolk began his attempts to approach the lady inconspicuously. It was harder said than done however. On the majority of occasions Lady Anne was accompanied by her sister, and something told Norfolk the eldest Parr wouldn’t vanish from sight for his convenience, After a few days of looking for an opportunity the Duke grew impatient and started considering providing a distraction for Lady Anne’s “chaperone”.

However, it wasn’t necessary. During another of the busy functions in the great hall (Norfolk was paying little attention to the usual commotion, a distraction both welcome and cursed, his gaze often returning to the two Parr sisters) luck seemed to finally smile upon His Grace, when the older was leaving and the younger remained in the hall. Always attentive to social necessities, Norfolk did not hurry in the abandoned woman’s direction. She seemed to him bored, or distracted by some far thought, yet running to her “rescue” immediately would rise suspicions. His waiting all this time was exactly for the opposite effect – to make eventual meeting seem at random, insignificant, unpremeditated. In slow steps, giving a couple of nods and words to personas he passed along the way, Thomas made his passage towards Lady Anne. He wasn’t near enough to speak when he noticed that she was preparing to leave. Luckily for him, her route brought her exactly in his vicinity, and at the right time he simply stepped in front of her. He thought that she would stop, but apparently she had no intention to, only giving him a brief ‘Your Grace’ and a faint smile, and a curtsy, all in passim.

She wasn’t going to escape so easily though. Norfolk knew his power, one word and she had to stop. One question and she was obliged to turn around and answer him, with politesse. He used it for his means effectively. ”Lady Anne. Leaving so soon?” he asked, one of his brows unfurled. The words were simple, but already enough to make her stop. The Duke honoured the Lady with his interest, she was obliged to respond. ”We know of each other, but how come I had no luck of introduction?” He could have used a couple of compliments, but where was the point? He wasn’t flirting with her, and didn’t want to give her false impressions. He intended her for his nephew, not for himself. God knew Thomas had enough women in his life for now. Actually, one of those women was more like a little girl, and he would gladly be rid of her, but this was a digression he couldn’t afford falling into. ”Allow me to repair the mistake. Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, at your service,” and he bowed before her nonchalantly, knowing that the gesture drew stares to them, but he could swallow it, and she had to accept the situation as it was.
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Anne Parr
Unregistered

It was as if his gaze bore right through to her very core. She so desperately desired nothing more than to adjust his stare elsewhere, perhaps with a more forceful gesture. The moment that she had skirted past his person, she had known that it was a delusion, especially when Anne listened to him call to her, inquiring to her departure. Of course it had come down to this. She did not immediately turn to face him, as was customary and genteel. No, she remained solidified, her back turned towards him, unwilling to even consider his epithet. Anne could hardly even compose herself enough to hold back the utter appearance of irritation and a brief but hardly subtle roll of her eyes. However, she did turn, reluctant and bedeviled. She detested even more how his mere survey of her allowed her to feel somewhat unveiled and endangered. No matter. She would correct this hereupon and never once allow it again.

She had warned the Marquess of Powis, Arthur Chamerlyn, her sole adherent to her disquiet, that Thomas Howard had been patrolling her for days before his arrival back at Hampton Court. Anne was no cretin; a dimwitted patrician who spent her days caring only for her own matters of governance and wondering what ensemble to wear. She recognized those surrounding her and was mindful of the hold those of elevated rank had upon those beneath them. The Duke of Norfolk was of the special interest her, an interest that was not in any way enthusiastic. Anne was heedful of the dominance Norfolk held over her brother, but he was fooling himself if he imagined that he could slink into her own territory unnoticed, blind-siding her with little to no regard. She was her own sovereign and gave control over her dominion to one man alone, and it was most certainly not the Duke of Norfolk.

