Chapter Six: Apologizing Forever
If there was something that both Henry and Da Vinci would universally agree on, it was that certain situations require dramatic flair. Da Vinci took one look at Danielle and insisted that he could make a few last-minute additions to her ball gown that would make her stand out even more, although Henry scarcely believed it was possible. She was already so enchanting, Henry feared that if she were to become even more so, he would lose his ability to speak.
Still, Henry and Da Vinci agreed that he should enter the palace first and inform his parents of their arrival so they could make the announcement. Concluding that he had at least ten minutes to change, he rushed to his room where he found his clothes for the ball laid out. He struggled to put them on by himself but, in the end, he managed it.
He slipped in amongst the guests. Surprisingly and thankfully, not many people noticed him. He passed by the refreshment table to grab a piece of bread when he spotted Jaqueline who was still looking terribly ill.
He paused on his way to the dais to catch her attention. When Jaqueline finally looked at him, he gave her a thumbs up and a big smile. It was as if several heavyweights came off her shoulders and some color came back into her face. She manage to return a smile, though not quite as bright and Henry stuffed the bread into his mouth before reaching his parents. He swallowed when his father and mother noticed him.
"Oh, thank God." Henry's father exclaimed.
"Henry!" His mother stood to embrace him. "Look, you have a smudge of dirt here." She wiped his forehead. "And your tunic isn't on straight." She fussed at his collar.
"Mother, I assure you I am well." He smiled.
"Well?" His father inserted, looking around the room. "Where is the girl?"
Henry turned his attention to his father. "She is getting ready. When I rescued her, she wasn't quite ready to attend the ball."
The queen gasped. "Rescued? What do you mean?"
"All will be explained in due time mother," Henry assured her. "Now, I must warn you, when I announce my bride, we should expect opposition from Baroness De Ghent. However, I give you my word, whatever accusations they throw, they will be lies."
"Henry…" His father looked apprehensive.
"Please trust me," Henry said.
"… We do son." His mother replied.
The king raised his hands to signal to the party that he was ready to speak. The buzzing and milling about the party ceased instantly and the king and queen stood up, around Henry.
"It gives us great pleasure," The king began. "On this festive occasion, not only to honor Signor da Vinci… who seems to have disappeared… but also to tell you of a long-awaited decision. So, without further ado, it is my great privilege to announce the engagement of our son, Prince Henry to the lady Danielle de Barbarac."
There was an audible gasp throughout the entire venue. It was then that people noticed a woman standing at the entryway dressed in a shimmering gossamer gown. The light reflected off of the delicate jewels that covered the front of it, making the white gown glow with all sorts of colors. Her hair was braided expertly with little glittering stones woven throughout hair and on her back were large brilliant white wings.
She took a few hesitant steps forward and the crowd began to clear for her. It was almost as if she were a goddess amongst men. Anyone with eyes in their head could have easily mistaken her for an ethereal being. But to Henry, she was simply—
"Danielle." He whispered.
His feet automatically carried him to her, and he took her hand and began leading her towards the thrones to present her to his parents. He heard her whisper under her breath, "Breathe… just breathe."
Realizing she felt very uncomfortable, Henry squeezed her hand for comfort. "Look," He made a small gesture, "I invited the gypsies."
He was rewarded with a small smile in his direction. But before they could arrive at the platform, he felt Danielle suddenly let go of his hand as she was violently pulled by the wings on her back. There was an audible rip and Henry turned to find the Baroness responsible.
"How dare you," the Baroness seethed.
"Madam," Henry growled. "Contain yourself."
"She is an imposter, sire!" The Baroness continued, the barely contained anger evident in her eyes.
"No!" Danielle tried to defend herself but was cut off.
"Her name is Danielle, and she is a bastard child and my servant of ten years!" The Baroness stated.
"A servant, Henry?" His father asked confused.
Henry held his hand up, hoping that his father would give him a moment to explain himself. "Baroness," He returned his attention to her, "you are on dangerous ground."
