In Medias Res p by Nomanselizabth (Livejournal)

Philip of Spain lay his hand over mine. This was not brotherly care that he was bestowing
upon me now. This was undoubtedly his opening bid to be the husband of the next Queen of
England, even now while its present Queen, my sister Mary, lie even her chambers dying. t
was only by a sheer dominance of my own !ill that did not fling his hand off with all of the
rage that was now rising to a heated boil within me"
# $now well enough that you do not wish to leave England%s shores,# he said,# who would
ever truly wish to leave their country& 'ut perhaps it may also be because your highest
ambitions lie here,# he ventured
#!hat does it matter, Sir, if but if were to pay a visit to your (unt in the Spanish
)etherlands or to go abroad to meet with my potential bridegroom that you and my sister
have selected for me& n either case, you yourself have promised me *our +ighness%
unwavering support and brotherly care.,
#*es, of course, most assuredly, my sister,# his voice was $ept low, and he was pleased, it
seemed, that since had not shrun$ from this small advance of his. t was obvious that in
this small act, had given him hope - for both himself and for Spain. (ll need do was to
convince him that he could possibly hang on to England a little while longer and that was
still young enough to be inexperienced and foolish enough to be flattered by such
attentions, however inappropriate. +e leaned a little closer now that not even his own
ministers could overhear him. # will be honest with you, Eli.abeth,# he said, #That do
want you for myself and do not wish to see you sent away from England either, not
when....#
#!hen..... what, +ighness# prompted.
#!hen you are so close to being crowned England%s Queen.,# he had no problem saying it.
#They say that the Queen, my wife- your sister shall not survive this childbirth.#
did not answer him, did not dare to spea$, not now, not while Philip was laying out
precisely what his plans for me....for England truly were. f anyone else were to overhear
there would be scandal and outrage. 'ut none of that matched the rage that tore through
me /ust as surely as the fingernails on my other hand that was curled in my lap tore into the
palm of my hand. +is voice continued and let it%s serpentine 0uality wrap itself around my
awareness.
#Then both of our hopes might be reali.ed, sister,# Philip continued.
#Surely *our +ighness cannot be so insightful as to $now my hopes so clearly,# said
protesting.
#Everyone hopes that you are to become Queen and they also $now that you yourself also
hope to be Queen,# Philip said simply, #and to be honest with you, that is my hope as well.
*ou see,# his fingers stro$ed across mine and then massaged my palm. Philip had been
0uite careful in this, for he had made certain that no one from Mary%s 1ourt could have
witnessed what passed between us now, #t is also my hope, sister, that you will remember
your brother in Spain and thin$ $indly upon him.#
#!hat do you mean to say to me, Sir&# my breaths fought to still.
#!e are neither of us free as of yet, Eli.abeth,# he said, # want to be the hand you see$ in
marriage because fear as the Priests in 2ome say, your true father is the 3evil and that
you have bewitched me. !hether it be in Spain or in England, care not for what they say.
mean to have you.#
#+ave you no mercy, Sir&# said, #*ou cast your shadow on both of us now, a shadow that
will lead me bac$ to the Tower and onto the bloc$ if anyone were to see us and Mary were
to hear of it" # finally wrested my hand away from him, straightening in my chair.
The room seemed entirely too airless now, needed to ta$e a wal$ after this. needed to
clear my head and leave this place, for the stench of not only impending death was
beginning to fill every corner, there was the distinct odour of animals such as my brother-in-
law who thought nothing of feeding off his own not-yet-dead wife and planning to ma$e a
meal of her sister next.
#*ou are right,#he nodded, #you and must be cautious. 4ne day it is my hope that it will
not be necessary for me to be so.# +e rose from his chair and gave me a stiff bow. +is
counsellors, anticipating that their Prince was now ready to leave also inclined their heads in
my position and as Philip left, each followed him in turn, leaving me to stand staring after
him. +e was not a very tall man, and by comparison to 2obert 3udley or the 3uc de (n/ou,
he was mar$edly shorter than either of them. Still, this man had held my sister in thrall and
held nearly one third of the world in his hand. would have to tread very carefully in the
days ahead.