In The Shadow - стр. 14
As Their Majesties passed by, Brigid and Alienor slowly rose from their floor-deep curtsies and fixed curious glances on the rulers of England. But while Alienor glided an appraising glance at Henry, her friend looked sympathetically at Catherine's tired, pale face, under whose beautiful eyes black circles were clearly visible, a sure sign that she had not slept a wink during the night. But the woman was smiling and friendly, and it made Brigid love her even more than she already did. As did many in this castle, including the servants. Everyone could see the disdain with which the king treated his lawful consort, the Queen, and the trepidation with which he held the palm of his favourite's hand in his palm. Anne was younger than Catherine, younger than Henry, and her youth, radiance, and talent for winning hearts made the king fulfil her every wish. Thanks to the Boleyn maidens, first Mary and then her younger sister Anne, their family rose to incredible heights and acquired so many new positions, estates and titles that they were the envy of all the other noble families, especially the Seymours, who were also trying to get one of their lovely daughters, Queen Catherine's ladies-in-waiting, under the lustful Henry.
Their Majesties approached the high table above the others, and the King had to reluctantly let go of Anne's palm to take a seat at the table, next to his wife, and Anne to sit at the table for the courtiers, although, God knows, in her mind she and all the Boleyns had already seen her banish Catherine to the convent, and the golden, ornate crown of the Queen of England descend on her, Anne's, dark-haired head. After all, when this happens, the Boleyns will not only gain even more power and influence, but will also become relatives of the future king, when Anne will give Henry the long-awaited desired heir, fulfilling the duty of a Queen that the Spanish princess Catherine was unable or unwilling to fulfil.
Alienor could feel the tension in the dining hall and the falseness of the entourage's smiles with all her being. She knew that, by fate, she was in the centre of royal court intrigues and the struggle for the right to possess a tall, broad-shouldered, red-haired man, to whom England belonged, to share power with him. Brigid knew one thing: Catherine of Aragon's calm smile hid her pain and disappointment, and she watched in silence as her own beloved husband preferred the pretty face of the young favourite to hers. Unwillingly meeting her gaze with the Queen, Brigid flashed and smiled, and when Catherine smiled back at her, the girl thought with delight: "You and only you are our true Queen! May God bless you! I will pray to Him to return to you happiness and peace!".
Alienor smiled, thinking of how naive and innocent Brigid was, when she noticed how enthusiastically her friend was admiring the Queen. Miss Norton herself was betting on Anne Boleyn and looked with interest at her thin face: olive-coloured skin, dark, almost black eyes that could drown in them, dark hair barely visible from under a richly embroidered gold threaded French burgundy hood. Nothing special, the most ordinary appearance, she is not even in a match for Brigid … But there was something attractive in Miss Boleyn, something magical and inexplicable that fascinated the perceptive Alienor. After comparing the old Queen and the young favourite, the girl decided without much thought which of them should be supported, and which of them would stay with Henry in the end. No, not the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand! Not that proud, stately Spanish princess!