The Baroness let out a mocking laugh. "Ask her yourself! She is a grasping; devious little pretender and it is my duty to expose her as the covetous hoax she is. Now bow before royalty, insolent fraud!" The Baroness pushed Danielle on her back harshly causing her face to contort in pain as she almost fell.
But Henry caught her and held her upright, his own fury rising to the occasion. He was about to either lash out verbally or physically when the queen announced, "Enough!" catching everyone by surprise.
Everyone stopped their attention now on the queen. "Baroness, you make a fool of yourself and this court. How dare you lay hands on a countess."
Henry looked up confused and Danielle's eyes widened in bewilderment.
"Your majesty—" The Baroness tried to say but was cut off.
The queen glared at the Baroness before turning her gaze to Danielle. Her expression then morphed into something far more motherly and genteel.
"When Henry brought to me the names Auguste de Barbarac and Nicole de Lancret, it took me a little while to gather information on them and it took me even longer to find anything on Nicole de Lancret. However, it was actually thanks to you, Baroness," The queen returned an icy stare to the now trembling woman, "That I remembered where I had originally heard that name before."
"When you had lied to me about Danielle, you mentioned the country of Belgium. I then remembered that several years ago, the court received a new addition, a countess by the name of Nicole de Lancret. She had come from Belgium to marry a wealthy merchant. However, due to poor health, she did not frequent the palace and she later died, according to the rumors, of childbirth."
"If the child in question is Danielle de Barbarac, which I would assume, she is, then you, Baroness de Ghent, are in far more trouble than you realize. Already, lying to the crown is punishable by death. The mistreatment of a lady whose station is far above yours is just as bad, if not worse." The queen finished.
By now, the Baroness was shaking in fear. Marguerite, having witnessed all of this, quickly interceded. "Your majesty, all of this counts on Danielle actually being the daughter of Auguste de Barbarac and Nicole de Lancret."
The Baroness' eyes lit up and she grasped at the small hope before her. "My daughter is right, your majesty. As I stated earlier, Danielle is a bastard child of one of the servants in our home. And the only people who can confirm her identity are me and my daughters."
"You're right mother," A new voice interjected.
The last bit of color drained from the Baroness' and Marguerite's faces as Jaqueline approached from the left, her arms crossed over her chest as a show of her defiance.
"And I," She continued, "as a member of the house de Ghent, vouch for Danielle's identity."
"We also vouch for her identity!" Four more voices came from the entrance of the hall.
It was there that Gustave, Maurice, Louise, and Paulette stood. The four of them approached the throne and kneeled, Gustave, continuing to speak.
"We know our word does not amount to much, with us being servants and commoners. But I've known Danielle… forever and I can confirm that Auguste de Barbarac and Nicole de Lancret are her parents."
"I raised that girl since she was a wee lass," Paulette added, "And I knew her mother for the short time that she stayed at the manner. She's the spitt'n image of her parents, that one is."
Henry watched as tears began to appear in the corner of Danielle's eyes. She was overwrought with emotion and was beaming with joy. The Baroness on the other hand…
"Surely your majesty cannot take the words of mere servants over the words of a Baroness?" She tried.
The queen's face morphed into a condescending smile. "What Baroness?"
A look that could only be described as complete and utter terror took over the Baroness' features. Before the queen could speak again, Marguerite shoved her mother out of the way screaming, "Mother what have you done?! Your majesty, like you, I am just a victim here. She has deceived us both and I am ashamed to call her family!"
"How dare you turn on me, ingrate!" The Baroness lashed out.
"You see what I have to put up with?" Marguerite squealed.
"Silence! Both of you!" The king commanded. "Good Lord, are they always like this?"
"Worse, your majesty," Jaqueline piped up again.
"Much worse!" Louise added.
The Baroness eyed Jaqueline with contempt. "Jaqueline, darling, I'd hate to think you had anything to do with this."
