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“Nicole. You are unlike any courtier I’ve ever met. Tomorrow at the masque, I shall make it known to the world.” The words tumbled out of Henry’s lips as he stood amidst the ruins, his eyes focused on Nicole. She had mentioned she needed to talk to him but when he saw her, he knew he could no longer contain his feelings that seemed to grow by the hour. If she felt as deeply as he did… they could handle any problems together, as long as she would accept him.
“Oh why why– why did you have to be so wonderful?” Nicole cried. Henry paused. He had not expected this outburst of emotion. But as the words sunk in, he found himself smiling tentatively. Surely, those words were not the words of a woman preparing to scorn him. She could easily be crying from happiness.
“Now, then, what was it you wanted to tell me?” he asked. He wanted to be her knight in shining armor, ready and eager to protect her come what may.
“Simply that last night was the happiest night of my life!” she cried again, and he was struck with confusion. The words sounded good and yet her tears seemed those of a woman in anguish, not feeling happiness.
Using one of his hands to cup her cheek, he drew her face up so that her eyes met his. “Is that truly all? You are crying.”
Nicole dropped her eyes, shifting herself away from his hand. “It’s is nothing to burden you with, sire.”
Henry felt his heart break at the formality. He had thought they had moved past that. “Please, just Henry,” he said, softly.
Nicole shook her head, still refusing to meet his eyes. “You would not allow me to call you Henry if you learned the truth.”
His eyebrows creased. “At least let me try, Nicole.”
“My name is Danielle,” she murmured.
For a moment Henry wondered if he heard wrong. But then confusion warped into laughter. “That’s all?” he asked. His feelings for the woman in front of him went so much deeper than simply a name. Yes, he would need to get used to calling her by a different name, but that would be manageable. It wasn’t like he had drafted a wedding announcement yet.
“No, not even close. I need you to promise not to interrupt me until the end.” Apprehensive as he was, Henry promised to do as she said. Even as she recounted all her lies.
When she had finished, there were so many emotions that Henry had experienced. He settled on the one thing that had outraged him. “You were whipped?”
“That’s all you have to say?” She laughed although it quickly turned into a sob.
On instinct, Henry pulled her towards him, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her to his chest. He gently rocked her in his embrace as she cried.
When she finally calmed down, he began to speak softly. “No, that’s not the only thing I have to say. I have many many things to say. For example, does all this mean that it was
you
who threw an apple at me?”
Nicole –
Danielle
– blushed. “I didn’t know it was
you
,” she murmured. And yet he could see the barest trace of a smile and a giggle.
Henry shifted his arms so that he could hold her hands in his. “If you can trust that I am not mad at you for hitting me with an apple, please trust that all of your other transgressions in the past few days can be fixed when you become my wife.”
“Your wife?! But I lied to royalty and pretended to be a courtier! I could be killed for that!”
“I promise that I will handle all of that.” Henry soothed. “Please, Danielle. If you can have any love for me, say you’ll come to the masque tonight and let me announce you as my bride.”
Danielle smiled and shook her head. “It feels like a dream, that I will wake up and none of this will be true.”
“Is that a yes?” Henry smiled, eagerly awaiting her answer.
“Yes!” Danielle fell back in his arms. This time when he held her, it was not for comfort but out of joy.
“Then you are making me the happiest man alive.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I will see you tonight, Danielle.”
“Will you say it again?” she asked. It took him a moment to realize what she meant but when he did, he smiled.
“Danielle,” he murmured, soft as a caress.
Danielle smiled. “And I, you, Henry.” He felt his chest burst with the familiarity. They would only get more familiar from here on out.
He watched as Danielle walked away from him, determined that she would no longer have to be a member of that household. It was time the world saw Danielle as he saw her.
Henry felt as though he was walking on air when he returned to the castle grounds. However, his good mood was halted when he saw his mother’s concerned look.
“Mother?” Henry asked. “What’s wrong?” His mind instantly assumed the worst.
His mother paused, bracing herself to deliver the news. “The Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent told me herself that Comtesse de Lancret has been engaged to a Belgian.”
That
was the news that had made his mother hurt for him? Henry’s face darkened. If Danielle had not told him the truth only a few hours ago, he would have believed the lie. He probably would have married Marguerite just to avoid marrying Spain, giving the Baroness exactly what she wanted. “Yes, so I have heard.”
The queen, misinterpreting his sullen expression, gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m so sorry, my son.”
Henry shook his head. “Do not be, Mother. All will be fine.”
The queen’s eyebrows shot up. “You are not upset by this news?”
