Part 12
A tear silently fell down Danielle’s face. She did her best to try and wipe it away before Henry noticed. In her head, she was yelling at herself, “Get a grip Danielle. This has not bothered you for a month. Why should you worry about it now? It is not worth your time to think about it.”
Henry sat down next to Danielle. He did his best to study her face in order to find out what was going on inside of her mind. Another tear escaped her, and she was not able to hide this one. Henry quickly wiped it away and then asked, “Danielle what is it? Something is wrong and you will not tell me. You always use to come to me with your problems first.”
“It is very complicated. A lot of things have happened since you went away, and I have been hiding how I truly felt from the world.”
Henry wanted to put his arm around her to comfort her, but he hesitated for a second. His mind was screaming at him that she was not his sister, but he knew that she still thought she was so he should treat her accordingly. “Danielle, I am here for you. Tell me all of your problems and I shall help you to sort them out.”
Danielle drew in a deep breath. “Alright, but you better make yourself comfortable. Right before you left, I heard some courtiers gossiping in the garden. Normally, I would not listen, but they mentioned my name and I could not resist. They were talking about Charles and I. They were sure that I would marry him, and that he knew how to play all of his cards right. At the time, I saw him as merely a friend, and their comments awakened me to a whole new feeling, but they also ruined this simple felicity’
“I quickly found myself caring more and more for Charles. It was not immediate; it was in fact rather the opposite. In my heart, I knew that with enough time I would find myself deeply in love with him. The time my heart needed was not given to me. When I was just barely seeing him in this new light, he asked me to be his wife. Foolish as it was, my mind drifted back to what I had heard the courtiers talk about in the garden. I tried to make myself believe that he was only after me because of my crown’
“When I look back at that day, I realize that if that thought had not came into my head I would have married him. Instead, I made sure that he would never think about marrying me again. I listed to him all of my faults, and then fled to my room where I cried until the tears stopped coming.’
“He came to see me the next day, but I refused to go see him claiming that I had a headache. He kept on coming every day for three weeks. Finally, I sent him a letter that begged him to let go of any feelings he might have for me, and to not visit me again until he did. It was another two weeks before he came again. I had now had proper time to convince myself that I was over him,even though I am still not complete over him. He, on the other hand, had been very much upset for two weeks, and then moved on.’
“It was on one of his many trips back home from the palace that he realized this. He and Jacqueline had been friends for awhile because of their mutual friendship with me. Well, that day she was outside working when he rode by. He decided to pay her a little visit. Each day he would first come to see if I would talk to him, and then he would go see Jacqueline. When I sent the letter that pressed him not to come, he hardly minded at all.’
“He would simply go and visit Jacqueline the same way he use to visit me. Jacqueline still would come to see me, but she always seemed distracted. Never once did she mention Charles’ visit to her. Well, when Charles came to see me again Jacqueline was also visiting me. It was then that I saw how much they were in love although neither of them would admit it. Both came to me for counsel and I told them that I was convinced that their feelings were shared.’
“A week later, they approached me arm and arm while I was reading in the garden. They said that they had some rather important news to relay to me. They had become engaged. Charles had done it in a way much more romantic then the way he proposed to me. He had taken her to Amboise and while the sun was setting he confessed his love to her, and asked her to be his. She was a bit shocked, but very eager to comply and so they became engaged.’
“I had mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I played my part well. When they told me, I congratulated them and wished them many year of marital bliss. I held in all of my feelings just as father had me taught to do. I never thought I would be thankful for all the lessons father gave me, but that day I was. Once they had left, I went to my room and let out all of my tears. It was as if there was a waterfall in my room. After only a few minutes of crying, I made myself stop. I had been the one who had give up Charles. I had no right to be upset about it.’
“Since that day, I have refused to let myself cry about it. Well, if you do not count right now. Charles and Jacqueline come here daily and I do my best to share in their happiness. Both have tried to play matchmaker for me, but I am not eager in being matched. They do not push me because most of the time they are too caught up in each other. I really truly wish them the best, but some times I wish it was me instead of Jacqueline.”
Danielle pressed her face into her brother’s chest. The tears were now freely falling down her face. Through out her speak, they had fallen, but it was now an explosion of tears. Henry held her tight. He would have done anything possible to remove all the pain from Danielle. All he found that he could do was to tell her that everything would be all right in time.
Henry wanted to tell her so much more, but he did not dare to. He would most likely add to her pain by telling her the truth. Besides, his mother did not want for Danielle to know any sooner then she absolutely had to.
Danielle pulled away from Henry. Her tears had suddenly stopped. “Henry, what is it? You have a look on your face as if you have something that you need to tell someone and yet you do not dare. Something is wrong isn’t it? Is it one of our parents?”
Henry shook his head. “All is all right, Danielle. I was just merely thinking of how brave you have been since I left,” he lied. “I am very proud of you. You have proven yourself to be most noble.” He could tell by the look on her face that she was not buying it.
“Something about you had changed, Henry.” Danielle stared into her brother’s eyes. “There is more then one thing that you are not telling me. I can see it in your eyes.” Danielle stared into his eyes a bit more. Then she suddenly exclaimed, “You are in love, aren’t you? Pray tell who is the lucky lady? Did you meet her in England and is that why you stayed there longer then you said you would?”
Henry did not know what to say. A soft blush formed on his face. He should have known that Danielle would be able to figure things out. He would not let her find out the whole secret though because that would destroy him. “And so what if I am in love?”
Danielle hit him with a pillow. “Oh be fair Henry. I have poured my heart out to you the least that you could do is to do the same for me.” Danielle looked him in the eye, “You do not have to tell me her name, but merely tell me a bit about her. Please?”
“I suppose it is only fair that I do tell you a bit about my mystery women.” Henry thought for a moment before he spoke again. He had to make sure that he did not give away too much information. “Well, she is beautiful hair, and she is French nobleman. Let see, she is well learned and has the voice of an angel.” Here Henry stopped.
Danielle looked at him as if to ask if that’s all, but did not. She knew that she should be grateful for getting any information on him. “Well, from you description I have been able to narrow it done to any courtier who has a drop of French blood in her. Nevertheless, I am happy for you, and look forward to one day meeting her.”
Henry spoke quietly, “You already have.”