"Of course, not Mother," Jaqueline responded. "I'm just here for the food."
"Baroness de Ghent," The Queen stated. "You are forthwith stripped of your title. You and your horrible daughter are to be shipped to the Americas on the first boat. Unless by some miracle… someone here will speak for you."
The Baroness took an unsteady step back, looking around the crowd with the vain hope that perhaps one of her many acquaintances would vouch for her.
"There seem to be quite a few people out of town," The Baroness's eyes darted about.
Henry felt Danielle steady herself on her feet, pulling away from the arm that he was using to steady her previously. He moved to hold onto her, but she gazed at him with her doe eyes and Henry was powerless to stop her.
"Danielle—"
"I will speak for her," Danielle announced, shocking nearly everyone in the room. "She is, after all, my stepmother."
Henry watched in awe as his beloved stood before everyone with her head held high. He was simply amazed at her compassion and empathy. That she would find it in herself to offer mercy to her chief abusers.
Standing directly in front of the Baroness, Danielle said, "I want you to know that I will forget you after this moment and never think of you again. But you, I am quite certain, will think about me every single day for the rest of your life."
Henry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he heard the Baroness' response. "And how long might that be?"
He couldn't believe the nerve of this woman. He was almost tempted to personally escort her to the prison cells. Still, Danielle turned to address the king and queen.
With humble grace, she curtsied stating, "All I ask, your majesties, is that you show her the same courtesy that she has bestowed upon me."
Henry watched as the Baroness' eyes continued to dart about, not understanding what Danielle meant by her words. The king, however, had an amused glint in his eyes and outright laughed.
"Of course, Countess, of course." His smile quickly dropped as he turned to the offending party. "Guards, take them to the servant's quarters. And call the head maid to introduce them to their new living situation!"
"Your majesty please!" The Baroness tried to plead one more time, but it was too late.
As she and Marguerite were being dragged out of the hall, Henry couldn't help but feel great joy. He turned to Danielle, hoping that she was sharing in his revelry only to find her having gone terribly pale. Paulette and Louise were at her side, almost holding her upright as she appeared to be struggling to stand.
"Danielle!" Henry exclaimed, "What it is?"
"It's her wounds, your majesty!" Paulette explained.
"Wounds?"
"We'll explain later. We need to get her out of this crowd and into a private room where she can rest. She's been all about the French countryside in one day and hasn't had a moment of peace." Louise added.
Henry turned to his parents who were watching the whole exchange. "Mother, Father, we shall be taking our leave."
"Very well, we shall see you later Henry." His father nodded.
Henry helped Paulette and Louise walk Danielle out of the celebration. Maurice, Jaqueline, and Gustave followed, making sure that their path was clear. As they left the bustling and gossiping crowd, what little strength Danielle had left seemed to dissipate entirely. She went completely limp in their arms, nearly scaring Henry to death. His only comfort was that her chest kept rising and falling as he carried her into one of the special guest rooms.
After he laid her down, Paulette and Louise shooed all the men out of the room, claiming it was indecent. Henry tried to protest seeing as he was going to be Danielle's husband soon, but the two older women stood firm and locked him, Gustave, and Maurice out.
"Well, this certainly has been a night." Gustave let out a long breath.
"It has indeed," Henry found himself agreeing.
For a moment, Danielle thought she was drowning in a cloud. Whatever mattress was underneath her was incredibly soft and the sheets were so light and airy, that it felt like she was floating. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a grand ceiling that was covered in brilliant furnishings. Her bed, for the first time, had a canopy that was drawn so the light from the large glass windows could be let in.
As she gingerly sat up, she tried to recall the memories from last night. After speaking with her stepmother, everything grew hazy. Danielle remembered feeling incredibly exhausted to the point where even standing was difficult. She recalled Paulette and Louise trying to aid her and the last thing she could remember were Henry's strong arms laying her down on the bed.
