"YOU DID IT! CONFESS NOW AND I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL BE LESS PAINFUL!" Henry raged at Helene who sat at the dining room table nearly in tears.
"I Swear your highness, I had no part in this, where in the world would I get the herbs, surely I couldn't have grown them myself." Helene whimpered.
"But is it not true that you hate my wife, princess of France? That you are jealous of her?"
"I'll admit at first I had my doubts about her intentions and I may have said a few things that may have hurt her, but I will gladly take them back your highness, I meant no disrespect, and I am being truly honest, I had nothing to do with it."
"Well, if I find out different, you will be beheaded for treason, do you understand?" the rage growing in him he then shouted, "Now get out!"
Helene jumped from her chair and exited the room in a hurry.
Henry lowered his head as he leaned on the table and mumbled "bring in the servants"
All of the servants stood in a row with their hands to their sides obediently.
Henry paced back and forth in front of them...
"I'm sure you are all aware of the situation upon us and the reason you are here, now I am asking you not only as a Prince of France, but as a worried Husband and...father, if you have any information about what happened this afternoon, I want to know. Please be honest with me, if it turns out you have information you will be heavily rewarded, so I'll ask you does anyone in this room have anything they want to confess, or tell me."
All of the servants stood quietly for a moment when the little stable boy at the end spoke up..."Your Majesty, I was bringing a horse toward the barn when I saw a young blonde woman peeking though the hedges, she asked me who was staying at the cottage, I ignored her and walked on, I thought it was the right thing to do, have I wronged your highness?"
"Not at all, Captain Laurent, find this blonde woman and bring her to me, at once."
The Captain took the young stable boy out so he could show him where he had seen the woman, while Henry continued to question the remaining servants.
Meanwhile at the Bettremieu cottage...
There was a knock at the door, Marguerite hesitantly walked toward the door as she opened it she was shocked to find Captain Laurent standing there.
Frightened she shrieked "Oh No your not taking me, it was all my mothers doing, I'm Innocent, I'm Innocent!"
Captain Laurent "I don't know what your referring to but this has nothing to do with your mother, or does it? Either way the Prince requests your presents at their cottage...Immediately."
Meanwhile Henry sat at the end of the dining room table a million thoughts going through his head, his wife could be upstairs dying, with that thought he raced out of the room to check on her when Laurent stopped him, with him a young blonde woman, but not just any woman, it was Marguerite.
Shocked he exclaimed "HER? She is the one behind this?"
"I'm not sure milord, but she did put up a struggle when I knocked at the door."the Captain replied.
Laurent led Marguerite into the dining room, she sat down. Henry asked Laurent to check on Danielle and report back to him.
Marguerite had a surprised look on her face and she said with fake sympathy "Oh what's wrong with Danielle? Is it the baby?"
Henry gazed at her with a look of pure hatred, "Marguerite, where were you earlier today?"
"Oh well my husband, I'm married you know, took me to visit some of his friends that live around here, and we did stop at the market, we were looking at Jewelry, why do you ask?"
Ignoring the question he continued "Did you pick up anything at the market?"
"Oh yes I got the most beautiful brooch, Oh I should have worn it, if I would of been given some noti..." he stopped her and as the rage grew within him he began to shout once more "DID YOU PICK UP ANY POISONOUS HERBS TO PUT IN DANIELLE'S TEA, I CAN TELL YOU DID IT BY THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE, CONFESS IT NOW OR I SHALL SEND YOU TO THE STOCKS!"
"I..I...I don't know what you are talking about Henry, honestly I just returned home from my visit" she said innocently.
Laurent returned and pulled Henry out of the room, and whispered "The doctor said he is going to have to deliver the babies himself before the henbane or nutmeg gets to the babies."
Henry with one arm on laurents shoulder he stuttered "is Danielle going to be alright? will she be in pain?"
Laurent hesitated for a moment..."she should be fine, and she will not feel a thing, until its over with...but she may not be able to have anymore children..." He looked over at Henry, he had a look of horrible sadness on his face
Henry stunned with the news he stood their silent but he held back his grief and exclaimed "as long as Danielle is alright." he then walked back in the room, Laurent following behind him.
"lock her in the cellar until we check out her story."
Marguerite looked up and shrieked "the cellar, you can't do that...do you know who my husband is?"
Henry looked back at Laurent who was struggling with Marguerite "Inform her husband that she is being held by royal order until further notice."
As Laurent led Marguerite down to the dark damp cellar, Henry stood alone in the room, tears filling his eyes. as he looked up he saw Auguste in the doorway. He walked toward him and put his hand on Henry's shoulder and tried to comfort the prince.
"Henry, when I lost the woman I loved, It was as if I died inside, Danielle's mother was my life, and to have her torn away from me and then 8 years later to leave my only daughter, I didn't think I could go on, but I did as hard as it was, I went on, now I'm not saying anything is going to happen to Danielle but you have to prepare for the worst Henry, but don't give up hope either, miracles do happen. Four years ago I didn't think I would be standing here, everything that I once lost has been returned to me. Now go sit down, you look like you need a drink." He patted him on the back as he walked toward the cabinet that held the liquor.
He obediently listened to his father-in-law and sat down at the table. Auguste sat a wine goblet in front of him and poured wine into it. Henry drank it and motioned for more, after his 3rd glass he lay his head on the table and quickly drifted off to sleep, Auguste not wanting to wake him quietly crept from the room.
