Chapter 22
On that evening Catherine took special care in preparing herself. Her pompous red and golden gown, the elaborate hairstyle and carefully applied make-up were matched even to the smallest detail. And while she eyed the results of her efforts in the mirror, her reflection smiled back at her with grim determination. Gone was every trace of this newly recovered, much younger version of Catherine, whose hair danced gently in the wind when she rode on Liberté's back. Likewise the countless freckles that adorned her sun-kissed skin and the loose-fitting informal dresses that made her look like a common woman.
No, the woman staring back at her from the mirror looked once again like Catherine de' Medici. The Queen Mother of France.
She strode down the circular stairway the second the clock striked the hour, fully ignoring the two men who were staring at her with half-open mouths. Catherine gracefully seated herself at the bountiful table, not waiting for one of the men to adjust the chair for her.
"Allow me to tell you how gorgeous you look tonight, my dear sister-in-law." She dismissed Rafael's compliment with an imperious gesture.
"Do not trouble yourself further with idle platitudes for my sake, Rafael. Servants, our dinner!"
Her words caused sedulous activities among the staff. A short while later their table bent under the delicious food the servants had dished up. But even the best food could not belie the icy atmosphere in the banquet hall.
"How come I've never heard of your brother's existence, Stephane?" She asked snappish after a few minutes, cutting right through the uncomfortable silence that had spread between them.
"You never asked about my family. I actually have six siblings. Most of them, like Rafael, are only half-siblings because my father remarried after my mother's early death. Rafael has been traveling for the last few years and has just returned to France. He will be our guest for some time." Catherine snorted contemptuously.
"Why am I not surprised not to be involved in decisions of these nature, husband?" Her icy words had the power to make one's blood run cold.
"Since it's utterly impossible to have a simple conversation with you. You'll surely understand why I did not want to bother you in this matter, Catherine." Stephane's words were no less cold or dismissive.
"Please, far be it from me to cause problems between my brother and his wife about my presence and the inexcusable words that unforgivably came over my lips this afternoon."
"Do not worry, Stephane has caused these problems all by himself without your intervention," she hissed and furiously pulled a large piece of meat from her chicken leg. She put it in her mouth with pointed fingers and looked at her husband deliberativly.
"I'm more than willing to discuss this and other issues privately with you tonight, Catherine."
With a shrug, she dismissed his comment and turned to Rafael instead to ask him in about his adventures and on what parts of earth his travels had already taken him.
As soon as decency allowed it, Catherine rose to retire to their rooms. Rooms, she would thankfully have for herself as her husband would certainly not leave his guest to himself this early in the evening.
To her astonishment Rafael followed her outside and prevented her from going upstairs.
"Catherine, I am so sorry. You have catched me on the wrong foot today. Let me assure you that it was never my intention to talk badly about my brother's wife."
"Then you should try to follow up your intentions with deeds in the future." Rafael seemed genuinely contrite, but she did not want to be led astray by his charming puppy-look.
"Forgive a foolish globetrotter who has just parroted the stupid gossip other people spread without thinking. You are a woman whose reputation precedes her far beyond the borders of France. And I just wanted to twit my brother and not offend or even hurt you. I have not met all of his former wives but I know Stephane and his taste in women. Believe me, it makes me very happy that this arrogant bastard has finally choosen a formidable woman of high calibre. And I mean that in the best possible way, Catherine. Can you forgive me?" The ability to wrap people around their little finger was clearly something the Narcisse brothers had in common.
"I won't let you get off the hook that easily, Rafael. But I'll think about it," she told him, pulling up her skirts to vanish upstairs.
"This is probably more than I deserve. Don't be too hard on my brother. He has already given me a piece of his mind and defended your honor and reputation quite impressively. Good night, Catherine."
At this revelation she stopped dead in the middle of the stairs and turned around to look at her brother-in-law.
"He did?", She mumbled thoughtfully, whereupon Rafael nodded affirmatively.
"It would not have taken much for him to challenge me to a duel. I'm only allowed to stay because I had to promise to formally apologize to you and if my staying here is also okay for you." Now it was Catherine's turn to nod.
"Family is always welcome. Even if said family displays bad manners. Good night, Rafael. "She did not wait for his reaction, but ran up the stairs.
That night she waited for her husband with mixed feelings. But when he was not upstairs after midnight she went to bed, hoping sleep would claim her quickly.
