Part 6
Danielle took her time getting ready. It felt nice to know that she was here to stay. She let herself be pampered by her maids. Normally, she didn’t like being waited on, but today she welcomed it. As a result, it took her longer to get ready than usual.
Francis paced back and forth in the hall that adjoined with the ballroom. “Marie, if she is not with in a minute we are going to enter and start the ball without her!”
“Father, it is traditional that the she should dance the first dance.”
“Well, if she is late then it is her own fault.” He paced the hall grumbling under his breath. Finally he said, “That’s it. We are starting the ball without her. Come.” Henry and Marie knew better than to argue with Francis when he was in one of his moods.
When they entered, the room went silent. As they passed each person, they would drop a bow. The Family gave the appropriate nod. Henry took his place behind his parents, and his parents sat on their thrones. Francis cleared his throat. “Lords and Ladies, I appreciate you taking time to come here tonight to celebrate my daughters birthday. It thrills us to have her home from school in time to celebrate with us. Our daughter shall be here shortly…”
Marie put her arm on Francis and pointed to the door at the other end of a hall. Francis gave her a puzzled look. Marie whispered into his ear, “There is your daughter.” He looked back at her in disbelief, and all she would do is nod.
Henry noticed the girl before anyone else, but once again he didn’t recognize her as his sister. To him, she was just the most beautiful girl in the room. Her dress was ice blue, and she wore a simple necklace. Her face was glittered, and her hair was pulled back elegantly. His mind was set on her when he realized that his father stopped talking. He stared at his parents until his father spoke up again.
“Excuse me, but it appears that my daughter has just arrived.” He made a jester towards Danielle. Henry was once again in disbelief. He didn’t know why this kept on happening to him. For some odd reason, Danielle did not seem like a sister to him. The more he thought of it the more he started to realize that he never really did think of her as a sister but instead as a friend.
Marie rose and walked to meet Danielle. She gave Danielle a gentle hug. “You look gorgeous. Come join the rest of your family.” Danielle followed and took her place next to her brother.
A smile couldn’t help but to creep across Francis’ face. He cleared his throat and continued to talk. “We are very happy to have the Princess back with us. Especially, since it is her birthday. Without any further adieu, we shall start the ball.” He gave a nod to the orchestra and the music started.
Henry took Danielle’s hand and started to walk towards the dance floor. “I have arrange for you to dance with a good friend of mine. You have met him a few times. His name is the Marquis de Limoges.” Before he let her go, he made her promise to save at least one dance for him.
Danielle made the proper curtsey. “It is nice to see you again Marquis. It has been a long time. I think the last time you were here was for a hunting trip two summers ago.”
He placed one hand around her waist and used his other to claim her hand. She used her free hand to guide her skirts. “Indeed it has been awhile since I have seen you. Oh and please, the name is Charles. I only make people I don’t like call me Marquis.”
Danielle laughs, “How can you know if you like me or not we have barely made small talk with each other.”
“Yes, but your brother is a dear friend of mine. To you, I might seem a stranger, but you are no stranger to me. Your brother always goes on and on about you. Especially last summer when we met in Paris, whenever he would get a letter from you he would give a full account of it to me.”
Danielle tries to act angry, “Ah, so you are what kept him in Paris and away from his home where he belongs during the summer. At first, I thought it was all business and no play; I should have known better.”
Charles smiled at he gave her a quick spin, “I see I have gotten him in trouble. Well, he was setting himself up for. Please, do not be too hard on him. Things are hard enough for him.”
Danielle gave him a strange look. “What do you mean things are already hard enough for him? He has always seemed not to have a care in the world.”
“Henry will kill me; I just seem to be getting him into more and more trouble. He should know by now that I can’t avoid answering a question that is asked to me by a beautiful women.”
A bit of a blush forms on Danielle’s cheeks. “Just because you complimented me does not mean you get to avoid the question.”
Charles smiles, “I had to try.” He draws in a deep breath. “Henry is feeling a lot of pressure from your father right now. He is trying to make Henry take on responsibilities that he is not ready for. He is sending him around Europe trying to build good relationships with foreign countries. Your father is easing him into becoming King, but he is doing it too soon. Your father didn’t start being eased into being king until he was three and twenty. As you know, Henry is only nineteen. He is being forced to grow up to soon.” Both of them stared at each other for a moment. The song had just ended. “May I trust that I will see you again?”
“Indeed you can.” They bowed and Danielle went on to dance the next dance. Through out the evening she had many partners, but her mind kept on going back to her first dance of the night. Finally, Henry came to claim his dance. “I was afraid that you would have forgotten me.”
“I was afraid of the same thing. You seemed to have just as many partners as I have had. Although, it seem that you were not interested by any of your many partners. In fact, I can only recall you be interested in what the Marquis had to say.”
“Yes, he seems to be nice enough, and he is a friend of yours. I felt that I could trust him. He did accidentally tell me more then he should have. Henry you need to stand your guard when it comes to your father. I learn to do so long ago, and it has done me nothing but good. You can not let him run your life the way he is because before you know it he will marry you off to some girl who you hardly know.”
“Danielle, I pick and choose my battles, and there is no harm in that. Sure he is giving me more responsibility then I am ready for, but it is for my own good. Please try not to get in the way of things that you do not understand. I can handle my own matters.”
“Fine, I shall never bring it up again, but I am warning you now you are losing valuable years. These years are supposed to be spent in simple enjoyment not in some foreign country discussing policy. Your suppose to be making friends and falling in love, but instead you are letting father mold you into a miniature him.”
“You have changed considerably Danielle, and I am not sure it is for the better.”
Danielle glares at him, “I am not the only one who has changed.” They spent the rest of the dance in silence both were agitated by other. They were finally together, and yet they both wanted to be a part.
After the dance ended, Henry was quickly engaged in another, but Danielle decided to sit a few out in order to calm her present state of mind. She got herself a drink, and then sat down in a chair that secluded her from most of the guests. Her precaution was in vain. Moments after she sat down she heard someone say, “What is the most sought after female doing hiding in the corner.” She looked up to see Charles.
She welcomed him with a half smile. “Your welcome to join me. I really do not mind. I just had to get away from everyone.”
“Everyone being Henry. I see you confronted him about what I told you, and he didn’t take it too well.” She nodded, “I did not think he would. I never had the courage to question him about it, but I knew that you would. Perhaps that is why I told you.”
“So you were setting me up to leap into an argument with Henry?”
“No, I was just trying to help him out. I was almost positive that he would listen to you.”
“Maybe he did, but he just does not want me to know