AN: Bonjour, Namaste/Salaam. Here we are with chapter 2! As you will come to see our Dear Laurant will be having a bit of a makeover. Why is it that Jaqueline got a tubby goofy suitor, I get that he was the straight man, but Jaqueline deserves so much more.
Translations:
Ma tout-petit- My little one.
Ma seul doux- My sweet one.
Ma petite sour- My little sister.
Ma Femme- My wife.
La Dauphin- The Crown Prince.
La Dauphine de France- The Crown Princess of France.
Ma Grand-mere- My Grandmother.
Ma belle-femme- My beautiful wife.
Bien-amie- My beloved one.
Carcanet- What we would call a choker necklace.
Madame de Comtesse- My Lady the Countess.
Dauphin- Crown Princess.
As the carriage approached the palace gates Henri sighed not wanting to wake Danielle who had fallen asleep in his arms. Now, he knew that nothing concerning their marriage could be stopped. Of course, this was only the first battle not the end of the war, but he had complete faith that with Danielle by his side they would be able to do even the unimaginable. As they stopped at the gate, he saw Jaqueline waiting for them with a smile but he also saw worry in her dark eyes as she wrung her hands together. "Danielle, we're home," he said into her delicate ear. "Jaqueline is waiting to see if I did the job properly. She'll probably be vexed with me when we tell her I did nothing," he softly chuckled.
"You came for me," Danielle replied, brushing her lips against his. "That's all you ever have to do."
The door to the carriage opened and as he stepped out Jaqueline de Ghent sank into a curtsy far more graceful than he had ever seen her do before. "Praise God, Your Highness! Is my sister safe?"
"See for yourself, Mademoiselle," Henri replied with a grin as he lifted Danielle from the carriage and gently settling on the ground.
"Danielle!" Jaqueline exclaimed, rushing to embrace her freely. "I've been praying so hard for God and Christ to keep you safe from that terrible monster. What did he do to you?"
"I'm well, ma tout-petit!" Danielle soothed, kissing both the girl's cheeks. "Nothing happened to me that your healing hands cannot fix."
"Oh, I'm so glad!" the younger girl sighed. "I only wish I could have done something to stop them from selling you, Danielle. I've been worthless to you these past ten years."
"No!" Danielle answered in a sharp tone, tilting Jacqueline's face up to look into her eyes. "Without you, the ten years in that house would have been nothing less than complete slavery. You always thanked me, you always had a kind word on the worst days, you tended my wounds from the lashings, you cared for me when I was sick, and you snuck into the attic at night to keep me warm in the winters. I thank God every day that my father married Rodmilla, because you, ma seul doux, comforted me when Maurice, Paulette, Louise, and Gustav could not. Now, that I am going to enter into this world of kings I need you more than ever. Promise me you will stay by my side, ma petite sour."
"Always, Danielle, I'll never leave you alone," Jaqueline swore, finally able to give the only family she truly respected her open devotion.
"Danielle, we should go in and get your wounds tended to," Henri gently interrupted. "I must also speak to my parents about you, and our marriage."
His words sobered the two young women instantly. Danielle turned her earnest eyes back to Jaqueline's warm dark ones. "Jaqueline, I agreed to a full examination by the Royal Physician attended by the Queen to verify I am a virgin. Could you be there with me? I don't think I could bare it if I am alone with strangers."
Jaqueline's whole body flushed red with shock and horror. "Of course, Danielle. I'd never leave you alone to face that," she whispered so softly only Danielle could hear.
"Merci ma tout-petite," Danielle whispered back, kissing her cheeks once more.
"Come ladies," Henri chirped happily, hoping to lighten the sisters' somber moods. "The first order of business is to get my bride some food and perhaps a bath."
Danielle had never wasted her time with vanity. Being dirty never bothered her, but now standing in front of her future husband the Dauphin of France about to enter the palace and be declared his fiancée, shame flooded her. "I must really look and smell like a pig this time," she muttered, blinking back tears.
"That's enough of that, ma femme," Henri ordered. "I'll not have anyone speak against you, including yourself," he grinned, wrapping one arm around Danielle's waist and offering the other for Jaqueline.