Her back was feeling loads lighter, having slept on what Danielle guessed were silken sheets, probably helped it immensely. She did notice that all the rough handling she had endured at the hands of her stepmother and Le Pieu had finally begun to show itself through deep purple bruises on her arms. She stretched her arms upwards and heard the bones in her back and shoulders pop before laying down again. She had closed her eyes again for less than a second when she heard the door open and whispers coming from the other side.
"It's not proper you know," She heard Paulette's familiar voice scold.
"We are going to be married," She listened to Henry reason.
"Hmph," Paulette snorted. "The things I do for that girl. Alright, I'll turn a blind eye just this once. Be quick about it. And if I hear anything suspicious—"
"—Thank you."
Danielle heard the door close, and Henry's footsteps approach her bedside. There was a sound of a chair being dragged across the floor and Danielle felt his warm hand caress her cheek. She waited for a second, debating on whether or not she wanted to scare him by moving suddenly. However, her plans were foiled when Henry said, "So how long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"
Danielle gasped in fake offense. "How did you know?" She rolled her body over to face him, grinning impertinently.
"I saw your eyes peaking when I came through the door. That and your ears were twitching." Henry smiled.
"Really Henry, you ruined the surprise." Danielle moved to sit up again.
As she did so, Henry reached out with his hands to steady her with concern lacing his features. Danielle tilted her head, slightly confused at his action.
Henry sighed. "You could have told me how injured you were."
"Injured?" Danielle asked.
"Yes, Danielle. Surely, you would consider being whipped and beaten, injury? If I had known, I wouldn't have made you appear at the ball at all. You had twenty lacerations!" Henry ran his hands through his hair.
"Oh," Danielle didn't quite know how to respond.
"I just wish you would have trusted me enough to tell me," Henry admitted.
"Oh Henry," Danielle murmured, reaching for his hands. "It is not that I did not trust you. It's just…" She held his hands gently. "It has been a long time since I've had people concerned for me and an even longer time since I've worried for myself. I just… I didn't want to let you down again."
"You could never let me down," Henry stated firmly.
"I wish," Danielle's eyes fell. "Henry… I am so sorry for what happened at the ruins of Amboise."
"Danielle—"
"Please Henry," Danielle interjected, "Let me apologize properly."
Seeing Henry's silence as her opportunity, Danielle continued, "After that magical night in the forest, I felt as if I could fly. But when I returned to the manor, I was reminded of my place and station. I felt and still feel if I am being honest, that I am wholly unworthy of your love and adoration. So, in an effort to protect myself and you, I felt it was necessary to separate us. But now I see how wrong I was. You poured out your heart to me and I threw it away. That shall always be my gravest offense. And for that, I am truly sorry."
Henry hesitated a moment before speaking, "Danielle, I too must apologize."
Danielle raised an eyebrow. "Henry—"
"Let's not be stubborn my love," Henry cut her off. "If I let you speak, then you must do the same for me," he said with humor in his voice.
Danielle crossed her arms but let him finish.
"By now, I am sure you are aware of my hubris and how I never listen, especially when I get excited about something. The fault is not entirely yours. I barely gave you a chance to speak. And even before that, I did not consider how you felt about us. I was so caught up in what I wanted, that I lost sight of what truly mattered. That is my offense of which I beg your forgiveness."
His words moved Danielle nearly to tears. She nodded and blinked back the water that was collecting in her tear ducts before she gave a little laugh.
"I hope it shall not always be this way." She murmured.
"What?" Henry's brow furrowed.
"It seems we have the habit of always offending each other. Every time, on one of our parts, some grievance has been made." Danielle explained.
"Then, I hope you don't mind for I shall be apologizing forever." Henry grinned, leaning closer to Danielle, his eyes, once more fixated on her lips.
Danielle tilted her head to allow easier access, saying, "As long as you don't mind me doing the same."
"Never," Henry said before kissing her sweetly.
The End.