Back with yet another chapter. Last episode made me feel so happy AND inspired. Now we can (almost) be certain that he has feelings for Lola. Loved his gentleman-like attitude. Cheers folks xx.
The morning came too early to Lola's liking. She didn't want to get out of the warmth of her bed. She wrapped her blanket tighter around her body and tried to go back to sleep, but the noise of the chirping birds and the fact that she had forgotten to pull the curtains the previous night made this an impossible task. The light of the rising sun was bothering her, which is why the young woman turned her back to the window and found herself face to face with her still sleeping husband. When her sight had adjusted to the bright light, Lola saw that she shielded Narcisse from the sunlight with her body. She felt the light warm her bared back and enjoyed the feeling. She had almost managed to go back to sleep, when she heard someone knock at the door. Lola decided to ignore it, but whoever wished to speak to her (or to her husband) was being stubborn and left her no other choice but to get out of bed and answer the door.
"Lola, hi. I hope I'm not bothering you" Lola was surprised to see that it was Mary who was standing before her.
"Mary, I did not expect you, especially not this early in the morning"
"I didn't mean to wake you", she apologized with a shy and embarrassed smile, "I just needed someone to talk to. Do you think you could join me in the garden to walk around and have a little chat?"
"Of course, Mary. Just give me some time to get properly dressed and I'll be all yours" Mary nodded, still wearing this embarrassed expression on her face.
"I'll await you in an hour. Thank you Lola…"
"It's my pleasure, Mary. You're my friend, I'll always be there if you need me" Mary looked as if she wanted to embrace her friend, but in the end she simply walked away, her head held high, looking like the true Queen that she was. Lola wondered what it was her friend so desperately wanted to talk about. She had seemed so distant of late with Lola that it made the whole situation even more intriguing. Softly, the young woman shut the door behind her and picked a dress out of her wardrobe.
"Who was it?", she heard a sleepy voice coming from the bed ask her. She had completely forgotten about her husband for a few seconds.
"Mary. She wanted to know if I had time to go on a walk with her, she wishes to discuss something with me" Lola, feeling self-conscious (as usual) when it came to undress in front of Lord Narcisse, put the dress on the desk and took place next to her husband on the bed to brush her long hair. She could feel him staring at her back and looked over her shoulder at his sleepy face.
"What is it?", she asked with a shy smile. Lord Narcisse looked at her with what appeared to be amused eyes. Not saying anything, he sat up behind her and took the comb out of her hand, only to gently start brushing her hair in her state. Lola, surprised by her husband's actions, let him comb the tangles out of her hair and play with her well-defined locks.
"You have beautiful hair", he whispered softly, burying his nose in her dark mane and inhaling her unique scent. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention Lord Narcisse was giving her.
"Thank you… my hair is what I love most about my physique"
"There are so many parts of you that are worth my admiration", he told her, placing a soft kiss on her temple, "but your hair is just beyond beautiful" Lola smiled and even rewarded Lord Narcisse with a chaste kiss on the lips.
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"I didn't know that your relationship with Francis was that bad…"
"Well, we have grown apart… I don't know what has come between us, but maybe what people say about royal marriages is true…" Lola did not quite understand what Mary was referring to.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… my mother used to tell me that as a Queen, I would never have the luxury to marry the man I love. Francis and I seemed to be happy at first, but now I feel that he is hiding something from me. Something that could have terrible consequences…" Lola felt her cheeks reddened. Of course, she knew what Mary was referring to. She desperately wanted to tell her best friend what Francis had done, but she thought that it wasn't her job to do so. Francis should be the one to tell her that story, no matter how hard it was for Lola to keep such a secret from her friend.
"I'm sure it's nothing. You should try and talk to Francis about your uncertainties, it's the best way to sort those things out" Mary sighed and Lola could see tears well up in her eyes.
"You don't understand. He doesn't want to talk to me. He has closed his heart to me. There is no communication possible between us" Lola embraced her weeping friend and kissed her head softly.
"Mary, trust me Francis will listen to you if you insist. He loves you, never doubt that! And I will always be there to support you, no matter what" Mary smiled broadly and embraced Lola tightly.
