Chapter 6—Danielle Meets Queen Marie
As soon as Danielle was finished and exited the room with the bath, Pierre led her to the parlor where le Pieu was waiting.
Le Pieu looked Danielle over and said, "Danielle, you look so much better. Now, I believe, you are presentable for a meeting with the Queen. Please have a seat. Pierre, please pour some wine for Mademoiselle de Barbarac."
Danielle politely accepted the wine and, in spite of her intense dislike for le Pieu, forced herself to be pleasant and to make small talk.
Having no idea how long a wait it might be, le Pieu soon excused himself and ordered Pierre to stay with Danielle until the royal guard arrived.
Danielle waited with some trepidation. Still she was glad be getting away from le Pieu, if only for a little while. Whatever awaited her, it could not be worse than her fate with le Pieu.
When the royal guard arrived they were very professional and treated Danielle like a lady. If they had any reservations about her station or appearance, they didn't show it. After they had escorted her to the most exquisite carriage she had ever ridden in, Danielle felt much better about her fate.
At Hautefort, the sight of a commoner departing the Queen's carriage and being escorted to the royal gardens by members of the royal guard caused quite a commotion amongst the courtiers. There was a flurry of questions and opinions about what could be happening.
Upon being introduced to the Queen, Danielle curtsied very low and said, "Your Majesty."
"Please sit and join me for tea," the Queen replied, showing just a slight grimace at Danielle's appearance. As soon as Danielle was seated, she said, "Jeanne, please pour Mademoiselle de Barbarac some tea." Queen Marie had been observing Danielle since she first arrived. Danielle carried herself well but, even for a servant, her appearance was rather unseemly for a meeting with royalty.
Danielle waited for the Queen to sip some tea and then did the same. Noticing Danielle's hand and face, the Queen asked, "How did you get the scratches on your hands and face?"
"I was running through underbrush in the forest, Your Majesty."
"Whatever possessed you to do that?"
Danielle looked at Queen Marie before answering. Deciding to trust the Queen, she replied, "I was running through the forest at night in an attempt to escape Monsieur le Pieu who was using dogs to track me, Your Majesty."
With encouragement from the Queen, Danielle told about the events starting from the time le Pieu's guardsmen grabbed her and locked her in the armored carriage. Most of the time, Queen Marie listened silently, with just a few comments. When Danielle told how she was finally caught by the dogs and men—in sight of the river, the Queen asked, "You traveled across that entire forest at night, by yourself. You must be a very brave young lady. Were you not afraid?"
"Your Majesty, I was terrified. It was dark and shadowy, and I had never been in that forest before. I didn't know what to expect or how long it might take to cross it. However, I was even more frightened of what might happen if I didn't escape from Monsieur le Pieu."
"So then what happened?" Queen Marie asked.
"They took me back to the Château Beynac. It was daylight when we got back. Monsieur le Pieu put me in chains and locked me in a room that was empty except for one dirty blanket. After he received the letter from Comte de Forez, he allowed me to take a bath and gave me these clothes since my dress was dirty and torn, and I was filthy from head to toe. Your Majesty, I know I should have been more presentable, but under the conditions, the clothes I was given to wear and no brush for my hair, I did the best I could."
Queen Marie was aghast at what had happened to Danielle and said, "Please don't be concerned about your appearance, I am only disturbed over how you have been treated."
"I appreciate that, Your Majesty, but, since he has not really harmed me, being abducted by Monsieur le Pieu was not the worst day of my life. The worst day was the day my father died. The only thing I can imagine worse than that would be if I am to be returned to Monsieur le Pieu. I would rather die than to be returned to him."
"You will not be returning to le Pieu!" Queen Marie stated emphatically. "If you wish, you may stay at the castle as my guest."
Danielle was just on the verge of crying before composing herself. Still a couple of tears ran down her face. "My goodness child, what is the matter," the Queen asked sympathetically as she handed Danielle her handkerchief.
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I'm all right now. Of course I want to stay here. I don't know how I can pay you or express my gratitude enough for what you are doing for me. It's just that I have been so afraid that I might be sent back to Monsieur le Pieu and I was so relieved when you told me I would not be sent back."
