Chapter Four
She rocked Jeanne, trying to get her to settle for a little bit, Maggie needed to get some dough shaped for bread. In the past week she had hardly left the apartment, various musketeers and cadets kept her firewood stocked and brought her water but still she was exhausted. Her little baby kept her so busy, and on very little sleep, Jean seemed to manage better with the lack of sleep than she did; he credited it to night watches in the past.
Her husband was still working on the diplomat's murder, though the King dismissed it. One of Richelieu's contacts provided several money lenders who Sixten owed money to; Jean did not accept the answer. Which meant he continued to dig quietly while trying to keep up with his other work.
There was a knock on the door and Maggie winced as Jeanne stirred and let out a little whimper before beginning to make sucking noises. As she picked up the baby the door opened, Constance slipped in. "I didn't mean to wake her."
"It's okay, she has decided she is hungry again." It didn't stop Maggie from rocking her, perhaps lulling her back to sleep a little longer but Jeanne was not going to have it.
"She is a cutie." Constance murmured as Maggie got her situated and her baby gurgled happily at being offered another meal. "How are you doing?"
"Good, it's a big adjustment but she is so precious." She offered her friend a chair and turned to get the water for tea; Constance guided her to the chair and got it for them.
"She is, and her daddy is so proud of her; though he doesn't have any important details." Constance set a cup next to her before taking another seat, reaching out to tickle the little foot that seemed to find a way out the swaddle no matter how Maggie wrapped her. "The Queen and I threatened to hurt him if he didn't bring us good updates, but her daddy wasn't even phased."
"We are good. How is the Queen?" Maggie knew the woman would be due soon. And sadly, the King was not likely share Jean's joy at having a baby girl, it only added pressure to the poor woman.
"She is ready to have the baby, and she would like you to visit us soon. She wanted to come today but the King is not going to let her leave the palace; she is restricted to her quarters after the incident with the diplomat."
"Jean got permission for her to come out here that night; I took that as a good sign. It has to be hard to be in the same place all the time and just wait; it is hard to wait when you are busy." Maggie sympathized, having this little life inside of you and waiting to meet it was exciting and terrifying; being allowed to nothing while waiting would make it stretch forever.
"The King does inquire of her several times a day but he doesn't spend much time with her. He hasn't felt the baby move, the little one is so active, you can see her whole belly move when he kicks. She gets scared when there is no movement." Constance sympathized, and Maggie knew the feeling,
"I know the feeling, she would kick and squirm inside me, when I didn't feel her for awhile I would get scared. Then she would start up again." And now Jeanne was finished her meal, fixing her shift Maggie burped her.
"Can I hold her?" Maggie passed her over and watched as Constance cradled her gently. "Oh, she is so little. I didn't realize it but even tucked in her blankets she is so light."
"I think she has grown a little bit." Maggie laughed, it was hard to tell when she was all snuggled up but she had seemed a little smaller for a few days and scared Maggie but now she seemed to be getting a little longer.
"Did he choose her name?" Maggie nodded and shared Constance's smile, Jean hadn't waited to see if he would have a son, he had given her his name without hesitation; it meant a lot to Maggie. "Do you think he will want another child?"
"I don't know but I think another could happen. For now, we are certainly content." And as much as she loved her little girl she needed some time before she had to have another. "Do you mind if I do a few things? She likes to be held but it makes it hard to get things done."
"Go ahead. I like holding her." Constance laughed, and Maggie was thankful for her friend.
She finished her bread dough and set it in the stove, then turned to the laundry; a baby did make a great deal more of that. She had scrubbed and rinsed the diapers and blankets while Jeanne napped that morning but now they needed to be boiled; the midwife had instructed her to boil all the baby's things.
They visited as she worked and Maggie got more work done than she had in a while. Her laundry was done and she actually got to prepare a good meal for supper tonight, Constance seemed to enjoy holding Jeanne while they visited, Maggie wondered if the next pregnancy would be the newly weds'.
They talked about more about the Queen and what was going on at the palace, about married life for Constance and her new husband. It was nice to have company in the day, Jean was only home in the evening and the morning, she spent much of the day home alone with the baby.
When Constance rose to leave Maggie snuggled Jeanne a moment before tucking her into the cradle; she hoped her baby would sleep for awhile. Hopefully the woman's next visit would contain news of another baby. She wondered if when the baby was here if the King would be more involved; it would mean something to Anne.
…
He had hoped to get home in good time tonight but it wasn't going to happen. The counsel meeting went late when an idiot got in an argument with Richelieu over the King's decision to commission the construction of a French Navy. The first trade ship had sailed, it would be many months before the results were known, when Spain heard of it would be anyone's guess.
Cardinal Richelieu had been trying to find a way around the treaty with Spain for years, he knew of one failed attempt and knowing the man he was sure there were more. The treaty had been made upon the King's marriage and negotiated by advisors and Marie de Medici, perhaps it was the temptation of the forbidden but the King had longed for a French navy for years. Treville stood with the counsellors, such a blatant breech of the treaty was asking for a fight with Spain.
