Dining With Family

"Is something the matter, darling?" Eugene asked.

"What?" Cinderella replied, looking up from her plate of roast beef and sautéed potatoes. She hadn't really heard what Eugene said, but from the curious expression on his face she guessed that he had asked her a question. "I mean, I beg your pardon Eugene, I didn't hear you."

Eugene tilted his head a little to one side. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Cinderella declared. "Nothing is the matter. Nothing at all."

Eugene reached across the table, and took Cinderella's blue-gloved hand in his own. "Cinderella," he said, his tone gentle and yet at the same time reproachful. "You've barely eaten anything."

"I often eat very little, you know that," Cinderella murmured. That was especially true since the girls had been born, when she had tried – successfully she thought, although Eugene's continued absence from her bedroom might argue against that – to lose the weight that she had put on during pregnancy.

"And I'm never thrilled about that, but tonight it's different," Eugene said. "Tonight it's as though… it's as though you barely notice that there is food in front of you. And you've hardly said a word."

"Eugene speaks true," declared His Majesty. "As much as I like the sound of my own voice, it is nice to have a response from time to time."

He spoke in jest, or at least Cinderella thought he did, she thought she heard the humour in his voice, but at the same time… at the same it was so very hard to tell, or at least Cinderella found it so, ever since… the fact that that hadn't been… that had been Grace's doing, but at the same time… at the same time he was the one who had hit her.

And so she turned her head away from him, and bowed it, her curls falling across her shoulders and partially shielding her face, and murmured. "I'm sorry, your majesty, please forgive. I will do better, I promise."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the King's face fall, and she felt guilty for it. It was not… despite what he had done, he was as much a victim of Grace as any of them.

And yet she could… she could forgive him for it, but she could not forget. She could not make her nervousness go away.

"I… I only meant…" the King hesitated. "If you are troubled, my dear, if there is anything that we can do, please, you have only to say."

"In fact, I for one would much rather you did," Eugene added.

"I'm sorry," Cinderella said. "I… well, I'm afraid you'll think that this is very silly of me, something that I should have realised before now, but… when I went to see Princess Frederica she said some things that I hadn't thought about before, and now, well… I suppose I can't stop thinking about them."

Eugene squeezed her hand. "What things?"

Cinderella hesitated. It seemed… now that she had made such a fuss it seemed like such a silly thing to be upset about, not to mention how foolish she felt for not having seen it coming before now, but at the same time… at the same time she could hardly say nothing at this point, could she? She would have to say it, and hope that they – that Eugene – understood why she was upset about it.

"About Jean, and Angelique," she said, "and how… how they won't be staying with me once they're married. It seemed obvious once she said it, but it hadn't occurred to me before, I hadn't realised… I'm going to lose both of them, aren't I?"

Eugene smiled softly at her. "Well, that depends on what you mean by lose them," he replied. "You will not lose them as friends, although I don't know them as well as you I think I can say that they both care deeply for you." He chuckled. "It's hard to imagine someone who didn't care deeply for you challenging me to a duel over your honour."

Cinderella let out a little giggle, covering her mouth with her free hand. "No. No, I think you're right."

"You will not lose that friendship," Eugene said. "Any more than I have lost Etienne's, though he is married. And Etienne, for one, is still very much around, for all that he is both married and has some of his estates returned. You could facilitate Jean and Angelique remaining at court by bestowing some office upon them, if you wished, something to keep them close by in the city."

"Could I?" Cinderella asked. "I'm not sure that would be proper, would it?"

"No more improper than appointing Etienne to command the city garrison," Eugene told her. "I'm sure that some appropriate position could be found for Jean Taurillion, if you wished. But… you are correct, they will not remain as your lady in waiting, or as the commander of your guard. It is… not practical."

"No," Cinderella murmured. "Because they can't be expected to live as man and wife, or raise children in the Queen's Tower."

"Indeed not," the King said. "A fact with which queens and princesses before you have had to grapple. My own wife felt the pains of separation quite keenly at times." He paused for a moment. "Although, I must concede that neither my wife nor any of her predecessors of whom I am aware, have had so hard a time finding ladies whom they could trust as you have."

