I’m silent for a moment. “Do you think you could maybe pick something else to store in your garters? Maybe fruit or a slice of bread?”
She stares unsmilingly back at me. “I much prefer cheese.”
“As do we all.”
The women are all looking at me, and I give my head a shake. “You know what? Upon further investigation, I think it’s best that we switch over to individual sessions.”
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this exercise, it’s that this traumatized Tudor court is in desperate need of a psychologist. And guess what? They just got one.
“What do you mean by ‘sessions’?” Elizabeth Norworth asks.
“What I mean is... embroidery sessions. I would like to embroider with each of you, one at a time.”
“May I ask why, Your Majesty?”
I shrug and tuck my hands behind my back. “No reason in particular.”
Client name:Agnes Fitzhugh
Occupation:Maid of honor
Presenting concerns:Agnes reported difficulty maintaining trusting social relationships after King Henry executed five of her family members on five separate occasions. When Agnes relayed her anxious thoughts to her father, he assured her that he is a close personal confidant of the king and that Henry would never abandon his friends.
Interventions used:Guided visualization was employed. Will follow up with Agnes’s father about his avoidant coping behaviors and the dangers of continued denial.
Client name:Sarah Empson
Occupation:Lady-in-waiting
Presenting concerns:Sarah expressed anger and resentment toward fellow lady-in-waiting Anne Calthorpe. Sarah stated that Anne relayed details of their private conversation to a member of the king’s privy council, in the hopes of getting Sarah banished from court. Violent inclinations were noted, with Sarah stating she would like to part Anne’s hair with a broadsword.
Interventions used:Cognitive Behavioral Techniques were introduced. Emotional labeling was practiced: “I felt disappointed and betrayed”; “I don’treallywant to cut Anne’s head open with a broadsword.”
Client name:William Finch
Occupation:Musician
Presenting concerns:William communicated feelings of near-crippling anxiety after reoccurring dreams where he plays out of tune at the king’s wedding ceremony. William conveyed that while being taught how to play the organ as a young child, he was struck with a thin tree branch by his music instructor each time he made a mistake, which was quite often.
Interventions used:Employed 4-7-8 breathing technique to manage anxiety. Introduced the concept of journaling to help decrease rumination.
*Sidenote: Speaking to William outside of a professional capacity once our session was complete, I gave a grisly description of my plans tohammerfist-punch his music instructor in the back of the head at the earliest possible opportunity.
My sessions last for hours, and I’ve embroidered a solid quarter of a bedsheet by midday. I’m stretching my fingers out when I look up to see an elegant woman standing in front of the vacant chair across from me.
“May I embroider with you next, Your Majesty?” She seems to be in her early thirties, with pale blue eyes and a composed countenance.
“Of course,” I tell her, gesturing her to sit.
She makes herself comfortable and begins to stitch the handkerchief she’s working on. “I’m Lady Barrow,” she says. “I’m one of your ladies-in-waiting and a close acquaintance of your cousin Lady Rochford.”
That’s why she seems familiar. When Lady Rochford is talking to someone, it’s usually her. “I’m sorry. I’m still in the process of learning names.”
“Think nothing of it,” she says. “I’m sure you have plenty of more important things to worry about as you adjust to life as queen.” She pulls a graceful stitch, her mouth curving as she looks up at me. “I’m also a relation of one of your maids of honor, Bessie. It’s wonderful to see my young cousin so at ease at court.”
I glance over now to see Bessie sound asleep on the floor with Theo on her chest. “I’d be lost without her,” I tell Lady Barrow, and we share a quiet chuckle.
“Bessie and I share a common interest in herbs,” she says. “We often confer with each other over healing properties and such.”
