It's like an army. A legion riding into battle. But it's not; It's the king's hunting party galloping towards Boleyn estate.

The king himself is behind the advance party; handsome, in his prime, surrounded by a dozen or so of his closest courtiers (among them the Duke of Norfolk), a grand, tough, intimidating lot. Bringing up the rear, another unit of armed guards, and a bearer.

The king's party arrived at Boleyn estate. Almost the entire Boleyn family was nervously assembled outside the house, which had been transformed at great cost. Huge marquees in the gardens. Fountains. Additional staff. Smart uniforms. New extensions to the stables and kitchens.

Mary and a few maids, too late to join the lineup, heard the commotion outside, and rush over to the window to see the approaching riders.

They scanned the approaching riders until they find the king.

"There he is!"

The young Henry Tudor is a dazzling, magnetic, intensely glamorous and handsome figure.

Everyone bows deeply in deference as the King arrived and dismounted athletically.

Thomas Boleyn was the first to take the king's hand.

"Sir Thomas!"

"Your Majesty, you are most welcome."

"Lady Elizabeth.."

Lady Boleyn curtseyed and took the king's hand to kiss it.

A servant in stiff, new uniform, with trembling hands, brought wine on a tray and the King accepted a glass.

"May I present my son, George." Thomas announced.

George, visibly nervous, bowed deeply from the neck.

Behind them, Sir Thomas Howard was upset as he searched for someone amongst the crowd, but found her not there.

"Your Uncle tells me I should have you at court. Should I?" King Henry looks between George and his uncle, sir Howard.

"It would be a great honor, Sir."

Inside the Manor during lunch, the king is introduced to William Carey as sir Boleyn's future son in law.

"To be wed to your daughter, certainly. But I see her not."

Thomas Boleyn cleared his throat in regret and looked to his wife for answers.

"I'm afraid our Mary Jane has lost herself in taking care of his majesty's dinner. She strayed in the woods gathering herbs for your meal. But she knows her way around, surely she'll be back to greet your highness for dinner."

"Perhaps we'll catch ourselves a doe on our hunt!" The king joked, referring to finding Mary Jane, and the table laughed.

It was an hour after lunch ended that William and George led the King and his party to a hunt in the woods of their estate. Deep inside, a stag, wide-eyed, innocent, lift it's head, the sound of the hunting bugle and the roar of approaching footsteps, like thunder. The stag twitched in fear, then bolt off deeper into the forest.

The dogs and riders roar across fields. The hounds snarl, almost delirious with primal agitation. Among the riders, the more advanced horsemen have already gone ahead of their weaker counterparts. In the advanced group, are Henry, several courtiers, and his guards.

They jump over a hedge. One of Henry's courtiers catches the hedge and falls. The king smiles, then turns to see the terrified deer bolt into the safety of the forest. The barking hounds, locked into the scent, follow.

"We've lost him." One of the riders announces "He's in the forest."

Galloping through trees and thick forest was not for the fainthearted. But Henry charged past, kicking up dirt..

"Then we must follow."

Half a mile ahead... a steep ravine, with a sheer drop of twenty-five feet deep. At the bottom, a brook with dangerous rocks, then another sheer climb of twenty-five feet the other side.

The deer arrived, looked, then scampered down the ravine, pursued by the hounds.

The remaining riders arrived. They saw the DEER scramble up the other side, followed by the dogs, slipping in the mud, and struggling with the brook.

The King pulled up his horse and raised his hat, a salute to the deer, but in the process of doing so, caught sight of a maiden. Her blonde hair shown against her maroon outfit, in her hands a basket no doubt filled with herbs

Mary Jane.

The king looked down at the rocks, assessing the risk factor. A long stare, then...

"Please, your Majesty." A courtier interrupted, also having noticed the girl on the other side, "It's not safe."

Henry turned and stared daggers at the man, 'Silence'. He stared across the ravine at Mary. Their eyes met for a fleeting second.

Then he kicked his horse and lurched forward, heading down the sheer ravine. The courtiers gasp and rush to the edge of the ravine to watch. By now, Mary Jane had finally took notice and stared frightfully.

