As a slightly belated Christmas present, I give to you all the second official chapter of this new story! I apologize that it took me so long in order to finish this, but there were details that I needed to work out in order to ensure that this story had the potential to be as successful as the previous one. And while I was writing it I came to realize that it has now been a year since the completion of "All For One, And All For Love." I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to read through these, and loving these characters the way that I do. It's so much easier for someone to write it down and put it together when they know that there is at least one person out there who appreciates the effort I've thus far put into these.
So thank you to everyone! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your reviews and private messages about this story. I'd love to hear what you guys have to say after reading through this chapter! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Chapter Two
"Mademoiselle Katherine!"
Her eyes grew a little wide as she stood at the mouth of the ballroom, hands clasped before her to prevent anyone from seeing them shake. The people parted almost as soon as her name was announced and they turned their eyes to look at the young woman who was about to parade herself through them on her way to the King of France. With one last breath to try and steady her nerves she stepped forward, her eyes glancing to each side of the room as the courtiers all curtsies or bowed at her as she made her way passed them.
Were they supposed to do that, she wondered to herself as she went. She was no personal of royalty or high standing, but rather a common girl who had found herself to be at the heart of the trouble that had befallen her country. It was surely odd enough that she was being honoured by her King amid such a large crowd of people, but were the displays that they were showing now really necessary?
Her heart pounded in her chest as she made her graceful progress down the center of the room, trying to keep herself focused on all of the little tips that Queen Anne had shared with her before she had departed from the Queen's apartments. She had been given all of the details that Anne had known, told how to carry herself and when she was supposed to step forward. And her mind scrambled to remember everything now that her nerves had taken control of the situation and caused her to react so timidly.
So instead of focusing on Philippe at the end of carpeted path she instead looked for the familiar faces who waited for her before the platform, each of them standing apart in their uniforms of black with their hands neatly folded before them. Like everyone else in the ballroom their gazes were focused on her, waiting for the moment when she would come to stand by them and hear the greeting of their King. How proud they looked, she thought to herself as her footsteps carried her closer. She could see her father struggling with his pride at that moment as the corners of his lips twitched upward into the beginnings of a smile. Even as she stopped to turn and face him, falling down to her knee as she bowed her head for his blessing as she could hear him beaming as he outlined the cross above her head and murmured his traditional words. And the smile was still there when he reached down with one hand to help her back to her feet, nudging her gently to turn toward her King.
Two more steps forward and Katherine sunk into a low curtsey that she held for a moment before Philippe, waiting until she saw his hand extend toward her to raise her back up again. She did her best to quietly discourage the look in his eye, but there was precious little she could do with so many sets of eyes upon her now.
"Despite your poor health and the way that you were treated during your capture, you demonstrated uncommon valour in the face of adversity," Philippe began as he released her hand and brought both arms to rest behind his back. "You were prepared to lay down your own life in defense of mine. This is a show of loyalty that I am beginning to suspect runs deep in your family."
With a sly glance off to the side Katherine saw the way in which her father and uncles seemed to respond to the King's praise, feeling a smirk light on her lips. She then shifted her eyes over to the Queen Mother who stood before her own throne, hands quietly folded in front of her as she too watched the proceedings. And though the smile that she delivered to the younger woman was as soft and kind as anyone might expect, the brunette knew that she was likely thinking the same thing as she was. That the King's remark was rather amusing when you considered the various ways in which they had all put themselves in harm's way at one point or another. And classing it as "a family trait" was perhaps the best way to define it.
"You were abducted with the intent of being used as a pawn in their scheme," Philippe continued loudly, his bright blue gaze returning to Katherine once more as his voice filled the room. "And by their hand you suffered many injustices that I am unable to remedy. However, in spite of this you pushed yourself into a position of power over you captors, saving first your father," he glanced once more in the direction of Aramis. "And then me."
As he turned himself away from her and toward the approaching servant who then stepped forward, Katherine once more sunk into a curtsey that placed her as low to the marble floor as she could possibly manage. Her eyes lowered respectfully as she waited for Philippe to continue his speech, ignoring the quiver in her breast that began as the pause lengthened considerably. For a moment she held her breath. What was taking him so long? They had carefully rehearsed this with her father and uncles around them to ensure that this moment went off without a hitch, not wanting formal words to muddle the moment and place Katherine in a curtsey for too long. Her strength had still not returned as fully as her father would have liked, thus leaving the young woman to struggle with something as simple as presenting her best curtsey to her sovereign.