However, turn she did, ignoring the stares about them that must have followed along with the Duke's inclination toward her person. She did not move her eyes about, but shifted her eyes to the floor for a split second, never long enough to endorse another action from the man before her. She curtsied, as was customary, more so for the sake of appearances than much of anything else. Her semblance was as if it were stone, watching him with a single raise of her brow. No, Anne's credence to the Duke ran low, perhaps even barely evident. She was certain that even his own actions--the bow she had received-- was also merely done for exhibition alone. He would perhaps display an air of congenial behavior, but Anne Parr would buy none of it. Lifting her shoulders and squaring them, her deep umber eyes tracing his face for any more signs of dishonesty (the man was permeated by this), her lips parted with an inhibited sigh.

"At my service? Do you not mean your very own service, Your Grace? For you could hardly have made a mistake in avoiding my person these past number of months which I have been at Court. You come upon a man or woman with your own intentions, at your own pace, and much at your own time and leisure." Her words came out inexorably, the countenance upon her visage very much unchanged. Her hostility ever obvious, Anne however did not much stir as she spoke.

Surely, it was a severe breach of protocol for her to be so defensive and churlish, perhaps even obnoxious. She had not forgotten who she was, nor who Thomas Howard was, but Anne's indifference was undoubtedly evident, as was her intention. Taking a partial step forward towards him, closing the distance to meet him head-on, she met his look, unfaltering, her hands closing gently upon the golden chain hugging around her diminutive waist. As she glanced up upon him, her brown hair fell back to reveal even more of her face, her eyes only addressing his.

"I know your game, Your Grace. You come to me for a reason, otherwise you would not have come at all. You have been attempting to articulate your purpose to me for days. Come, come, what could you possibly solicit to me that is so vastly important?"
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Thomas Howard
Unregistered

In many ways could the Lady Anne Parr have answered his imposition, but never in his wildest dreams did the Duke of Norfolk expect that which had happened. He was bowing and generously offering her his service, the service of doubtlessly the worthiest, weightiest nobleman in the realm. Surely she should be grateful, or at least appear so. What he was giving, while immaterial, counted as much when proposed out in the open, in the Great Hall of court, casting Anne Parr in the light of the next great lady, someone to keep an eye on, a rising star. For some reason she captivated the attention of the Duke of Norfolk, maybe there would be whispers that he wanted her as his mistress. Laughable of course, but she could even use such ill conceived fable to her advantage somehow. He was giving her a weapon, a more insightful woman would come to think, but not Anne Parr.

She took her time to answer him, even to face him, although she had it in her to stop when she was talked to in the way he employed. But all else was not to Norfolk’s liking. From her each and every move, and the sour face that she put on display, the Duke gathered effortlessly he was not getting the kind of attention he was counting for. And then she started to speak, and her words were shocking. Whatever did he to deserve her loathing and the whipping he unleashed upon him? All Norfolk knew was that Anne Parr was not the sweet lady he envisioned, his plans for her were either forfeited altogether from the very beginning, or otherwise it’d take him a fair deal more of persuading, bribing and smiling to convince her to marry his nephew. He was not entirely sure he wanted her to marry into the Howard family now, for she was, against his first impression, a viper and wormwood full of poison.

He straightened his back fully and gave Lady Anne the full power of his inquisitive stare. Norfolk’s first intent was to be the kindest and nicest, but now she had shuttered it by acting as she did, by exacerbating their introduction. Yet, if he lashed upon her wouldn’t he be proving her point? Well, she would not get from him what she desired. She was the one acting entirely wrongfully under the eyes of court, and so she invited a response that was a fair deal lighter than the Duke felt like giving. ”Come, come, Lady Anne, why are you slighting me so? I came with a reason, yes, for I wanted to meet this renowned Lady Anne Parr, a gentle, courteous, pious lady sister of the lord Earl of Essex, a great friend of mine. Give me a pardon, my lady, if I had known in tarrying so to meet you I have offended you, I would have come to you straight away the moment I heard you came to court.” Oh, he’d make her regret right away the way she treated him. Those gathered around were his weapons, in his eyes he’d smelt her, like a piece of base metal, into an utterly disgusting image. The array of words was in his use, he had all attention needed, and her opening was of enough repugnance he had the power to make it appear more revolting than it was, by contrast of the beauty in his speech.

