Jacqueline's Dilemma by Emma - Part Two

Dear Mother,

I hope that all is well at the palace and no great disasters have occurred in our absence. Henry and myself had a pleasant evening here before his departure and I am very much enjoying this break in my father's home.

The manor is doing extremely well since the Jacqueline took over the running of it. I am sure the King will be delighted to hear of her success as I believe he has done much to help the rebuilding project. Jacqueline has expressed a wish to invite Your Majesties to dinner when she has completed the renovation of the house and the farm is running properly. A tour of the estate would be very interesting viewing for the both of you, so much has happened.

I believe that Hélène and Steven are almost completely recovered from the injuries incurred by them earlier this year. Steven has expressed a wish to begin his sword training once again and Hélène is most anxious to have a doctor say she can remove her sling. Would it be possible for her to see the court physician on our return to Hautefort?

My main reason for this rather hasty letter is to ask for you help in a gift for Jacqueline. As you realise she has been very busy with her work here on the estate, but this means that she has had little time for herself. What I speak of is mainly her wardrobe. The former Baroness was always very reluctant to spend any money on her younger daughter and so her clothing is now rather unsuitable for a sister of a Princess.

As she is to accompany us this coming Saturday evening, I think this would be a good time for her to acquire some new outfits. Would you be so good as to send some gowns and a seamstress along so that we might set about this task immediately?

I thank you for any help you can offer and I hope to see you again before the ball.

Your loving daughter,

Danielle

Danielle read over her letter. Even though it was hastily written it was being sent to the Queen and so had to be well crafted and expressed. She had already re-written it twice. She had been married to Henry for nearly three months and her new family had done everything they could to make her feel at ease in her new life, but she was still nervous that she may do something wrong. Etiquette and protocol was so strict in the royal palaces, she could not possibly remember everything that was required of her.

"How does this read?" Danielle asked Hélène, handing her the sheet of paper.

"It is fine," Hélène replied.

"What about my script? Is it not a little basic?"

"Danielle you have a very elegant hand, there is no need for you to fret so every time you write a letter." Danielle was pleased to have Hélène's guidance. Having been practically raised at court she was the perfect person to let her know exactly what was needed and how to acquit herself. She was extremely thankful to whatever forces brought her to being her lady-in-waiting.

Danielle folded the paper, burned the red wax stick over it and pressed the royal seal down to create an image of the family crest. She then stood and rang the bell which would notify the servants that she required something. Within a minute a young upper house maid appeared. She was quite clearly nervous to be in such exalted company. Not only was she in the presence of a Princess, but also an English Duke and the daughter of one of France's premier noblemen. She curtseyed nervously. Danielle smiled, to try to put her at ease, but she was too scared to even look at her face.

"Could you please have a messenger take this to the palace at once?" Danielle asked, holding out the letter.

"Y-y-yes Your Highness," The Girl stammered before curtseying and scurrying away as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Why is everyone in this house so scared of me all of a sudden?" Danielle said to the air. "I think that they forget that not long ago I was a servant here just as they are."

"They did not know you as a servant though," Hélène said, not even looking up from her embroidery. "You must remember that only your friends were employed here before you left. I think that you of all people realised how servants are raised to fear those in authority and there are few with more authority than a crown princess."

Once again Danielle was silenced by Hélène's wisdom. She sometimes made her feel like a naive child.

"Most of these girls are even afraid of Mademoiselle de Ghent," Steven added. Danielle laughed at this idea. She did not think it possible to be afraid of Jacqueline. She was so sweet and good-hearted it was inconceivable that anyone should fear her. But to some extent Steven was right. The change in her had stretched to her countenance. She now had more authority in her voice and in her way of dealing with the staff. That was a good thing for she would almost certainly be taken advantage of if this were not the case.

"Captain Laurent seemed very pleased with Mademoiselle de Ghent when they met on Friday," Hélène said, wanting to know her mistress's views on this subject. She had net been present at the party, but she had been there to see the attention paid to Jacqueline by the Captain while they ate later that day.

"I do believe he was," Danielle replied. "I think Henry and I should visit here more often, give the two of them a chance to see more of each other." Danielle was absolutely convinced that the two of them would be married within half a year. It was an event that she looked forward to greatly. She loved Jacqueline dearly and so wanted to see her happy. She had also become fond of the Captain. He was such a good friend to Henry, she could not help but feel he was her friend too.

"I think that Marc would like that," Hélène said. "But I do not think that Captain Polignac would be too happy." Danielle was puzzled by this comment. What had Polignac to do with anything? He had been assigned to guarding the manor and was doing a very good job of it. He had no reason to be agitated at the presence of another guard.

