Winter 1533 Summary

As a New Year present, Anne has had a gaudy, expensive fountain built for Henry, made of gold and studded with diamonds and rubies. Its carved female figures spout water from their nipples, signifying an omen, reminder, and wish for fertility. Mary and George are stunned by its ugliness.

Anne east asparagus shoots for every meal, and becomes pregnant again in January, returning to the center of attention.

Winter 1533 Analysis

This is the shortest chapter yet in the book, but an extremely powerful one.

Anne's gift to the king is quite over the top in terms of unrestrained, wasteful extravagance. Besides being offensive in its decadent opulence, it signifies a growing desperation in Anne to maintain her power and position, and to sustain the king's hope that she will conceive again.

It is interesting to note that Mary and George's "amens" are "as...