The Other Boleyn Girl Chapter 39 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Autumn 1533

  • Anne goes into labor. The pain she experiences can only be a fraction of the pain normal people feel by merely dealing with her on a daily basis.
  • The baby is born without a hitch.
  • Okay, there's one small hitch: it's a girl. Might as well put the thing in a sack and drop it off a bridge now.
  • Anne names the baby Elizabeth and arranges for her to be sent away and cared for.
  • Among the baby's caretakers will be Princess Mary, Katherine's daughter.
  • Mary Boleyn finds it especially offensive that Anne is having another princess serve her daughter. But being offensive is what Anne does best.
  • Anne has more news that is offensive to Mary: she is putting Mary's son, Henry, in the care of Sir Francis Weston.
  • Mary is furious and swears to William that she'll kill Anne for putting her son in the care "of those sodomites!" (39.61). Oh, dear.
  • William swears he and Mary will get Henry back somehow. Good luck.