Henry began to dream...…
the vision of the first time he met Danielle popped into his head, he felt the apple hit him as it had on that fateful day, and heard her spiteful words, the time she had braved her way into the palace walls to rescue the servant, climbing in her undergarments, the fight with the gypsies, the night they had spent together in the gypsy camp and all the other memories that now seemed so far away. Dreaming back to the day that would forever change their lives, the day they had married, he saw Danielle looking like an angel walking toward him, but as she walked closer her image began to fade away...
Henry jumped as he heard the sound of a crying newborn, he leapt from the chair and ran through the cottage to the study where Auguste,Jacqueline, Queen Marie, and Gustave all sat impatiently waiting to hear news. Henry ambushed them with questions as he walked in the door.
"How is she doing? Is she okay? I heard a baby cry, do I have a son?" he mumbled like a madman.
"Henry, settle down everything is alright, if it wasn't we would have told you by now." his mother replied in the calm state she seemed to always have.
Just then the high pitched cry of another baby resonated from Danielle's room.
Henry exclaimed "I have to know what's going on, I'm going mad" he began to pace the room when the door swung open and Nicole appeared, they all faced her she happily exclaimed "It's a miracle! the birth month of the babies must have been off by a month because these babies were ready to be born...a girl and a boy, both healthy as can be, and Danielle is doing fine as well." Everyone was overwhelmed with happiness, especially Henry who only a moment ago was acting like a madman. everyone eagerly rushed to Danielle's room to see the newborn Prince and Princess.
"Gustave if we don't leave soon, I shall never find a wedding dress and we cannot get married if I don't have a wedding gown." Helene whined to her fiancé.
"But I want to make sure Danielle is alright first, I couldn't live with myself if I knew something happened to Danielle after I left, she's my best friend, I refuse to leave...I will not leave." He snapped back at her.
"Fine then I will go by myself, you can stay here."
"settled, I'm going to check on Danielle now, would you like to join me?"
"No, it is so beautiful out tonight, I think I will stay out here for awhile"
As Gustave walked away, Helene now alone on the beach looked around she heard something rustle in the nearby brush and quickly jumped up and ran toward Gustave and yelled for him to wait for her.
Henry sat in a chair next to Danielle's bed, his hand lovingly grasped hers, it was nearly midnight everyone else had retired for the evening hours ago, including the newest members of the Royal family, who were quietly sleeping in their matching bassinets at the end of the bed where their mother lay unconscious, not knowing she was now a mother, she has fainted after the babies were born. It was that thought that pained Henry the most, he wished she would just wake up so she could see her beautiful children, but she had been through so much that day and may sleep for days. Henry who's mind for the first time today was free of worry drifted off to sleep once more...
The next morning, Nicole stood in front of her grandchildren's bassinets, singing a song she had sung to Danielle on the day she was born, she gently rocked them to sleep, she kissed each of them on the forehead. As she gazed upon her daughter who had been asleep in that bed for nearly 24 hours she thought of how she looked like an angel, so peaceful and unaware of what had happened. Sitting on the edge of the bed she whispered to her daughter " Danielle, I know you can hear me so please come back to us, we miss you terribly, and Henry is a wreck without you, we all pray for you everyday, just rest up and get better, your children need you." As she began to walk away she looked back once more and was startled to see Danielle's beautiful eyes wide open...
"DANIELLE, YOUR AWAKE!" she exclaimed with happiness.
Still weak Danielle faintly said "Oh Mother I feel awful, what has happened?"
"Darling, you have been though a lot, but there is no need to get into that right now, the important thing is your with us again and you are a mother now, you have two beautiful children!"
"I'm a...mother, I thought it was a dream"
"Yes, you have a son and a daughter, I just put them down for a nap, but you will be there for them when they wake up, Oh I have to go tell everyone your awake, are you up for company?"
"Yes, please I want to see everyone,"
Nicole nodded, she hugged her daughter and briskly walked out of the room, downstairs to where everyone had just sat down for Breakfast.
Auguste saw the happiness in Nicole's eyes as she entered the room, she stood at the end of the table, her hands clasped together in front of her as she spoke breathlessly "Danielle is awake, she has woken up, she is fine, oh isn't it just so wonderful!"
Henry was the first to jump from his seat and without a word he ran out of the room and charged up the stairs and down the hall to Danielle's room. as he entered the room Danielle weakly shouted "Henry!"
"DANIELLE, I was so worried about you, I thought I was going to go mad with worry, I'm so relieved your better now, do you need anything? are you hungry?" He sat next to his wife, once again holding her hand, he looked down at the bed, trying to hide the tears that filled his eyes when Danielle asked " are they really beautiful?" He knew what she was referring to and softly replied "They are the most beautiful babies in all of France...In the entire world."
"Henry help me out of bed, I want to see them." she demanded.
"You are too weak to walk, I will bring them to you."
He walked over to the bassinets and gently picked up his son, trying not to wake him. He handed him to Danielle, as she held her son in her arms she began to cry. Henry took his daughter in his arms and sat down next to Danielle.
"They are beautiful, have you named them yet?"
"No, I have been waiting for you to wake, I thought we should choose their names together, after all it will be the name they are stuck with for the rest of their lives."
"Yes names are very important."
Henry looked lovingly at his wife, who was seeming more like her old self again. Never in his entire life had he been more relieved and at peace than at that moment, finally his life was...perfect, nothing could ruin this moment.