Chapter 35: Westminster Palace, June 1540 – Summary & Analysis

Spoiler Warning

This page reveals the full events of Chapter 35 of Boleyn Traitor. Proceed only if you are ready for major plot developments.

Summary

Jane Boleyn seeks Thomas Cromwell at his darkened chamber but finds the door guarded. A yeoman blocks the way, so she walks on and stops at the royal stables, leaving a message for the spymaster. Her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, rides in cheerfully and hints that she will soon need his friendship, mocking her reliance on the “new men.” Jane presses him about the queen but gets only cryptic taunts.

Later, from the queen’s rooms at Westminster, Jane looks down at the river and sees the Tower barge moored at the pier—a black, unmarked vessel. She watches in horror as Thomas Cromwell is escorted aboard, bare-headed, his jacket torn where his insignia has been ripped away. He clutches his cap and stumbles, a man who ruled England that morning now broken and hurried toward the Tower on the ebbing tide. Jane hides her terror and busily readies the queen for dinner, not revealing that the architect of the annulment plan is under arrest and that a far worse scheme—one leading to the scaffold—might now be unleashed.

The next morning, Jane visits Norfolk as he predicted. He confirms Cromwell will be executed within the month via a swift act of attainder. The king will annul his marriage to Anne of Cleves and instead court Kitty Howard, the queen’s own maid-of-honour, who will leave royal service. To secure her own safety, Jane gives Norfolk the precontract plan she and Cromwell devised: the queen will admit a prior betrothal, receive Richmond Palace and 8,000 nobles a year, and the king will be free. Norfolk quizzes her about witchcraft, but she deflects, insisting Lord Hungerford’s case is separate. He orders her to take the queen to Richmond and never mention Cromwell’s name again, taking all credit for the plan himself. Jane agrees, coldly acknowledging she has let her spymaster fall without a word in his defence, yet inwardly certain she has outmanoeuvred her uncle by making him dance to her tune.

Key Events

• Jane’s inconclusive search for Cromwell and her message at the stables
• Norfolk’s mocking banter and his prediction that Jane will come begging for his friendship
• Jane’s silent witness to Cromwell’s arrest and forced embarkation on the Tower barge
• The queen’s oblivious preparation for dinner while Jane conceals the political catastrophe
• Norfolk’s disclosure that Cromwell will be executed, Kitty Howard will be the next queen, and the annulment must proceed
• Jane’s betrayal of Cromwell’s annulment plan to Norfolk in exchange for her own survival
• Norfolk’s interrogation about witchcraft and Jane’s careful denial
• Norfolk’s command to erase Cromwell’s role and his seizure of the credit
• Jane’s internal resolution that she is the true puppet master, even as her spymaster is condemned

Character Development

Jane Boleyn reveals her coldest, most self-preserving side. She watches Cromwell—her tutor, protector, and the man who made her feel loved—being dragged to the Tower and does nothing. When Norfolk forces her to surrender the annulment plan, she complies without hesitation, recognising that her survival depends on switching allegiance. Her interior monologue insists she has fooled everyone, yet her silence underscores a chilling moral vacuum.

Thomas Cromwell appears only through others’ eyes. His arrest is swift, humiliating, and decisive. The ripping of his Order of the Garter and his stumble to the barge convey the fragility of power in Henry’s court. The chapter makes his fall feel inevitable, prefigured by Norfolk’s glee and the heaps of confiscated gold.

The Duke of Norfolk triumphs openly. He relishes the destruction of the “new man” and plans to restore the old nobility’s influence. His questioning of Jane about witchcraft hints that he still suspects darker plots, but he is satisfied with the simple annulment narrative. He intends to take full credit, positioning himself as the king’s indispensable councillor.

Anne of Cleves remains passive but central. Jane’s careful management of her in the mirror suggests that the queen suspects something is wrong, yet she continues to prepare for a role that may be drastically different from what she expects.

Katheryn Howard is a peripheral but significant figure. Her removal from the queen’s service and her grandmother’s house signals that the king’s courtship will soon become official. She represents the next phase of Howard ambition.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Survival and Self-Preservation: Jane’s every action is driven by a primal need to stay alive and retain her position. She betrays Cromwell, feeds Norfolk the plan, and schools her face into a pleasant mask—all to avoid the fate of her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn.

Betrayal: The chapter pivots on multiple betrayals—Cromwell’s arrest, Jane’s abandonment of him, Norfolk’s theft of the annulment scheme. Loyalty is a weapon that can be discarded at a moment’s notice.

Power and Ambition: Norfolk’s language (“We won’t be ruled by merchants and mayors”) and his hunger for credit illustrate how ambition corrupts justice. Cromwell’s fall demonstrates that even the king’s chief minister is disposable when his usefulness wanes.

Masks and Deception: Jane smiles at the queen, lies to Norfolk about her knowledge of witchcraft, and silently plans to let her uncle believe he is the mastermind. The entire court operates behind a facade.

The Tower Barge: The black, flagless barge appears twice in the chapter—first as Cromwell boards it, and earlier in Jane’s memory as a ghostlike harbinger. It symbolises the sudden, irreversible descent from power to imprisonment.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 35 is the turning point of the novel’s political landscape. Thomas Cromwell’s arrest collapses the machinery that has protected Jane and the queen. The chapter forces Jane to make an irrevocable choice: abandon her spymaster and ally completely with her Howard uncle. It also sets the stage for the annulment of the Cleves marriage and the rise of Kitty Howard, reshaping the court’s dynamics. In personal terms, it crystallises Jane’s identity as a survivor who will orchestrate from the shadows, even if it means sacrificing everyone she once trusted.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Jane choose to give Norfolk the annulment plan instead of defending Cromwell? Jane realises that Cromwell’s fall is already sealed and that any attempt to defend him would implicate her as a co-conspirator. By volunteering the plan, she demonstrates immediate usefulness to Norfolk, securing her own safety and preserving her influence over the queen’s fate.

2. What does Norfolk’s interrogation about witchcraft reveal about his character? Norfolk’s questions show he is suspicious that the original scheme involved darker accusations against Anne of Cleves. His probing reflects a willingness to use any charge—even witchcraft—to achieve his ends, and his satisfaction with Jane’s denial indicates he prefers a clean, uncomplicated annulment that strengthens his own standing.

3. How does the chapter use the symbol of the Tower barge to underscore the theme of power? The black, unmarked barge appears suddenly and swallows Cromwell in minutes. It represents how swiftly power can be stripped away in Henry’s court. The oarsmen waiting, the gangplank ready, and the ebbing tide all emphasise that Cromwell’s fate is already decided, reinforcing the idea that no one is ever secure.

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