The trio moved through the corridors of the palace, Danielle becoming more overwhelmed with her surroundings with each step. Even at the height of its glory, her home fell far short of the grandeur surrounding her. "No wonder the Baroness was never pleased with the manor," she whispered to Jaqueline.
"Nonsense," Jaqueline snapped. "Danielle, my birth father's estate was much smaller and less impressive than our home now. The only reason my mother puffs herself up is because she's a second cousin to a minor branch of the de Bourbon family. Yes, she is of 'noble blood' as she says at least ten times a day, and she married a Baron. What she doesn't say is that my birth-father married her for her dowry, and left double than that in debts. Your father might not have had a title, but his bloodline was far better than my father's, and he had far more wealth than my mother previously had in her entire life! Mother's problem is that she's never satisfied with what she has. Even if Marguerite could have become a queen, they both would have tried to get more."
The more Henri heard the more his anger grew. Not only offended by the de Ghent's horrific treatment of Danielle, he now saw Jaqueline as far from the dull-witted, plain girl everyone supposed her to be. She also had been a pawn and target of her hateful mother and sister. He swore to himself that he would investigate Danielle's heritage, and make sure he placed Jaqueline under his protection until she wanted to wed. "While you ladies gossip about gloomy topics and get some food and rest, I will be with the king and queen arranging the wedding!" he announced with a bright smile. Stopping outside a set of ornately carved, heavy oak doors, surrounded by gleaming white marble, he turned to Danielle and took her into his arms. "By tomorrow, you shall be la Dauphine de France, Danielle. I know it will be very hard on you to adjust, but you will have people who love you to help. For now, just remember that you must let us take care of you as you would take care of us."
"I shall try," she answered in the same way she had consented to go to Amboise with him.
"Then I know you will succeed," he assured, kissing her gently once more. "Now, this is where you will stay until our wedding," he announced opening the doors.
Jaqueline gasped as they entered the glorious apartment. The salon's floor was blanketed in glorious oriental carpets of silk and wool. On the walls, gorgeous tapestries and frescos depicting the beauty of nature, as well as large windows looking out over the lake filled the room with the late afternoon sunshine. The ceilings sparkled with gold gilt and more colorful paintings of nymphs and angels at play. Danielle's eyes filled with tears as she took in the overwhelming beauty of the room. "I've never seen anything like it," she choked out. The luxurious furnishings included exquisitely carved chairs covered in sumptuous green velvet embroidered with gold and silver threads. A large table with a white marble top dominated the space and on it rested a large porcelain vase filled with the most beautiful and fragrant flowers, that perfumed the air. "It's too much," Danielle murmured in a trembling voice. Turning to meet Henri's eyes her heart warmed at the tenderness and empathy she found in their stunning blue depths. "Henri, these rooms are too grand for a simple girl like me. Surely there must be rooms that are more appropriate…" Henri silenced her by placing a finger to her lips.
"These rooms once belonged to ma grand-mère Louise de Savoy, Danielle. I want you to use them not only because I love you and I knew you would love them, but also to show the world that you will be the mother of a king just as she was. I understand that this whole idea is overwhelming to you. Neither of us intended to fall in love with each other, and until Gabriella abandoned me at the altar, I don't think either of us truly believed we could marry." He gathered his trembling bride into his strong embrace and buried his face into the hollow of her neck. "All I ask of you, ma belle femme, is this: that you trust in me, trust in the Queen, trust in Jaqueline, and trust in the Laurents."
Danielle's brow furrowed at her future husband's omission of the King in his list of trusted people, but decided to ignore it for now. "Of course I will, Bien-aimé," she assured him.
A dazzling smile broke out on the young bridegroom's face. "Good," he laughed. "Now, where is Helene?" he asked. "Helene! Helene, where could you possibly be hiding," he growled impatiently, throwing open yet even grander doors to the bedchamber.
