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elder441 [chapter 5]: We do sort of find out ;) And thank you! x

BlerBlerBler [chapter 5]: There won't be a confrontation between mother and son just yet but it is brewing.

I am currently at the spa. Wi-fi is surprisingly quick. I've pre-written chapters after this but it is a question of when to post them since I'll be at the spa until Thursday, and my party is on Friday. The weekend will be busy as university begins again next week so we will see. But I won't let you suffer for too long! ATEOTB will be updated by Thursday, definitely though or perhaps before.


"The press is having a jour d'entraînement!" Henry cried out, slamming the newspaper onto his desk and glancing over at Narcisse. "What are you doing about it?"

Narcisse rubbed his head in frustration. "I've not sat down since we had the newspapers arrive," he said. "I am doing everything I can, Sir."

Henry sighed heavily. "I know you are. You're my right-hand man, you won't let me down."

"The General is here."

"I see," Henry said, standing up. "Where is he?"

"With his sister, Sir," Narcisse replied.

"Call-"

"My daughter has just called me to say that she wants to stop the wedding," the Duchess of Guise said, storming into the study with her brother behind her. "And it is because all the people of France are judgemental and I am very glad I left for Scotland when I had the chance presented to me."

"Marie..." Henry said softly. "I have the best people on the case. Trust me, the wedding will go on. Our children love each other too much to-"

Marie began to laugh incredulously. "All we have had are endless of negative reports and slander to our name!"

"I know these articles are false-"

"Including the one with my step-niece?" Marie snapped.

Henry paused. "I do not have to answer to that-"

"Did you sleep with Mckenna, Henry?"

"Look, we are old friends, Marie," Henry said, coming to stand in front of her. "We both loved James dearly, we both want this marriage and union between our families to happen. I will not let anything get in the way of that. Of making sure that France has a chance to prosper and enter the modern world."

Marie faltered. "Christian-"

"Yes, sister?" The man said, coming to stand beside his sister.

"Fetch my daughter. Call the jet," Marie said quietly. "We're leaving."

Henry shook his head. "I strongly advise you to remain-"

"It is over, Henry," Marie told him. "Once my daughter makes her mind up, it is set and impossible to change. It does not help that your beloved wife treats her like dirt. I will not let my daughter, niece nor their friends be humiliated like this."

There was a knock on the door and Henry told the person to enter. He was surprised to see his sons, both just as angry and confused about the situation as him.

With a sigh, he turned to Marie, "Duchess, General de Guise, if you would excuse me?"

Marie nodded once and left with her older brother trailing behind. The General stopped, looked Francis in the eye and gave him a nod and a smile.

"Fight for her, boy," he whispered into the blonde's ear before leaving.

"You too, Stephane," Henry added, going back to his seat.

Narcisse tutted and collected his files before heading to the door. He gave Francis a reassuring smile and a curt nod to Bash before he left and closed the door behind him.

"Your Majesty," Bash said, slightly mockingly. "We know you know who did this."

Henry looked up at them. "And what do you want me to do? Catherine is my wife-"

"Who has just destroyed your reputation," Bash told him. "Father, I have a solution."

Henry rested his chin on his fists and nodded. "Go ahead."

"You said that I should get married," Bash stated.

"I did. I've found suitable matches-"

"I have found my own fiancée," Bash cut him off. "Mckenna."

Henry raised his eyebrows. "I see."

"Father, this can help fix the first article. About your supposed infidelity," Francis added. "Bash has always been told that he looks more like you than I do. Doctor the pictures and have a press conference explaining the circumstances about Bash and Kenna's blossoming relationship."

Henry closed his eyes. "You do both know what this means, do you not?"

"I do," Bash whispered.

"We can't turn back," Henry said, opening his eyes and looking at his eldest. "Every false name you've given will be null and void and people will know who you really are. Your neighbours, your colleagues at the FEGA, the whole world."

Bash nodded. "I'm ready."

Henry studied him for a while. They remained as they were in silence, Henry having a mental conversation with himself about their predicament. Instead of one wedding, he'd have to bless two and a smile graced his lips.

"I regret a lot of things," Henry finally said. "Losing love was one of them."

"What do you say?"

"I say, go and speak to Narcisse whilst your brother and I talk," Henry told Bash.

Bash smiled in relief and turned to leave but he stopped. "Sometimes I thank God that I was never involved in this family on a wider volume. But I can't deny you all the same."

"I love you, Sebastien," Henry said softly. "And I apologise. For everything. Rowan and Kenna included."

Bash gave him a strained smile before he left, closing the door behind him as Henry turned to Francis expectantly.

"A king must always have solutions," Henry told him. "What happened, Francis? Why do we have your future wife and Monsieur Blanc kissing like schoolchildren?"

