Sorry for the delay in releasing this chapter. February has been such a busy time for my family. Anyway, the story is really going to start speeding up now! Hope you enjoy the adventure! Thanks for reading, reviewing and following!
Chapter Sixteen: Alliances
Mary shuffled along in the darkness, clinging tightly to her husband's hand. "Francis," she said with a giggle. "Is the blindfold really necessary?"
He paused and kissed her hand. "Yes. I want this to be a surprise."
"But we're supposed to meet with the English ambassador in half an hour to sign the peace accord."
"Oh, we have plenty of time." Francis reassured. "I know giving up your claim to England is difficult, so I wanted to do something nice for you. Now, there are two steps ahead. Just walk slowly and I'll guide you."
Mary nodded and he guided her up onto a hard uneven surface. As they continued on, the cool spring air and aroma of blooming flowers delighted her senses. She hadn't left her chambers in several weeks in fear Nicholas would see how weak she'd become and report back to Elizabeth. However, today the coming of spring had a rejuvenating effect on her and she felt better than ever.
"Here we are," he said and stopped while gently removing her blindfold. "What do you think?"
After her eyes adjusted to the light she gasped at the sight before her. They were standing on a stone path bordered by a new garden on the edge of the south lawn. Butterflies and a few bees hovered over vibrant yellow, violet and red blooms sprouting from the earth. "Oh, Francis. It's lovely."
"That's not all." he said while leading her a little further down the path.
They stopped next to a stone bench engraved with fireflies and an inscription in Latin. Mary sat down and traced the words, Lux Mea Aeternum, as happy tears filled her eyes. "Forever My Light," she whispered. It was the best gift he could have given her and Mary struggled to rein in her emotions. "I…I love it, Francis."
He sat beside her and they shared a tender kiss. "I thought we needed a place to sit and watch our children catch fireflies on warm summer nights."
Mary wiped her tears and lifted one eyebrow. "Children? But I only dreamed about one child, Francis."
"I know," he said with a smile. I'm talking about my dreams for our future. We'll have at least two children…our beautiful Anne will be born first of course… and then a boy."
Mary gave him a sad smile and caressed his cheek. "You never give up hope. Do you?"
He shook his head and held her hand against his cheek for a moment. "Never." She kissed him again and rested her head against his shoulder. Dreaming like this made the inevitable even harder to accept. The last thing she wanted was to give Francis false hope, but she gave in and joined in on his fantasy anyway. At least they could be happy together in this moment. "Tell me more about our children."
He sighed and leaned his cheek against the top of her head. "We'll name our son James, after your father and Anne will be overjoyed to have a sibling to play with."
Mary smiled, picturing Anne and James running in the grass before them. Their daughter held a jar in her hand while their son jumped up in the air, trying to catch the little bugs. "James will take after you, with blue eyes and blond curls."
He nodded. "But he'll get into plenty of mischief like his mother, too. Anne will complain and say that he gets away with everything just because he's the youngest."
Mary chuckled. "And James will pout because Anne has longer legs and never lets him win during their little games."
"That's right," he agreed. "But they'll always get along when it's time to catch fireflies."
"Always," she whispered with a happy sigh and snuggled closer to Francis so the steady beat of his heart filled her eardrums. "It's a beautiful dream."
…
Francis helped Mary back inside and they waited in his study for the English ambassador to bring the treaty for them to sign, but half an hour later he still hadn't arrived.
Instead, his mother came into the room with a grim look on her face. "Francis, I've been looking all over for you. The English ambassador is gone."
"He left?" Francis blinked hard and clenched his jaw, not believing his ears. "What do you mean? Why would he leave before we have signed the peace accord? After all it was Elizabeth's idea for Mary to renounce her claim to the English throne."
"She's changed her mind."
Mary stood next to Francis and her hand tightened around his. "Perhaps Nicholas has learned of my illness. If he believes I will die soon the alliance will be discarded."
His mother shook her head. "No, it's not that at all. A messenger just arrived with word that Louis of Conde married Queen Elizabeth by proxy earlier this week."
Francis sighed and rubbed his chin as fragmented thoughts tormented him. "So, Elizabeth has made her choice. She will align with Navarre and not France."
"That's not the worst of it. Shortly after the marriage, an assassin murdered the proxy and minister on French soil before they could make it back to England."
