The pair strode down the hall, snacking on the almond tarts as they went when they caught hushed tones down a side hallway.
"Ab ihm beim Abendessen das Gift in den Wein.," said one of the voices.
"Zahl mir das Doppelte. Für diesen kleinen Lohn werde ich nicht das Risiko eingehen, in die Schlinge zu steigen."
Mona quickly whipped her arm out in front of Bash, putting a finger to her lips, her eyes filled with fear as she listened in. She pulled him over to a window, hiding them both behind a large column as the two men came out. She watched as the one who appeared to be a servant headed in the direction of the gardens. The other man, dressed in significantly more expensive fabrics and jewels, headed down another hallway. After they were gone, Bash broke the silence.
"What language was that?" he asked quizzically.
"German."
"Ah, that would make sense. That was the ambassador from Austria."
"The German isn't what concerns me, it's what was said."
"You speak German," he asked, both impressed and surprised.
"Not fluently, but well enough, yes. He just told him to poison Prince Frances," she whispered.
"He said gift. He's probably planning on giving Frances something as a token of peace."
"Gift in German means poison. The other man, the servant, told him to pay him double."
The blood drained from his face. "We have to warn the king immediately."
"He won't take my word. I may be your fiance, but I'm still just a peasant right now to him."
"He'll believe me. I heard some of those words."
"What all did you catch?"
"Abendessen gift something wine. There was some other odd word… Schlinge!"
"That might be enough. You remembered dinner, poison, wine, and noose. The servant said pay me double because I won't risk being hung for what you've given me."
The pair strode towards the throne room at top speed. When they entered, the king and queen were making preparations for that evening's feast.
"Father, we need to speak with you. It's urgent."
"Can't you see we're in the middle of finetuning the arrangements for tonight?" Catherine scoffed.
"You'll want to hear this too." The intensity of the storm brewing in his eyes caught her off guard.
"Fine. Out with it."
"Not here."
The four of them made their way to Henry's war room. He sat at the head of the table, Catherine standing at his side.
"What is this servant doing here?" Catherine asked, eyeing her up and down. Mona felt as if she was being dissected.
"Ah!" Henry leaned forward. "Is this her? Bash, I hardly think this is the time."
"This is not about her, this is about Frances and what she heard."
"And what, pray tell, did your fiance hear?" Henry leaned back, the bemusement clear in his expression.
"The Austrian ambassador is planning to have Frances poisoned at dinner tonight."
"You heard this, girl?" Catherine strode across the room. As her eyes bore into her, Mona could see the loving concern of a mother bear looking to protect her cub.
"He told the servant to poison Frances's wine at supper tonight."
"You heard this as well?" she turned to Bash.
"I heard it, but only caught a few words. Gift, wine, and schlinge."
"He's an ambassador, of course he comes with gifts. The gift is likely wine," Henry said dismissively.
"Gift in German means poison. Schlinge means noose," she explained. "The ambassador instructed him to poison Frances's wine tonight at supper. The servant said he wanted double what he was offered for risking being hung for treason."
"You put your name to her words?" Henry leveled his gaze at Bash, who nodded. "Alright. Then here's how we're going to play this out. Catherine, go to Frances. Instruct him to drink no wine tonight, but not to deny it when it is offered." At that, Catherine flew off immediately. "Neither of you will breathe a word of this. When Frances's glass is poisoned, we'll have the servant take a drink of it. If he accepts and remains in good health, you'll be the one hanging from the 'schlinge'."
"Father!" Bash shouted, outraged.
Henry slammed his fist on the table to silence him. "She is still a commoner and will get no special treatment from me." He turned his gaze to her. "Is that clear?"
She nodded, stone-faced. "Yes, m'lord."
"Then it's settled. Now, should this pan out to be the truth, you will have earned my respect and the gratitude of the French court. You'll attend dinner with us tonight to identify the servant, but I want you dressed properly as you'll need to be sitting at our table to be close enough to see him and notify me. When you see him near Frances, knock over your glass. Make it look like a clumsy accident. This will draw enough attention that the would-be poisoner will think it's the perfect opportunity. Bash, when that happens, I'd like you to keep an eye on him to confirm our suspicions. Frances's proximity to me will make it impossible for me to witness it without him noticing."
"Yes, Father."
"Are we clear on the plan?"
"Yes, m'lord," she answered.
"Dismissed."
Bash and Mona headed back to her room. She'd been shaking, holding in her tears the entire walk there. As the doors closed, she let it all out. He held her tightly, as though trying to keep the pieces of her together by sheer willpower and physical strength. She said something into his chest, but he couldn't understand as it was muffled.
"What was that?" he asked, pulling away. She quickly gasped for fresh air.
"I couldn't breathe," she allowed a small smile to cross her lips. "You were suffocating me."
He chuckled. "There's that smile," he said, wiping away her tears. "I'll get a lady's maid to draw you a bath and help you into your dress for tonight."
"Oh! Can you-"
"Have a message sent to Nostradamus that you won't be able to attend today's lesson?"
