When she first interpreted the early signs of pregnancy, she begged Richard to leave court ad return to his family's lands in the north. Having sent him away, Catherine turned her attention to the next problem. She had to lure Henry to her bed, and quickly! She saw her opportunity when Diane insisted on taking a trip to Paris to shop for more supplies for the nursery.
It was late and Henry had just finished meeting with his council regarding the grain shortages due to heavy rains. Catherine dressed strategically in her red gown with a more open neckline and accessorized with the necklace he had given her in the early days of their marriage, when things seemed so much simpler. As she entered the room, she felt his eyes on her. She bent to return a book to a lower shelf; she looked up and smiled at him. He studied his wife for a while before returning his attention to the documents spread before him. He felt her small hands touch his shoulders and begin to soothe the tension in them. She bent so that her face was next to his and whispered.
"It's late. Why don't you put that away for now?"
"Because it has to be addressed sooner rather than later."
"It's about impending famine." She observed reading over his shoulder, "Why don't you call in that favour from Duke of Bohemia? He is not in the financial position to repay the loan. That region has had a good harvest the last several years and I am sure we could negotiate for more than enough food to stave off a famine." She felt his shoulders relax.
"Hmmm… That could work!" He turned kiss her, "Why aren't you on my council, Catherine?"
She offered him a sly smile, "That would be quite an honour, but I can think of a greater one."
He grinned, "Aren't we ambitious? Perhaps we could retire and discuss this further?"
Catherine opened her eyes to find herself curled up against her husband's side. He smelled the same and for a moment she was transported back to her years as a newlywed. She remembered the times when they would wake up just like this and he would try to convince her to stay in bed with him. She always lingered for just a little while, always left him wanting more. She would try not to giggle as he kissed her neck while she sat at her vanity, preparing herself for the day. She remembered when he tried to help her choose which gown to wear and he unknowingly pulled out a chemise instead, to her great amusement. They had been blissfully happy then…
She allowed herself that moment of enjoyment before crashing back to reality. She had seduced her husband to return to her bed in order to hide the true parentage of her unborn child. She suddenly felt her chest constrict. She couldn't breathe, Henry's arm across her torso suddenly felt too heavy. Guilt and panic surged inside her…
That same guilt was still with her.
"Breathe, Your Grace!" Nostredame's voice brought her back to the present. Pain flooded in, "You need to keep focused. It is almost over."
Almost over? Her whole life was almost over! She was delivering a bastard. This child would cost her everything: her husband's love (if she ever had that), her position, even her head… What comfort was it that she could conceive if she would die for her adultery?
The pain surged, momentarily eclipsing fear. Then it was gone. She heard crying, like the bleating of a lamb. She looked around to see where Nostredame had gone with her child. He was bent over examining the child.
"What's wrong?!" She felt her panic rising again over a child she didn't even know she loved.
"You have birthed a girl, Your Grace… She appears to be fine medically, but… Her face…"