Chapter 8 – Rodmilla's New Hope

On this most eventful day, the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent felt as happy as she could have been in weeks. After witnessing the debacle inside the cathedral, punctuated by the sobs of the Spanish Princess and the Prince racing off, the baroness' hopes for an advantageous marriage were rising, courtesy of Princess Gabriela.

The wedding had been cancelled and the Prince had ran off to who knows where. He probably ran back to Château de Hautefort, to hide away from the gossiping courtiers, the baroness imagined.

Embracing Marguerite, Rodmilla cried her joyful tears and exchanged glances with her friends Isabel and Celeste, reminding the two women that her daughter could still become princess once Prince Henri came back to his senses. After all, only a few days ago the Queen had invited her and Marguerite to tea in her gardens, a sign that she enjoyed the favors of Her Majesty.

The baroness was so happy that she left the church's front entrance with Marguerite and didn't even notice that Jacqueline had disappeared. Meanwhile, Jacqueline had run to the church's courtyard to look for Captain Laurent. The captain had run outside after the Prince, and Jacqueline found him as he stopped for a moment to give orders to the guards. Jacqueline hurried to him, and grabbing his attention for a minute she was able to tell him what had happened to Danielle before the captain ran to find Prince Henri. It was Laurent's job to guard the Prince at all times, and he was always busy running here and there with, for and after the Prince. He did love his job and the Henri appreciated him, but most of the time it was exhausting. Jacqueline then decided to follow Laurent and found him with the Prince, talking to Maurice, next to her family's carriage.

She was glad she had reached Laurent in time to tell Prince Henri about Monsieur Le Pieu. When the Prince heard the news about Danielle being sold he was devastated. Jacqueline was sure that the Prince loved Danielle and trusted that he would do the right thing. As Laurent and Henri ran to their horses, back to the castle and then to rescue Danielle, Jacqueline stayed talking to Maurice, so when the baroness and Marguerite walked out they found Jacqueline waiting for them by the carriage. Maurice was properly sitting in the box seat atop the carriage, ready to command the horses home to the manor.

"Well, I see you are ready to leave," Rodmilla said happily to Jacqueline.

Maurice had immediately leapt from his box and opened the door for the women.

"Yes, mother. It was too stuffy inside the church and I had to come out for air," Jacqueline surprised herself lying. I'm lying to my mother for the first time in my life. I am not telling her that I spoke to Capt. Laurent and the Prince.

"Did you see the Prince leaving the church?"

"Yes, I was most surprised to see him. How was I to know he'd run out of the side door? He was supposed to be getting married." Jacqueline said, pretending to be surprised. Of course she had seen the Prince leaving the church. She had been inside the church when he called the wedding off, but as usual, her mother didn't even notice her. "The prince stopped to talk to some guards and asked for a horse. He then rode hastily out of here."

"Hmm. Interesting," Rodmilla savored the news. "Let's go now. There is much to discuss and prepare," she said getting into the carriage.

"What do you mean, mother?" Marguerite asked excitedly.

"Darling, the Prince cancelled the wedding and we need to prepare to make you Princess. As I told you before, nothing is final until you're dead, and even then I'm sure God negotiates."

"Yes, mother. You are right."

The carriage pulled out of the cathedral's courtyard and rattled through the roads towards the manor. Inside, the baroness and Marguerite chatted happily, plotting their next move.

Jacqueline kept quiet, thinking about Capt. Laurent and Prince Henri. She was worried, they had gone to rescue Danielle and she knew Le Pieu could be dangerous. I hope they have enough guards with them, she thought. The Prince had said that everything would reveal itself in due course. Oh, if she could only be there when they got to Le Pieu's castle! I hope that is not too late and that Danielle is well.

"You are awfully quiet, Jacqueline," Marguerite's shrill voice interrupted Jacqueline's thoughts.

"I am tired, and I'm not feeling very well."

"Dear," the baroness scoffed, "this is not a day for feeling unwell. Be happy for your sister as she is closer than ever to become part of the Royal family."

Jacqueline smiled and nodded politely.

Minutes later they arrived at the manor and Louise and Paulette hurried to the door to receive them. They were not expecting them back at the manor so soon, but didn't ask any questions.