She nodded, sniffling.
"Of course, my love." He kissed her forehead before departing. A few moments later, a lady's maid entered her chamber with the first bucket of water for her bath. Mona handed her the kettle, thanking her for her assistance. Once there was enough warm water in the bath, she stripped and sunk into it, breathing in the floral medley that the maid had sprinkled in, letting it calm her nerves. After soaking for a while, she started the process of washing. The lady's maid began pulling out dresses, holding them up for her to decide which she preferred. Each seemed more extravagant than the last. She decided on a black dress with silver embroidery along the neckline and billowing sleeves. The lady's maid picked up the matching corset and laid it beside the dress. Mona grimaced at the idea of wearing it but relented nonetheless. The moment she stood and climbed out of the tub, the lady's maid began drying her.
"That's not necessary, I can dry myself," she assured her, feeling uncomfortable with all the touching. "I'm Mona, by the way."
"Anne, if it pleases you."
"Anne, I don't need the full royal workup, just assistance with the dress. Thank you, though, for all your help."
Anne curtsied and handed her the towel before taking a step back. She finished drying herself, then walked over to the bed with the towel wrapped around her as she wasn't accustomed to being nude in front of a stranger. From what she could tell, Anne had methodically laid out everything in the order it needed to be added to her body.
"Alright," she said with apprehension. "I'm ready when you are." She got into the items she could manage by herself, feeling more comfortable as less of her was exposed. When it came time for the corset, she looked pleadingly to her companion. "Must I?" To which she only nodded. Anne instructed her with kindness and patience. Mona held tightly to the bottom of the corset as Anne tugged at the laces with all her might. Mona felt the air leave her lungs very suddenly.
"Small breaths, Lady Mona, small breaths."
"Just Mona," she managed to get the words out between small panting breaths. "How in Heaven's name do ladies wear these daily?" she asked when she finally managed to level her breathing again.
"Loads of practice. They've been wearing them for years," Anne answered, tying the strings off before tucking them under the lower edge of the corset.
"That makes sense. Most ladies of the court are a bit more petite as well. There's less to suck in, I suppose."
Anne allowed a smirk. "Not all of them, but yes. Most are feathery things, easily blown over by a passing gust of wind while a few are fuller-figured, such as yourself."
"So, I won't be completely out of place then?"
"Not at all. Lady Isabelle has quite the figure and uses corsets to her advantage," she said with a sly smile.
"I can't imagine an advantage to this overly complex torture device."
"Mona," she chuckled, "look down, dear."
"Oh," she said as she glanced downward toward her chest. "I think I'm starting to understand the appeal." She giggled as Anne ran her fingers through her hair, trying to picture how to style it in her head. Mona took a seat, then she got to work. She braided several strands, then braided them again within each other. Opening the jewelry box on the desk in front of Mona, she was pleased to find a selection of combs and pins, which she quickly put in place to keep the desired shape. Pulling the drawer out, she found lipsticks, rouges, and kohl. Mona let her apply the rouge as she'd never seen that before but insisted on applying the other items herself. Finally, she stood to look at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing the highborn lady she saw in her reflection. "I'm just missing one last touch," she smiled, slipping the leather cord over her head before tucking Bash's ring into place. "There. How do I look?" she asked, turning to Anne.
"Like a proper lady of the court," she replied, smiling.
"Thank you for all your help today."
"It was my pleasure, Mona" she curtsied before taking her leave.
Moments later, she heard a knock at her door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"It's me, my love. Are you finished dressing?" came Bash's voice from the other side.
"I'm ready. Come in," she announced, smoothing out the skirt as she turned toward the door.
Bash opened it gently, stepping in, then lost grip of it as his eyes made contact with her. He stood there, smiling like an idiot with a lustful twinkle in his eye as he leaned against the door behind him. She felt her face warm as his eyes roamed, drinking in every detail.
"What do you think?" she asked, nervously fussing with the skirt.
"I think I'm going to have a very difficult time waiting for our honeymoon," he confessed, crossing the distance between them to pull her into his arms. "I think, had I not already proposed, I'd be dropping down on one knee in an instant."
She giggled before the realization crept back into her mind. "Well, if there's a honeymoon to speak of… What if they catch on and don't go through with it?"
"I doubt they suspect a thing," he whispered. "Father may be harsh, but when it comes to strategy, he's an expert. Tell you what, if it all goes horribly, we'll run away together."
She scoffed. "That's sounding like the better option in general if I have to wear this blasted contraption every day," she said, rapping her knuckles on the front of her corset. "It's solid."
"Uncomfortable, I'm sure," he cringed. "You look absolutely ravishing in it though. I'm sure it's much more fun getting it off than on," he flashed that devilish smile that made her weak at the knees.
"Behave… for now," she scolded him, then giggled.
"For now," he agreed, leaning down to kiss her gently to not mess up her makeup. He pulled back, offering her his arm. "Shall we?"
She took a deep breath, looping her arm in his. "Let's get this over with and hope that 'til death do us part' isn't fulfilled tonight."