Francis grinned. "I don't know. He can't quite keep his hands to himself when he has a beautiful woman nearby." His smile left his face. "How long have you known?"

"Oh, since he came into fruition," Henry admitted. "I enjoyed living vicariously through your beloved alter-ego. I can't believe I never thought of such disguises when I was growing up. Or whenever I wanted peace from the weight the crown had on me."

"Mother." Francis sighed. "Why does she do what she does?"

"People who love control, who are so used to being in control do not know what to do when they're not in control," Henry said. "They have to find a way to benefit themselves. With the first article, she looks like the woman scorned. With the second, everyone will comfort the Queen whose son will supposedly not be looked after during his marriage."

"I am an adult," Francis told him. "She can't be this jealous over a woman who will marry me. It's not like I'll reject her and forbid her from being in my life or my future children's."

Henry shrugged. "She gets lonely. I do not pay her enough attention these days. Her mother was always butting into our marriage. Maybe that's why I stopped attending to her needs after we had Louis."

"I thought it was because having children put a strain on her?"

"That too," Henry admitted. "Your mother has never experienced love. We did love each other but on friendly terms. It was only lust, never deep."

Francis took a seat. "She just wasn't Diane."

Henry's eyes watered as he nodded. "I tried to hurt Diane, to keep her away so I could do what I could to fix France. I've made things worse. But when you're king, you will not have to rely on Italy because you will marry a wonderful half-French woman who will do things for the benefit of France and not Italy." Henry scoffed. "The number of male cousins I allowed into our Military services and Parliament because her country had a hold on ours..."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because by now, I thought I could have your mother be loyal to France," Henry replied. "But it is no worry. We can still fix things."

...

Last Night

"The security team told me that our son had a good day today," Catherine said, entering Henry's bedroom.

He was in his bed, reading a book. He placed it down to give her his full attention with, "That is good."

"It is a shame he didn't spend it with the Marquise," Catherine said.

Henry smiled to himself. "No?"

"He phoned me to tell me that he was attending to an old school friend's stag party in Calais," Catherine replied, taking a seat by his covered feet. "He left the Marquise with the tour guide he always leaves his friends with. The elderly man with too much time on his hands. I've had some of the team keep an eye on him. He seems lonely and harmless enough."

Henry chuckled. "Leave the elderly be, Catherine. I am sure Francis knows what he is doing by seeking his help. The more support he has, the better. Even if they're old, lonely men."

"And what support will you have, say, if people know about your affair?"

Henry froze. "Catherine?"

"The Comtessa de Barton," she said. "Have you no shame, sleeping with the daughter of your friend?"

Henry shifted and got out of the bed. "I did not sleep with-"

"Don't treat me as a fool, Henry!" Catherine snapped.

"Fine. I slept with her," Henry admitted. "But it will never happen again because it was a mistake. I respect her father as well, we were good friends."

Catherine scoffed. "She's not the only one is she?"

"Catherine, we do not love each other. We have accepted that. We even sleep in separate rooms," Henry told her. "Why do you care if I've slept with other people?"

"Eight years," Catherine said quietly. "Eight years since you touched me the way you touched that slut."

Henry nodded. "Well, there is no need for us to continue such a relationship."

"Nine children I gave you-"

"And you gave that Navy Amiral one."

Catherine faltered. "What?"

"Before we married, you didn't come to France for me. But for your secret lover who you kept from your parents. You bore him a child, had that child live with his family and kept it from me for years," Henry said, crossing his arms. "I did my research before I decided to accept your proposal. You will always love him more than whatever you feel for me."

Tears sprung to Catherine's eyes. "Just as you will always love Diane more than you do love me."

"Well, we never lie to each other, Catherine," he said gently. "I'm truly sorry."

"Me too," Catherine said, getting up and leaving.

As she walked, she felt a presence by her side.

"Monsieur Nostradamus," she said, turning to him. "I have quite the stories for you."

Nostradamus sighed. "I cannot do that any longer. My family and I are leaving for Spain-"

"And a lovely little lump of money to buy a beautiful little cottage will be in it for you."

He shook his head but nodded. "What is it about?"

"The King," Catherine said. "And make this one hurt him. To the core."

...

Present Day

"Mary, don't go," Francis begged her, stopping her from packing.

Mary tutted. She wished she hadn't brought so much nor bought just as more. "I am going home. I am out of my element here," she told him. "I don't think I'll be a good queen. Not like Catherine Middleton will be for Prince William. She's perfect and here I am, scandal after scandal."

"We're organising a press conference," he said. "We will explain everything."

"Formal statements won't make all of this disappear."

"Yes, they will with evidence," Francis said. "Evidence like this..." He took out a picture from the inside of his suit jacket and showed her.

Mary studied it, bringing it up to her eyes. "Dear God, it looks real."