"Why is the baroness and her daughters back home this early? Had they not been invited to the Royal banquet?" Paulette asked Louise in a low voice.

"Well, it seems that either their invitation was revoked or something else happened for them to be back so soon. Maurice will tell us what happened." Louise whispered so the baroness wouldn't notice her inquiry.

"Maybe the banquet was too dull or didn't even take place?" Paulette suggested.

"Don't be silly, Paulette. A Royal wedding always has a banquet and it will never be dull." Louise dismissed Paulette's mindless comment and walked back to the kitchen.

"But Louise, think about it" Paulette insisted. "If their invitation was revoked they would be angry. Instead, they are in a good mood. Something odd is happening."

"No matter what, they must not have eaten and so they will be hungry. So, please hurry up and prepare their lunch before their mood changes." Louise lightly pushed Paulette towards the kitchen.

"Do you think we should tell her about the duke's visit?"

Louise looked shocked. "No Paulette, remember he said not to say anything. He will confront her when he gets Danielle back. God willing, he'll save our mistress from that scum!"

Not a minute had passed before Rodmilla's voice was heard. "Is lunch ready, Paulette?" the baroness called in a pleasant voice, getting ready to sit at the table. Louise found the baroness' good mood very suspicious; she wondered what might be the reason for such a favorable disposition.

"It will be served in a minute, m'lady." Paulette responded while bringing fruit and bread to the table.

Marguerite threw herself noisily on a chair. "Mother, I thought we would be dining at the palace and here we are."

"You'll have plenty of dinners at the palace, my dear," the baroness said laughing, patting Marguerite's hand. Jacqueline sat quietly and taking a piece of bread began to eat it.

Marguerite was suspicious of Jacqueline's silence. She probed. "I heard that the Prince talked to you, Jacqueline. What did he say?"

Jacqueline got anxious. Did Marguerite see me talking to the Prince? Did someone tell her? There were many courtiers in the courtyard so someone may have mentioned something to Marguerite.

"Well, I can't be sure." Jacqueline was nervous under the inquisitive eyes of Marguerite. She feigned a smile. "It all happened so quickly. But I think what he said was...'It serves me right for choosing a foreigner over your...sister'."

Marguerite and Rodmilla giggled. "Well, very good. Perhaps we should just let him fret about it for a few days," Rodmilla commented, satisfied.

Jacqueline gave them a faint smile but didn't answer. She didn't want her words to betray her true feelings, or her knowledge of 'the sister' whom the Prince was after this very moment. She had only one concern— Danielle. 'Would Prince Henri and Capt. Laurent arrive on time to rescue her before Le Pieu hurts her? Will the Prince be able to take her to Hautefort? Would the King allow it?'

Jacqueline now knew that Danielle and Henri loved each other and hoped they could find each other again. She remembered the look in the Prince's eyes when Danielle appeared at the masque; the way they looked and smiled at each other. It was the vision of pure love until her mother destroyed that vision.

Capt. Laurent had told her that the Prince regretted his actions at the masque and had spoken with the King. In fact, Henri didn't make a secret about his feelings for Danielle to anybody who cared to listen.

This morning, Jacqueline had seen first hand the Prince's devastation upon knowing Danielle's fate, and Jacqueline wondered why he had accepted the engagement to Princess Gabriela. He almost got married, for God's sake! He could have saved himself a lot of headaches and Danielle a great deal of pain, she thought. I just hope it is not too late.

"You should be happy for your sister." The baroness's voice interrupted Jacqueline's thoughts.

"Yes Mother. I am happy." But Jacqueline was thinking more about being happy for her stepsister, Danielle.

Danielle's Hell

Danielle's servant room at Le Pieu's was filthy and scary, it was more like a prison cell than a servant's room. The tall door with its barred hole scarcely allowed any light in. The lack of windows and ventilation made the room dark and damp; it smelled like rotten food and was bug infested. She could hear the sound of mice running surreptitiously in the dark. Yet Danielle had a sense of security here; here she could hide away from Le Pieu's lascivious eyes. When she was not in this room, she was serving Le Pieu's in his private studio or working with the servants in the kitchen or cleaning armory at the castle's foundry. She hated being in his presence; he was constantly touching her hair and her face in a way that repulsed her.