Her knees began to tremble as she knelt before Philippe, her arms spread to hold the wide skirts of her gown away from her feet in order to prevent her from tripping. She dared not shift her gaze away from the floor lest someone see her do so, but the discomfort she felt was slowly becoming too much to bear. It was only when she heard the gentle gasp of the crowd that had assembled behind her that Kate dared to lift her eyes just a little to finally spy on Philippe's movements. And when she did, a look of shock overtook her features.
He held not the object that had been rehearsed with, but something else. Something that she would not be permitted to hold in her hands the way she might hold the decorative dagger that had originally been placed on the black velvet pillow now held by the servant to his left.
"For the loyalty and courage that you have shown in defense of the crown, I am appointing you to my Privy Council. It is my wish that you continue to serve me and the interests of France from a much safer place among my advisors."
For a brief moment you might have heard a pin drop against the marble floor of the ballroom. But then the murmuring began. Those behind her could hardly believe that the King was bestowing such an honour on a woman, especially one who was younger than he. They turned to one another and did their best to keep their whispers down so that they would not carry, but it was an impossible feat given the number of people who were present. Kate turned her head slowly and looked back at her father with fear in her eyes. This was definitely not part of the plan in the slightest, and she hoped that perhaps Aramis might be able to step forward on her behalf with the words that were failing her in that moment. He couldn't possibly be serious. To appoint a woman to his Privy Council would make him the mockery of Christendom!
Yet it seemed that Aramis and the others were just as shocked with the announcement as she was, for they looked among themselves in silence for some form of guidance before their eyes turned back to Kate. They could offer her no help though, not while the King stood before such a mass of people. And with no help in sight the brunette turned her eyes back up to Philippe, only to find that he was no longer looking down at her but instead had lifted his eyes up to watch the crowd in the ballroom with a heavy frown.
"This country has always prided itself with being far more advanced than our rivals in England and Spain," he declared loudly, stopping all conversation in his tracks as heads shot around to look at him once more. "We continually boast about our desire to be a progressive nation…but now can we continue to do that if we do not use all of the resources that we have at our disposal? How foolish we would be if we did!"
The silence continued for only a moment before the King pressed on. "Is there anyone here who would deny this woman praise for her actions? Any among you who would stand up and defy the wishes of your King over the scruples of her sex?"
Kate's eyes immediately turned back toward her father, silently pleading that he might be the one person who rose up and spoke to the King about this ridiculous idea that he had somehow gotten into his head. But she knew even as he returned her glance that there was nothing they could do. No one would dare to gainsay the King in such a public fashion, especially not since the people believed him to be Louis. There was no telling what sort of reaction Philippe would have if this were to occur, and truthfully Kate didn't think that she wanted to know. So instead the young woman resigned herself to her fate, turning her eyes back to the King to accept the gift that he continued to hold in his one hand. With the other he reached forward and allowed her to grip his fingers tightly as she slowly rose back to her feet from her curtsey, attempting to ignore the aching burn that now resonated through her legs as a result of remaining in that position for so long. But she kept her dark head bowed as she felt Philippe slip the heavy metal ring onto her finger, feeling the cool metal bite against her skin in warning.
It was certainly an ostentatious piece, she thought to herself as her blue orbs turned to look at the hand that was still held within the hand of the King. The ruby that had been set in the middle was surrounded by many twinkling diamonds in a manner that made it appear almost too large for her finger. And he had placed it upon her left hand, something that did not escape the young woman's notice at all as he pressed his fingers a little more firmly into her skin. Philippe established eye contact with her for a moment longer before he gently pulled her to the side of his body to signal that she was to face the crowd, quickly attempting to remove any trace of her fear or resignation from her eyes.
As they were expected, the people clapped and cheered loudly as the King formally presented Katherine to them, which brought more of a smile to the King's lips as he surveyed them with his own blue eyes. A nod to the musicians who were waiting off to the side and he lead her back down the very same path that she had walked only a short time before, coming to a stop in the middle as everyone else slowly pushed themselves back to avoid being in the King's way. This was how he was to formally open the ball, by dancing with her before the people once more. Only this time, Katherine knew she wasn't likely to faint in his arms as she had the previous time.
At the nudge of his hand she stepped in the small circle around his body to show herself off to the various guests before she came to a stop before him and slowly slipped a little closer. He still had a firm grip on her one hand, so the other scooped lightly to gather her skirt to prevent her from tripping. And once the music began Philippe wasted no time in finding a rhythm in which he would guide Katherine around the floor.
The young woman bit her lip softly as they moved, allowing her eyes to drop just a little. Philippe was quick to notice however, and softly murmured her name in order to catch her attention. "Is everything alright?"
