AN: Thank you for the reviews! I am bringing together some loose ends from 1x11 in this chapter. In the scene where Mary and Bash are at Agnes's house (the wet-nurse's mother), she told them about Catherine's pregnancy. Here's a quote from Agnes in that scene: "She turned for comfort to someone else. Never saw his face, but the notes, the secret letters that went back and forth as the time came for her to give birth – the orders to the ladies in waiting, the fear that the king would find out. She slapped one of the ladies – told her to be more careful. Servants are invisible to the high born. I saw how scared Catherine was, because it was the lover's child, not Henry's." I wanted to make my story as authentic as possible with these little clues we were given, so here is Catherine growing more anxious as the time comes for her to give birth. Also reference to the court surgeon at the time, Jeane Nostredame, Nostradamus's father (thanks Wikipedia!).

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Chapter 21

The pale winter sun shone through the windows as Richard sat, passing another monotonous afternoon with Henry and their mutual friends. After a successful hunt that morning, they were relaxing together playing games, but as this always involved a certain degree of unflattering comments towards Henry's wife, Richard loathed these gatherings, and couldn't wait to escape them. Thankfully, Catherine wasn't there. She was keeping to her chambers these past few weeks wherever possible. She had cleverly arranged that most of her duties would involve paperwork for the time being. Being seated, and especially behind the desk in her chambers, prevented her pregnant shape from being revealed, and as this was something that Catherine was becoming increasingly anxious about, it was helping her state of mind to lay low for now. Of course, there were occasions where she had to appear at Henry's side, but these were far and few between lately, as Catherine had done such a good job of pushing Henry away that he had begun to choose Diane to accompany him officially on occasion instead of Catherine.

A servant entered the room, hovering anxiously in the background for a moment, before approaching Richard, who looked up in surprise. Richard rarely had messages brought for him, and the servant's intrusion had not escaped the notice of Henry either.

"What's this?" remarked Henry with interest.

"A – a message for Viscount de la Croix, my lord," stammered the servant. He handed Richard a note, folded and sealed without a distinguishing mark.

"Thank you." Richard dismissed the servant, who retreated quickly.

Henry was overcome with curiosity. "A message from whom?!" he wondered aloud, forgetting his game.

Richard knew that there would be nobody who might need to summon him other than perhaps Catherine, although she had not sent him notes before now. He felt suddenly anxious, worried that there was something wrong to have caused her to send for him in this way, but he could not let that show. He forced a mysterious smile and narrowed his eyes.

"Wouldn't you like to know?!" he teased, and then with sudden inspiration, "There happens to be a lady…"

Henry rubbed his hands gleefully, thrilled to discover that his friend had finally found a lady to court after all these years.

"Who is she? Anyone I know at court?" Henry's eyes glinted with intrigue.

The irony of his question made Richard's insides turn over, but he kept a calm appearance as he stood and winked at Henry. "That, I cannot say," he murmured playfully. "Excuse me, gentlemen." And he hurried out of the room to read the note.

Unfolding it hastily, he read: "I need to see you. C."

He shoved the note in his breast pocket and went as quickly as he could to Catherine's chambers. Her lady, Beatrice, let him in when he knocked. Catherine looked up with an expression of little interest, and spoke to him casually, "Ah, you received my request? Thank you for coming so quickly. I require your advice on something rather urgently." She smiled and looked across at her lady. "Thank you Beatrice, that will be all."

Curtseying, her lady-in-waiting left the room. Richard watched the door close, and then looked to Catherine. She stood, crossing the room to him quickly, her face a mask of fear and concern.

"Catherine, what it is?!"

"Oh Richard! Beatrice came to tell me of an unsettling conversation she had overheard in the courtyard earlier this afternoon. She said that Lady Eleanor and Lady Marie were talking about me, so she listened in more carefully, to be able to report anything that I might need to hear." She paused for breath.

"Please, calm yourself Catherine, I don't like to see you getting so tense about things. What did they say?"

"There appears to be a rumour that I am with child – I have no idea if it comes solely from the minds of these two idle busy-bodies, or whether it has been heard from another source and passed around. But, now I am under scrutiny! I could be found out if the rumour persists!"

