Chapter Four
Henry and his parents sat stunned at what Anthony and Cecelia had revealed about Danielle.
Henry was the first one to speak. "What do you know about our last meeting at Amboise? Why did Danielle pull away from me?"
"By what we've learned, before she met you at Amboise, she was lashed severely by Rodmilla. That is quite possibly why she pulled way from you because she was in pain, pain she could not ignore. You probably pressed against her wounds when you embraced her," Cecelia said.
Henry bowed his head, remembering the slight gasp of pain she had given at the end of their kiss. "No wonder she pulled away and didn't want to stay. She didn't want me to see her in such pain," he said in a quiet voice.
Queen Marie shook her head. "I cannot believe that woman! I cannot believe that anyone would treat a young woman like that! She will pay for how she treated Danielle!" she exclaims.
"Indeed she will. Rodmilla de Ghent has gone too far. I was good friends with Auguste years ago. I also remember when he married Nicole and when they announced Nicole's pregnancy to the court. I promised Auguste that his child would be considered a part of our family. I should have recognized her name the night of the masque. But it had been so long since Auguste and I had seen each other, not long before Nicole gave birth to Danielle, so the name de Barbarac did not register in my mind," King Francis said vehemently.
"May I see Danielle now?" Henry asked.
"Yes, your highness, you may," Cecelia said as she pulled a bell pull and a servant came into the room.
"Yes, mistress?" the servant, a young girl of 14, asked.
"Willow, please take his highness to Danielle's room and sent Jacqueline down here. She should tell their majesties the truth about some other facts about how Rodmilla treated Danielle," Cecelia commands.
"Of course, mistress," Willow said. She beckoned the prince and he followed her out of the room and up the stairs to the room where Danielle had lain for days.
Willow opened the door to a quiet room. Danielle laid still on the bed, in a comatose state. Jacqueline sat beside the bed, holding Danielle's hand.
"Miss Jacqueline, the duchess would like to see you in the parlor so you may explain how your mother treated Danielle to their majesties," Willow told Jacqueline.
Jacqueline nodded before getting up from the chair. She quickly curtsied before Henry before she left the room and headed down the stairs.
Henry sat down in the chair and took Danielle's hand in his and gazed upon her peaceful face.
In the parlor, Jacqueline took a chair beside the duchess and waited until the King nodded at her before she began the explanation that would fill in the blanks of what the duke and duchess didn't know.
"Your majesties, barely a week after my stepfather passed away, my mother turned against Danielle. It started with her doing what the other servants did, then she moved her into the servant's quarters in the attic and made her dress as a servant. Her room, clothes, and status immediately went to Marguerite.
"Danielle did it all without complaint, as she felt that one day, things would change. And in a way, she was ready to make that change herself.
"The day that Danielle met his highness at Amboise, she was lashed by my mother. That morning, Danielle had not woken up at her usual time and therefore, breakfast was not on time. And as punishment, she would not be allowed to go to the masque with us. Danielle came into the room as Marguerite was trying on Danielle's mother's dress. Marguerite insulted Danielle's mother and Danielle punched her and then Danielle and Marguerite ran down the stairs into the parlor where Marguerite picked up Utopia and held it over the fire. Danielle was told by mother to make a choice, her mother's shoes or her book, which Auguste had given her a fortnight before his death. She handed over the shoes, but Marguerite still threw the book into the fire. Then mother lashed Danielle before she and Marguerite traveled to the palace for tea with you, your highness.
"The name you asked mother about was one she recognized because she knew that it was Danielle's mother's name. It also confirmed for her the fact that Danielle was the young woman that the prince was falling for. That is why she told you that she was getting married, because mother was so determined to make sure that Marguerite would marry the prince.
"They arrived back at the manor to find that the gown was not in Marguerite's room as it should have been. The servants and I had hidden the gown underneath a floorboard in Danielle's room.
"Danielle arrived back at the manor and Rodmilla confronted her, then locked her in the cellar. According to Paulette, about an hour after the masque began, Signore DaVinci and Gustave arrived and freed her from the cellar and got her dressed and made up for the masque.
"When Danielle arrived at the masque, mother knew she had to do something and told a half-truth about Danielle. The one thing I should have revealed was that she was more than a servant, she was my stepsister."