Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors.
Face claim for Clarice de' Medici - Synnøve Karlsen.
Chapter One Hundred & Four: Arrivals in France.
19th of July 1536 - Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Taking a moment to steady herself, the Duchess of Bedford wasn't entirely sure how she felt about standing in the halls of the French court again after so many years. It only felt like yesterday that she had received the news that she had lost her title, the one that she had inherited upon the deaths of both her parents.
The one that her beloved mother had fought so hard to retain in the wake of her father's death, for there had been many relatives eager to claim it for themselves. Clarice was ever so thankful that she was not alone here, her husband was by her side and she was relieved for that; she did not think she would have been able to do this without him.
"Presenting the Duke and Duchess of Bedford," the herald announced to the court, the curious looks of the French lords and ladies focused on the arrivals from England as Clarice and George made their way into the room. They walked towards the dais where King Francis and his Queen were seated waiting to receive them, they were the first to arrival afterall since the royal court eagerly awaited the arrival of Maria of Portugal.
"Your Majesties," George stated bowing to the foreign King while his wife dropped into an elegant curtsy, there would be many eager to see how they were received. Afterall it wasn't too many years ago that Clarice had been stripped of her title by King Francis, there would be those eager to see them spurned because of her fall from grace after not doing as the Pope had commanded of her.
King Francis stood from his feet, a smile upon his face as he moved down the steps and embraced Clarice; a kiss pressed to each of her cheeks as he admired her. It hurt him greatly that they had been parted for so long and he was most grateful that she had been part of the envoy sent to witness the marriage of his eldest son by Claude. It was a time of great celebration for the French, it was a long time coming afterall and Francis wanted nothing more than to see his eldest son succeed in his marriage where Henri had not.
"Dearest cousin, we welcome your return to our court. It has been far too long," King Francis announced to the room, he would have no one doubt his intentions when it came to Clarice and her husband. They were to be his most honoured guests behind of course, the bride's family who would be arriving later this day with Maria of Portugal.
"It is wonderful to be back at french court," Clarice replied diplomatically, she would reveal nothing of how she was feeling at this time; it would not be proper of her to do so especially in front of all these people. There would be time later for them to speak on other matters, she was here presenting King Henry and to secure a marriage for her younger daughter. Filiberta's future relied on her doing well her, there could be none that could deny her breeding and there would be no better march for Lord Charles Bourbon.
"May I introduce, my Queen. Elisabeth," Francis stated turning to Elisabeth who had remained in her seat, a hand resting upon her swollen belly that housed her second child by the King. She was taking every care to ensure her second pregnancy as she had done with Aubert, she adored her boy and she hoped that this one would be as happy and healthy as he was.
"It is wonderful to meet you, my husband has spoken so fondly of you," Elisabeth said smiling, she knew how important this meeting was to her husband and his regrets for how he had treated Clarice at the orders of Pope Clement. The loss of her title, the one that had belonged to her parents was something that would have hurt; the last connect to them stolen from her because she refused to be the mistress of a King.
"You must send our congratulations to King Henry for we hear that the Duchess of Florence is with child again," Francis stated smiling, the news that the Duke and Duchess of Florence were expecting their third child was a most welcome one. Their time in Florence had been spent rebuilding the city to it's former glory, after years of Medici ruler being tarnished by those who ruled the city that they had stolen. Lucrezia and Giuliano were fine heirs to the Medici throne, Lucrezia was betrothed to the grandson of Pope Paul and there was no doubt that her brother would also make a good match one day.
Staring up at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Eleanor of Austria took a deep breath as she recalled the four years that she had been Queen Consort of France; she never thought she'd be back on French soil again after she had been sent back to Spain. A lump formed in her throat as she thought about how she had returned to Spain with her head held high, she had never thought that her own brother would lock her away.
Her life had been blessed since she had married Frederick, she had birthed their daughter in May and she adored her so much; it was so very different from when she had birthed Maria. Joanna had been named for her dearly departed mother, she would tell her daughter stories of the brave Queen that had been locked away by men and had done her best for her country before she died.
"Madre," Maria of Portugal called softly, smoothing out her dress as she approached Eleanor, her eyes taking in the place where she would be married in a month's time. It still felt rather unreal that she was here to be married, the negotiations had been long winded and her elder brother had reassured her that all would be well; he had been determined to see her marry well.
The opportunity to become Queen of France was one that had been dangled before her, a position that had been once held by her mother and now would one day belong to her; she had heard that the Dauphin was a good man. One that had treated her mother with great respect, surely he would treat her the same compared to what she had heard the King had treated her mother when she was his Queen.
"My dearest Maria, you look so beautiful," Eleanor greeted moving to take her daughter's hand, it had been so long since she had seen her last; it was hard to believe that her daughter was getting married. It only felt like yesterday that she had been born, her birth had come only months before her father had left this world; she was the last of King Manuel's children to be born.
"Thank you Madre," Maria replied simply, her eyes focusing on the gathering that had come to greet the arrival of the Portuguese Princess; she tried to spot the man that would be her husband. Taking a deep breath, Maria made her way towards the crowds that had gathered to met her; she refused to show any fear as she made her approach with her entourage behind her. Once they reached the front of the crowd, a man stepped forward and bowed to Maria, a sweet smile upon his face that made Maria pause; he was a rather handsome man that looked a few years older than herself.
"Welcome to France, Your Royal Highness," Francis, Duke of Brittany greeted before he straightened out and looked upon his bride to be; she was a couple of years his junior, but it was high time that he was wed. His younger brother had been married for two years now, something that still caused quite a bit of gossip since there was still no sign that Catherine was pregnant even now. Maria blinked taking in the handsome young man, his marriage portrait had certainly done him justice and she had to admit that she had wondered if the artist had embellished the painting but he clearly had not.
"It is an honour to be here," Maria replied softly, very aware that there was an audience watching them; people trying to see if there was any kind of tension or dislike between the royals before they were wed. There would many that would wish downfall upon Maria because she was the niece of the late Emperor, who had been a great enemy to France; he was the reason that Eleanor had been treated so poorly here.
Francis offered his hand out to Maria, his smile making her feel all warm inside; she slowly reached out and took his hand, allowing him to press a kiss to the top of it. Linking arms, the couple made their way up the steps of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and made their way inside; the warm summer sun shining down upon them making the arrival of the future Dauphine all the more special.
Eleanor followed behind them, hoping that this wasn't a big mistake; she had been invited afterall but she wasn't eager to see her former husband and his new wife. There had been no love lost when her marriage to Francis had been annulled, the two could barely stand to be in the same room as one another; there had been no tears shed in sadness about what had happened. It was just a relief that Francis had never shared her bed, there were no children caught in the middle of this; they had been able to part easily and Eleanor could not imagine what her time at the French court would hold.
I recommend Bed of Deceit by BellalunaMcKenzie, For Even as Love Crowns You by wizardfantasy and Sanctuary by Cattyfan. Also check out My Lord Husband, The Enemy by Esme24, That Subtle Wreath by EvilFluffyBiteyThing and its sequel, A Progress in Kent.
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