Chapter Seven: The Masque and Rodmilla's Fury

The night of the masque was clear and a chill hung in the air, as everyone who was anyone arrived at the ballroom. The fountain's water glowed from the fire of the torches, reflecting on the stone walls surrounding it with an elegant brilliance.

Danielle was dressed in her mother's dress, and had wings attached, courtesy of Leonardo, and looked as if she were an otherworldly creature. Henry hadn't really dressed up in any costume, he had just worn a gold over-lay and a gold shoulder band, draping over his chest.

Danielle stood outside the doors to the masque and breathed deeply. Rodmilla would be there, and so would Marguerite. This, she knew, was her last night as Henry's wife. For a moment, she wished time would end, if only for a moment.

Danielle hadn't wanted to go to the party, she didn't want to be reminded of what she already feared, but Henry pleaded with her to go. She finally acquiesced and opened the doors to appear just before the marriage announcement by Francis. Henry held up his hand and silenced his father by running down the steps, across the ballroom to Danielle. "You're late, my love." Henry smiled as he took her by the hand and lead her towards the platform on which his parents were standing.

Henry looked at Danielle and pointed off to the side, beckoning her to look. "Danielle, look! I've even invited the gypsies!" She smiled weakly to put him at ease as he tugged her urgently up to the front.

Rodmilla turned to see where the prince had run off. What she saw shocked and horrified her. The woman he was now parading down the aisle was Danielle! Rodmilla grew furious as she saw her power waltzing away from her in the form of her servant. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" Grabbing Marguerite by the hand, Rodmilla started to pull her towards the couple walking down the carpet.

Behind Marguerite asked "Mother, what are you doing?" She stepped on an elderly woman's foot as she was dragged towards the front and center of the room.

"Making you a princess!" Rodmilla jerked even harder on Marguerite's arm, practically dislocating it from her shoulder.

Danielle whispered softly to Henry so that she would not be overheard. "I could never leave you alone, Henry." He grinned even wider than before and escorted her to the Royal platform. But before they made it, Rodmilla reached the aisle and grabbed Danielle by the arm, pulling her away from Henry.

"You insolent fraud! How dare you deceive the prince and the Royal family?" Rodmilla yelled, delighting in the hurt expression on Danielle's face.

"Madame, contain yourself! Nicole tell them who you are. Tell them!" Henry looked Danielle in the eye, silently asking her to go along with it.

Danielle looked at him with confusion. 'What's happening to me? Why is he doing this to me?' She felt her world collapse around her in a swirl of panic.

Rodmilla glared at Danielle. "Her name is Danielle de BarBarac and she's been working in my home as a servant for ten years." She smirked triumphantly at the distraught girl she now grasped within her malicious hands.

"NO! I can explain!" Danielle looked pleadingly at Henry. "Please, let me explain." She sobbed not knowing if this was reality or only her worst nightmare.

"First you're a courtier, and now you're a servant? I have heard enough." Henry turned to leave, thinking he'd made everything clear to Danielle, so she could play along. She was acting fantastically, he thought.

Danielle stepped after him, only to be pulled back by Rodmilla. "Henry, please!" She wondered if he could hear the desperation and uncertainty in her voice. 'Could he really be that cruel?' she thought to herself. 'No, not my Henry.' She looked at him with a final glance of desperation, hoping that what he'd say next would reassure and comfort her.

Henry stopped and turned. "Do not, address me so informally Madame. I am the prince of France!" His voice broke at that. "And you, are Just. Like. Them." Danielle burst in to tears and ran out of the ballroom, thinking that Henry had just deserted her.

Henry stood there for a moment, looking at Rodmilla and Marguerite, wondering how they could be so evil. He turned then, and walked out, intent on finding Danielle and spending the rest of their last evening together, as man and wife, with her.

When Rodmilla had learned of Danielle parading as a Comtesse, she knew that she would see the insolent girl at the masque. Since Rodmilla had been selling the de Barbarac

possessions to le Pieu, she thought of an interesting proposal for the monsieur. Le Pieu agreed complicitly when she had presented the idea of trading Danielle for all of the de Barbarac possessions.