The king's horse slid perilously down the ravine, then struggled to clear the brook, landing heavily in the water. Henry struggled to keep control, and as the horse tried to scramble up the bank the other side, it lost it's footing in the mud, it's hooves grasping horrifically at air. The courtiers cry out in horror, and Mary covers her mouth as the king's horse falls backwards, unseating HENRY, sending him flying, and worst of all, landing on top of him as they fell and tumbled dreadfully down into the brook, and onto the rocks.

"Mary will tend to the king." Howard announced as his sister and brother in law sat worried.

"Surely we have better physicians..."

"You do not understand!" Thomas screamed at his sister. "If you must have your daughters, use them to our benefit."

"But Mary Jane is betrothed. Happily so, to William Carrey."

"There is a strain, on the king's marriage. In such circumstances, a man sometimes seeks comfort elsewhere. At present we're alone in knowing this, but it won't be long before the other families uncover the truth and parade their daughters under his nose. Before watching somebody else profit, we would sooner have..."

"What?" Thomas Boleyn started "Have Mary Jane bed him instead?"

"No, that... That's not..." Elizabeth stuttered in defense of her brother.

"Yes." Howard cut her. "Exactly. The favor he would bestow upon us..."

"And after he's finished with her? Her reputation and prospects would be ruined!"

"On the contrary. Under such circumstances, when the time came.."

Henry jerked to wake feeling tickles on his hand. Mary Jane looked on terrified as she pulled her hand close to her heaving chest, holding on to the rag with which she was cleaning his wounds. He blinked to clear his vision, making sure he was seeing proper.

"And who are you?"

"Mary Jane, your Grace. The Boleyn's daughter." She reached forward again to take his hand, and he allowed her to tend to him as he looked her up and down.

"Have I seen you before?"

"At court perhaps. I am in lady in waiting to the queen."

"Really? How could I have overlooked you?"

"Well after the queen, it would be easy to do."

"Nonsense."

"I hear you're betrothed."

"Yes, your Grace. To William Carey."

"From Wolsey's office?"

"Yes, your Grace."

"And what will you do then? Leave the queen?"

"Yes, sir. He has a small manor and some land. Nothing much. But enough to start a family."

"A charmed life in the country? Away from it all?"

"Yes."

"At the risk of sounding immodest, your majesty." Mary Jane asked nervously.

The king turned to her but saw no fear.

"Go on."

"You've left the queen alone for two days. Do you not think she misses you."

"Think? I am certain of it. She told me so when she visited me the night before my departure. I hope I've given her something to remember me by."

Thinking back on her words, the king snapped up.

"Two days, you said?"

"It's already Sunday your majesty. You slept through last night in pain."

"Then I'm afraid I must take my leave."

"Of course."

Again the Boleyn household lined up to see off the king. Thomas walked the king out to his horse.

"You'll see to the matter, yes?"

"Of course, your excellency. Consider it done."

At night again the Duke Norfolk assembled the Boleyns, without Mary, of course.

"I don't know what she said or did -but Mary Jane's obviously made a deep impression on the King."

Mary Jane, listening from outside the door, was horrified. All the times Mary Jane had resented the king's mistresses, and now she was to be one of them. She couldn't!

In disgust, she ran off to her room.

Mary Jane was sitting at her vanity, humming as she brushed her long blonde hair, when her mother came in. She stroked her daughter's shoulder's comfortingly and took the brush from her. Elizabeth stared at her daughter through the mirror. So innocent, so naive, so... untouched. Mary Jane closed her eyes, soothed by her mother's strokes, unaware when Elizabeth pulled out her hair needle. She brushed all of Mary Jane's hair to one side and stroked her long revealed neck. Then, closing her eyes, she stabbed the hair needle into her daughter's neck. Mary Jane's yell opened her eyes and Elizabeth found herself standing at her daughter's door, watching her pretend to be asleep. Elizabeth slid in behind her little girl and held her in a spooning position.

Both Mother and Daughter cried that night.