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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
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 42
After refusing to participate in the creation of the declaration, François fell out of favor, although the queen did not drive him away. Once, leaving the Louvre, he saw an approaching carriage. The Cardinal of Lorraine emerged from it and, seeing François, went towards him.- Mister Baron!It was clear from de Guise's face that something important had happened. He asked François to return with him to the palace for a conversation.They entered Romagnac's study, and, seating himself in an armchair, the cardinal began:“A messenger has arrived from Madrid, your grace. Her Majesty has passed away.For the first moment, François did not understand anything, and his heart stopped.Is Catherine dead?- The Lord is with you, baron. Elizabeth, Queen of Spain.François felt both relief and pain at the same time. Thank God, not Catherine. But... oh, Blessed Virgin... poor Doña Isabella! He bowed his head, images flashed before his eyes: here Elizabeth, still a girl, reaches out her hands to hi
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 43
Events began to develop four days after the wedding. On the morning of August 22, an assassination attempt was made on Coligny. It was only by a lucky chance that the admiral survived, but the attacker wounded him in the arm and shot off his finger. The indignant Protestants began to arm themselves, took under guard the house of Coligny and the surrounding streets. Threats of revenge were heard from everywhere. The townspeople, on the contrary, rejoiced at the attack on the head of the Huguenots and regretted that he had survived. Paris buzzed like a disturbed beehive.In the evening of the next day, Francois was walking in the Tuileries Garden, next to which Catherine's new palace was being completed. The day before, at a reception in the Town Hall, an unusual dish was served - grated frozen fruits with milk, which the guests liked so much that many of them ate several servings. Among them was François, but these excesses played a cruel joke on him: he had a cold in his throat, lost
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 44
Dr. Gold paused, and the vicar took advantage of this to ask a question:- Was it St. Bartholomew's night?- Yes, my friend, it was St. Bartholomew's night. When the king left, I stood at the window for a long time, looking out into the street with horror and despair. In front of the gates of the Louvre, in the light of torches, I saw no less than twenty half-dressed corpses. The guards dragged them to the embankment and threw them into the Seine. And how much they have already thrown off before that, God knows.- And you saw it all, Michael?- Alas, yes. I can't describe how terrible it was. The scale of this massacre shocked everyone even then, and in fact in those days a human life was worth much less than now. The authorities, having planned and carried out the murder of several dozen Huguenots, soon lost control of the situation. Approximate de Guise, having finished with Coligny, went to the south bank of the Seine, to Saint-Germain, where many Calvinists stopped. The Parisians,
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 45
The guests were greeted by a huge delegation of senators, ministers, bishops, gentry, officials, many of them came with their troops, and before entering the city, a whole army stretched out under multi-colored banners. The French froze in surprise when a company of winged hussars advanced towards them. It was the elite Polish cavalry, which had a very unusual appearance: wings of eagle feathers were attached behind the back of each rider, and spotted fur robes were thrown over the armor. The hussars rode in close ranks, their cloaks fluttered, their wings fluttered in the wind, and this spectacle made a stunning impression on the guests.After the solemn meeting, Heinrich and his retinue were escorted to Krakow. The city struck the French. Wide streets, beautiful Gothic churches, an ancient university and, of course, a huge, several times larger than the Louvre, Wawel Castle on a hill - the royal residence. Adjacent to it was the majestic Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslas,
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 46
After the coronation celebrations ended so tragically, several days passed, and then feasts and balls resumed. Now they were no longer dedicated to Henry's accession to the throne, but became a common occurrence in his reign. The king paid almost no attention to state affairs, he was much more interested in holidays and receptions. Evening and night he devoted to balls, and during the day he usually slept. When the gentry began to grumble that Heinrich did not fulfill his promises, Francois decided to talk with his "nephew", but received a sharp rebuff.- Remind me, uncle, who is the king, me or you? Heinrich asked bitterly.“Of course you are, sir,” François replied calmly, “that is why you should devote more time to the affairs of the state.- So, since I'm the king, it's up to me to decide what needs to be done.Sir, the gentry are unhappy...- Well, what do you want from me? Heinrich exclaimed capriciously. “I sit in these terrible meetings almost every day. You have no idea how b