Please note that the memories and artwork contained herein are copyrighted 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Meeting Anne of Cleves

I am around fourteen years old, working in the grounds of the castle belonging to Frederick of Saxony (Old Fred as he was affectionately known by friends and employees). I have known him for a long time, through my father's side of my family who have traditionally worked in saddlery, and supplied the Duke and his ancestors with equipment for their horses. The Duke is a good boss and I'm glad to work for him as my Father despaired when it turned out I was too clumsy to complete the delicate stitching needed for saddle-making. I also believe that my curiosity over the activity of another man, Doctor Martin Luther somehow helped with my appointment here.

This day it is sunny and I'm hoe-ing loose leaves from around the rose bushes in a long thin flower border when a young girl appears to my side, younger than myself but with an air of knowing, and what seems to be almost condescension. She looks me up and down. Unlike her, in her neat tight-styled, immaculate gown, I am wearing brown common workers' clothes whose cuff and trouser legs are slightly too short. I have growing again. Master Frederick always provides my working clothes and some of my others but I don't like to trouble him for them too often as he is a kind man and helps many people. Funnily enough the clothes he gets me are nearly always dark brown, I don't know quite how he found out I like that colour.

Anyway, this girl,with her gold-and navy patterned dress looking sort of restricting in its nearly sparkling cleanliness , stares at me and sniffs then in a voice that suggests she would rather be talking to the leavings of the Duke's curly-tailed dogs, she enquires what I am doing.

"Hoe-ing" I reply curtly surmising she's probably never picked up such a tool in her life "to move the leaves away from the plants." My demonstration appears to have bored her rigid or repulsed her in one sentence. I can't decide if she's really that ignorant or is only here because it's marginally better than being somewhere else. Admittedly I may have sounded a little rude but I hated the implication her tone gave that people of my status were somehow not worthy of being something she even trod in. She takes a deep breath and seems to relax a little, just as a man appears round the corner of the castle about fifteen yards away and calls her.

 "Annnn-a "

He is very smart with Spanish-looking pantaloons, a sword, fitted doublet and a flat hat with a large white feather protruding from round it. He speaks though, with a German accent, though not a local one.

The girl, Annnnnna, looks at me with something that might have been approaching an apology in her eyes then turns abruptly and leaves. I don't know really what to make of the encounter at all.

Later when I tell Master Luther of it all, he laughs and assures me the girl was probably immensely bored with all the diplomatic talk and paperwork that was more than likely going on between Old Fred and the man (her guardian?) who she left with. He points out something that had begun to occur to me ; perhaps her tone had not meant what I thought but she was merely speaking in the way she had been taught, or that she was actually a little shy of speaking to someone "different" to a person of her own background.   Master Luther is just about to reply to my speculation as to who she might be when one of the Duke's house servants, a little older than myself arrives at the door and announces that Fred wants to see me.  I swallow and Master Luther offers me a sympathetic expression. It is not often that Old Fred gets angry but rumour has it that you don't want to be the target when he is....¦and going by the servant's face, I don't have much hope.