I cannot believe she would betray him.”
“I’m sure she believes she is serving him.”
He frowns in confusion.
“She is fashioned from the same cloth as he is.”
“And I am not.” The despondency in his voice cuts deeply at me.
“Your Majesty. Parents, good parents, don’t want us to be miniature versions of themselves, but hope for us to have a better life—”
“But I am a king!”
“A better life isn’t just measured in the titles we hold, but in how we feel while living it. Your father may have been a great king, but he did you a disservice by constantly railing against the things you value.”
His eyes shift to the wall, almost by instinct, and I am glad that rutting picture is hundreds of miles away. “Your ambitions, which were different than his, were still a way to keep the crown of France thriving,” I continue. “And while I’ve no love for the regent, for the last twelve years, she’s held the reins of power. If not for the misfortune of her sex, she would have been king.”
He shoots me a glance. “And this is supposed to cheer me?”
“She clearly has the sharp wits and bold cunning to be an efficient ruler, but would she have been a good one? Who is to say what horrors she might have wrought if not required by law and custom to twist and contort in order to hide the power she wielded. Or perhaps such open power would have allowed her to be less devious. But that was not the case.” My voice hardens with my own anger and bitterness. “She not only clung to power once it was rightfully yours, but has gone out of her way to undermine you and the rightful queen. She is like a pauper who, once starved, will never be full again. No matter how much she eats, that deep hunger will always haunt her.”
“Are you saying my sister deserves mercy?”
“No more than she has shown others.”
His eyes glimmer with appreciation. “A neatly issued sentence.”
I shrug. “She tried to use me as a weapon against you. Though I am not a sword, the cut would have been deep. I am not so generous a person as to be able to forgive that. Are you?”
Chapter 104
As instructed by the steward, I present myself outside the king’s audience chamber and await further instructions. Moments later, the king approaches, deep in conversation with General Cassel.
No, not conversation but an argument. I keep my attention focused on the audience chamber even as I strain to listen. “But your father—”
“My father is no longer king. France is mine now to rule as I see fit.” It is all I can do not to cheer at the king’s words. Now if only he will rule as I hope he will. “The sooner both you and my sister come to accept that, the better.” When they reach the door where I wait, General Cassel gives the king a brusque bow and enters the chamber.
“You sent for me, Your Majesty?”
“Yes. The queen should be here to witness this, but since she is still in Amboise, I thought you should do so on her behalf.”
“Or mayhap Lady Sybella?” I suggest, frustrated by his continued disrespect for her.
But he is in no mood to hear suggestions. “Do you wish to bear witness for your queen or not?”
“Of course.” He nods once, then strides toward the front of the audience chamber. I hang back, close enough to hear but not so close as to draw unwelcome attention.
In addition to his Privy Council, I am surprised to see both the Duke of Orléans and Madame Regent’s husband, the Duke of Bourbon. A door opens off to the side, and the regent herself is escorted in by Captain Stuart. He leads her, not to where the other council members are gathered, but to stand in front of the king. As if she is on trial. My pulse quickens.
“Anne de Beaujeu,” the king intones.
The regent’s nostrils flare, and she tilts her chin in defiance.
“In the last two years, you have engaged in a number of activities without the approval of myself or the council at large. Many of these activities—in spite of your assurances otherwise—go directly against the wishes of the crown. In light of recent testimony, I believe that the queen was only involved in the rebellion in an effort to stop it. I will be releasing the prisoners, believing them innocent until I have demonstrable proof otherwise.” It is all I