AN: I hope you are hanging in there with this story! I am almost at the point where I have no more chapters written, but it isn't quite finished yet. Thank you for the reviews!

Chapter 25

In the months that followed, Richard watched along with all of French Court as Diane flaunted her pregnancy before Catherine at every opportunity, always waiting to discuss the latest fashion in clothing designed to accommodate a growing pregnancy with other ladies around her just as Catherine would enter the room. Or laughingly refer to her increasing appetite or her shape within Catherine's hearing. Richard bristled with anger towards the horrible woman – he hated her for Catherine's sake, and he knew Catherine hated her more still. But Catherine herself remained dignified and polite, and once again, Richard was reminded of how wonderful and admirable she was, and how much he loved her, every time he saw her breathe in, lift her chin, and smile at Diane. He better loved her eye rolls as she turned away, and the way she occasionally left the room muttering something that definitely included the word "whore" under her breath. She lit him up with desire when she had that kind of fire in her, especially when it was reined in by the need for polite decorum! When she had to contain her fire under the surface of such strength and elegance, those were the nights he would go to her and help her to release those tensions, with a passion unmatched by their previous encounters. He loved Catherine's feisty side!

Of course, now that she was physically fully recovered from the birth of her baby daughter, Catherine had again taken Henry into her bed in order to try to conceive an heir for the French throne. At first, Richard knew that it had been a terrible blow to her confidence to hear of Diane's pregnancy, but after the initial shock had worn off, she took heart over the matter. After all, Henry was able to father a child, and she herself had conceived and birthed a child. This led to Catherine having a fresh surge of hope for her future, and although it meant that Richard had to put up with watching the woman he loved continue to love and give herself to someone that he despised, he knew that Catherine still loved Henry, and her renewed hope made him happy. He could never bear to see her unhappy or without hope.

Later, as Diane neared the end of her pregnancy, and Catherine still did not carry a child in her womb, she confided to Richard that she was afraid that she could never bear Henry a child. She increased her efforts, putting more pressure on Henry to bed her, which, much to Richard's disapproval, he seemed eager to do. Perhaps Diane was not meeting his needs as vigorously as she once did, in her condition. Henry seemed to turn to Catherine more, and appeared to be softening towards his wife, looking at her with affection at times, and showing few signs of animosity in public. Catherine sought Richard out less for sexual release, and more for loving closeness and companionship, which she still failed to receive from Henry.

Diane gave birth to a baby boy, whom she and Henry named Sebastian, and he took Diane's surname. In the weeks following his birth, Catherine withdrew somewhat from society at French Court, and kept to herself in her chambers. Richard went to her often, knowing that she needed extra comfort and reassurance at this time. Sometimes they arranged to meet in the gardens, as though by accident, and walked together for a while. Other times Richard distracted Catherine with a game of chess in his or her chambers, and occasionally he read aloud to her. She loved poetry, and he enjoyed seeing the soothing effect as he read to her, watching her eyes close and her face soften as she listened to the words ebb and flow. He felt that he would be content for the rest of his life if he could spend it like this with Catherine.

On other occasions, distraction did not help, and he would love her as best he could, listening to her while she poured out her frustrations and anxieties, or holding her when she needed to cry. If she asked him to, they would make love. Since her pregnancy, Richard had put into practice what Henry had once told him about preventing pregnancy, and this greatly put Catherine's mind at ease. It did seem ironic to her though, that she was desperately trying to conceive with one man, whilst taking steps to prevent conception with another.

One blustery afternoon, Richard arrived at the library to find Henry sitting in the window seat with a book, apparently fixated on the pages, but Richard could see that he was staring right through them. Henry startled when Richard approached him, and he put the book down, shifting himself to one side to make room for Richard to sit with him. He wondered what Henry would have to say, and sat down with a questioning look.

