speak English?"
"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady."
"Oh, my! Andrew's good fortune has triumphed again! He's found beauty and intelligence in one package—and it was all by chance! Do sit down, madame. Would you care for some wine?"
Feeling rather overwhelmed at this point, Micheline accepted. A goblet of gold embedded with diamonds was presented to her. Anne Boleyn had returned her attention to the furs, and Micheline watched her with interest.
The future queen was not beautiful. Her skin was sallow, her face was rather long, and she had almost no bosom, yet there was a compensating loveliness about her black eyes, slender neck, and finely arched brows. Micheline had heard that Catherine of Aragon was sober and pious, so it seemed likely that Henry had been drawn more to Anne's vivaciousness than to her physical beauty. This thought gave her hope for the king's character.
"All right, I've decided." Anne turned to her guest. "What do you say, Micheline? Will not this gown of white tissue look best with ermine?"
"Oh, yes!" Enthusiasm seemed proper. "It will be lovely!"
"Well, then, good! That will be all for today," Anne told the dressmakers.
A maid scurried forward to help her mistress slip into a gown of deep violet that was encrusted with sapphires and diamonds. Anne sat down near Micheline while another maid brushed out her dark silky hair.
"I'll wager that you are a happy girl," she said to Micheline, sipping her own goblet of wine. "You're doubtless in love with Sandhurst."
"Truth to tell, I am."
"Who could resist him?" She paused to appraise the young Frenchwoman and pursed her lips slightly. The chit was a beauty. Anne had been surprised to hear from Rupert Topping that Sandhurst was going along with this forced marriage, but now it did not seem so unbelievable. There had been many moments during the years since she'd won the king's favor when Anne Boleyn had felt an almost overpowering attraction to the Marquess of Sandhurst. At times, lying in Henry's smothering embrace, she'd wondered what it might be like to make love with Sandhurst instead, and in her worst moments Anne had thought that if he showed even a hint of attraction to her, she would leave behind the prospect of becoming queen and go off with him. Of course, that never happened. Sandhurst was rarely at court, and when he was, he was unfailingly affable but he always kept a barrier up between himself and the rest of the world. Besides, it had all been a foolish fantasy on her part, Anne thought now. All women wanted Sandhurst because he was unattainable, and her own longing had grown out of the years of frustration that preceded this final month before she would at last become queen of England. Many times it had seemed that it would never happen, but now that she was growing larger with Henry's child, they had announced their January wedding, and in just a few weeks she would wear the crown of queen!
The dreamy, faraway look in Anne Boleyn's eyes made Micheline uneasy. Casting about for another subject, she offered, "It was kind of the king to invite us to Hampton Court. I particularly enjoyed the journey up the Thames."
"We are always pleased to have Sandhurst among us," Anne said, smiling, "and, of course, everyone has been eager to meet you. But tell me, how is your king? I am very fond of Francois, and of France! You know, I lived at the French court when I was a child."
Before Micheline could reply, the door opened and a page announced, "Lady Dangerfield to see you, my lady."
"Oh, wonderful! Show her in!"
Iris swept into the chamber, her coppery curls ablaze in the sunlight. She wore a gown of blue and heliotrope satin, several necklaces of pearls, and a ring on every finger.
"Greetings, my lady, and congratulations!" she sang.
"Thank you. Iris." Anne, her hair now caught up in a gold coif, rose to embrace her guest. "Do you know Madame Tevoulere?" Her dark eyes traveled from one lady to the other, well aware of the situation.
"We have not met," Iris replied coldly.
Micheline stood up. "Good morrow. Lady Dangerfield. I have heard a great deal about you."
Like everyone else, Iris registered surprise at the sound of the girl's perfect English. Her green eyes widened, then narrowed.
"I should offer you congratulations as well, madame," she said softly, "and I wish you luck. You'll need it to succeed where so many others have failed."
Lifting her chin with