"Your Highness, knows better than to bound around the palace like a raging bull near me," a warm but unmistakably scolding voice replied. Danielle and Jaqueline both turned quickly startled that anyone would speak to the prince like that. A tall woman of indeterminate age and laughing black eyes appeared. She wore the colors of the Dauphin, sky blue and grey, and had his dolphin with the fleurs-de-lis prominently displayed on the gold carcanet around her throat. "Well, why are you behaving like a naughty schoolboy? The night before the masque you told me that the girl you've chosen to marry had cured you of your bad manners," she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Henri blushed at the censure and released Danielle to make a proper apology. "I am sorry, Helene. It's been a long day and my temper has been stretched to limits I didn't know it possessed," he sighed. He kissed both her hands and turned back to the confused young women. "Danielle, Jaqueline, may I present Comtesse de Laurent. She is Marc's aunt, and was my nurse. Now, she runs my entire household, and I am completely convinced that she's kept my head on my shoulders these last nine years," he added, rolling his eyes.
Jaqueline blushed and raised her hand over her mouth to stifle a cry. Danielle stood completely agog at the idea that this beautiful woman could have nursed her prince in infancy. "There, there, my dears, my bark is far worse than my bite," Helene soothed, approaching Danielle. "So you are to be my dear Dauphine?" she smiled with delight as she pushed back Danielle's chestnut tresses to reveal her face. "Ah, not only a great beauty, but you possess a keen mind and a pure soul. Everything is revealed in your eyes." she praised.
"Thank you, Madame de Comtesse," Danielle replied, struggling not to drop to the floor as a servant would.
"To you, Madame la Dauphine, I am your Helene. No more, and no less," the older woman gently commanded, sinking into a deep curtsy. Then she turned to Jaqueline, and embraced her. "Cherie, you are a precious jewel, and once you are revealed to the world you will bring glory and honor to the family that wins your hand."
After a lifetime of insults being told that she was little better than a commoner, Jaqueline felt tears fall from her eyes. Quickly she curtsied as she knew she must to the Comtesse and tried to wipe the wetness away unseen. "My thanks to you, Madame," she whispered.
Helene raised the raven-beauty up and kissed her forehead. "There now, the introductions are over." She turned to the prince who stood by the window with a ridiculous grin on his face. "Out with you now!" she ordered. "Their Majesties are waiting for your presence in the throne room."
"Very well, Helene," Henri complied. He kissed Danielle once more and bowed to Jaqueline. "Ladies, I leave you in the very best of hands. I will return as soon as I can."
Danielle seized him by the hand before he could leave. "Henri, please remember that it will be difficult for them to understand why you are choosing a commoner with nothing to offer France but her love for the Dauphin. Our marriage is not only unprecedented for the country, it is unprecedented for the world."
"Don't worry," he replied, squeezing her hand. "Helene, take care of my family please," he added with a wink.
"I always have, Sire," Helene replied, curtsying as he took his leave. "Now then, I think a bath is an order for you Madame la Dauphine, and you Mademoiselle need a nice dish of tea," Helene chirped, sweeping the two girls along in the swish of her silk skirts. The bedchamber with its massive carved bed draped in emerald brocade and cloth-of-gold robbed both Jaqueline and Danielle of speech. Every inch of the room glittered with luxury. Three chambermaids appeared dressed in Henri's livery and curtsied to the three women. "Colette, Renee, Monique, is the bath ready for Madame la Dauphine?" Helene asked, her tone carrying a warning that she expected the correct answer.
"Oui, Madame," Colette answered for the trio. She stood a head shorter than the others, but possessed a striking golden beauty that far eclipsed that of Marguerite de Ghent's, and an air of authority that made her short stature irrelevant. "Two baths have been drawn for Madame la Dauphine one hot the other cold. I was not sure which Madame la Dauphine would prefer."
Danielle flinched at the information that the chambermaids had been ordered to draw not one bath but two! During her ten years of servitude, drawing baths for the baroness and Marguerite had been one of the harshest chores on her long list of responsibilities. Her first lashing at age ten had been the punishment for Marguerite's bathwater being too hot. Another time, the baroness accused her of trying to kill her with a cold bath. A cold, sickening dread filled her body. 'Will I now be working people to the bone, making every moment of their waking hours a misery?' she wondered. Turning to address Helene, she pulled her shoulders back the same way she had when she'd challenged Henri on the misfortunes of peasants. "Madame Helene, in the future I wish for only one bath to be drawn for myself, and I am used to cold baths. I am well aware of the work that goes into such tasks, and I would not wish to burden others more than it would be necessary and proper to do."