Danielle was scared, but most days she was mostly sad. Day after day she wondered why her stepmother hated her so. She would not bestow this fate even to an enemy, but then again, she had never felt enmity towards anyone so she wouldn't know how one feels towards an enemy. What had she done so gravely to deserve this punishment? Granted, she had disobeyed her stepmother by going to the masque, but this punishment was greater than her offense. All she wanted was for the baroness, or someone to love her as family, to be there for her the way her father had been. Yes, Louise, Paulette and Maurice were there for her, but they always treated her 'the Mistress,' as if she were above their station. The longing for love and family made her sad. I can't allow myself to become gloomy, she told herself, I need all my strength to endure this situation and plan an escape, or Le Pieu will destroy me.

Yet, the long hours of heavy work and the meager food had taken a toll on her body. She felt weak and unwell, but her spirit was not broken. She was physically and emotionally spent, the irons on her wrists and ankles were heavy and were digging into her delicate skin, leaving marks that would become scars.

Earlier today, Le Pieu had removed the irons from her wrists so she could clean the inside of all of the fireplaces in the castle. However, he placed heavier irons on her ankles to prevent her from escaping again. And these were digging into her flesh because her ankles were so slender that the irons sat on the tops of her feet, hurting her. After cleaning the last fireplace, she was to polish Le Pieu's newly minted swords and bring them to his library on the second floor of the fortified tower keep.

"Enter," Le Pieu called from inside the library. Danielle tottered with difficulty into the stuffy room carrying a bundle of swords she had just finished cleaning, her face and hands smudged with cinder, oil and dirt.

The heavy irons on her ankles cut off her circulation and felt like fire on a sweltering day like this one. Danielle placed the swords on the table in front of Le Pieu and proceeded to arrange them.

"I do hate to see you in irons," Le Pieu said. "I would remove them if you'd promise not to run away again."

"I have no reason to stay," Danielle said. No matter how many times he stopped her, she would try to escape again.

Le Pieu leered at her. "You belong to me now."

"I belong to no one," Danielle replied, disgusted. "Least of all you."

Le Pieu walked around, coming behind her, uncomfortably close. "I do wish you would reconsider my offer," he whispered in her ear, lustily lifting a lock of hair off her back and bringing it to his face, delighting in its smell and texture.

"I would rather rot." Danielle recoiled.

Le Pieu smiled confidently. He trusted that his perseverance will wear Danielle out, and at the end, he will convince her to lie with him. In fact, today could probably be the day he would make her his. He approached her from behind and whispered in her ear: "I had a horse like you once. Magnificent creature, stubborn like you, willful... to a fault. It too needed to be…broken."

Danielle shuddered at the analogy. She was putting up a courageous front, but she was scared. She knew Le Pieu was physically stronger and could force himself upon her. It was just a matter of time. She tried to hide her hands so he couldn't see she was trembling. She needed to get out of here, soon.

"You will maintain your distance, sir," she tried for her voice not to quiver.

"Oh, you didn't say please," Le Pieu said flirtatiously, slipping his arms around her.

Danielle turned quickly, swiftly grabbing a dagger from Le Piue's belt, and placing the tip of the dagger to his chin. "Please."

"I could hang you for this," Le Pieu threatened.

"Not if you are dead," she said, resolved.

The exchanged seemed to incite Le Pieu. "I do love your spirit," he said grabbing her and trying to kiss her.

Danielle made a quick move and slashed his face with the dagger, taking Le Pieu by surprise, as he could not imagine her to be so skillful.

"Aagh!" he cried in pain, covering his injured face with his hand.

Danielle turned around quickly and grabbed one of the large swords from the table. She brandished the sword at him, forcing him back into a chair. "My father was an expert swordsman, Monsieur. He taught me well. Now hand me that key, or I swear on his grave I will slit you... from navel to nose," she said while tracing a line with the sword menacingly down his body.

Le Pieu looked at her, amazed. He was an experienced soldier and despite the pain from his slashed face, he could easily overpower Danielle. He could take the sword from her; he could beat her, force her to please him. Instead, taken by Danielle's determination, he decided to let her go. Her spirit is what attracted him and he rather remembered her as a spirited woman than reduce her to servitude. Maybe he could seduce her at a later time.

He took the irons key and offered to Danielle. "Your freedom...my lady."

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