"Thank you, Lola… thanks a lot! Despite having been distant with you, you are still here for me. Thank you"
"It's only natural, Mary", Lola reassured her friend, replacing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "you are my friend, and nothing will ever change that" Mary smiled thankfully. It felt good to know that their friendship was still alive. Talking to Mary had been refreshing. Lola felt very happy after this little walk in the gardens. As both friends headed back to the castle, Mary began asking questions about Lord Narcisse.
"So, are you and Lord Narcisse getting along? I heard from Kenna that the marriage has been…", Mary cleared her throat, "consummated" Lola mentally cursed Kenna for not being able to shut her mouth.
"It has been consummated and I can't complain. In fact, Lord Narcisse has treated me well since the wedding. I can even consider myself happy at the moment" In fact, Lola was shocked at how happy she actually felt in her husband's presence. The intimate moment shared the same morning had her smiling for the past hours. She had discovered a side of Lord Narcisse no one had ever bothered unveiling, it seemed. It was a contrast to what she had been reading about him in the diary she had found.
"I'm glad that you have found a way to deal with the situation. I'm proud of you"
"Thank you, Mary" Lola's thoughts wandered back to the diary. She hadn't continued her reading and she was dying to learn more about that woman and her relationship to Lord Narcisse. "Mary I'm sorry, there is somewhere I have to be right now. It felt good talking to you" They embraced one another one last time and Lola returned to her bedroom.
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It has been a year now. I have not been able to write much, for there was nothing exciting to write about. And I felt foolish, childish even, and decided to throw this little book away. I didn't. I found it yesterday while cleaning up (and looking for a new book to read). There is something that happened that changed my marriage in its depth: a few months after marrying Lord Narcisse, I began a relationship with the man I had fallen in love with (and that I had loved since childhood). J. was a gentle and attentive lover. Whenever my husband was gone, I invited J. over. He lived in a house not far away from the mansion, he worked on my husband's fields. Seeing each other was easy. But there is a reason why I'm writing this in the past tense. As it was bound to happen, my husband found out and… all I know is that J. disappeared quickly after that. Some people said he fled to Spain to work at the Spanish court. I have another theory entirely.
This whole action didn't change much between my husband and I. He just keeps a closer eye on me than usual. He forbids me to invite male friends. I'm not allowed to have any male friends, for the matter. There is something else on his mind now, though: he is being pushed by his father to conceive a child. An heir to the house of Narcisse. We have been trying for a few months now, without any results. I'm starting to think that there is something wrong with me. My headaches are getting worse, and I feel myself getting weaker and weaker.
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"Francis, I need to speak with you", Lola said, entering the King's study without bothering to knock. Her conversation with Mary had troubled her deeply and after spending some time in her room, reflecting upon the situation, Lola had decided to confront Francis with the fact that his Queen needed him and that it was his job to see that she felt safe and surrounded by a loving husband.
"Now is not a good time", was the answer Lola received from her King, an answer that deeply upset her.
"Mary is upset! She's upset with some frequency, to be truthful"
"I'm aware"
"I'm sure you are. And I know why, why you push her away, I know why you do those things to her" Lola noticed that she had Francis' attention now, "I know it was you who killed Henry. Narcisse told me and he admitted that he was blackmailing you" The look of pure fear in Francis' eyes made Lola feel guilty for placing him in such an uncomfortable situation. However, she felt it was her duty to make Francis understand that he needed to talk to Mary and that in order to keep their marriage safe, he needed to trust her more.
"This is very dangerous knowledge, Lola, why would he tell you?"
"Because he's my husband", was the only answer she was ready to give him, "and he suspected that you might use me against him. Francis, I have come to tell you that you should be the one to tell Mary, before she learns from someone else than you. That would hurt her more than hearing you speak the truth"
"I can't! Narcisse's treachery goes far beyond what he might have told you in your covert conversations!"
"Narcisse told me the truth! You told me you wanted him dead for political reasons, while the real reason behind all of that masquerade with the envelope was to protect no one but yourself!"
"There are many others I protect", Francis told Lola, looking more serious than ever, "Mary, my mother, my brother and our baby, did he mention that he'd threatened them as well?" Lola couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't want to believe that her husband could have gone as far as to threaten an innocent child. And not just any child, but the son of the King (even if Robert was "only" Francis' bastard son), Lola's son! She wouldn't let anyone hurt her precious little boy, and she'd make no exception for Lord Narcisse.
