Chapter 2 – More than a Business Man's Daughter
"I want her gone." Catherine said in a displeased manner as she glided down one of the many flights of stairs that decorated her home, Henry was at her heals, telling her repeatedly to lower her voice, though the distressed noble women didn't seem to hear him, "This will end badly I can feel it." Catherine said clutching her hands over her heart, which in turn wrinkled the neckline of her cashmere sweater, "What were you thinking? Inviting her back here, what made you think that ever a good idea?"
"Her father and I have an agreement, it's just for the summer Catherine, and then she'll be gone for good."
"And she'll leave our son heartbroken on the sidelines." Catherine said pointedly.
"She may not, Mary is a beautiful girl it's true, but there's a possibility Francis won't find her nearly as charming as everyone else seems to,"
Catherine scoffed, "I think it's fairly obvious her charms have already taken effect."
"Like I said she's beautiful, but will that be enough? Francis isn't the kind of man who only appreciates appearance, her personality will count too."
"They've been friends for nearly fifteen years Henry. He's had time to decide whether or not he likes her personality and if their little escapade upstairs says anything at all it defiantly says he does."
"Then we'll distract him."
"From the girl sleeping in the room down the hall from him? How in god's name do you intend to do that?"
"He's seventeen, I say it's about time we introduce him to possible wives, don't you?"
"And if he decides Mary is better than these 'possible wives'?"
"He won't. He's a man, no man can resist a mountain of eager women."
Catherine was quiet for a long time and when she spoke again her eyes were softer, "Francis is not you Henry. He doesn't fawn over just any women who knocks on his bedroom door. He's a lover, not a fighter, but I think you'll find when it comes to what he loves his ability to fight, as well as his will, triples. If he falls in love with this girl…with Mary…he will not let her go easily, even you, as far away from knowing him as you are, can surely see that."
"Considering the circumstances…it would seem he will have to." Henry replied, leaving the conversation hanging in the air, as well as a concerned Catherine in the hallway.
….
Mary listened intently as Francis told her about the various scandals he'd been involved in over the past few years, the real story, not the one the press told. He'd explained many of them to her before through video chats and text messages, but hearing him explain them again when they were face to face was much nicer, the two of them were curled up on one of the couches in the library since they'd been banned from each other's rooms, along the way Mary had found her way into her aged plaid pajama pants and a close fitting yellow t-shirt.
She laughed as he explained the real story about a certain royal groom finding him in a closet with a certain royal bride's sister.
"So you never actually snogged Pippa Middleton then?" Mary said with a giggle.
He returned her laugh, "No, she was crying alone in a closet, I had to make sure she was alright."
"Well aren't you a gentlemen, and here half the world is stuck thinking you're a terrible person to snog a vulnerable women on her sister's wedding day, and the other half is peeping through frosted windows trying to figure out if you and Pippa are still going at it."
"Not at all, I haven't seen her but once since. I don't know if you've heard, but she's kind of thirty and I'm kind of seventeen."
"Eighteen in two weeks," Mary corrected picking up her mug of hot chocolate and taking a sip, "but I suppose you have a point."
He nodded, "But I'm not the only one whose been caught snogging in the past year am I? Who was it again? That Irish member of One Direction?"
She nearly choked on her drink, "What?" she said forcing herself to swallow.
"I'm going to take that as a no, then?"
"He looks about twelve."
"So a hell no then?"
"I mean not a hell no, but not my first choice, what is this rumor about?"
He adjusted himself so he could reach his phone and pulled up a photo of her kissing a blond haired boy, "Looks legit, it was all over the teen magazines and tabloids like a month ago, Naill dickless Horan has a new girlfriend, remember?"
She snorted barely able to contain her laughter, "Jealous much?" she asked arching an eyebrow.
"No, I'm not it's just…he probably has his nubby little fingers all over hundreds of girls a week, and I don't think you should be treated like that is all."
She sighed, "Well the picture is legit."
His mouth gapped open, "What?"
"Yep," she smiled, "it's a legit picture of us when we were fifteen." She shook with a storm of violent laughter at the confused look on his face.
"Us?" he asked baffled.
"Yes." She said not completely done laughing, "It was back when you had that ridiculous short hair cut, I suppose from the back you do sort of look like him, but you're taller."
"Me?"
"Do you not remember?"
He was silent for a while looking from the picture to her, "…"
"You don't do you? It's alright it wasn't as important for you as it was for me." She said, although she had to admit she was a little disappointed he didn't remember.
"Why was it important for you?" he asked in a small voice, knowing he'd struck a serious cord.
"Um…" she looked at her hands and blushed, "n-no reason…"
"What is the reason Mary?" he prodded.
"It isn't important…" she said begging for the heat in her cheeks to disperse.
"Yes it is or you wouldn't be blushing so much…"
"That was, uh, that was my first kiss."
"What?" he seemed extremely angry all of the sudden, but not with her, more like an inward frustration, "So let me get this straight, you kissed me and I don't remember it? And to make matters worse it was your first kiss. I don't remember being your first kiss?"
"Actually, you kissed me, and I'm not all that surprised you don't remember, you were a little bit tipsy if I remember it right."
"So I was drunk too? Great." He said sarcastically, dropping his head into his hands.
She laughed and snuck off the couch bending down on her knees in front of Francis, she quietly reached up and pulled his hands away from his face, "It's okay, really, it is. Like I said I didn't expect you to remember."
He managed a small smile, "What an awful first kiss it must have been."
"Not really…it was…nice."
"Nice? I must have smelled dreadfully of alcohol."
She snickered at the memory, "You did, but it's okay."
He made a small embarrassed noise and looked down at her, "Let me make it up to you."
