Crows (Part 1)

Wolf Crawl Week 19: Monday 6 May – Sunday 12 May

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Welcome to week 19 of Wolf Crawl

This week, we are reading the first part of the chapter, “Crows, London and Kimbolton, Autumn 1535.” Cromwell takes stock of the world at Austin Friars as Anne is all elbows and the king looks too long at Jane Seymour.

You will find everything you need for this read-along on the main Cromwell trilogy page of my website, including:

• The reading schedule

• Weekly updates, like this one

• Plot summaries for each character

• Online resources about Mantel’s writing and Thomas Cromwell

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Last week’s posts:

Falcons

A bird's eye view

1. This week’s story

Autumn, 1535. Thomas Cromwell runs into Stephen Gardiner outside the king’s chamber. Gardiner has written a book defending the king’s authority and supremacy as head of the church.

The court arrives at Winchester, and Anne’s bishops are concretated at the cathedral. Cromwell reflects on his souring relationship with Anne and his attempts to accommodate the men surrounding the king and queen.

Plague diverts the court to the Seymour house of Elvetham, where Cromwell arranges for Jane to be seen by the king. That night, Henry can’t sleep and summons Cromwell. The king asks him how he might free himself from his marriage.

This summer, Cromwell sent his inspectors out to the monasteries. They are tasked with assessing the church's wealth and any good cause for the king to reclaim what is rightfully his. As he talks this over with his son Gregory, he reminds himself to visit Wolsey’s daughter Dorothea at Shaftesbury.

Back at Austin Friars, Cromwell visits the kitchens to get the London gossip from Thurston, the cook. The word on the street is that Anne is cuckolding the king. With whom? Thomas Wyatt, Henry Percy, and every gentleman of the privy chamber.

Cromwell’s household council discuss a turf war between George Boleyn and Nicholas Carew and Gardiner’s fresh appointment as ambassador to France. The empire is once again a threat to England, and Katherine of Aragon is dying.

Richard Riche says, “If she should die within the year, I wonder what world would be then?”