Cinderella did not reply at once, rather a sigh passed between her plump and painted lips as she glanced down at the white cloth that covered the table. "Throughout everything that's happened – to me and to Armorique – Jean, Angelique and Marinette have been the only people I could always rely on." She glanced at Eugene, "I mean, apart from-"

"It's alright," Eugene said gently. "I know that I haven't always been as reliable as you would have hoped, or as you needed for that matter."

Cinderella didn't press the point, but nor did she continue to protest that she hadn't meant him because the truth was Eugene was quite correct. He had not always been what she might have wished for in a husband, he had hurt her at times, though he had always made up for it in the end, or apologised at least. But there had been times when she felt she couldn't rely on him, and that had never been true of Jean, Angelique or Marinette. But soon only Marinette would be left.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without them," she confessed. "I will still have Marinette, I suppose, and I don't want it to sound as though I don't like or appreciate Augustina or Lady Christine, but they aren't the same and Marinette… Marinette is only one person."

"We must find you some new ladies in waiting," Eugene said. "Now, before Lady Bonnet becomes Lady Taurillion and takes leave of you."

"It won't be the same," Cinderella said.

"I know," Eugene acknowledged. "But four ladies-"

"Is too few," the King said. "Three will certainly be too few. Too few in normal circumstances, and far too few if we host this Congress; you will need help if you are to help me host the crowned heads of Europe and bring this war to an end."

"Are there any more to be found?" Cinderella asked. While no one could replace Angelique, she was not certain whether anyone would even want to take a position in her household. Being one of her ladies in waiting did not always lead to the brightest future. Of the ladies who had attended on her: Grace was dead; Serena was under comfortable house arrest, her family's lands and titles seized; Theodora had escaped without harm but without any benefit either; and Drizella was in penury.

"All those who have come to grief did so because of their own actions," Eugene reminded her. "They tried to hurt you, or worse. You are no monster, quite the opposite in fact, and Angelique and Marinette have both profited from their loyalty to you. There is no reason why any girl should fear joining your household."

But is there any reason any of them should want to? Cinderella thought. She had never been particularly popular amongst the nobility, her support had always come from the middle class and the poor people. That gave her an idea. "Could I have a lady or two from the middle classes? The daughter of a factory owner or an industrialist?"

"If you did they would hardly be a lady in waiting, would they?" the King asked.

"You could say the same about Angelique, when she came to me," Cinderella replied. "It would thank them, for all that they have done to support me."

"And renew their support, by showing that it will be rewarded," Eugene finished for her. "That is an excellent idea, Cinderella; Father, it's at least worth putting out feelers, so if there's any interest. Of course, we must canvas the nobility as well, but the middle class are on the rise. And they have been stalwart in their support of the crown."

"Hmm," the King murmured. "It is irregular… but not as irregular as a girl off the street, as you say Cinderella. The times change and we change with them, I suppose, I will have it looked into."

"We should also think about getting you a new commander now," Eugene said. "That way there can be some continuity when Lieutenant Taurillion leaves, rather than an abrupt change and a new man taking over without any familiarity with you or with the job and what it entails." He smiled. "And you can get used to them, and if you feel they're a poor fit then there will be time to find someone else before the post becomes vacant."

Cinderella nodded. "That sounds like a very good idea," she said softly. Although she doubted that anyone could replace Jean, she knew that she must have someone in the post, and it was better that they had a chance to learn from Jean what they needed to do – and what Cinderella expected of them. "Frederica suggested that I might promote from within; I don't know Sergeant Bourgogne that well, but-"

Eugene held up his free hand. "Actually, with all due respect to Princess Frederica, now that you've brought the subject up I already have someone in mind for the post."

"Really?" Cinderella asked. "Who?"

"A fellow by the name of L'escroc," Eugene said. "Richard L'escroc, a lieutenant in the Fourth Voltiguers."

"A lieutenant?" the King repeated. "He must have distinguished himself in some way in order to have come to your attention."