"That's awful," Mary whispered with one hand over her mouth and the other over her abdomen. "I hope he doesn't think we would sabotage the alliance with Elizabeth."
His mother nodded. "It's a very strong possibility."
Mary waivered and the color drained from her face. Francis held onto her waist as concern gripped his heart. "You should retire to our chambers. All this stress isn't healthy for you or Anne."
"No," she argued and took in a gasp of air. "Just help me sit down." Francis obeyed reluctantly and helped her to the chair behind his desk. After catching her breath, she painted on a brave face and looked back at his mother. "I need to hear this. Please go on, Catherine."
Her eyes grew intense, like she was ready for a fight. "Nicholas must have heard the news and fled the castle. With the Bourbons looking for any excuse to start a war, we have been put in a very dangerous situation. If he is allowed to return to England or report to Navarre what he has heard, they will believe we were behind all of this."
Francis' heart raced. "No, we can't allow that to happen. I'll send out our best men to intercept him." He turned to the door, intending to summon a guard when his mother touched his arm.
"They've already been sent. There was no time to waste and I hope you'll understand…the King's Deputy volunteered to lead them."
Mary gasped and her face turned deathly pale once again. "Catherine, please tell me you didn't allow him to go."
Furious with his mother, Francis started to pace and raked his fingers through his hair. She had gone behind his back once again, this time putting his brother in danger. "If Bash is caught near the Navarre border he'll be killed!"
His mother pursed her lips. "That's a risk we have to take. For the good of France."
…
After Catherine left, Francis insisted Mary retire to their chambers to rest and she did so without argument. News about Navarre and the thought of Bash in danger had completely drained her strength.
By nightfall, Bash still had yet to return, making sleep completely out of the question. Kenna stayed with Mary while Francis sent out a search party and kept watch for his brother's return. She didn't know how her friend remained so calm. Kenna's belly had become too large to hide with loose fitting dresses and she kept rubbing it while pacing back and forth by the window. "It must have taken longer to find Nicholas than Bash thought. He probably just had to stop for the night," she reasoned. "He knows how to survive in the woods and cover his tracks. I'm sure he's fine. Right?"
Mary nodded, trying to put on a brave face for her friend. "Yes. Of course."
As midnight approached, her friend's resolve started to melt away, letting her anger seep through. "Oh, he just infuriates me! I never wanted to love Bash. I fought it with every fiber of my being…but now I love him so much that I cannot imagine my life without him." She shook her head in anger. "But who does this? What kind of man volunteers to go gallivant off into the woods and leaves their pregnant wife at home to worry?" She gazed out the dark window again. "If he dies and makes me raise this child alone, I'll…I'll kill him myself!" Kenna paused and bit her lip at the contradictory statement. Then they both burst into laughter in spite of their dark circumstances somber. Kenna approached and rested her head on the mattress. Her laughter morphed into quiet sobbing.
"Shh…it's going to be all right," Mary whispered while smoothing back her friend's hair. "Bash will return soon. I know it."
A few minutes later Kenna calmed and fell asleep, leaving Mary alone with her thoughts. The day had started out so beautifully with Francis' gift and the hope of a peace treaty with England. Now the future felt hopeless. Her vision had never included Bash's life being in jeopardy, but it did include war. Was this the start of it all? Would today's events lead to her demise?
All of a sudden, the door swung open and Francis appeared with a grave expression on his face. "Bash has returned."
Kenna shot straight up with bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair. "Is he all right? Wh-where is he?"
"Nostradamus is tending to his wounds in the infirmary. That's all I know."
Kenna ran out of the room and down the hallway without another word.
"I'm going too," Mary insisted with a stubborn look in her eyes. Francis argued for a minute, warning her that they didn't know what condition his brother was in but she won in the end. However, when they reached the infirmary, Mary wished that she'd listened to him. The sight of a discarded bloodstained shirt by the doorway and hearing Bash groaning in pain made her stomach churn.
When they turned the corner into the room, Mary was relieved to see Bash didn't have life threatening wounds. Nostradamus had removed an arrow from his shoulder and now busied himself cleaning a shallow wound on his abdomen. Kenna sat close by, holding her husband's hand as he winced in pain. Francis knelt close to his brother's cot and asked him what happened.
The medication Nostradamus gave Bash had started taking effect and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He spoke so low Mary could barely hear him. However, she did make out two words that nearly made her heart stop. "They're coming."