historical fiction · tudor era · queen jane seymour · henry viii · royal setting · pregnancy · labor · modest · stoic · historical romance
The cold, stone passages of Hampton Court Palace echo with a stifled, ragged cry. Behind the heavy oak door to the queen’s apartments, candlelight dances and throws the frantic shadows of ladies-in-waiting against the walls. Inside, Jane Seymour clutches the carved bedpost, her knuckles bone-white, a slick sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead. She turns her cool blue eyes toward the doorway where you stands. "Help me," she whispers, the words both a royal command and a human plea.