She took a moment before responding in a hushed tone, lest people overhear them as they passed. "Do you know what you are doing?" she asked him. "Appointing me to your Privy Council was not what we had discussed."
"I know," he said, smiling down upon her. "And I am sorry that I surprised you like that. But it never would have happened if I had asked the others."
"And for good reason," Katherine insisted hurriedly. "The people are going to think you've gone mad, Your Majesty! Your Privy Council is comprised of men who are far older, wiser and higher ranking than I! Men such as my father have earned themselves a place by your side-"
"Are you saying you have not?" Philippe asked her, spinning her out to the end of his arm and then pulling her back inward, perhaps a little closer than before as his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
Kate boldly shook her head. "No, I have not. If nothing else I am-"
"It has already been done," Philippe insisted, cutting her off rather quickly as the smile slipped away and his grasp on her body tightened a little. "I cannot go back on my word and you cannot refuse."
The tone of anger caught her by surprise, as did the way he seemed to pull a little more at her body. The smile did not return, but a more neutral expression had certainly taken hold of his face as he continued to lead Katherine around the dance, floor, twirling and stepping around her as was customary for the dance itself. No further words were spoken as they moved, each playing their part for the remainder of the piece until at last they stepped in close to one another again as the end was reached. Kate held her gaze boldly upward in a manner that most other females would not dare, but the instant that she saw Philippe leaning in toward her she pushed herself away from him and sunk into yet another deep curtsey. After a slight hesitation he bowed his head in response. Applause once more erupted as the musicians ceased to play and the court recognized the end of the dance, which would now give them permission to become involved in the more festive side of the evening.
Katherine rose from her curtsey, her heart pounding a little in alarm. Had he truly lost his senses? He had nearly moved to expose their secret when he had leaned forward like that. Philippe had already caused enough whispering that night but the court would have been thrown into a frenzy if he had managed to kiss a common girl such as herself before all of those present. The rumours of being the King's new mistress would immediately swirl!
Her lips parted to speak when she saw D'Artagnan hurry forward from somewhere behind Philippe, immediately catching the King's ear as he whispered something to him with clear urgency. Philippe nodded his assent and gave the captain of his musketeers a moment to step back before he lifted his eyes first to Katherine and then to the assembled crowd.
"Let the dancing begin!"
With the blessing of the King many people wasted no time in hurrying onto the floor with their partners, preparing for their own first dance to begin the evening. Katherine watched as Philippe turned immediately away so that he might again speak to D'Artagnan and followed him away from the center of the room, ignoring the many bows and curtseys that happened around him as he passed. People stared after him of course, yet it seemed that they had become rather invisible now that D'Artagnan had commanded his attention…and so it seemed had Katherine, for as Philippe passed her he never once looked in her direction.
Instead the young woman was left to stand awkwardly in the middle of the floor, glancing around her for some sign of what she was supposed to do next. She was still unaccustomed to being in the center of a large crowd like that, especially when she was dressed in a manner that was still foreign to her body. But there was no mistaking the eyes that were upon her now, as people decided to hazard a glance in her direction as their whisperings began once more. Even with the number of people who had suddenly taken up residence in the middle of the floor there were still a great many left standing around the room, and Katherine had become their new subject for gossip.
"Kate.."
Her head snapped around as her father's voice filled her ears, finding that Aramis had come to stand a little closer to her than she had thought. She had nearly run into him when she had turned, stumbling back half a step until her father caught her elbow and pulled her back. She didn't need to ask, she knew that something was happening. The look on his face was rather grave considering the festive feel that had overtaken the ballroom, and that look immediately set Katherine on edge.
"What is it, Papa?" she asked him quickly.
The old man shook his head to signal that they could not speak there, not with so many people around. Instead he gently guided her by the elbow toward the very same door that Philippe and D'Artagnan had disappeared through only a few moments before, lightly pushing his way through the crowd. She didn't need him to say anything to know that it was bad. He very seldom wore that look, and when he did it usually meant that they were headed for some kind of trouble. It was the same look that he had worn that night before they had gone to the Bastille.
Wisely the brunette opted not to ask him again, instead turning her head to look toward Queen Anne who had still been seated in her throne on the platform. There was no time for her to wonder what was happening however, as she could see that her Uncle Porthos had already approached her with a low bow. No doubt she would shortly be informed of what was happening. Since returning from Chateau Montblanc the Queen had been kept in their circle to ensure that all of their plans met with her approval, specifically those that affected the King, her son.
For now however, Katherine could only follow her father from the room and hope that things were not as grim as his face lead her to believe that they were. And if not…well, then she had best prepare her nerves before she arrived at her destination.