Danielle ran, chased by her own doubts and insecurities. Not even stopping to catch her breath or pay attention to her surroundings, she never saw the fist coming. Unconscious, she dropped silently to the floor. Le Pieu's man picked her up and snuck out of the castle. He took her straight to the Chateau de le Pieu.

Henry arrived at their rooms, fully expecting Danielle to be there. "Danielle? Are you in here, love?" Knowing that she wouldn't leave the castle, he went to check her chambers. "Danielle! Danielle? Where are you?" Henry ran from room to room of her apartments. There was only silence as he searched the empty rooms. He knew something must have gone wrong.

Henry immediately returned to the party to find Laurent. Looking at the dance floor, Henry espied him dancing with Jacqueline. Catching his attention, Henry motioned for Laurent to come over. When he arrived with Jacqueline, Henry told them the situation. Jacqueline was stunned to learn all of this, but as she looked over to where her mother was standing, she knew immediately where Danielle could be found.

"I know Mother had something to do with this. She's been furious ever since Danielle disappeared. And seeing her with you must have made her snap!" Jacqueline looked worried. Henry was just standing there, almost comatose. She had to wonder if he had heard her.

Finally stirring, he said, "Go home with your mother and see if she is there. If she is, send word with Gustave and I will come and get her!" Henry turned to Laurent. "Get your men ready. They'll ride with us if she's at the de Ghent's." Walking up to his parents, Henry quietly told them what had happened.

Jacqueline shifted uncomfortably. 'How can I betray my only family? I know she's unkind, but she is my mother!' She glanced at Laurent as he hurried away from the festivities. 'What would Mother say if I told her I wanted Laurent as my husband?' Searching deep within herself, she found her answer. What she found made her lips set in a determined line. "I know what I have to do." And she went to do it.

Marie tried to comfort her son. "We will get her back. And if she is at the de Ghent's, well, leave their punishment to me." Seeing the devious glint in her eyes, Henry nodded.

After bidding them both good night, he returned to his chambers, alone and utterly afraid for Danielle. Tossing and turning, Henry couldn't fall asleep, the pain of losing Danielle was too much. He closed his eyes, but all he saw was Danielle's exquisite face looking back at him with the same love he had towards her. Tears fell from his eyes as he realized that she wasn't with him, nor would she be coming back. He would never hold her, his angel, again.

Meanwhile, at Chateau de le Pieu, Danielle was just beginning to wake up. No one had released Danielle from the bound Le Pieu's man had tied her with. Her head hurt as she tried to make out the image of her captor standing across from her near the distant wall. Suddenly a voice spoke and broke through the misty haze of her mind. "Well, well, well, if it isn't little Danielle De Barbarac. It's strange, I didn't understand your stepmother's urgency to remove you from her household until just this evening. Although, I rather think I got the better end of the deal. You should be grateful that I chose to keep you, instead of leaving you to her beatings. I suspect that you're as stubborn as always, but have no fear, my dear, I'll break you one day, although the I look forward to the challenge you'll prove to be." His face became clear as he moved very close to her, stroking her face with his leather clad hand. She suddenly became aware that his lips were upon her cheek and moving closer to her mouth. She moved fiercely away, turning her head to the wall and kicking at him with all her strength. Le Pieu sneered and walked away. "You can resist all you wish, my dear, but you can't hold out forever. One day you'll break, and I'm going to take everything from you."

Danielle tried to calm down, but the thought of Le Pieu doing anything with her made her shudder with disgust, and the reminder of Henry's wedding to Gabriella didn't help her control. Finally giving in to her emotions, she wept.

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It's almost one the morning. Thanks be to Dragonwolf77 for keeping me somewhat on task and the spell check that is stopping me from embarrassing myself, cuz I'm tired and drunk. Laters

Loreli F. S.