Helene smiled, and gave a nod of acknowledgement to her new Dauphine's feelings. 'She speaks well, and has a compassionate heart. Still, she has much to learn if she will survive in the court of France' the lovely matron thought to herself. She already loved this young maiden, who had so thoroughly entranced the man she loved as dearly as any mother could love a child. Through Danielle, the prince she had nurtured and cared for since the night of his birth had finally shed his loathing of his future. She had given him something no other could, a purpose, the discovery of his beliefs, and a way to articulate them to the world. Yes, Comtesse de Laurent would serve her new mistress with all the zeal and passion with which she served her master, and in the process prepare the shy and wounded Jaqueline de Ghent to become la Duchesse de Laurent.
Before she could reply Jaqueline took her sister's hands in hers and led her to the bathtubs. "Danielle, it's ever so-much-easier to draw a bath here than it is at home, and since the ladies have already prepared two you might as well enjoy both," she encouraged with her sweet bird-song voice. "Besides," she continued, smiling at Danielle's timid acceptance, "I must see to your hurts before mother and Marguerite return home from their visit to la Marquise de Bourbon. Although knowing mother she'll try to stay for supper," she added, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe you should leave now to be safe, Jaqueline," Danielle suggested.
"Not until I know that you're cleaned, fed, and rested, Danielle. I swore that I wouldn't leave you to face that physician and the Queen. I have waited years to be your true sister," she said with the most determined voice she'd ever used in her entire life. "When your father told us about you, I was so happy. I knew that God had answered my prayers for a sister that loved me in ways my own did not. Then mother—" she stopped before she could say something imprudent. Years of living with vicious gossips and seeing the destruction they wrought had taught her the art of what not to say. "I'm not leaving yet," she finished simply. "Now, where are you hurt?"
"Le Pieu put me in irons after I tried to run away," Danielle answered, rolling up her sleeves and raising her skirts to show her ankles.
The three demoiselles managed to keep their shock limited to their eyes, but the cool glare of Helene extinguished even that. Jaqueline gave her sister a soft smile. "Well, we've dealt with worse before." She addressed Helene next. "Madame la Comtesse, I shall need two basins of lukewarm water each mixed with a glass of wine if you please."
"Mademoiselle, I and these demoiselles can treat Madame la Dauphine's injuries. We have what is necessary," Helene answered.
Jaqueline stepped in front of the formidable woman and sank down in a curtsy keeping her eyes on the floor. "Madame, for the past ten years I have out of necessity been a friend to my sister in secret. I have always tended to her hurts, and I would like the chance to continue to do so at least until she is married."
"Of course, child, it shall be as you say," Helene assured. Her eyes showing admiration for Jaqueline's demure manner and her loyalty. 'Yes, she will make a fine wife for my nephew,' she thought with a happy heart. Instructing the three girls to obey any requests the two ladies made, she excused herself to arrange for a small wardrobe for Danielle.
Jaqueline guided Danielle to a stool covered in a stunning crewel embroidery of a scene of a hunt. "Now, sit," she softly cooed, the way she always did when tending to her older sister. "What shall we take care of first, your ankles or your wrists?"
"They took the shackles off my hands during the day so I could work," Danielle sighed as exhaustion began to settle on her like a heavy boulder. "We should start with my ankles."
Jaqueline motioned for the tallest of the demoiselles to give her the basin, its pink liquid assuring her that her instructions had been followed. "I will also need pine sap, linen bandages, and egg yolks after Mademoiselle has bathed," Jaqueline instructed. "Danielle, I wish I could say it won't hurt this time, but you know it would be a lie."
"At least this time we won't have to worry about the Baroness hearing me yelp," Danielle smirked. Not one to delay the inevitable she sank her feet into the large basin, hissing at the pain.
Jaqueline quickly and methodically wiped the blood and puss around Danielle's ankles. The shackles had nearly taken off all the skin and only years of tending to the horrors her mother regularly dealt Danielle kept Jaqueline from being sick from the sight and smell. "I hope the Prince throws him into the blackest dungeon in France!" she declared. She then motioned for a fresh basin.