"Danielle, you are my guest. I couldn't accept any payment. Knowing that you are out of harm's way is compensation enough—especially if you will give me a little smile."
Danielle's eyes lit up and for the first time that day she gave a little smile. Noticing the change, Queen Marie thought to herself, "This girl can sparkle."
Noticing Danielle glancing at the tray of pastries and sandwiches that had been sitting untouched since her meeting with Comte de Forez, the Queen asked, "Danielle when did you last eat?"
"This morning, while waiting for the royal guard, Monsieur le Pieu gave me a glass of wine. Before that, he fed me yesterday afternoon."
"Goodness, you must be starving. Moving the tray close to Danielle, she said, "Please have something to eat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Danielle replied as she took one of the sandwiches.
Danielle just held the sandwich until the Queen said, "Danielle, I have already eaten and you don't need to worry about protocol when there is just the two of us, so go ahead and eat."
"What was the reason that Baroness de Ghent turned you into a servant and, although I am appalled, have you any idea why she would sell you to le Pieu?
"Your Majesty, since I was raised by my father, I was a tomboy. The very first time the baroness saw me I had mud on my dress. So to her I was just a common little ruffian and it made sense to her that I should be a servant. Of course, I was only eight years old, so what could I do about it? As for your other question, I am not sure I can tell you without sounding critical and self-serving."
"Don't be concerned about that. I really need to know."
"Your Majesty, for a long time, Rodmilla's primary goal has been for Marguerite to become queen. She has been training Marguerite with that one purpose in mind. There is not much she would not do to achieve that objective, including to disparaging anyone she considers competition. Love is not important. Prince Henry could be a buffoon, and she would still do everything in her power to arrange for Marguerite to marry the Prince.
"When the baroness learned that Prince Henry, as Marguerite said, fell all over himself over some comtesse, which is how I identified myself to the Prince, her first words were, 'We will find out who she is and bury her.' After she found out it was me, she locked me in a cellar. At the masque she was expecting that the Prince would choose Marguerite for his bride. When I showed up at the masque and it appeared that Prince Henry would choose me, it had to be too much—she could not allow my appearance at the masque to interfere with her years of planning.
"Part of the reason she sold me to Monsieur le Pieu was to reacquire items she had sold from the manoir so as to not look like paupers when you and the King arrived. But, even more, it was so that I would not be around to distract the Prince.
"Your Majesty, I know you didn't ask and I don't wish to be presumptuous but, regarding events since my father's death, with your permission, I have something to say. I ask that you listen, and then I promise that I will not ever bring it up again."
"What is it?" Queen Marie asked.
"My father was the proprietor of the Manoir de Barbarac. It does not see reasonable that his wife of only a few days should have greater claim to his property than that of his own daughter. How could that be a just entitlement? Certainly, that would not have been my father's intent.
"Of course, I was only a young child and no one defended my entitlement, so Baroness de Ghent was able to claim the manoir by default. Still, I maintain that my stepmother's obligation should have been to hold Manoir de Barbarac for me in trust until I became of age. In any event, I was not her property; therefore, I don't believe her sale of me to Monsieur le Pieu is valid and, even if it was, Your Majesty's willingness to rescue me indicates that you also agree that it was an injustice."
Impressed with Danielle's presentation of the facts, the Queen replied, "Signore da Vinci told me you have a sense of justice. Certainly you present a strong case and you state it well. Now I have heard from others but I would like to hear from you. Why did you tell Henry that your name was Comtesse Nicole de Lancret?"
"I welcome the opportunity to explain, Your Majesty. You see, to pay her taxes, the baroness sold one of her servants, Maurice. He had been in the employment of my father since before I was born, and I consider him family. I had been looking for some way to rescue him. In a chance meeting with your son, and as a result of his generosity, I acquired twenty gold francs. I knew no one would believe a servant with twenty gold francs, plus how would I get into Hauteford? So of necessity, I dressed as a courtier. I did not expect to meet the Prince there and as soon as Maurice was released I tried to leave, but Prince Henry wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't wish to deceive him, but I didn't dare tell him the truth. When he insisted on a name, any name, my mother's name popped into my head. I know it may be splitting hairs, but to keep from telling a lie I said, the only name to leave you with is Comtesse Nicole de Lancret." If you hadn't called out his name, I'm not sure I would have ever escaped.
