by Diane Haeger
Outside, just beyond their temporary little haven, a sentry called out the king’s arrival. She could hear Henry’s deep, throaty laughter and that of his companions who followed. They both could. It belonged to the man who had sealed their fate.
Epilogue
October 24, 1537
Hampton Court
Anne Seymour had tears in her eyes. The candle lamps made them glisten like jewels as they fell along her cheeks in ribbons. “Was that the last time you ever saw him?”
“Of course,” Jane answered weakly from beneath the pile of satiny bedcovers, a defeated little thing with gray skin and hollow eyes. She barely resembled Jane, Queen of England, mother of the king’s heir, their twelve-day-old son, Edward. “William is too much a gentleman to ever attempt to see me. I saw him and Lady Dormer together at a distance last Michaelmas, but he never approached me after that day in the grotto. You really are the only living soul who knows the entire story.”
“I would’ve thought your brother Thomas—”
“He never knew the end of it. To be honest, I no longer trust Thomas or Edward, especially after the death of the king’s son, poor Fitzroy. Thomas swore to me he was not involved, but I knew how afraid he was that Mistress Blount’s son would end up as heir to the throne before I could produce a rival. We Seymours were raised to do our duty fully,” she said bitterly. Fatigued from speaking, Jane closed her eyes for a moment. As she did, her mind filled with the colors and images she liked the most, those carefree early days at Wolf Hall before fate had yet to claim her…
Her sister would be here to care for her son. Edward and Anne as well. For Jane was dying; she knew that. She could feel the life draining out of her from the very moment she had given life to her son. She knew, somehow, that Edward was meant to live, and even as she faced her own final breath, she was glad. She had paid an enormous price for it, but Jane had done what neither Katherine of Aragon nor Anne Boleyn could do in more than twenty-eight years. She had given Henry VIII a legal son and heir.
“Read me that passage one more time from Thomas à Kempis, would you? It will comfort me, Anne.”
Anne Seymour picked up the volume on the queen’s bedside table and opened it to the page marked with a ribbon. “Love is swift, sincere, pious, joyful, generous, strong, patient, faithful, prudent, long-suffering, courageous and never seeking its own; for wherever a person seeks his own, there he falleth from love.”
There was a calm smile on her face now. “I want you to keep this story I have told you, and lock it away for someday after Hal and I are both gone. After William and Mary have left this earth as well. ’Tis too beautiful to be lost to the ages.” Jane drew in a shallow, labored breath. “Tell me, Anne, how does it begin again?”
Anne Seymour wiped the cloud of tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and drew in a deep breath. “It begins, I, Jane…”
Author’s Note
Sixteen months after her marriage to Henry VIII, and the birth of Edward VI, Jane Seymour died on October 24, 1537, at Hampton Court Palace. The few details of her connection to William Dormer that exist today were told, not by Jane and William themselves, but by the daughter of William and Mary Dormer in a book called Life of Jane Dormer. William did serve Thomas Cromwell while Jane Seymour was at court, and his eldest daughter was indeed named Jane. Details beyond that of what truly happened between Jane and William shall remain a mystery locked to the ages.
Diane Haeger is the author of several novels of historical and women’s fiction. She has a degree in English literature and an advanced degree in clinical psychology, which she credits with helping her bring to life complicated characters and their relationships. She lives in Newport Beach, California, with her husband and children.
READERS GUIDE
I, Jane
IN THE COURT OF HENRY VIII
DIANE HAEGER
READERS GUIDE
READERS GUIDE
QUESTIONS
FOR DISCUSSION
1. Prior to reading I, Jane, what were your perceptions of Jane Seymour as an historical figure? Were those perceptions mostly formed by the many biographies of Henry VIII or by popular culture (i.e., miniseries, movies, or television)? How, if at all, were those perceptions changed or perhaps expanded by reading the novel?
2. Discuss how Jane’s relationship with Sir Francis Bryan evolves throughout Jane’s life. Why do you think he felt such a deep and lasting connection to her? Why did he elect to try to help her with William several times in spite of the odds against their romance?
3. History tells us that Jane Seymour was a meek and plain-faced woman. For William Dormer, what do you think were the characteristics that set Jane apart from the more beautiful and wealthy eligible women of his day? Why do you think he felt such an indelible connection to a woman he did not frequently see?
4. For many years, Jane found Henry VIII’s behavior and personality largely repugnant, although she was bound to engage with him as a member of the court, which ultimately drew him to her. Why do you think Jane eventually allowed herself to soften toward the king? Do you think she compromised her principles? Or do you believe she truly came to care for Henry VIII by the end of her life and saw it as a kind of giving in to fate?
5. Jane was witness to Henry VIII’s first two tumultuous marriages, including his open cruelty to both women, as well as the tragic end to each union. Her loyalty was tied to Katherine of Aragon and she was deeply affected by the queen’s fate. Do you think Jane believed she could be different for Henry or was she simply resigned to her destiny?
6. Since each woman managed to captivate the same man, discuss the ways in which Jane Seymour was like Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. In what ways were they different from one another? For example, do you believe each woman truly loved the king? Do you believe even Jane Seymour could be considered ambitious?
7. In the novel, Sir Francis Bryan is unable to get William’s impassioned letter to Jane due to his jousting accident. Do you believe William and Jane should have fought harder to be together, or was the lack of a letter enough of an impediment?
8. In the novel, William Dormer marries Mary Sidney in order to save Wolf Hall for the Seymour family. Did you find that act heroic? Do you believe there was some element of self-preservation in it? Do you think William should have fought for Jane by confronting the prospect of his own poverty and allowed the Seymours to face their own financial crisis?
9. Before their marriage, Jane knew that Henry had ordered five men executed for crimes which she doubted any of them had committed with Anne Boleyn. Jane had already seen the lengths to which he was willing to go to be rid of a queen with Katherine of Aragon. How do you think Jane rationalized marrying a man capable of such rage and violence? Do you believe she was in awe of his position? Or did she truly care for Henry, the man?
10. If Jane had not died in childbirth, do you think her marriage would have endured? If not, would it only have been Henry’s wandering eye and general discontent in relationships that separated them? Do you believe Jane and William would have found their way back to each other later in life?
READERS GUIDE
