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Here are chapters three and four. Please read and review!
Chapter Three
Prince Henry continued to walk down beside the line of carriages when he notices Maurice and remembers that day when he had seen Danielle in the courtyard.
He runs up to the carriage at that moment. "Where is she?"
"The baroness?" Maurice asks.
"Nic-Danielle."
"We do not know, sire."
"What do you mean you do not know?"
Jacqueline's voice comes from beside him at that moment. "Danielle has not been seen since the masque. We fear that she might have run away or has been hurt and can't return."
From behind them, Marcus speaks. "She was hurt the night of the masque."
Henry turned toward his good friend. "How do you know?"
"Mother's cousin Annaliese found her on the road on the night of the masque. She had been run over by several carriages before she found her and brought her to the chateau."
"Is she alright?" Jacqueline asked, concerned for her stepsister.
"She was injured pretty badly. She has been asleep or unconscious as the doctor said, for days. The doctor said her recovery will be slow and that she may not wake up for a while," Marcus explained.
"Can I see her?" Henry asked.
"You may," Cecelia said from behind her son. "Having you visit may actually help her wake up sooner."
"And when you come to see her, we have a lot to explain to you about who Danielle is," Marcus said.
Henry nods and then runs back to the palace, his mind on Danielle.
Hours later, the entire royal family was on their way to the Chateau de Valle. Henry, of course, was going to see Danielle while King Francis and Queen Marie were going to hear the explanation from Cecelia, Anthony, and Marcus about who Danielle was.
After Marie and Francis had arrived back at the palace, Henry had told them that Danielle had been hurt by being run over by several carriages on her way back to the manoir. He also told them that there were a lot of details that Marcus had to tell him about Danielle and who she truly was.
They were very curious about what Marcus and his parents knew about Danielle, so they insisted on coming with him so that they could hear the explanation.
They arrived at the chateau and saw Anthony and Cecelia waiting outside for them. "Your majesties, welcome. I assume you are here to hear about who Danielle really is," Cecelia said.
"Yes, indeed. We have been wondering what you could possibly know about the young woman, so we came to hear about her," King Francis said as they stood in front of the Duke and Duchess.
"We shall tell you all," Cecelia said as she lead them into the chateau and into the parlor.
The King and Queen sat on ornate chairs around the room while Henry began to pace the room.
Anthony began the explanation. "We had not seen Danielle for years, until my wife's cousin found her on the road not long after the masque. When Marcus realized who she was, he inquired of what had happened at the masque. That told us why we had not seen her for so long."
"Danielle's father was Baron Auguste de Barbarac, the proprietor of the Manoir de Barbarac. He raised Danielle alone after her mother, Baroness Nicole du Loncret de Barbarac, died in childbirth. When Danielle was eight, Auguste married Rodmilla de Ghent and she and her daughters came to live at the manor. Auguste told me not much later that marrying that social climber was a mistake. But it was too late to do anything about it. He died a fortnight after bringing Rodmilla to the manor, leaving Danielle an orphan," Cecelia continued.
"This was when we saw Danielle the last time. We saw her at Auguste's funeral. After that, we never saw her again. But from what we have learned, not long afterwards, Danielle was turned into a servant in her own home. For the past ten years, she has been a servant to the baroness and her daughters," Anthony continued.
"By what we've learned, the day Danielle first met your son, your highness, she went to get the servant Maurice back. Maurice practically raised her after her father's death. But she knew that she couldn't get into the castle unless she was a courtier, so she dressed the part and got Maurice back and she met Henry, but she was scared. Since she could be locked in the stocks for dressing above her station, so when he asked for a name, she gave hom the name of her beloved mother, even though she should've had every right to enter the palace, after all, she is Auguste's daughter, the Baron of the Manoir de Barbarac," Cecelia said.
"Danielle was wronged by hr stepmother for so long. Danielle deserves justice for how Rodmilla treated her," Anthony said.