"L'escroc brought himself to my attention in a very direct way," Eugene said dryly. "He saved my life in America."

"Your life?" Cinderella gasped, letting go of Eugene's hand in her astonishment. "You… why did anyone need to save your life?"

"I was at war, darling," Eugene reminded her.

"Yes, I know, but…" Cinderella paused for a moment, getting her thoughts in order. It was as though… obviously Eugene's life had been saved – saved by this Lieutenant L'escroc – and he had survived the war, won the war, and come back to her, safe and sound, to give her two daughters. But at the same time, hearing that he had been in danger, that he had required saving… hearing about it only now, for Cinderella it was almost as though he were in danger now, his life in peril. "How did it happen? You told me that you'd been shot-"

"And that the bullet was stopped by the locket you gave me, with your picture inside," Eugene said, a smile playing across his face. "That happened, just as I described it, some little rebel rifleman took his chance at me during the battle of Champion Hill, but no, this was on a different occasion to that, it happened just outside of Jackson. It… the tactical situation isn't really important now, what matters is that I found myself alone-"

"I think it matters somewhat how you managed to do such a fool thing as find yourself alone in the presence of the enemy," the King declared. To Cinderella he added, "He never told me any of this either."

Eugene sighed, as though their desire to know how he had come to find himself in such harm's way was a grievous imposition upon him. "Earlier in the battle our infantry had stormed the rebel guns, driving off the crews and continuing to advance beyond the batteries to engage the infantry beyond; however, with our infantry line having passed by, some rebel forces worked their way around their flank and attempted to retake the guns. I led what mounted reserves we had – I'd only taken a small portion of our forces to Jackson, leaving the rest to continue besieging Vicksburg – to drive them away and take the guns for the second time. However, I… I seem to have found myself out ahead of the rest of the force… and I was unhorsed. I was alone, I had only my sword to defend myself and then, all of a sudden, I wasn't alone, there was this sergeant, screaming bloody murder, laying about with his musket like a club until he got hold of a sword from somewhere. He must have killed about six or seven men before the rest of the cavalry caught up with us."

"A sergeant?" the King asked.

"I gave him a promotion once the battle was done," Eugene said. He smiled sheepishly. "It seemed the least I could do to reward him for saving my life." He looked at Cinderella. "Especially since the precedent had already been set with Jean Taurillion."

Cinderella didn't smile. "You never mentioned that in any of your letters," she said, somewhat accusingly. "Or when you came home."

"I didn't want to worry you," Eugene said.

Cinderella pursed her lips together. "I… I understand," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean that I want you to lie to me for my own good, I don't, I would rather know the truth-"

"Perhaps I would rather not have thought about it again?" Eugene suggested. "In that moment, before L'escroc arrived… I thought that was it. That I would never see you again, or you, Father, or Philippe. That I would… that I was done for, that I'd be buried in some patch of nowhere in America, or brought home in a barrel for some lavish funeral I'd be too gone to appreciate. It's not something that I wish to dwell on."

Cinderella was quiet for a moment. Now it was her turn to reach out, and take Eugene's hand, and give it a reassuring squeeze. "Of course. Of course you must feel that way, I should have…" she felt that way about the attempts that had been made on her life since she and Eugene were married – she tried not to think about them and counted herself lucky that she didn't have nightmares. "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter," Eugene assured her. "Considering the number of times that I've been less than honest with you, I don't blame you being prickly about it. Suffice to say that on this occasion I had my reasons, and they were better reasons than usual. Anyway, the point is that L'escroc saved my life, and I think that he would be a good choice to protect you, in turn."

"A man up from the ranks," the King murmured.

"Not much change from a man up from the gutter," Eugene pointed out.

"Some might have seen the change as an opportunity to get back to normal," the King said.

"I would rather have a man who can protect Cinderella than someone who knows the right knife and fork to use at her funeral dinner," Eugene said. "Trust me, both of you, the man can fight."

"What's he like?" Cinderella asked.

"He saved my life but we didn't become close friends," Eugene muttered. "He is… blunt, at times, taciturn at others. But, as I say, he knows his business."