“But now you say a game? What, why? Tell me this game I am playing on you, Lady Anne, unfold the rules, the follies, the disgraceful intent of mine, of which I have no knowledge I so swear,” he put his right hand on his heart and spoke dramatically to the crowd before turning his attention back on her. ”And when you make to me known this trespass I made against you, I will, humbly, truly, with all heart which there is beating in my chest, apologize, and say forgive me, Lady Anne, I am but a foolish man. You must wiser than me, for you see better than I what malicious feelings and intents drive this nefarious man.” He finished with a reddened cheek, with chest shifting forth and back under his doublet from the exertion of speech. By now the whole room was won by the ardent passion unfolding, an unseemly spectacle. Norfolk was beyond such things in normal circumstances, but now he felt forced into it. She intended to cast him in the worst of lights, but she would pay for it, being herself shown as the shameful culprit, doing him undeserved harm.
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Anne Parr
Unregistered

With a raise of her brow, Anne remained still and silent. The look she received from the bête noire across from her did very little to make her back down. The very look she gave in return was filled with utter malcontent. With a slight tilt of her head, she listened most carefully as his words fell around her, endlessly cautious to their disease. Whether William had fallen ill to them was another mater entirely. She, however, would not. God forbid that the forces surrounding her allow her to fall prey to the fiend, the Beelzebub of her nightmares. She could swear in the midst of the night, she could hear him breathing at her neck. This was perhaps what the Duke great strove for; to make all seek his mercy since his power had so grown. However, he had not anticipated her retaliation. His surprise was written incontestably over his gaze. Surely, she had thrown off his faculty, this dark horse striving for nothing more than to thrust him back down, extirpating his ego if only momentarily.

The single brow grew ever higher the more he spoke of possibly offending her. She would laugh openly at this nonsense if she wanted to appear a lunatic. "Do not attempt to bait me with your flattery," she waved off the colloquy as if it hovered in the air before her. If he had only known that simply talking to her directly offended her, he would not have advanced upon her as he did. "Your reasoning behind your foul approach has nothing to do with my particular qualities, which I shall hope tarry from your interests evermore." His words were poison, disguised to allure his victims with the sole purpose of infecting their consciousness, flowing into their bloodstreams until it had overtaken the entire core of their being. He could utilize honeyed conversation to appeal to anther's ego, but Anne wanted nothing having to do with either. She was no enthusiast when it came to playing upon her own self-admiration. "You need not ever concern yourself with me, Your Grace. In fact, I pray that you may only continue turning a blind eye, for I am, as you say, gentle, courteous, and pious exclusively to those who have earned it through reputation." By now, Anne had only taken a few meager steps closer to the Duke of Norfolk, in turn pressing him more into what she hoped was a metaphorical corner. Her gaze had significantly darkened now, her eyes was black and void as nightfall, her face mere inches from his. "Do you require an explanation as to why you are being excluded?"

Nonetheless, Anne's impulsive behavior seemed to only have betrayed her when Thomas Howard embraced the crowd within the Great Hall, only inviting them into the debate quite willingly. With an irritated sigh, she realized quickly that all eyes were suddenly upon her as if she had so galvanized their stares. The overall rapid current of her focus rippled over the numbers of nobles surrounding them, some who had halted their conversations or meal time in order to overhear this wrangle, while very few others appeared uninterested in the contest unfolding. As her eyes shifted back to her detractor, Anne could not aid the slight shake of her head, the utter disappointment that followed another sigh passing through the flaming colors of her lips. What followed this, however, was a shrewd smirk as Anne stepped carefully to the Duke's side, her vision moving back towards the oncoming looks they were both receiving.

