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Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 29
On a cloudy October day in 1547, majordomo Luigi Alamanni entered the queen's chambers, where she, surrounded by ladies-in-waiting, was sitting at embroidery. This noble Italian, the most educated person, poet and philosopher, once participated in a conspiracy against the future Pope Clement the Seventh, and when the conspiracy was discovered, he fled to France and entered the service of the king. For the past three years, Senor Alamanni has acted as Catherine's majordomo, and she, seeing the Italian's devotion, asked him to be by her side all the time.“Your Majesty,” he announced with a bow, “the señor de Gondi has come. He asks to be accepted on an important matter.Catherine nodded, and a minute later the major-domo brought in a short, stout gentleman dressed in the Italian style. With a deep bow, he approached and said in Italian:“Your Majesty, my envoy has returned.The queen motioned for the ladies-in-waiting to come out and, concealing her impatience, turned to the Florentine
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 30
A cautious rumor went around the court - the Marquis d'Umbre was arriving in Paris in order to meet with the envoy of the queen. The marquis was the worst enemy of Diane de Poitiers, but, despite the king's disposition towards her, d'Umbre was not forbidden to appear at court. Nevertheless, he preferred not to appear in the capital, knowing full well that the favorite would try to send assassins to him.Whether the marquis would really arrive, and when this would happen, no one knew. Therefore, the curious ladies-in-waiting approached François one after another.“Tell me, chevalier, is there any truth in the rumors about the arrival of the Marquis?”“Ah, dear de Romagnac, I'm just curious, is d'Umbre really going to show up?To all questions, François politely replied that he did not know anything about this, and he saw in the eyes of the disappointed ladies that they did not believe him.And only when Louise approached him with this question, he took her by the arm and led her to the
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 31
“I heard a very caustic anecdote today, madam,” Francois began cautiously, finishing his next letter. - About a certain nobleman, a close relative of a noble lady, who has neither a castle nor land.The queen exploded. Not for the first time, the "cousin" hinted that it would be nice for him to have his own fief, but she was categorically against it. "If I give him a castle, he will go there. No, I don't want to be without him."“Believe me, dear brother,” Catherine answered coldly, “when the time comes, you will have both land and a title. Until then, please don't rush me.François did not speak of the feud again.A year later, at Fontainebleau, the queen gave birth to her third son, Henry. The balls and receptions that followed were very pompous. A month later, the royal court returned to Paris.Meanwhile, the war for possession of Northern Italy resumed, which had previously been fought with varying success by the French kings Louis XII and Francis I. Henry's main opponent in this
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 32
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
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 33
Francois had to return to the Chatelet. For an hour he urged Isabelle to tell him the truth, but the girl stood her ground. Yes, the same house, with a red roof and a green door. It was there that she bought the infusion, it was there that the sorceress lived. And there was no sign on the house - no fish shop, no other.Confused, François again went to the Rue Pouri. Maybe the fishmonger just opened?Arriving at the ill-fated house, Romagnac knocked on the door with a hammer, but no one answered him. A guy walking by in a white canvas shirt and bright blue chauffeurs shouted:- There's no one there, your grace!The Chevalier approached him.- Why? Isn't the shop open?“The hosts have been gone for two weeks now, sir,” the lad explained eagerly. “Someone got sick in their village. And even the sign was removed, and now someone has hung it up again.François was worried.- And when the house stood without a sign?- Yes, read, from St. Anthony himself, and she appeared again three days a
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 34
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
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 35
The next year and a half became a real torture for Romagnaka. He was forced to carry out the orders of the hated duchess, each time betraying the queen. Admittedly, Diana's demands were not excessive - she forced Francois either to steal the letter she needed, or to try to persuade Catherine to some kind of decision. The queen guessed that a spy had again appeared in her entourage, and more than once asked her "dear brother" to find him. François languidly feigned activity in search of a spy, while he himself painfully thought about how to get rid of blackmail.But Diana was not going to let her victim out of her clutches and once a month or two demanded to render her another "little favor". And Francois again and again went to meanness, each time convincing himself: "It's not my fault. I just have to do it." He did not want to admit the obvious - blackmail became possible only due to the fact that he himself initially went to deception. Nevertheless, he felt badly, and the feeling of
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 36
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