The description that Eugene had given of him was not ideal, from Cinderella's perspective, but she supposed that she needed a bodyguard, not a friend, and she wasn't likely to have someone she got on with as well as she had done with Jean. Good fortune like that didn't occur twice. That he came from humble origins was nothing to her; she came from rather humble origins herself. She had no grounds to reject the man, not if Eugene thought that he was a good choice. The very least she could do was give him a chance.

And besides, she found that she wanted to meet him, if only to thank him for saving Eugene's life.

"Alright," she said, venturing a smile. "I will try this Lieutenant L'escroc. I look forward to meeting him."

"Excellent!" Eugene cried. "The Fourth is in the city as part of the garrison, I'll have Etienne give him his orders and get him over to you. Although you should probably talk to Jean first in case he feels this is all premature."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow morning, I'm sure he'll understand," Cinderella said. She paused for a moment. "Frederica also had two other things to say, one of which I've come to agree with."

"The other of which you disagree with?" Eugene suggested.

Cinderella chuckled. "No," she said. "The other I don't know enough to say if she's right or not, but she thinks the Aquitainians are going to start doing much better in their war soon."

"Really?" Eugene asked. "She said that?"

"She said that…" Cinderella paused, trying to remember exactly what Frederica had said. "She said that there will be… a counterattack, yes, she said that there will be a counterattack, from the north and the south." She hoped that that meant more to Eugene than it did to her; preoccupied with the refugee question, and never having received any sort of military education, Cinderella hadn't paid much attention to the actual course of the war itself. Augustina, who fancied herself an expert, had tried to explain it to her, but Cinderella had only been able to grasp the fact that the Holy Roman Empire was winning, and that the Aquitainians were preparing to defend their capital at all costs.

"Hmm," Eugene murmured. "A counterattack from the south… that would be bold, in the situation that they're in… but, on the other hand, in the situation that they're in it might also be the best option available to them. They're outnumbered, but that isn't going to change if they sit and dig breastworks and erect fortifications, and if they let the Empire turn the assault on Bourdeaux into a battle of posts… a siege will be only a matter of time, so, yes, an assault… something to break up the Empire's advance, knock them back, yes. Yes, I think she may be right. I'm not so sure that it will succeed, given the Empire's predominance in manpower, but I can see them making the attempt, at least in the south, but in the north? I have more difficulty accepting that as likely."

"Frederica knows a great deal," Cinderella pointed out.

"Indeed," Eugene muttered. "And a great deal more than she should. She may be right, but if she is then Aquitaine will have pulled off an astonishing coup." His eyes narrowed. "Did she predict that the Aquitainians would win a respite, and thus both sides would have a reason to seek a negotiated peace?"

Cinderella nodded. "That was it exactly."

"If she's right then it is good news for us," the King said. "There will be reason for both sides to come to Armorique, freely and without compulsion."

"Indeed," Eugene said. "Although, as I say, just because Aquitaine has reason to counterattack doesn't mean that their attack will succeed. What did you agree on?"

"About the refugees," Cinderella said. "I don't think you should be the one to announce that they have the right to work. In fact I don't think that we should announce it like that at all."

Eugene's eyebrows rose. "Really? Cinderella, I must say that I'm surprised. It isn't like you to back away from something you think is right."

"I haven't backed away," Cinderella protested. "I mean, I suppose I have, but I'm not giving up. It's just that it wouldn't be right for me to ask you to sacrifice your popularity for my sake, and Frederica believes that it wouldn't be a good idea for either of us to do something like that, especially now. I thought about it, and while at first I wasn't sure she was right – because I still believe that what we aimed to do was right – I think that we can't just force this on people if they don't want it."

"That is what monarchy is, my dear," the King pointed out.

"With respect, your majesty, that doesn't make it right," Cinderella said.

"Then what?" Eugene asked.

"The people must want this first," Cinderella told him. "They must ask for it, and when they ask for it we can give it to them."

"That would be a fine thing, I admit," Eugene said. "But it doesn't seem particularly likely."

Cinderella smiled. "Trust me," she said. "I have an idea."