"Are you not aware, Your Grace, that this exasperation which you have openly caused is precisely what I mean when I speak of your particular sport? Your 'disgraceful intent,' as you so eloquently put it, remains in this public display." Her headstrong scrutiny turned to gawk tempestuously upon him. "You are so very much familiar to your ways, therefore you bear exact knowledge to what it is that you are attempting to do. One does not require being a simpleton to comprehend that you desire to cast me off in the utmost detrimental fashion. Why else would you collect the attentions of others?" She wanted to strike that visage of fake innocence straight off, feeling exhaustively ill at the mere sight of it. This stratagem was all part of a ploy. There was nothing within this man that had any immaculate intentions. He was proving her point by the second. Anne felt not the least bit disturbed by these stares which occupied the majority of the courtiers still ever onlooking, awaiting a response. Nay, if he desired to compose a campaign of honorable intentions, he had chosen to spar with the wrong well born.

Again, she moved so that she remained inches from his erected and conclusive person. His dark gaze could easily match her own, the two appearing quite possibly as if they yearned for nothing more than the others downfall. Her voice fell but a few octaves as she gazed over his shoulder at the crowd briefly. "If you were to question those within this room concerning my very character, what do you believe that they would say?" Her observance moved back to him, her voice almost a whisper. "Ambitious and prerogative is not likely to meet their definition. You, on the other hand, are of another breed entirely. Your intentions need not be malicious in nature, but there is no doubt they work for your own best interest. Therefore," Anne regarded him with somewhat of a quizzical brow, the observance of prejudice never waning. By this point, her voice had elevated itself once again, not for the crowd to hear in particular, but for the Duke of Norfolk to conceive. "I ask you again and I challenge you to deny it. Why have you come to speak with me? For I can guarantee your reasoning comes with your benefit."
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Thomas Howard
Unregistered

It was mesmerizing what the Lady Anne Parr was doing. Had she lost her mind? For the first time he spoke to her and to such impression he had come. Insane, or foolish beyond measure. Her own brother would point out the error of her ways to her the moment he hears about this. The Duke of Norfolk did not doubt William Parr would hear. The story of the unusual quarrel between the youngest Parr and the puissant Duke of Norfolk shall run across the court like the lightning. Even the King will hear, if he cares to listen to such follies. It was innocent in many eyes, to be sure. But William would know better than Anne did that she was digging a great hole for herself, her grave perhaps.

She had chosen to make a great man an enemy. Norfolk forgot not a slight, an insult dealt to him so in the public. How dare she? Who was she to point out his faults to him, and in such brusque, foul manner? No one, the answer was. But he was everything. He would see her punished for every word, every stare, every gesture of defiance and enmity. Had she known he had a piece of evidence able to throw her in the Tower, perhaps even to kill her, would she act so? Oh yes, from this day on he knew she always would, against the odds and logic. She spoke what she thought, and her thoughts were ill conceived towards him. For them she would pay, but not here, not now. In the Great Hall she seemed to blossom, throwing mud on him in the faces of the crowd. Some pitiful halfwits were impressed perhaps, some cheered her quietly. The stupid ones. Anyone with a bit of sense, and thus of any import to him, knew she was putting herself in grave danger even – especially - as she spoke.

The day would come she’d be shocked and terrified by the Duke of Norfolk. For now however, he had nothing to add. Her fire would receive no further fuel from him. Turning to look at her, towering over the lady with his supreme height, he spoke, straight faced and evenly toned. ”You mock me. And I see that I have been belied about your person. You are not kind and gentle. You are a cur.” A murmur went through a crowd. He did not give them any heed. His matter was finished, she was not of his mind, and he would not waste more time trying to put her in his plots. And to think he once projected her to be a Howard. Thank God she showed him her true and despicable colours before such time. ”Since that be true, I bid you adieu, Lady Anne. I will not intrude upon you so again.” He spun on his heel and walked briskly. The people stepped to the sides, making a pathway among the bodies. In a matter of seconds the dark and imposing figure of Earl Marshal was gone from the Great Hall.

CLOSED
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