"I wonder at her reaction too," Steven said quietly, so that the princess would not here, but so that Hélène could. Hélène looked at his, indicating that she knew what he meant. Both had noticed the other night that Laurent was most attentive to her, but she seemed to derive little pleasure from this. If anything she was more interested in talking with the rest of the party. Hélène felt sorry for the Captain. She had known for a while that he was captivated by this woman, but now she feared that he was destined to have a broken heart.

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Jacqueline breathed in the cold November air deeply. This had always been her favourite time of year. There was no other season that compared with the beauty of the winter. The purity of the whiteness seemed to cleanse the Earth of the indulgence the rest of the year gives it. She saw it as a time to cleanse oneself before starting a new life in the spring.

As she looked over the countryside before her she experienced a feeling of happiness. The thought that everything she saw was under her control was extremely gratifying. Since the manor became crown property, the King had restored much of the land that her mother had sold to the crown to the estate. What made her feel even better about herself is that the King trusted her to run the estate herself and had not sent a palace advisor to do it for her.

Jacqueline turned to look as another horse rode towards her. She rode every day around the estate, as a means of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the manor. She was never allowed to ride out alone though. She had found out that as well as keeping an eye on the manor, Captain Polignac was also responsible for her personal safety. He had been ordered by the King, not to allow her to go any distance from the manor alone. Therefore he accompanied her on her ride every day.

She laughed as the Captain, gasping for breath, stopped beside her. About a mile back she had challenged him to a race to the apple orchard, and she had beaten him comfortably. Perhaps the fact that she was about 100 yards ahead of him when she called out the challenge was a little unfair. But he should learn not to let her get so far ahead of him. She had done this to him on several previous occasions.

"Antoine, will you never learn? Coupled with my natural sense of horsemanship, I have a strong propensity to cheat." Jacqueline said, still laughing.

"Your sweet countenance always manages to make me forget that you have a devious streak Jacqueline," He replied. A month ago she would have blushed at such compliments but since their relationship had become such a close friendship, it was no different to any other word he said to her.

"I do not think that I shall ever grow tired of looking at the French countryside," Jacqueline said, sweeping her hand across the landscape. "Dordogne in winter is surely the most pleasant sight in the world."

"Do not forget Aquitaine Milady," Antoine said. "I believe it has natural beauty enough to rival any province."

"But you have to say that, is that not where your estates are?"

"Yes it is."

"And I hear they are very handsome. My brother-in-law was very enthusiastic when I asked him about them."

"They are much better now than they were when the Prince last visited the family. My mother did much to improve the castle and the grounds in the last five years of her life."

"Tell me about them then."

Antoine went into great detail about his home, describing everything with great enthusiasm. It sounded a most delightful country, and he was quite clearly excessively fond of it. However in her mind it could never be as perfect as the Chateau de Ghent, where she spent the happier years of her childhood, or indeed the manor of which she was now mistress. they may not have had the grandeur of the Duke's estates, but they were all she wanted to think about.

"I wonder why you ever saw fit to leave them to join the guard." Jacqueline said.

"One can only see so much beauty before everything becomes the same. Being a member of the guard means that I have little time to see my estates and so I shall never grow tired of them. Their charm grows each time I see them."

"When do you think you shall next make a visit?"

"Now that I have specific duties I should imagine it will be very difficult to get leave to return."

"That cannot be Antoine. I will not have you deprived of seeing your home because you are made to stay here. I shall speak to the King. We can do without you very well for a few weeks."

"Are you saying that I am dispensable?"

"No, your being here makes the whole household feel more at ease. What I am saying is you must not neglect your own pleasures for us."

"I have pleasures enough here. As you say, Dordogne is very beautiful. This land has claim enough on my heart for me never to have to leave. And I have friends here, the likes of which I am devoid of in my home province. One person in particular I should be very sad to be without." As he said this last sentence he looked directly at Jacqueline. She could not help but blush.

"Perhaps we should be getting back. I have a very busy day today."

"As you wish." The turned around and began to make there was back to the house.

As they rode Jacqueline began to think about what she would do if he were to return to his estates for a time. She had grown very fond of their rides together. He was very good company. His conversation always intelligent and his manner was polite and attentive. In her seventeen years her times of happiness had always been fleeting. She was just five years old when her father had died, but she could remember him being very fond of her. Then when Monsieur de Barbarac it was like she had lost a father all over again. Now she was feeling happy again, but for how long and at what cost?