Privately Treville wondered if that was not the goal of this move, provoking Spain into an attack and change to footing of their relationship. It was a risky plan and yet it was something he weighed out as the argument went on. They had just finished the revision of their tactical strategy against Spain.
It was new, and dangerous but the two countries were on far more even footing than they had been the year the treaty was made. The King wanted to step out from under the thumb of Spain, and given the two countries had a long history of meddling in each other's politics it was not surprising.
As the meeting ended Treville made to slide away before he was waylaid by someone wanting an opinion he wasn't ready to give. A member of the counsel for only five months he was not the newest or the youngest but it was like nothing he had ever done. Nothing was decided quickly, everything was debated by these men, all of whom were used to power and getting their own way. None however had any idea how to carry out the plans they made.
"Captain Treville." The one man in the room who couldn't be avoided, and the one whose attention all of these men wanted. "A moment of your time."
"Of course, Sire." He turned back to fall in step with the King.
"Your opinion on the last matter we discussed?" So, the King was still considering the matter; the Cardinal seemed to think it was settled.
"There are certain risks involved, however if France is to attain long term stability the risk and expense may be countered. By instigating this we will not be caught off guard by their reaction." It was not a move he would choose, better to improve France's economy before picking a fight that could lead to a long and expensive war; though their economy was stronger than it had been.
"You do not see the risk being worth the reward?"
"Sire I know the costs of war, it may be felt for generations. It will not be finished in a month or even a year." Many young men would die, children would grow up without fathers, families would their stability or income.
"And what is to say Spain will choose to go to war? They may choose to renegotiate with us, we are not the country in limbo that we were a decade ago. And soon we may have the security of clear succession to the throne." Treville heard fear in the King's voice and frowned, the Queen had been secluded for most of the past week but as far as he knew all was still well.
"How is the Queen?" From his own wife he knew the soon to be mother was missing her husband's attention and worried about his lack of presence during the pregnancy; privately Treville wondered if the man knew what he was missing.
"I am told she is well, her time is near. It will not be done until the child is born." The man's tone revealed more than he might think.
"Have you felt the baby move?"
The King gave him a horrified look as he shook his head, Treville knew better than to reveal that he had not only felt his child move within his wife but been present as she was born. It was a special moment for him, and when he held Jeanne-Claire for the first time it was the child he had watched and felt grown within Maggie.
"Feeling her move within my wife made it feel real for me before I got to meet her in this world."
"And if your daughter does not survive infancy? Then will it not all be bitter?" The King shot back, now the fear plain in his voice.
"I would rather all the memories I have than such pain without ever knowing her. Jeanne-Claire has only known the world a week and yet her personality is distinct. She knows my voice and my touch, she knows her mum; she sleeps in my arms knowing that she is safe. Should I lose my little girl I can say I had the chance to know her, though I pray she lives a long life." It was every parent's fear, and one the King had known early in his marriage; now the first child of France was due any day.
"You are never afraid to speak the truth to me Treville. I appreciate that some days."
"If you wanted pretty words and compliments you would have left me soldiering and found yourself another politician for your counsel." And over the course of time he became more comfortable with that fact. There were many things he said that would have landed him in prison had the King not wanted his opinion, whether or not he chose to use it was a separate matter.
Another councilman cut in and Treville escaped, leaving the palace to head back to the garrison. The yard was quiet, training was done for the days as dusk set. He stopped to get wood to take up with him, Maggie was doing her best to keep their quarters warm and clean for Jeanne-Claire. The rooms were to warm for them but their daughter was doing well; he was not going to test it.
The scent of fresh bread and meat hit him in the hall and he winced at the time, Maggie would have waited for him as she always did; he also heard a fussy cry. Dropping the wood in the box by the fireplace he headed back to find a tired Maggie pacing with Jeanne-Claire.
"Give her here Mags." He laid a hand on her back as she eased his daughter onto his shoulder. Shifting his daughter into the crook of his elbow he considered bleary blue eyes. "What is so bad about being a baby tonight Jeanne-Claire?"
His soft words made her cry pause, she might only be a baby but she knew them, she knew their voices and their touch. He preferred her full name, while Maggie had shortened it, he wondered if their daughter recognized that yet; or just their voices as they soothed her. When she was hungry only her mum would do, but when she wanted to be held either of them would do. Perhaps he appealed when he was home because the rest of the time mum was her only option.
"Have you been giving your mum a hard time today? A little baby like you should be sleeping now." As he spoke she relaxed in his arms and her little body went slack, slowly eyes closed and tears forgotten.
Gently he lay her in the cradle, giving it a soft push before turning back to Maggie who looked ready to crawl into bed herself. His wife leaned into his arms and Jean buried his face in her hair, nighttime feedings and the demands of a baby were taking their toll but his stubborn little wife wanted to do it all herself.
Evelynn worked part time, helping with the work around the garrison so Maggie didn't have so much to do and yet there was a pile of his men's mending next to her sewing basket and if she was doing washing theirs would be included in that as well.
"Supper smells good, lets eat." And then go to bed he thought, as in a few hours Jeanne-Claire would be up again. Maggie nodded and as she dished up the meal he stripped off his weapons; it was good to be home.