"What?" she replied startled, surely he didn't mean…
"I promise it won't mean anything…I just…I don't smell like alcohol, and I'll actually remember this one, maybe I can make it up to you?"
She laughed at his bashful way of asking, but wasn't sure how to respond.
He wrapped his hands around Mary's, "Your first kiss should mean something Mary."
She reached out and touched his face softly, "It did mean something," she placed a light kiss on his cheek, "really, don't feel bad. Honestly, it was the best first kiss I ever had." Her once serious tone took on a lighter cadence as her last sentence took a dive into a pool of sarcasm, and once more her laugh, which had been ringing throughout the library until a few moments ago, broke out again.
"Ha ha very funny." Francis said dryly.
"Aren't I?" she mused.
"No." he said trying too hard to keep from laughing and allowing a smile to spread over his lips.
"See that," she smirked and tapped her lips, "I am." She said proudly.
Just as she did Catherine walked into the room proudly as always, holding her head high, she spotted Mary and Francis and her proud smile quickly switched to cold glare, she tapped her diamond studded wrist watch, "One in the morning, isn't it about time you two went to bed?"
Mary smiled at the cold hearted women politely, "I was just about to say that very thing." She stood smoothing out her rumpled pajamas, "Want to walk with me Francis?"
"Yes I wou—" Francis began to say, before his mother interrupted.
"Actually dear, I'd like to talk to you about something, do you think you can find your way to your room on your own Mary?"
Mary shot her a skeptic look, but nodded, "Yes ma'am, see you tomorrow Francis?"
He grinned, "Bright and early."
She laughed remembering their deal, "Goodnight Francis, goodnight Mrs. Valois."
"Sleep well Mary." Catherine said although Mary could feel the ice in her voice as she stepped into the hallway and headed back towards her room.
…..
Back inside the library Catherine looked at her son with mixed emotions, trying to decide whether or not she should tell him about the future wives his father was planning to distract him with or if she should tell him about the return of his younger brothers that was taking place tomorrow, she decided to save the less savory topic for a later date and joined her son on the couch that had been previously occupied by Mary, "What is it you wanted to talk about mother?" the look on her sons face was one of great uncertainty.
"Well of your brothers of course, Charles and Henry get into town tomorrow you know."
"They do don't they? I'd nearly forgot the train was bringing them in, will we be meeting them in Paris?"
"That is the plan it would seem, but what with Mary here…"
"Mary can join us, they boys are dying to meet her and she them."
"Really?"
"Yes of course, it'll be great to have her there with us, we could leave early so I can show Mary around Paris, she'll love it."
"Surely in all the years she's spent here she's been to Paris before Francis."
"That's true, but who doesn't love Paris?"
"You make a good point dear, but don't you want to spend time with the family?"
"Mary has known us for many years, is she not family?"
Catherine cocked a perfectly plucked eyebrow, "Not exactly."
Francis starred at her for a long moment, "You don't like Mary do you?"
"It's not that I don't like her Francis it's just that I'm not sure she's exactly what you need at this point in your life…"
"What is that supposed to mean?" he said accusingly.
"I just don't think you should get involved with—"
"Involved? Mary and I aren't involved she's my friend, nothing more." He said though even he had to admit that wasn't entirely true, she had just kissed him on the cheek a moment ago and he did find everything about her quite enticing.
"Are you completely sure? Because even best friends who haven't seen each other for a time are usually rather awkward when they meet again, but you two seem as if you'd never been separated."
He shrugged, "What can I say? We're close, nothing more."
"Closeness is one step towards intimacy, I understand you may come to feel something for this girl, I could say you do now based on how you look at her when you think she isn't paying attention, but you must understand Francis, your duty is more than just to yourself. You are not a normal teenager, who you love does affect this family. You owe your family more than the daughter of a business man."
"Owe my family? What about me? What about my happiness? And what do you mean based on how I look at her? I look at her just like I look at everyone else."
Catherine's face was soft, and she held claim to a sad smile, she reached up and placed a calming hand on her sons cheek, "You're just like your father, blind to your own emotions…You've been face to face with each other one day, just one day and it's already as obvious as a black stain on a white dress, it may not have reached your heart yet, but it's visible in your eyes, you feel something for her. Maybe you have for a long time, but you need to realize it isn't exactly up to you who you love, you're the oldest son in a house of nobles…you're expected to marry the title, not the person, and Mary…she's as title-less as a house cat."
The look in Francis' eyes was painful for Catherine to see, he looked as if he'd just had all his freedom taken from him, "Enough!" he shouted, "Even if I did love Mary, if , is her title really all that matters to you? Is my happiness not enough? Does the importance of your title outweigh the importance of your son? My god mother, I knew you were gone, but I didn't think you were as far gone as that…I never thought you were anything near as power hungry as father, but I can see now I was wrong. You know, somehow, you always seemed like the type of person who'd put the happiness of your children ahead of the prosperity of our title…always…but maybe you aren't who I thought you were." He said standing up and heading for the door before stopping to look at his mother once more, "And for the record Mary is much more than just the daughter of a business man, and I would be lucky to have her."
Catherine jumped at the sound of the libraries heavy door slamming shut, clearly Mary would simply have to go.
AN - What do you think will happen? Leave a review to let me know or for faster updates! :)
PS
Valois was the name of Henry's court so I used that for their last name and obviously Mary Stuart has a last name. I Will Not Fold, which is the title, is a lyric from Scotland by The Lumineers (the shows theme)
You also may have noticed the way the characters speak is a little old fashioned, but they are all very well educated nobles so they are pretty proper, I'm making Francis a will be Duke and Henry the actual Duke, and yes marriage is still sort of important for nobles.
(WHAT ABOUT THE MID SEASON FINALE THOUGH?)
Please review it helps so much and thanks to all of my reviewers so far 3
