Analiese Richter
March 1560
Finally. Finally I have arrived in England. It took so long I thought I’d never get here. I must admit, I was fortunate that there were no delays in the process. No snow storms, no gales at sea. Austria seems so very far away! I am wondering where the hills and mountains are. Where is the snow? The freezing cold? I suppose England is warmer than Austria; it certainly is wetter. Mein Gott, the rain! It seems the clouds are perpetually dripping. When I arrived late last night the raindrops fell in sheets, driving into the ground and immediately soaking everyone ‘till we were shivering uncontrollably. It was nothing a nice fireplace couldn’t fix.
I suppose I should explain. I am now living in the household of Lord Charles Daley, the Duke of Kent. I have come to England to marry a wealthy young man who serves the Duke, and I am to be lady-in-waiting to the Duke’s wife Mary. I met my husband-elect, Lord Robert Hartmann, briefly for the first time last night. He greeted me at the grand doors, kissed my hand, and welcomed me to England. The whole meeting should have been very formal, but my gown was thoroughly wet and we couldn’t help laughing a little at my soggy appearance.
Nevertheless, I had to do my very best to impress Lord Robert, even though I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, making me anxious. It did not help that I was exhausted from my long journey. It turns out that my husband-to-be is quite handsome, in a boyish way. He has light brown hair and wore a red doublet that made his striking green eyes pop.
This morning my maids dressed me in one of the new English gowns that were made for me so I wouldn’t look too out of place and foreign when I went to meet the Duke and the rest of the Hartmann family. The gown is green and much less bulky than my gowns from home, although my corset is tighter. My new hood is more of a billiment, actually, and doesn’t cover much of my hair. Perhaps it is a descendent of the French hood. In any case, I feel a bit odd in my new English attire, but I think it becomes me. We’ll just have to wait and see what Lord Robert thinks, won’t we?
To pass the time, I decided to take a walk in the beautiful gardens that surround the little palace. The flowers and trees and other greenery grow well in the rain and mild weather, even in March. I have a view of the gardens from the window of my chamber, and I couldn’t resist walking through them. There is what seems to be a labyrinth in the center of the gardens. The sky was a light gray, and it was barely raining as I strolled through the paths. I was about to head in when I saw a young woman pass by a few paths away. She was wearing a dark red gown with a fur cape wrapped around her arms. Our eyes met, and her face lit up in recognition. She smiled kindly and walked over to greet me.
“Are you Lady Richter of Austria?” She inquired.
“Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you.” The young woman’s smile grew still larger when she heard me speak.
“I am Charlotte Hartmann. We are so glad to have you here! How was the journey from Austria?”
“Oh, er, thank you. The journey was fine.” I paused, uncertain, “Did you say that your name was Charlotte Hartmann? Are you of any relation to Lord Robert Hartmann?”
“I am! Robert is my brother.” She stopped to think, “That makes us future sisters-in-law, then, doesn’t it?”
I smiled, “I suppose it does.”
“Your English is very impressive; you hardly have an accent. How long have you been studying English?”
“Oh, since I was very young. My parents had English, Latin, and French tutors for me. Do you like languages?” I asked.
“Very much. Perhaps you could teach me some German.”
We walked side by side through the gardens for quite a while, learning more about each other and our families. She and I are the same age; seventeen years old. We both love reading above everything. We both like to ride and dance, but she prefers singing over dancing. I, on the other hand, am a hopelessly awful singer. I pray that they don’t ask me to sing. Although I can play the lute quite well, which might make up for my voice. She told me about Lord Robert too. She says that he is kind and compassionate but is best known for his intelligence. The Duke regularly seeks him for advice. I suppose I shall never be bored!
Suddenly, a bolt of lightening shot through the sky. Thunder boomed all around us as the rain began pouring down again. Charlotte and I ran to the garden door before we could get too wet. We shut the door behind us and turned around to find Charlotte’s mother, Lady Hartmann, waiting for us. Lady Hartmann was a woman with a slight, fragile-looking build. It seemed like she would shatter into hundreds of little pieces, like glass, if she were to trip and fall. There were creases around her eyes and at the corners of her mouth, and she looked less than pleased to see us walking in from the rain.
Charlotte stepped forward and introduced me with a smile, “Mother, this is Lady Richter.” I sank into a deep curtsy.
“I see the two of you have met,” Lady Hartmann said. She sounded almost reproachful.
“Yes, we were walking in the garden,” Charlotte replied cheerfully, despite her mother’s obvious annoyance.
“ In this weather! You’ll make yourself sick walking in the rain. What were you thinking, Charlotte?”
“I’m sorry. Mother. I didn’t think-”
“No, you didn’t think. You don’t think! Did I raise you to be an ignorant girl?”
“Of course not, Madame.”
“What will the Duke think when he sees you walking in with wet hair?”
“I apologize, Madame.” The poor girl curtsied to her mother.
“Do not let it happen again, Charlotte. What is your first name, girl?” The question was directed towards me.
“My name is Analiese, Madame.” I curtsied quickly for good measure, but I don’t think it helped much.
“Analiese? Such a German name will never do.” I looked down at the floor. It was odd. Somehow, Lady Hartmann’s comment had made me feel ashamed. Why? What did I care if this woman didn’t like my name? Perhaps it was because Lady Hartmann was not just any woman, she was my future mother-in-law. Perhaps…
“Pardon me, Mother, but you know Lady Richter comes from Austria.”
“Well, she is no longer in Austria, is she? She will have a proper English name if she is going to live in a proper English household.” She stopped to think, “You will be known simply as Anna from now on,” she decided. Her mouth was downturned in what was apparently a very permanent frown.
“Yes, Madame.” A third curtsy.
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I would love some help with my German. If anyone finds any mistakes in either my title or my story please let me know! Thanks!
Format-- Diary, or Narration?
That was long. But! I just think you should try to make it less of a girl spilling her day onto her diary and more of the traditional first-person-story-line type of thing. Mkay? 
) We wouldn't want an inhumanly uppity and rude character now, would we? Don't fall down the evil-stepmother/evil mother-in-law trap.
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