Just as her interial mind drifted back and forth between waking and sleeping, the door opened and Stephane blustered in. She did not need to be a seer to realize that her husband was under the influence of too much alcohol.
"So, whatever it was, did you get it out of your system?", he asked right away in her direction and struggled with stripping off his jacket. Sighting, Catherine straightened up in bed and gestured for Stephane to come over to her.
"I'm just going to ignore this insolent question because you're drunk," she muttered and started opening the buttons on his shirt.
"Catherine ...", he started, but then did not seem to know what it was he actually wanted to tell her. So she silently helped him undress. "Why only did I have to choose the most complicated woman of all to be my wife?" He mused as he unceremoniously dropped himself next to her and looked at her expectantly.
"You had a choice, Stephane. I didn't." She did not want to engage herself in another fruitless discussion with him, much less when he was drunk. But she was unable to bring herself to silently accepting his previous comment.
"But now you have it. A choice I mean. And you seem to choose to be particularly difficult." His fingers tugged at the band that was holding her hair together.
"I just behave appropriately," she informed him, preventing him from tousling her hair.
"You are as stubborn as you are beautiful, woman. Don't you know that you can have everything from me, Catherine? Everything your heart desires. Tell me what makes you happy and it's yours, ma Belle."
Catherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When would men only realize that they could not buy women with empty words and cocky promises? Henry had been a master at calming his conscience with generous gifts for his wife and mistress and Stephane also seemed to assume that men could win women's cooperation this way.
"Making me happy is not in your power, husband" she whispered, thinking of Mary, who she had once told that queens could never be happy. Oh how she wished she would have been wrong. But her years as Henry's Queen had taught her a hard lesson. Years where she would have given everything - even commited murder - for a tiny sign of genuine affection or love. But unreturned, morbid love seemed to be her destiny.
First Henry and then Stephane. Ironically these very different men shared a common fate. Both had tied the knot of marriage with her.
"And what is it, that would make you happy? Please don't say an annulment."
"It's getting late, Stephane, let's go to sleep." She did not have the energy to continue this conversation or to worry about things that could not be changed.
"Once again you avoid me. Come on, let me hold you. Just this one time." Narcisse held out his arms in invitation. His gaze was almost imploring. "Don't make me beg, ma Belle."
Catherine considered her husband's request deliberately. Stephane however took her lack of protest as approval, so he pulled her into his arms without further ado.
"Stephane," Catherine wailed in a weak protest that was nipped in the bud when his lips neared her face and her husband breathed a tender kiss on her forehead.
"I just want to hold you." Stephane repeated and spread the blanket over their bodies.
His masculine scent wafted into her nostrils, evoking bitter-sweet memories of a time full of hope and happiness. But these momories had turned out to be nothing more than a foolish illusion in form of a frail little bubble, bursting at the first gossamer touch of cold and harsh reality.
"That's nice," he muttered after a while and she felt his hot breath brush against her neck.
"Don't get used to it," was her answer that lacked her otherwise so impressive determination.
"Or maybe it's you who has to adjust." She would have liked to free herself from his grip, to shake off his all-consuming closeness, but his pull was just too strong and the comfort his embrace gave her broke every resistance.
"Do not worry, my darling. In the end everything will be good. And if it's not good, then it's certainly not the end." Stephane philosophized as his fingertips drew circles on her arms. Oh how she would have liked to trust her husband, but Catherine de' Medici believed just as little in fairy tales as she believed in miracles.
"You're sure you still don't want to...?", he whispered after a moment of silence against her neck and his fingers caressed her lower abdomen.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure. I just want to sleep. You should do the same, husband," she replied, unable to suppress a timid smile that spread across her face despite the circumstances.
"Just checking," Stephane grumbled. His hands were still on her body but he did not press her any further. Instead he buried his face in her hair.
"Now you know the answer. Go to sleep."
Update time!
at G: I'm glad you see some potential in Rafael. I just hope I can meet your expectations. Thanks for your constant feedack, my Dear!
at Callmecordelia1: Thank you, Hon. They still have a lot of work ahead of them. Me as well I think. ;o)
at D: Many thanks, Sweets. Right now Rafael proved to be quite helpful. Let's wait and see if he has a hidden agenda.
at A: Schön, dass auch du mir regelmäßig ein Feedback da lässt, meine Liebe. Oh ja, Catherine ist unglaublich interessant und Facettenreich. Ein Traum für einen Autor. ;-)