"Your Majesty, I know deceiving the Prince is a serious offense, but I didn't see the harm, for I never expected to meet him again. However, by chance or fate, we kept meeting."
"Please tell me about your other meetings with Henry," the Queen said.
Danielle started by telling the Queen about the meeting at the river. "I must say I did enjoy our brief interlude in a chance meeting at the river. Two days later, I was hiding behind a haystack when, to my surprise, Gustave, an artist and lifelong friend, told Prince Henry that Comtesse Nicole de Lancret was home alone, visiting her cousin Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent. I must confess that I did want to see the Prince because, at Gustave's urging, I took a shortcut, running full speed through the woods. I just had time to change into one of Marguerite's gowns when he arrived.
Danielle told the Queen how the Prince invited her to the Franciscan library, about the gypsies and the meeting at Amboise. "When the gypsies surrounded us, my only thought was to demand a horse so I could get help quickly. When the gypsy leader said I could have anything I could carry, I got him to promise that on his word of honor. Since gowns can be replaced, I took the one thing of real value—your son. I was just barely able to carry him, but when the gypsies started laughing, I knew everything was all right. I believe I fell in love with Henry, I mean his highness, that night.
"The next day at the ruins at Amboise, I was going to tell him the truth but before I could say it, Prince Henry told me he had found his purpose in life, that I was unlike any courtier he had ever met, and at the masque he would make it known to the world. By then my courage had left me and I just couldn't tell him.
"The night of the masque I tried to tell him as soon as we met but he wouldn't listen, and you know the rest."
"But, couldn't you have found a way to tell Henry without causing such a scene?"
"Of course hindsight is better, Your Majesty. Perhaps I could have insisted on telling the Prince when we first met at the masque. However, after the incident with the Baroness and then King Francis with his booming voice, I don't believe Prince Henry was willing to listen. The Prince was facing away from you so you didn't see his shock and anger when he realized I was the girl with the apples. In any event, when I saw the look on Prince Henry's face—I just couldn't stand any more humiliation."
Thinking to change to a lighter subject Queen Marie said, "The Spanish have some of the most colorful gowns."
"I know it must be wonderful to have such a gown. In the market I have seen women dressed in splendid gowns spending money as if it grows on trees. Yet they never even glanced at the any of the impoverished children, let alone parted with a small coin to help feed a hungry child."
"Child, what do you mean?" The Queen asked.
"It's not so bad in the summer but, at the market in the winter, I see sad young hungry children with runny noses, shivering, no shoes, just their feet wrapped in cloth. No child should suffer like that."
"Child, there are so many, it would cost too much to feed them all."
"How much would it cost, really, to feed them and teach them a trade? Think how much more it must cost for them to grow up angry, knowing only how to steal, rob and murder.
"Your majesty, instead following the pack would you not much rather see France lead the way as an inspiration for the rest of the world?"
"I don't think the King would agree."
"Maybe not King Francis, but Prince Henry when he is king—I have seen it in his eyes. I believe he has the potential to be great king. A king who truly cares for his people is what I want him to be."
Queen Marie was astonished. Every day she met self-centered courtiers gossiping and talking about fashion and their wishes. She found it refreshing to converse with someone so passionate and concerned about the welfare of others. The Queen could understand why Henry was attracted to Danielle.
"Child, what are your other interests, when you are not saving the world?" Queen Marie asked.
"I love to read books."
"We have a large library, would you like to see it?"
Danielle's face lit up. "Could we, please, Your Majesty?" she asked imploringly. Queen Marie found Danielle enchanting. She could be so serious and, a moment later, so much like a young girl on a new adventure.
Over a thousand books, but Danielle noticed they seem to be arranged only by color and size.
"How would someone find or even know if a particular book was in the library?"
"I suppose one looks until they find it." Queen Marie said.
"Your Majesty, I don't know what all my duties will be but, if I have time left over, I wonder if you would allow me to list and arrange the books in the library?"