"He wanted to," Danielle assured, "but I reminded him he couldn't because that devil hadn't broken a law." She left out the threats of torture and a death sentence so as to not upset or scare her innocent sister.
"Humph!" Jaqueline sniffed. "My guess is after today there will be a law, just like when he convinced the King to compensate the people bound for the Americas."
"Perhaps," Danielle allowed with a radiant smile.
Jaqueline just smiled her usual knowing smile and finished the last of the disinfecting of Danielle's ankles. "Well, that part is over with," she announced. "Now, let's do your wrists and get you bathed." Two more basins were provided and Jaqueline repeated the process. "When the physician comes, don't forget to ask if he has anything for the prevention of gangrene. The shackles were so tight I'm surprised they didn't cut off blood flow."
"I don't think he would have let it come to that. He wanted me alive too badly," Danielle answered, shocked at the bitterness in her voice.
"Still, better safe than sorry," Jaqueline retorted. "Now, cold bath first to get the dirt off and then the hot bath to relax."
"The only time a bath is relaxing is when it is done at the river," Danielle pouted as she let Jaqueline half drag her to the large silver tub.
"Off with your clothes! Jaqueline commanded in a frighteningly accurate impression of her mother's imperious tone.
Danielle burst out laughing pulling her soiled dress and chemise off in one movement. It was then that Renee and Monique both cried out in horror, and crossed themselves before Renee actually fainted. Danielle shocked and humiliated plunged into the cold water submerging herself completely under it. Colette enraged over her underlings' behavior and uncertain of how to handle the situation, turned to Jaqueline desperation written all over her face. Jaqueline indignant at the hysterics of them all reached for the gold pitcher to be used to wash Danielle's hair. Gracefully walking to the basin she knew had fresh water, she poured a small amount into the pitcher, and then approached the unconscious Renee. She poured a tiny stream of water on the girl's face, causing her to bolt up into a sitting position. "She cannot go to our Dauphin's bed," the girl wailed, "she has the skin of a snake!"
Just as Jaqueline was about to defend Danielle, Helene entered the room. A cold fury radiated from her as her black eyes settled on the still prostrate Renee. "Silence!" she commanded. "Colette, take the girls back to their dormitory. I shall attend to their discipline later."
"Oui, Madame," the golden girl answered, herding the two malcontents away.
"Madame, I will attend to my sister myself. I think she would be more comfortable if we were left in privacy," Jaqueline stated, trying to keep her voice from trembling.
"Of course, Mademoiselle. I will be back in a quarter hour with more hot water," Helene assured, knowing the best person to comfort her new Dauphine would be someone she knew and trusted.
Jaqueline returned to the large tub reaching in to lift Danielle above the water. "They're all gone now. Helene will teach those awful girls a lesson," she soothed.
A look of fear painted itself on Danielle's lovely face. "You mean they'll be beaten?"
"I don't think so," Jaqueline shrugged. "La Comtesse probably has many more effective methods than physical violence to make her point."
"It's not like I don't know my scars are hideous, and I've never thought of myself as vain. I don't know why their reaction hurts so much," Danielle sniffled, wiping away more tears.
"Why does it hurt me when mother and Marguerite call me fat?" Jaqueline replied, reaching for a large cake of soap scented with rose petals. "It hurts because it's cruel, true or not."
"You are not fat, Jaqueline," Danielle objected, kissing the younger girl's free hand. "If the Baroness would stop trying to dress you in Marguerite's hand-me-downs she'd see your figure is as lovely as hers."
"Mother can't be bothered to spend anything on me. Frankly, I'm glad, otherwise she might have forced me to become some old man's mistress," Jaqueline giggled. "Now, let's get you clean so you can enjoy the pleasures of a hot bath."
"I can manage myself," Danielle objected, reaching for the soap.
"Danielle, you've helped me bathe since the evening I came to the manor. You held me when I had nightmares, helped to educate me, told me I am wonderful when everyone else calls me fat, plain, dull, and stupid. Even if it's only for one afternoon, I want to be the one who takes care of you," she pleaded, placing a kiss on Danielle's soft cheek.