Mary felt exhausted. Her conversation with Bash had been the opposite of comforting. It had, instead, only added to her list of frustrations. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed having him close to her, and she hadn't been able to stop herself from teasing out his past feelings for her. Still, she wasn't entirely sure if he felt as strongly - or, indeed, if he felt anything at all anymore for her.
But his words, rough as they were, "I should have taken you while I had the chance," rang in her ears. She couldn't erase that part of the conversation from her mind. There was something animalistic in what he had said, and she should have slapped him for it. Instead, she felt her mouth curve up in a small smile as she replayed how he looked as he had said it. Part of her - a part she often buried deep and kept hidden - had regretted their lack of intimacy during their brief engagement. Sleeping with Francis before they had been married had awaken something new in her - it had opened up the door for her sexually. She had wanted to wait for Bash - but she remembered also feeling disappointed that he had not tried to do anything beyond kiss her.
She sat once again, splaying herself out across the settee, refilling her goblet. Her head was starting to spin, but it was only fitting to her mood. The memories practically made her dizzy. She thought back again, to just before she had left Bash - when she thought they would be married that day. "Don't plan on sleeping this night, wife," his words echoed in her brain. She had played it off at the time, acting as the timid virgin that she knew she wasn't. Inside, she was thrilled.
Mary sighed, shaking her head. It was pointless for her to sit here, reminiscing about a time that was so long gone. Besides, she had more important things to do than drink wine and sulk.
She decided it was best to summon a meeting with Nostradamus and Catherine, to strategize about what needed to be done to deal with the plague. In Francis's absence, someone had to take charge.
She walked quickly to Catherine's chambers, where she found Nostradamus already providing counsel. "The figures we have so far are not promising," he commented, "Already 100 deaths reported in the past two days in the village."
Mary swallowed hard, fear rising in her throat over the thought of Francis being in the midst of all this death. "What precautions can we take from here?"
Nostradamus shook his head, indicating there was little that could be done. "All we can really do is wait it out - there are no medicines I have that can be of any help. The local doctors in the village will know some means of easing the suffering, by attempting to pop the boils and so on."
"And what about Francis? He has ridden straight into the epidemic!" Catherine exclaimed. Mary was grateful for her concern - it was the one area in which they both felt strongly - Francis's wellbeing.
Nostradamus sighed, looking down at his hands before answering. "Normally, I would say no one should be let into the castle, especially those who have had contact with an infected area. But… he is the King of France. We should, of course, make an exception."
Mary was beyond delighted at his assessment. "That is what I feel as well, Nostradamus, but it is good to hear that you agree. Is there any danger that someone inside the castle is already infected?"
Nostradamus nodded. "Of course, we have constant contact with the village and the surrounding area. Our food comes from the surrounding farms. I would not be surprised if we did have an outbreak in the castle."
Both Catherine and Mary exchanged worried glances. Mary had never witnessed an outbreak of plague before, but she had heard plenty of stories about the ruthlessness of the disease. It spared no one, and it acted quickly, with many of its victims dying within days.
"What actions do you recommend we take, Nostradamus?"
Nostradamus considered the situation for a few seconds, and then calmly said "if anyone exhibits symptoms of any kind, bring them to me immediately. We will quarantine them in the west wing of the castle. If the disease has already made its way inside, it is likely those infected will show symptoms within the next few days."
"And… what? We just leave them, people from noble families, there to die?" Catherine asked, her voice becoming more and more frantic.
"The survival rate is low. I will do my best, but in all likelihood, anyone who sickens with the plague will succumb to it."
Mary paced the room, knowing that Nostradamus was right. All they could do is keep people calm, take their mind off of the sickness and encourage them to go about their daily business as much as possible.
"We should throw a ball," Mary said impulsively. It was the first thing that sprang into mind when she thought of providing a distraction.
"A ball? Is that your solution to everything, throw a party?" Catherine asked.
"It will take the plague off people's minds, make them feel more easy about the fact that they are locked indoors. They cannot go out to find entertainment, so let us bring the entertainment to them. We have all the resources here, do we not?"
Nostradamus nodded. "We may be short on food, but the kitchen staff can give us a better idea of the situation. It is a good idea to head off any sort of panic - some believe stress weakens the body and makes disease more likely to invade."
"Are you both mad?" Catherine chimed in, looking at each of them with incredulity. "You're suggesting a ball, where there is dancing and everyone is touching, and people inevitably end up in each others' beds that night? You think that is a good way to contain disease?"
Mary nearly burst out laughing at Catherine's description of a ball. "Catherine, we all live in the same quarters as it is. If there is an outbreak, we don't need a ball to help it spread."
"And besides," Mary added, before Catherine had a chance to respond, "I am the new Queen of France. We have a reason to celebrate."
Catherine glared at Mary, not missing the implication of her words, that Catherine was now only the Dowager Queen, and that she ultimately had to obey Mary. "Well, it will be a sad affair, as we will all be dressed in black. Or have you forgotten that Henry only just died?"
"The celebration will not just be for me. We will make a point to celebrate the life of Henry. I'm sure he would approve of us having a ball to do so - he always loved merriment, did he not?"
Catherine had no reply to this, and must have decided it wasn't worth arguing further. "Do what you will, then. This discussion has tired me out… if you'll excuse me, I'd like to take a nap."
Mary and Nostradamus took their cue to leave Catherine's chambers, and Mary was grateful for a moment alone with him. "How much danger do you think we are really in, Nostradamus?" she asked as Catherine's doors were closed behind them.
"I won't skirt around the issue, your grace. This is very deadly epidemic, and given statistics from the past, it's likely that at least some people from this castle will die," he said, looking down at her with grave eyes. "I just hope the King returns soon."
Mary looked down as she felt cheeks go red. It was difficult to hide her embarrassment, that her husband had left her at such a dire time. She would obviously have to face this if she were to hold a ball, without the King of France present.
"I take it Catherine told you where he went?" she asked, knowing full well that Catherine confided everything to her trusted advisor.
Nostradamus nodded. "I would have gone… to Lola, that is. It's just Catherine forbade it…" he trailed off, but Mary understood. Nostradamus' allegiance was to Catherine, and he would obey her above all else.
"It's fine," she said, putting a reassuring hand on his arm, not wanting to discuss the matter further. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must speak to the staff about planning this ball!"