"Richard, have you ever seen Catherine cry?" The question took Richard by surprise, and he was lost for words to answer Henry. He had, of course, held Catherine while she cried countless times, but all of the times he had seen her cry were due to an intimacy that Henry did not know – and must not know existed. The occasions that Henry had left Catherine in tears which Richard had witnessed, he did not even want to draw to Henry's attention, since Henry was ignorant to the fact that he had hurt her enough to warrant such an emotional response.

He feigned a look of racking his brain for a possible memory, his brow furrowed, before finally responding, "Why do you ask?"

Henry sighed. "Everybody knows she's cold and unfeeling. I recall her tears in the early years of our marriage on occasion – unhappiness over her failure to provide me with a child. But she has changed since then, and I have seen no trace of emotion or feeling in her, other than her temper, of course."

He paused, tossing his book onto the desk, but saying nothing more. Richard felt it safest to wait, rather than speak, and at length, Henry spoke again.

"I need your advice, my friend… I don't even know why I ask you, because you have so little experience with women, and heaven knows they are perplexing creatures! But you're my closest friend, and quite astute, I have noticed. So tell me, Richard, should it be cause for concern that my wife, who has shown no emotion for oh, at least half a decade, should behave… differently, for no apparent reason?"

"Henry," Richard shook his head in confusion, "what are you getting at? What have you observed?"

"Twice this week," Henry explained, "Catherine has been emotional – twice in one week, Richard! After all these years! I don't even know why it should distract me so."

"But it does?"

Henry nodded, flicking subconsciously at the knuckles of his left hand while he turned his thoughts over in his mind, before speaking again.

"We argued over my attention to my son – you know she flatly refuses to consider my giving my own son my name?! She has no authority to demand such things. I almost want to just legitimise Sebastian to spite her!"

Richard took a slow, calming breath before responding to Henry's words. "I am sure her agitation is borne out of fear, Henry, if you think about it. Diane has provided you with a son. Catherine has not. Perhaps if she had given you an heir, she would not be so anxious about Sebastian being a threat to her."

"A threat to her?!" Henry looked at Richard, incredulously. Richard wondered if Henry ever considered Catherine's point of view on anything, and inwardly rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"In any case," Henry continued, "we argued, which, as you know, is not an uncommon thing." He glanced at Richard, who nodded in acknowledgement. "But as I went to leave her, and she threw one last insult in my direction – the usual situation - I turned and threw one back. She always takes these interactions as though she can't even hear me, but she looked like a different person, all of a sudden." He furrowed his brow at the memory. "She always has an expression of stone, you know the one? You can't see past it. It was like that fell away suddenly. She knew it too, and she tried to hide it from me. She turned away, but not before I saw her face change."

There was a silence, and Richard prompted him quietly, "What happened?"

"She stood with her back to me at the window. Told me to get out. But I knew she was crying, however she tried to keep her voice from betraying it."

"Is that all?"

"Is that all?! Richard, she never reacts that way. Ever. I didn't know what to make of it, I was so surprised. I stood there until she shouted at me to leave."

"I agree, that does sound unusual."

"And then this morning I arrived at her chambers to find her screaming obscenities at a servant! I went in, and by all accounts, she had slapped the girl, who I dismissed immediately to find out what had possessed her to do such a thing."

"What did she say?"

"She was angry that I had intruded, and that I had dared to get involved by dismissing her servant. Such a temper she was in this morning – I'm sure the whole castle must have heard her telling me that the servant had chipped the edge of her favourite dish, or some such trivial thing." He shook his head, displeased at the memory. "When I told her that she needed to control herself, she was so angry that she was both crying and shouting at me at the same time! I have never seen her so out of character."

"What happened after that?" Richard was concerned at what he was hearing.

"I left. It seemed like the best thing to do at the time. What do you make of it, Richard?"

Richard looked thoughtful. He really didn't know what it meant, but it did seem unusual for Catherine to react that way.

"I have no idea," he admitted, "but I could try to find out, if you like?"

Henry nodded his thanks, and Richard left immediately to seek out Catherine.