Richard guided Catherine by her shoulders, encouraging her to sit down on her chaise and take a deep breath. He could see that she was really anxious about the whole thing.

"But we've managed to deceive everybody until now. Surely we can maintain it a while longer?"

"Yes, but Richard, it becomes harder and harder to hide as the pregnancy progresses! My size and shape can hardly be concealed any longer, and they were saying that they had not seen me wearing a corseted dress for some months! Lady Marie was apparently commenting on the glow of my skin and the amount of food I consumed at the recent banquet! I can try to eat more modestly, but there's nothing I can do about the pregnant radiance, is there?!"

Richard smiled for a moment, taking her in his arms, loving her beyond words all of a sudden. She was so adorable in her fretting state – though he realised his appreciation was not exactly helpful at this moment.

"You've always been radiant to me," he mused with affection. "I don't think those ladies have been watching you for long enough."

Catherine swatted him away with mild impatience. "Richard, be serious!" she warned. "This could be a problem."

"Of course, you're right," he consented. "But Catherine, you are not to go eating less food. You need it."

"I'll make up for it in my chambers if I have to eat less in public, don't worry," she reassured him. "The baby would not give me much choice in the matter!"

"But the fact that there are rumours…" Richard was thoughtful.

"Yes. I feel that I will have to be on my guard. What if the rumours reach Henry?!" She clutched at his sleeve. "Richard, there would be nothing to be done! He would simply demand to put the rumours to rest and if he even so much as held me in his arms or observed me while I was getting up from sitting, my shape would be obvious immediately, now that I am this size." She gestured to the roundness that was her belly, and then leaned against Richard tiredly.

"I have been calculating that there must be perhaps a month to go now, maybe a little less. I am going to need to be out of sight more than I used to be, and to keep to my chambers more. People mustn't see me walking in the hallways or getting up. What shall I do?! Henry can't find out!"

She trembled in his arms at the thought, and Richard held her close. "We'll figure something out," he soothed. "It'll be okay."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Late that night, alone in her chambers, Catherine and Richard made plans to include her most trusted ladies-in-waiting in the secret. Never would the father of her child be revealed, but Catherine needed support – ladies who would be able to attend to her needs as the time came near for her to give birth. Her lady Beatrice was the only one who knew of her pregnancy, and that was only recently revealed, as Catherine had been insisting on dressing herself and being left alone to take her baths for many months. In recent weeks, she had become too large and ungainly to bathe alone, and needed help reaching her shoes over her pregnant shape. But she would need attending during her labour and after the birth too, and that would require more than just Beatrice. Her ladies would need to cover for her lack of appearance with the rest of French Court, and somebody trustworthy would be required to take the baby to an orphanage, without anybody knowing about it. They would need to be sworn to secrecy over the whole affair, and in particular, Henry must never find out.

"They will know though, won't they?" Catherine cast a worried glance at Richard. "If my own husband isn't to find out, it will be obvious that the child isn't his." She sighed deeply. "But, there's nothing to be done about that now."

Richard took her hands in his. "Let me take some of the burden for you, Catherine," he offered. "I can deliver messages perhaps? Or make enquiries about the journey to the orphanage? It's the only way I can provide for my child, and for you. You shouldn't have to be dealing with everything yourself."

Catherine took a deep breath, tracing his fingers with her own, avoiding his gaze. "I'm beginning to wonder if it might be best if I leave…"

Richard sat back abruptly. He had not expected her to say this. "What do you mean?"

"You remember how we talked about finding a carefully concealed location here at the castle for me to give birth? And to allow the court surgeon, Jeane Nostredame, to know about my condition, so that he would be able to attend me during the birth?"

Richard nodded, unsure of what she meant to suggest.

"I wonder if the castle might not be the safest place for me to give birth." Catherine traced her bottom lip with her fingernail thoughtfully as she continued, "Perhaps it is time for me to enter into my confinement?"

"But where?" Richard was perplexed. "How could you possibly leave the castle for any length of time without Henry knowing about it?"