"Yes," Francis smiled. "Narcisse is a miracle worker. All that shows is that Kenna and Bash got a little bit too frisky the night of our engagement party. It helped that my father and he wore similar suits. We just had to alter my father's tie for a bowtie."

Mary chuckled softly. "Wow."

"I know, right?"

"And what about-"

"My makeup artists are on their way to lightly put on Monsieur Blanc's face mask. I'll take it off and reveal to the world that I've played a practical joke on them and you were in on it all along."

Mary sighed. "That solves two out of three problems."

"What's the last one?"

"Your mother."

"She will not be able to be involved in the rest of the wedding events. She will not attend the rehearsal dinner but she will attend the wedding and the family presentation afterwards. on the balcony," Francis assured her. "And she will be kept away from you and Kenna."

Mary turned to face him fully and he cupped her cheeks. "I... I don't know. I don't know if doing all of this is worth it."

"Mary, of course, it is!"

"I've been thinking... Maybe I'm not cut out to be a queen."

"What? Of course, you are!"

Mary sighed. "Francis, I'm sorry."

"How can this destroy something fifteen years in the making?" Francis asked, incredulous.

"It's not just this... It's the secrets-"

"What secrets?"

"This marriage may be more for your father and France than you and me," Mary said softly. "France is always in debt, she's sucking Italy dry so the next best thing is some wealthy heiress with an attractive bank sum."

Francis frowned. "What?"

"You don't know?"

"No, what? Are you saying..."

"Henry and Catherine's marriage was only ever about money and that is what our marriage would be like too," Mary told him. "I thought I could look past that, my wealth is protected no matter what. But thinking about it, I'm letting myself in for more than I can handle."

"Mary, I... You can't alone solve France's debt-"

"I did some investigating and a source told me that I could easily pay off France's debts with a lot to spare," Mary said. "That is how rich I am and your father could exploit that."

"But my father is on our side-"

"Is he really?"

"He did say that Italy had a hold over France, but I didn't... Mary, we could fix this."

Mary smiled sadly, kissing him softly before pulling away. "Goodbye, Francis."

...

Mary wiped her cheeks, sniffling as she rested her head against the wall of the jet. She felt a hand grip hers and she turned to give Kenna a smile. Everything will be alright.

"Mary, I'm so sorry," Kenna said. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't slept with Henry we'd-"

"We'd still be here," Mary said quietly. "Because Catherine would still hate me and Henry would still need my money."

Lola shook her head sadly. "Is there nothing we can do? You love Francis and this could all be solved quickly."

"It's too late," Mary said, her voice strained. "I don't have the strength to fight Catherine. I had a hand in pushing her to this - I threatened her because of Kenna. In fact, that may have led to your kidnapping, Kenna."

Kenna gasped. "Mary, you didn't have to-"

"I did, to show her who was boss," Mary told her. "I protect you all because you're my sisters. Without you, I wouldn't be here. I'd be a nun by now!"

"Something Kenna really needs to consider," Greer said. "Why don't you play something for us on your guitar, Kenna?"

Kenna sunk into her seat. "Not feeling very musical right now."

"It was sweet of Bash, to do that for you," Lola said.

"I know where his heart is," Kenna replied sadly. "He was doing that out of respect for me. He doesn't even love me but..."

"You love him," Mary whispered in shock. "You've never fallen in love. More or less so quickly!"

Kenna smiled a little. "He's my guardian angel in a little way. He was there for me when I came to him following Catherine releasing me from her evil clutches. And he showed me a world I wanted to see. There was something beyond the lust we had for each other on the app. I even deleted it because I thought I'd found the one."

"And you, Lola?" Mary asked the other brunette.

Lola blushed furiously. "Remy is just a Parisian romance. Now, there will never be something between us."

"Same with me and Leith," Greer mumbled sadly. "Now, I'll marry some rich, old man. I thought we'd moved past those ways."

"Your family do, kind of, need the money," Mary said gently. "Just like Francis's."

"And Leith is new money. His wealth is not assurance."

"Neither is old money," Kenna argued. "Wise investments goes a long way. Just ask your late father, Mary."

Mary closed her eyes, wiping more tears. "You're right."

Her mother came up to them, holding a tablet. "We're leaving in forty. The jet needs a refuel and some safety checks. We wouldn't want to put anything to chance with Queen Catherine's wrath."

"Will Uncle Christian be coming with us?"

"He's remaining in France. The Parliament is not impressed with his niece's 'ways'," Marie said with a heavy sigh. "He went to Versailles to smooth things over."

Mary bit her lip, opening her eyes and looking out the window. "So I've messed things with him up. Will he still be able to be in Parliament?"

"Of course," Marie replies. "We're de Guises, we never keel over for anyone. "

She looked down at her tablet when it beeped and she frowned.

