For a long time, François had not heard anything from Louise. The next morning after their meeting, she left in an unknown direction, and he had no choice but to come to terms with the loss. Darkness settled in his soul, he painfully searched for the reason for such an inglorious end of their love.From what the girl said, he concluded that her father was marrying her off. Well, this is not uncommon, quite often parents arrange profitable parties for their daughters, and no one cares about their own opinion. But François could not understand in any way what was wrong with him? Yes, he has no land, but he is the Queen's private secretary and her "cousin". And, of course, if he thought of marrying, Catherine would not be stingy, because the monarchs often gave their relatives money and land for the wedding. Could it be that Louise didn't think about it and tell her father about it?In the thought of the marriage of his beloved, he was strengthened by the hints that the courtiers allowed

But for now, religious confrontations were a matter of the future, but the struggle with Spain was a threatening reality. Philip, who succeeded his father Charles on the Spanish throne, married Mary Tudor, Queen of England, and the British immediately declared war on France. Now Henry had to fight two strong opponents at the same time. Terrible news began to come from the battlefields. First, the French were forced to leave Siena, which put an end to Catherine's dreams of returning the Italian lands that belonged to her by right of inheritance. But it was half the trouble, a real disaster broke out in August 1557, when the troopsPhilip II, with the support of the British and Duke Emmanuel of Savoy, besieged the French city of Saint-Quentin, located just forty leagues northeast of Paris. Admiral Coligny defended the city with a small garrison for several weeks, but the troops of the constable de Montmorency, who came to his aid, were utterly defeated by the Spaniards and the British. C

Running into Montgomery's house, Francois rushed to the armory, where, with the help of the servants who came to the rescue, he threw off his bloody armor, and went to the room where the owner remained. The count was still sleeping on the bench, the chevalier pulled up a chair, sat down in it, and again cast a spell. He did not have time to feel dizzy, immediately plunging into a deep sleep. Montgomery, back in his body, looked around in surprise. Seeing François sleeping on the bench, he began to wake him up. He raised himself on his elbow, looked dumbfounded at the count and muttered:- What kind of wine do you have, Montgomery? It just knocks you off your feet.Yes, I seem to have passed out too. Get up, Romanyak, it's time for the tournament. Will you come with me?- No, - François shook his head, desperately trying to wake up, - something is not right for me, so I, perhaps, will go to my place.He got up and, swaying slightly, walked to the door.- Good luck, Count.***The wound

Later, recalling this day, François felt a slight shiver: a little more, and the boy would have been burned. And, of course, he couldn't help but admire the Grand Inquisitor. He was confused, delayed with his words for at least half a minute, and a panic would begin in the crowd, caused by the sudden darkness. But Don Fernando not only distracted people, he gave them something to do - to read a prayer. And just during it, the sunlight returned, further strengthening the faith of the townspeople.On the way to the Alcazar, the queen said:- I'm so glad, uncle, that you came with me. If you had not managed to notice the sign in time, the saint would have been burned.François laughed happily. This day was dear to him, but in the end everything worked out. "Thank you, Nostrdam!"Don Rodrigo was shocked. How can you deliberately cause a solar eclipse? The Spaniard was infinitely grateful to Francois, but began to be wary of him - is he really a sorcerer? Romagniac was forced to tell about

The next few months were devoted to preparing for the Big Tour. Francois, all this time, was actively involved in political affairs, embodying a new policy of religious tolerance and absolutism of royal power. The chancellor instructed him to negotiate with both Catholics and Protestants, and almost always Francois managed to achieve success to one degree or another. He helped to develop financial reform and create a legislative framework for the new policy of the king.At the end of January, the royal court left Paris and moved towards Fontainebleau. Here the cortege stopped for a month, waiting for the arrival of all those who wished to participate in the Grand Tour. There were many of them, and when the court left Fontainebleau in mid-March and headed southwest, there were more than four thousand people in the cortege: the royal family, courtiers, maids of honor, five companies of armed nobles, a regiment of guards, musicians, doctors, cooks, butlers , bedding, jesters, dwarfs. Tra