“No, tonight there is another woman I intend to propose to. I guarantee that you will love her.”
His mother smiled at him. “As long as she’s not Spain and she makes you happy, then I am happy.”
Henry kissed his mother on the cheek. “She does. So much more than I could have ever imagined.” With that, he bounded back to the castle, planning how he could acquire a ring and make Rodmilla pay.
On the night of the ball, Henry anxiously scanned the crowd for Danielle. It couldn’t be that she didn’t think his heart was true, could it? But then he saw Rodmilla and Marguerite, and the pieces clicked. He had to find the one person who could help, Leonardo.
He found the man, squirreled away and working in the castle, lost in his genius rather than the festivities.
“Signor Leonardo,” he said. “I believe there is a woman missing from this party.”
Like the genius he was, he immediately deduced who it was. “Danielle Barbarac.”
Henry nodded. “Yes, she is the one.”
“She told you.” It was not a question but a sage observation mixed with approval.
“She did. Tonight, I mean to propose to her. I told her as much, and she had indicated she would come. I fear that she has been held hostage by her stepmother.”
Leonardo nodded. “I shall go to her house and bring her here at once, your highness.”
“Thank you, kind man. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“Just promise me that you will always value and respect Danielle as the treasure she is. She’s a special girl that one, and has gone through far too much hurt for a lifetime.”
“I promise.” It was the easiest promise Henry had ever made.
When Danielle finally arrived at the ball, dressed in a beautiful costume, any hopes Henry had of an easy engagement and happily ever after were ruined by Rodmilla.
“How dare you?” the woman cried, running in front of her stepdaughter.
“Madame, contain yourself,” Henry said, trying in vain to regain control over the situation. However, Rodmilla would not be stopped.
“She is an imposter, sire. Her name is Danielle de Barbarac and she has been a servant in my home for the past ten years.” She smirked as she said the words. Henry felt anger boil up inside him. This woman had robbed Danielle of her inheritance and whipped her, and now she was trying to ruin her chance of escape and happiness.
Unfortunately, his father spoke up before he could reply. “A servant, Henry? Is this some kind of joke?”
Henry met Danielle’s eyes. There was fear in them, and he felt his heart break that she would worry that, at the first trial, he would fail to stand by her side. He wanted to dispel that fear as quickly as possible. He nodded at her – making sure she understood what he could not say aloud yet – before casting his eyes to Rodmilla.
“I am well aware of her name and of her station,” Henry said, calmly. “I am surprised you think so little of me that you think I could be deceived by my own subjects.” He leveled a pointed glance at Rodmilla before turning to his father. As he turned, he caught Danielle’s smirk. Oh yes, she had deceived him, but his father and Rodmilla need not know that. “Father, you offered no stipulations about the woman I wanted to marry, only that I could choose by the masque. I have made my choice and I know that she will be a wonderful queen.” Henry paused, wanting to look at Danielle as he made good on his word that he would protect her. “Father, Mother, I previously called the woman before you Comtesse Nicole de Lancret so you would not be disappointed I had not found a royal to marry. And yet, standing before, I am happy and shameless to announce that the woman I love has always been Danielle de Barbarac.” Danielle smiled at him as the crowd erupted in whispers.
“But she is not of noble blood!” the king protested.
“Maybe that is a good thing,” the queen piped in. She rose from her throne and walked towards Danielle. Danielle bowed to her but the queen took her hands in hers, drawing Danielle to stand as her equal and meet her eyes. “Child, I have never seen my son quite as happy as when he talks about you, nor as passionate and driven as he has been these past few days. I cannot imagine a better wife for Henry nor a better queen for France.” The queen turned to look at Rodmilla. As she did, she noticed Henry move to stand closer to Danielle, protecting her from Rodmilla with his body. She wondered what the girl had gone through to elicit this reaction from her son. “And you seem to have lied to me. If there was no Comtesse de Lancret, how could she have been engaged to a Belgian?” Rodmilla stuttered but the queen raised her hand to cut her off. “I will deal with you tomorrow. It seems we have an engagement to celebrate.” She turned to Danielle, who held on to Henry’s arm. “Come along, dear. I believe we have much to discuss.” The queen, Henry, and Danielle walked into the castle, leaving the party, Rodmilla, and the king gawking in their wake.
“Thank you, Mother,” Henry said when they were out of earshot.
Marie stopped and smiled at both Danielle and Henry. “Of course. I meant what I said out there, I can think of no better wife for you.”
“Nor I,” Henry said, turning to look into Danielle’s eyes. This was his happily ever after.