Chapter 5

Even though she would never admit it to Narcisse, the intimate closeness of their dance had heavily afflicted Catherine and turned her legs into jelly. She would not allow herself to be ruled by burning desire and blind attaction as there was too much at stake for her. For carrying out her plan she had to keep Stephane at arm's length for the next few days. Not an easy task, as the Lord Chancellor was an incredibly handsome man - and an excellent lover. However, there was one thing Catherine de' Medici had learned very early on: Once in a while life confronts you with new, sometimes unbearable challenges that demand great sacrifices and she would spare no effort if said sacrifices served a larger cause.

"Mother, have I already congratulated you properly on your happy union?" Catherine was pulled out of her thoughts by the question of her cheeky daughter. The Queen Mother dropped herself on a dark sofa and reached for the plate Narcisse had previously stolen from her.
"Only about a dozen times, Claude," she sighed and picked up a raspberry tart with pointed fingers. "But if it makes you happy, please be my guest and tell me once again how pleased you are that I'm married now."
Claude, who seemed unimpressed by her mother's ironic words, helpted herself with a tart and took a bite. As usual the young princess looked gorgeous. Her elaborately crafted corset was of a pale lilac color and showed off her narrow waist. It excellently matched her slightly darker skirts.
"No worries, I believe I have expressed my feelings sufficiently. Mhm, that tart is delicious!"

The Princess sat down next to her mother and surprisingly leaned against Catherine's shoulder.
"To be honest I'm a little bit disappointed that Charles chose such a damn good-looking man for you," Claude whispered, and the older woman couldn't suppress a faint laugh at this sassy remark.
"I suppose you would have preferred a quirky old man with a hunchback, wouldn't you?" Catherine smiled and affectionately stroke Claudes back. It was frightening from time to time how much the younger woman took after her.
"Or someone with a nice cloven hoof. Although I'm not sure I can rule this one out in case of Narcisse." Catherine chuckled while her eyes searched for the subject of their conversation.
"So this means that Stephane and you did not...", she didn't dare to finish her question. Claude sighed theatrically and rolled her eyes.
"No! Not that I didn't try. But the thought alone that he and you ... really!" To emphasize her words, the Princess shuddered violently and put on a disgusted face.

With none of her children Catherine could speak more openly. And none displayed such an impertinent behavior as Claude did. The desire to strangle her stubborn girl admittedly came across more often than the desire to pull her into a loving embrace.
"What shocks you more? That I have a love life or that a man like Narcisse showed some interest in your old mother?"
"Mother, I do not want to talk about your love life. Actually I don't even want to think about the fact that you have one", Claude wailed and straightened herself to look at Catherine accusingly.
"Well, then feel free to always recall this part of our conversation in case you stumble into a moral minefield once again, Claude. I am sick of having to pull you out under married men," Catherine said matter of factly with a resolute voice.

"Those days are over. I have Leith now. He makes me happy," the princess claimed with a charming smile on her face. Her tone was soft and warm.
"And this, my child, makes me happy as well."
Out of the corner of her eye Catherine noticed Madelaine who was approaching her inconspicuously.
"And now off you go, Darling. You shouldn't spend this evening with your poor mother but in the arms of your loved one." Claude nodded, then she placed a kiss on Catherine's cheek and ran off in search of Leith.

The second princess Claude had left Catherine's side, Madeleine, one of her Ladies in waiting appeared at her side. With an inviting gesture the bride offered her the seat her daughter had vacated just a second ago.
"My letter is on it's way?", she whispered and her eyes cautiously searched the room for her freshly wedded spouse. Stephane was standing at the other end of the great hall. He was engrossed in a conversation with three of the councilors and did not seem to pay any attention to his wife.
"Yes, your Majesty," confirmed the attractive dark-haired woman who was smoothing her skirts while nodding.
"And the drug?" Catherine wanted to know, offering Madeleine her half full plate.
Her lady reached for one of the small parfaits. Thereby she placed a carefully folded cloth on the plate that contained a handful of pills. Her mistress reached for it and hid it under the sleeve of her wedding dress.
"Do not take more than two at the same time. The effect should last no longer than two or three hours," Madeleine explained, then she rose and went her way.

Fabrice Darntelle, who was standing stock-still behind the sofa and had witnessed their exchange, pushed himself off the wall. With a knowing smile on his face he let his fingers brush the envelope in his coat pocket. Then he paved his way through the crowd to report to his master.

Dear all, after a kind of crazy day in beautiful Costa Rica, I have a short little update for you. Enjoy.

At D: no worries, This is going to be a long and bumpy ride. I already wrote 4 new chapters that await translation.. Thanks for your kind words.

At Guest : Thank you so much. It's a lot of fun writing Catherine's POV.

At G: Good news, it's update time! Thanks for your kind words. This means lots to me.

At demedicigirl: Thank you, Dear. Yes, I was also hoping for something more for S4. But not getting it kind of triggered this idea. Glad you enjoyed it.

At Suzan: Thank You! I'm happy you like this story.

At Klaudia359: Thanks! And I love your feedback.