"I found out from one of my ladies that there is a village a few hours ride from the castle, where I would be safe. Agnes, one of the midwives, knows it well. She told Beatrice that there is a farmhouse that is unoccupied at the moment, fairly remote but attached to the village. She would be able to rent it for a short while and stay with my ladies and I, if we should have need to go there."

Richard sat back, taking in what she had said. "You've thought this through before, haven't you?"

Catherine nodded, her gaze shifting away from his for a moment. "I had to consider an alternative plan."

"But how would you get leave to go?"

"Henry despises my family. He knows they have been meaning to visit for some years, and although he seems willing for them to come, perhaps it's time I suggested a less…. stressful alternative for him – that I should pay a visit to them."

Richard smiled, proud of her thoughtfulness. "You're so clever!" he praised. She smiled back, accepting his flattery graciously.

"I don't think Henry would be pleased for me to go, all the same. But it is a plausible reason, and if I am persuasive enough…"

"Let's hope he agrees. You might be able to leave within a week or two?"

She nodded. "That's my intention."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Richard listened at the panel, keeping perfectly still. He needed to know how this conversation went. He could hear their voices quite clearly.

"It would only be for a few weeks, Henry. I can't see why this is a problem!" Her voice sounded higher-pitched than usual.

"Your family can visit you here at the castle any time. Why should they demand that you visit them elsewhere?! Your place is here, at my side, Catherine. If you are away, it really should only be when my duties call me away, and you accompany me as my consort."

"My ladies would accompany me – I would hardly be alone. You travel without me all the time!"

"That's different, and you know it. Think what people would say!"

"Think what people would say?!" Richard's heart sank as he heard his feisty Catherine losing control of her temper. Of course she had every right to be infuriated at his choice of words, but he hoped she would keep calm so that it wouldn't escalate into an argument that could potentially do harm to her in her pregnant state, or anger Henry and prevent the outcome they had hoped for.

"Think what people would say?!" she repeated, incensed. "You've got some nerve! Flaunting Diane on your lap at official meetings, taking trips for months at a time with her at your side, while your wife sits and waits for your return at the castle! I could tell you a lot about what people say! A simple and, I might say, short visit to my family should not incur any sort of gossip, at least not on the scale of what your actions bring upon us!"

Richard held his breath, waiting to see how Henry would respond. It was never easy to predict. He could lash out angrily, or he could consider quietly – you never could tell which. Fortunately for Catherine, Henry seemed in a reasonable state of mind.

"Fine," he replied shortly, "but no more than two weeks. If you leave tomorrow, you would return in good time for the Duke's upcoming nuptials in three weeks. I will not have a ceremony without my wife at my side – it would not reflect well."

Richard heard Catherine sigh gratefully. "Thank you, Henry." There came the sound of footsteps, as though Henry was leaving the room, and then they paused.

"Catherine?" Another pause. "Is that a new dress? I don't recall seeing it before."

"Yes – well, not as such…" Catherine sounded a little perturbed. "It's one I've had for a while. I – I had Annemarie alter it to include some of the latest fashions I heard about from my family in Italy. The new styles flow so elegantly, don't you think?"

"Hmmm." Henry barely grunted his response, before remarking briskly, "Wear something closer fitting for the Duke's wedding, Catherine. I don't think French court is quite ready for the latest Italian fashions." His heels clicked purposely across the floor, and then Richard heard the sound of the door opening and closing. He waited a moment, and then knocked his signal at the panel. Instead of tapping back, Catherine appeared at the panel, leaning in and kissing him.

"We shall have to talk later," she said breathlessly. "I don't want Henry to chance coming back and finding you here." Richard nodded. "I expect you heard everything we said?" He nodded again. "I am so relieved, Richard! Now I must gather my ladies and have them pack for my confinement. You've arranged at the village? As Beatrice suggested?"

"I have." Richard took hold of her wrist earnestly. "Oh Catherine, if only I could accompany you! I would feel so much better knowing that I could keep you protected."

"Richard, we've been over this, my love. You cannot afford to be seen by anyone who could tie you to me, even my ladies. No-one must know."

"You will write to me? And tell me how things are going? I don't think I can bear this place without you in it, and I shall be driven insane without word from you to reassure me that you are well."

She smiled, her hand brushing his cheek. "Of course I will."