"He threatened our baby?"
"You sympathise with Narcisse, is that why you failed to hide the envelope as I asked you to?" Lola sighed.
"Francis, I already told you that he's my husband, you can't expect me to go against him"
"And why not?", was the cold answer, "have you come to like him? You know now what he's capable of, and yet you keep protecting him. Tell me Lola, did you want to marry him in the first place? Do you want to stay married to a man who is considered dangerous and an enemy of the King? He has told you some things about himself, but obviously he still has secrets he hides from you. He will crush you if that's what it takes to get what he wants, Lola, and you know it deep in your heart. So will you help me frame him for treason and have him out of your life… or not?" Lola felt tears well up in her eyes, but the answer to that question came out as clearly as daylight.
"No! No I won't let you do that. I won't let you ruin my reputation further! Francis… if he dies, I'll be his widow. If he dies for treason, I'll be the traitor's widow, on top of being your supposed mistress. I'm sorry, but I also have the right to be happy and so far, Narcisse has done nothing to hurt me. Unlike you…" Lola didn't even wait for Francis' answer before turning her back on him and leaving the room. "Besides", she added, "you can send the King's Guard to his place, but they'll never find anything"
Lola didn't even react when he called out her name, or ordered her to stay. He was not her King, he didn't have any power over her. Besides, she and her husband needed to talk.
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Surprisingly, while Lola thought she'd have to wait until the late evening to have a conversation with her husband, she found him standing in their bedroom, with his back to the door. She felt relieved that she could confront her husband now with what he had done. She couldn't have bared to wait another few hours. Some things needed to be sorted out.
"I was looking for you, good thing you're here. I'd like to discuss something with you…"
"So do I", he retorted coldly, "I have knowledge of your private meetings with the King" Narcisse turned around and faced his young wife coldly, "Now I would like to know exactly why you have decided to meet up with Francis behind my back and what you two have been discussing" Lola was taken aback by the sudden questioning.
"Francis is my friend, I feel like I have the right to meet up with him whenever I like" This wasn't the right thing to say. Narcisse took a few slow steps towards her and continued in a dangerously calm voice:
"You are my wife, if you like it or not! If I find out that you and the King have been conspiring behind my back, or worse… if I hear that you have shared his bed, there will be consequences"
"How dare you insinuate that I am cheating on you? We haven't been married for that long, but I have certainly always been faithful, even when I was with Colin. I won't stand here and let you threaten me or Francis any longer. Besides, that's what I wanted to about with you: you told me you were a patriot, resorting to blackmail for the good of France, but was it also for the good of France to threaten my baby, my Queen, my friends?"
Her husband was standing close to her and she could see his blood pulse fast through his main artery in his throat. He was holding back, she could sense it. She was tempted to push him to see how far he would actually go. If he would actually hurt her…
"I merely warned Francis of the consequences should his line be deposed. It thought it might motivate him further to be a better ruler…" To her, his argument was weak!
"You want me to believe it was a tactic?" Her provocation didn't have the wanted effect. Instead of yelling at her or physically aggress her, Lola saw that her words had hurt her husband's feelings. As if he couldn't believe that she was actually blaming him.
"I would never hurt your baby, Lola. But don't misunderstand, your child is at risk and always will be as the son of the King. And then, there's a target on your back as well" She saw him take a deep breath, looking for the right words to say. "You have my protection and I can promise to do everything to keep your child safe, but don't ask me to also look after your friends. Our marriage offers you the extra safety in this world of men hungry for power"
"You're the one speaking of a hunger for power, yet you are the greediest man I have ever met in my life" She saw that her words had hit a sensitive string. Her husband gave her and icy cold look before leaving their room without another word. Lola didn't even look at him when he left. Why would he think that she might have cheated on him with Francis? That accusation hurt her more than she could have imagined. How could he jump to conclusions without even knowing what was going on. Then, it hit her like a bolt of lightning. She looked at her bag in which she had hidden the diary and retrieved it carefully, opening the book on the page she had marked. Lola felt stupid for not realizing. Narcisse had a reason to be suspicious about Lola having a liaison with Francis, apart from them being very close and having a child together.
Narcisse had already been cheated on. And it seemed that those wounds hadn't had time to heal, yet.