"Danielle, as my guest, you are not expected to have any duties, but what did you have in mind with the library?"
"I could section the books by category such as law, science, and philosophy, and then alphabetize them by name within each section. I'm sure Gustave would paint and label some wood signs for each section. I could also make an alphabetized listing of all the books and perhaps another listing by category.
"I could talk to Signore da Vinci. I am sure he could offer some suggestions. This way anyone could consult the list to quickly find a book. Also, while I'm here, if it would help, I would be honored to be the library consultant."
"Child, where do you get these ideas?"
"It just makes sense; I noticed the books are arranged by size and color. While this may look nice, a library, in order to be useful, needs to be functional, and that means that someone should be able to quickly find a specific book or category. So may I, Your Majesty, please?"
"I see no reason why not if that is your wish." Queen Marie was very impressed by Danielle's ideas and initiative and decided to approve of any interest in Danielle by Henry.
"Come. I'll show you quarters." The Queen asked a page to bring Renée de Vaudémont, duchesse de Lorraine et de Bar (the Duchess of Lorraine) and her daughter Catherine. Catherine, almost sixteen, was a very pretty and gifted girl who should get alone well with Danielle. She could also help Danielle with protocol and deportment.
Hiding her aversion, Renée accepted a few gold francs from the Queen and said that she would be delighted to provide Danielle with some suitable clothing. Scowling at the appearance of the disheveled commoner, she decided that before being providing with appropriate clothes, Danielle needed a bath and her hair washed and fixed. The clothes Danielle was wearing would soon be discarded. Some of Renée own clothes would suffice until they could go shopping tomorrow.
Although her mother was anything but pleased at the imposition, Catherine was overjoyed to meet the girl from the masque. People had been talking of nothing else. The expression on Prince Henry's face was unforgettable. "How did you meet the Prince?" she asked.
In spite of Renée shocked expression, Catherine had been euphoric over Danielle's telling of how she knocked Prince Henry off the horse with an apple.
Renée's instructed her attendants to draw a bath and wash Danielle until she was sparkling clean. "If necessary bathe her twice and check for lice." She then started to leave to find some clothes for Danielle.
However, Catherine was much too excited and full of questions to leave Danielle for a moment. "You can stay if you will stand back and out of the attendants' way," Renée said to Catherine.
Catherine was aghast and immediately told her mother when she saw marks where Danielle had been beaten by a lash. After inspecting the lacerations, Renée called for her personal physician. After treating Danielle and leaving some ointment to be applied twice daily for the next several days, he informed Renée that the redness from the welts would be visible for a couple of weeks but that the welts would leave no permanent discoloration or scaring. Renée was furious that anyone would give a young girl such a severe lashing, and promised herself that the Queen would hear about it.
Renée's attendants were very skilled. Nevertheless, Danielle's hair required trimming and considerable brushing before the remaining tangles she had acquired from running through brush were eliminated and her hair restored to its natural beauty. Then, after applying several creams and a special blend of makeup to help hide the scratches, the attendants were finally satisfied with their work. After Danielle was dressed, including a necklace borrowed from Catherine, Renée examined the results of her attendants' efforts and was not only very pleased, but astounded that such a scruffy looking girl had turned into a beautiful young lady.
Not wishing to disappoint Catherine and no longer seeing Danielle as something the cat dragged in, Renée invited Danielle for supper. To the repeated inquires of both Renée and Catherine, Danielle recounted her early life and how the death of her father resulted in her being turned into a servant, and the events of the past week.
When Catherine asked, "Did you really save Prince Henry's life?" Danielle explained how she got the gypsy leader to give his word of honor before lifting and carrying the Prince on her back. Catherine thought that was hilarious. Both Renée and Catherine were amazed that Danielle would have the courage to cross such a large forest alone at night.
By the end of supper, Renée was completely won over by the brave, resourceful, well-mannered and respectful young lady. So, at Catherine's insistence, she agreed that Danielle could sleep over. With so much to talk about, it was very late before the overexcited Catherine finally allowed a very weary and drowsy Danielle to go to sleep.