"It is a live press conference from Fontainebleau," Marie said. "Breaking News, the Royal Family Speak Out On Current Events.'"

"Put it on its stand," Mary said, watching her mother set it up on the table between the younger women.

"Is he going to say that the wedding is off?" Lola asked.

Mary shrugged. "I have no idea."

...

Henry walked into the room, Michel and his father, Gautier, following behind. The room conference room became silent once he entered and he took a seat in the middle of the table and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for gathering at such short notice," Henry said. "Things have been... eventful at the chateau and I know you want answers to what is going on in my family. Today, everything will be cleared and we will use this as a learning experience and a chance to start things anew for the upcoming years."

"Your Majesty!" A female reporter called out. "Was it really you who was in relations with the Marquise's friend?" She asked, emitting noises from the other reporters.

Henry raised a hand to politely silence them. "No, it was not me. That photograph on the French Times was altered to make it look like it was me. You see, twenty-three years ago, my first wife and I had a son. Recently, he came to me to ask for the Comtessa de Barton's hand in marriage. I approved that marriage proposal and called her father, Duke de Barton, Robert Beaton. He is a dear friend of mine from my younger years and it was heartwarming to find out that his daughter and my son were together without our micro-managing." He smiled, making the reporters chuckle. "The original photograph is being sent to your tablets."

"So, this is your eldest child, the Baron?"

Henry nodded. "The Baron de Avon," he said. "Sébastien Valois-Angoulême-de Poitiers. And also, the newly titled, Duke of Orléans. I understand that the photographs were heated but they had just learnt that the Duke and I had both approved of their union. And were clearly happy to find that out."

The reporters started a low murmur of shocked conversations. Henry kept his cool, waiting for them to get over their shock so he could continue. He could silence them, but he needed to think clearly about what he said next.

"For the past twenty-three years, my eldest son has not been a working royal but today that changes. That changes because not only are one of my sons getting married in the near future but two. And that leads me to my second point today," Henry said. "You may have seen the future dauphine in relations with an elderly man, but I can reveal to you now that the man you reported on was not an elderly man but the Dauphin himself, François. In order to travel around France peacefully, he enlists the aid of professional makeup artists to change his appearance."

Just then, Monsieur Blanc entered and took the seat to Henry's right. Francis quickly began to peel the disguise off, taking his white-haired wig off his head and shaking out his blonde locks for everyone gasp in awe at.

"Even royals need a sense of normality," Francis said, smirking a little as he placed the faked skin onto the table before them. "That," he pointed downwards. "Was Monsieur Blanc. He was widowed, a tour guide, grandfather to ten, and his bowel movements were one to compete with. Yes, I do give my disguises backstories because you never know what might happen."

"Your Highness!" A male reporter called out. "Will you reveal the identities of your other disguises?"

Francis shook his head. "No, I will not. It was time to retire Monsieur Blanc."

"So, you were under the guise of an elderly man and the man in the photo with the Marquise was actually you, the Duke de Anjou?" Another reporter asked.

"Yes," Francis said, nodding. "I had intended to show my future wife around France more without interruption. She is half-French after all and needed to get to know the culture before we wedded. We went with our wonderful friends and the Duke of Orléans and his own betrothed. It was a day and night to remember."

"Can you highlight what you did on the day?"

"I would rather our plans past and future be private," Francis replied. "To respect the people we were with's privacies."

"Understandable," Henry said, taking over. "Any questions?"

An array of hands went up.

...

"But I didn't consent to marriage," Kenna said lightly.

Mary sighed heavily. "That seemed positive enough. We're staying."

"Thank God!" Greer cried out. "Honestly? Going back to freezing cold Scotland was not my plan!"

Mary chuckled, reaching over to squeeze her blonde friend's hands. "Francis came through."

"So, do you want to put an end to this silliness and return?" Kenna asked her.

"I do," Mary said, smacking her lightly. "Mother, cancel the jet. We're going back to Fontainebleau."

Marie took her tablet. "Are you sure?"

"Our family are already prominent enough in France. It makes sense if we want to modernise things," Mary said. "The spouse of the monarch taking on a role even as a female."

"Mary, you were so hellbent on leaving-"

"But Francis has proved that he can gain the support of the French people. Hence, turn them into liking us. Mother, you said it yourself, you miss France."

"But Scotland became my home."

"It became your prison," Mary whispered softly. "After Dad's death, you dedicated yourself to me and Jim. It is time to put yourself first and be with your family. I will be married, but I will still need my mother but not my micro-manager."

Marie smiled sadly. "When did you become so smart?"

"I've always been smart," Mary said coyly. "You just never saw it, to believe in me. That I could do greater things on my own. And hopefully, handle the likes of Catherine de Medici."

"Collin?" Marie called out to their head of security. "Find us the quickest route back to the chateau. We have a wedding in a week to prepare for."