Traitor's Vengeance - Part Fifteen

"Hélène, have you seen Lord Grey this afternoon?" Danielle asked. It had suddenly dawned on her that she had been without a guard ever since she sent him to fetch the ladies carriage. It did not seem like him to desert his post for so long.

"I did see him about an hour ago with Captain Laurent and Mademoiselle de Ghent Your Highness."

"Jacqueline has returned from the palace. I wonder that she has not been to tell me what is happening. Did she say if she would come to see me today?"

"I did not speak to her. They seemed to be very busy." Hélène's short answers indicated that she had little to say so Danielle went back to her book. The afternoon seemed to have been spent in relative peace. There had even been a few moments when her thoughts were not plagued by the chaos that surrounded her new life. In her head she knew that the situation was a dangerous one, but in her heart she trusted Henry to deliver his promise.

Sitting on a chair across from Danielle, however, Hélène was not so calm. Her soul was silently screaming in torment. Why did he have to show up and surprise her that morning. It had been months since she had last seen him. She was just beginning to pull the fragments of her shattered life back together. She was even thinking about marriage. The Grand Duke of Sardinia had approached her father about a bride for his eldest son. Hélène was the oldest daughter, so she should be the one to marry. Before Hélène had been a true romantic, determined that her marriage would be ruled by love. But now she had changed her mind. Anything was better than the five years of mental torture that had been visited on her.

She was ready to leave behind those painful memories when she received a visit from the Queen. Henry was to marry Princess Gabriella of Spain within the week. The Queen was offering Hélène the position of chief attendant to the Princess. Mainly because Hélène spoke Spanish, but also because she was Henry's friend. If only she knew what had really been happening for the past five years.

To most courtiers the offer of such a coveted position would have been a great honour. To her though, she had already had enough royal honours. But how do you say no to the Queen?

At the time she did not think the idea so bad. When he was to marry Gabriella, Hélène knew he would not see his wife often. It was not a love match and he would want to be with her as little as possible. Maybe he would have Hélène as his mistress again. Even such a degrading position would be better than not being with him at all. With these hopes she graciously accepted the Queen's offer. Unfortunately, like everybody else, she had not foreseen Danielle.

Danielle. She was a sweet girt, but hopelessly naive. She obviously knew nothing of what royal life was really like. She had even been deprived of the basic breeding that even the lowest courtier has. How ironic it was that Hélène should be trusted as her guide in these uncertain times. Would Hélène be able to do this job? All of Hélène's dreams had rested on Henry's marrying not for love, but for national advantage. Maybe then he would realise just how much Hélène had loved him, that her love was the best he could ever wish for.

As Hélène struggled with these painful thoughts Danielle was too thinking of Henry. But she only had happy memories in her head. The rescue, the dancing, the champagne, the wedding night. If she never saw Henry again, she still had the memories of the two perfect nights they had spent together. But she knew that Henry would come back to her. They were soul mates, destined to be together.

Danielle put her book down, she wasn't really concentrating on it anyway. She looked over at Hélène, who was staring into the distance, through the window. She was an exceptionally beautiful girl. She was well bred, acted with grace and decorum. How was it that at the age of twenty she was still unmarried?

"Hélène," Danielle said. Hélène looked up. "It has suddenly struck me that we have been in each others' company for almost a day and yet have hardly spoken. If we are going to be spending so much time with each other, then we really should get to know each other better."

"As you wish Your Highness," Hélène replied a little unsure of what was going to pass. Had Henry told her of their past together. Was she going to be angry. It would be very unfortunate to work for somebody who despised you. For you not to like them is enough.

"To be honest Hélène what I really want to know is why you are not married? I hope you do not think me some sort of meddling gossip."

"No at all Your Highness. The truth is I have had offers of marriage, but I was unable to accept them."

"Were they beneath your station?"

"No quite the opposite. My father has been approached by Dukes and Princes for my hand, but I was determined to only marry for love."

"You have not found your love yet?" Hélène tried to think of something to change the subject. It was obvious that the Princess did not know of her attachment to Henry, to talk of it, even anonymously, would be to tread on dangerous ground. "Or have you found your love, but you are simply not yet married?" The Princesses curiosity was irritating, but Hélène could not find it within herself not to like her. She was so trusting. She needed a guide and Hélène knew that guide had to be her.

"I have been in love."

"Do you plan to marry?" Hélène looked at her. She was nothing more than a sweet, innocent child. She had no idea of how things worked in the circles she now moved in. Very few courtiers could marry for love, even if they wanted to.

"No we cannot marry."

"Why ever not if you are in love? Surely that should be the only reason for marriage." What the Princess spoke was true. She showed wisdom beyond her eighteen years, but that wisdom needed to be placed into her new world. In a world where your main cares have been taken from books om paradise, it is possible see everything so simply.

"I was in love with him, but that love was unrequited. I would have happily married him, even though I knew the affection was all on my side. I just wanted to be with him. But now that cannot be. He has married somebody he does love. I am pleased that he has found that."

"But you know that you will be unable to love anybody else like you do him." Hélène nodded and looked to the floor. Some tears were now welling in her eyes. She could not take this sympathy from the person who had ruined all of her hopes and dreams. "Hélène you are young and pretty. I have absolute faith that you will find somebody who will love you like you deserve to be loved and you will grow to love them in return."

Hélène could take this no longer. She stood up and mumbled something about going to find candles, before making a hasty exit from the room.

Danielle felt immensely sorry for her. She could not imagine what it must be like to suffer that sort of rejection. One thing that Danielle had always been sure of was that Henry's love for her was as strong as hers for him. Maybe once she was better settled in at court, she could discreetly try and encourage Hélène's friendships with some of the men there.

As she looked out of the window she saw the sun dipping below the horizon. It reminded her of the morning after her wedding day when Henry had woken her to watch the sunrise. The symbol of their marriage. She got up and walked to the window so that she could watch it as she had done before with Henry.

At she neared the window she saw somebody on a horse riding towards the gate, and Jacqueline watching and waving. It must have been Laurent leaving. Before she could even think Danielle was dashing from the room. She wanted to see Jacqueline before she could disappear again. She was desperate to know what happened at the palace.

The passageways in the manor were now dark, the dusk light was not strong enough and the candles had yet to be lit. It was lucky that Danielle knew every inch of the place.

It was also lucky for the intruder who had managed to slip past Lord Grey's defence and was now hiding in the shadows waiting for the Princess to pass alone. He got what he was waiting for sooner than he had expected to.

Danielle suddenly felt somebody grabbing her arm and pulling he back. Before she could scream there was a gloved hand across her mouth, but never one to give up she fought with all her might. She kicked and hit out but nothing did any good.

She was now being dragged backwards towards the servants quarters. Her assailant must have been in the house before, to know where he was going so well. She really began to panic, what if she couldn't get away? But her worries ended when Lord Grey came around the corner.

He stopped dead in his track and then when he realised what was happening he made towards the fray. The kidnapper let go of Danielle and ran. As he left he muttered something that Steven just caught. He also caught a glimpse of his tunic, one that was familiar to him. Things were beginning to fall into place.

He helped the Princess off the ground. "Are you all right your Highness?" he asked.

"Yes fine." She was obviously shaken by the experience.

"Come Highness, you must leave the manor immediately, you will be safer at the palace and there is something that your sister and I must talk to the King about."