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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
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 37
The Queen and her "dear uncle" gradually settled down in Spain. François got acquainted with all the courtiers and, since he had spoken tolerably Spanish since the time of the Algerian captivity, he soon spoke easily with many of them. François enjoyed a special favor with a friend and adviser to the king, Don Ruy de Silva, the first prince of Eboli.Receptions and celebrations at the court were rare, and games were the favorite pastimes of the courtiers. They played everything: balls and skittles during the day, chess and cards in the evening.One evening, Francois sat down to play "Seven" in a pair with Ruy de Silva's close associate, Don Alvarez de Montoya, with whom Romagnac had an excellent relationship. The lovely Dona Lucia de Sepúlveda, a young lady-in-waiting to the queen, was to play against them, she came with a tall, thin seigneur of about fifty, whom she immediately introduced:- Don Rodrigo de Carreras, came to us for consultations with the Council of Castile. I will pla
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 38
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
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 39
Late in the evening, two pilgrims knocked on the gates of the fortress of Consuegra. The guard, having opened the observation window, looked in bewilderment at the figures in brown cassocks, girded with rope, with knapsacks and sticks, on which the wanderers leaned heavily. Their faces were half covered with hoods.- What do you want, holy fathers?“We are itinerant Franciscan friars,” the prince replied, imitating the common language. - Looking for shelter for the night, señor.“There is a monastery two leagues from here towards Toledo.The prince looked at François, who shook his head and sighed:- We won't get there.- Is it possible to stop at your place, my son? Don Rui turned to the guard again. - We are quiet, we will not harm anyone.- We have a fortress here, holy fathers, criminals with a dozen.- We will leave at dawn, we just need to rest our feet.The guard hesitated. "Of course not, but how can you refuse the monks?" He waved his hand and whispered:- All right, come in
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 40
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
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 41
François, entering the room, quietly approached the bed.- Anna! he whispered.She turned her head with visible effort and looked at him.- My dear...He glanced at her briefly - a fever, a damp forehead, sunken eyes, a frantic pulse. Supporting Anna's head, François forced her to take a few sips of the bitter. After drinking, she collapsed helplessly on the pillows and seemed to doze off. And he sat next to her and held his wife's thin, pale hand in his. Suddenly Anna opened her eyes and whispered:- Will you remember me? At least occasionally?François broke into a cold sweat at these words.- Come on, Anna, it's just a fever. Everything will be all right, you'll see, dear.Dr. Weklera entered with quick steps, followed by the midwife. After saying hello, he examined the patient and, calling François aside, shook his head ruefully.- Fever, your grace. She is so weak that even bloodletting is dangerous. Let's trust in the help of the Lord. I'll be here until the morning.François re