Chapter 6


 Henry's chest quavered slightly as though he was suppressing an ardent laugh, then his hand slid up her hip and caress her back instead.
His coarse fingers paused briefly once they've reached her delicate neck. Then she felt him bury them into her loose hair.
"You need to eat more to gain some weight, you're only skin and bones."
Henry's comment was so unexpected that Catherine was left speechless for a few seconds while his fingers started massageging her neck instead.

"Isn't this something you of all people should like? Finally your wife is as lithe and lissom as the whores you obviously like so much."
The Queen of France couldn't suppress the bitterness she was overcome with by hearing his glib words.
It was no open secret that Henry preferred slender and tall women over his own short and rather curvaceous wife, whose chambers he had only visited in the recent years to conceive more heirs.

"Don't be ridiculous. A few more pounds would be more becoming to you. I like your curves." Henry's assertion left her speechless again.
But when Catherine was finally able to compose herself, a joyless laugh escaped her throat.
"Dear husband, it amazes me time and again how hypocritical you can be." She said and was pleased at how calm and emotionless her voice sounded.

Actually she was torn between feeling deeply hurt and angered about how complacently Henry always put a slant on his very own truth.
Because her husband never hid the fact that he found her less attractive as a woman. He had shown her his indifference quite inconsiderately in the last two decades of their marriage.
His numerous mistresses and the love affairs he had uninhibitedly pursued right under her nose were more than clear proof. As well as the few sporadic nights per year he had spent with his spouse that could be counted on the finger of one hand.

But there had also been better times. Times she sometimes still longed for in admittedly weak hours. Because back then their mutual love had burned hotter and brighter than any fireplace could and in his strong arms she had felt like the most beautiful woman on earth. How stupid she had been. Stupid and naive.

No, she had no doubt that Henry had loved her once. He had always been exceptionally enthusiastic and was quick at kindling with love for new, beautiful things. Especially for women. And even if Catherine wasn't like his usual type of women - the kind he was attracted to - the idea of being able to call a woman his wife at the tender age of 14 had send him into transports of delight. Finally there was someone in his life who looked up to him, someone to protect and someone whose love he could always be sure of.

But just as quickly as he ignites in passion for something new, in the blink of an eye the fire in Henry's veins could cool down as well. As soon as he was getting bored or - much worse – when dark clouds in the form of complications appeared on the rose-colored sky of supposed bliss, Henry Valois started looking for new distractions.

Her inability to conceive an heir for ten years and her resulting despair had been the first nail in the coffin of their marriage. Diane, who he had ordered back to court out of defiance, was the last.
Because unlike his wife, his mistress still obtained an important role in his everyday life. But especially in his nights.

"Since when is it hypocritical to compliment my wife or express my concern for your wellbeing?" Henry's words tore Catherine out of her gloomy considerations and she needed a short moment to return to the here and now.
"If it's not genuine, Henry."
"Now you do me wrong. I didn't want to offend you or hurt your feelings with my words, Catherine. Let's be honest for a change, shall we? You've been very sick and you haven't fully recovered. And even if you don't want to hear me telling you this, but you're not well yet and your health is still fragile. And that is a cause for concern in my view."

Henry paused after his emotional speech as if there was still something on the tip of his tongue, but he wasn't sure if it would be wise to verbalize his last thought. But he continued nonetheless.
"For the sake of completeness I would like to add that despite all the things that stood between us, your curves were never part of these differences. In fact, they're among the attributes I happen to like a lot about you."

Catherine didn't know how to interpret his words. What did he expect from her? That she thanked him like the obedient wife she never has been?
She just couldn't figure out her husband. Only Henry could manage to wrap a compliment in a reproach about their undeniable differences.

In addition she did not understand his motives for bringing her back to French court despite all circumstances.
What kind of role did he plan for her to play in this great second-rate theatre they called their marriage? Did he possibly even consider making a warning example of her? Let her fall to a delusive sense of comfort and safety in order to demonstrate to the world what happened to disobedient queens once they returned?

"Henry," her worries made her voice sound unusually brittle.
"Yes, Catherine?" His fingers continued to play with her hair, stroking her sensitive neck from time to time.

Suddenly she didn't know what else to say to Henry at this point. So many unspoken words rattled around her brain, but any word she could possibly voice would probably be one too much.
"It's nothing," she whispered in a resigned low voice and gave in to the exhaustion that drew more and more energy from her body each passing minute.
God alone knew what her husband was up to. She would certainly neither beg nor plead for anything, no matter how invidious her situation may be.

Because of her injury - whose full extent Henry fortunately had not yet realized - she might have been stricken, but even this handicap would not bring Catherine de Medici to her knees. And certainly she would not grovel for her life.

"Then go to sleep." Henry's breath grazed her ear and gave her goose bumps.

Catherine was far too exhausted to resist her husband's order at this point.
A few minutes later she drifted into a deep and restless sleep.

Hello my dear readers. It's only a short chapter but I still hope you like it. Many thanks for your reviews!