All the Sweet Tomorrows

'No, brother,' Anjou murmured soothingly, 'the Church will not condemn us for destroying the heretics. They will sing our praises.'

Charles looked to his mother. Catherine de Medici said nothing, but she did nod her head in the affirmative.

'I can't.'

'You must!' de Guise pounded.

“There is no choice,' Anjou said. 'It is either you or them, dearest brother! We cannot lose you. You are France!'

'All of them?'

'All!'' de Guise thundered, a fanatic's gleam in his eye.

'Not Navarre or Conde,' the Queen Mother said with sudden determination in her voice. If Margot were freed of Navarre it would only be a matter of time before the Princesse de Porcien was put aside by her husband de Guise. Catherine knew that her sons would then be killed ruthlessly, and with Navarre gone, de Guise would press his slender claim to the throne with a Valois heiress as his wife. Oh no, my clever friend, Catherine thought. I am smarter than that!

'It must be all,' de Guise insisted.

'Navarre and Conde will convert to Catholicism when faced with no other choice. With their leaders gone the remaining Huguenots will also have no other choice but to return to Mother Church. We need these people, Charles. They are industrious and clever, and have much to offer us. Navarre and Conde must be spared.'

'Yes, Mother, I understand, but as for the rest, kill them all! I want not one left alive to reproach me! Not one!' He began to shiver uncontrollably with fear. 'Marie,' he whimpered. 'I want Marie!'

Catherine turned her all-seeing eyes to Alencon. 'You,' she snapped, pointing a fat accusatory finger at him, 'Fetch Mademoiselle Touched'

With a mocking smile of congratulation and a sketchy bow, the Duc d'Alencon said, 'Of course, maman. At once,' and he left the King's chamber.

Mademoiselle Touchet, the King's mistress, was quickly brought to him from her nearby apartments. Seeing his distress, Marie Touchet ran to the King with a sympathetic little cry and began to soothe his fears with her gentle reassurances, from soft hands and voice. The Queen Mother nodded approvingly, and then signaled to the others to follow her out of the room. The frightened King never even saw them go.

Outside the King's rooms Catherine de Medici turned to her son, Anjou, and the Duc de Guise. 'I mean what I say, gentlemen. If anything happens to Navarre or Conde, you will not survive them any longer than it takes me to find out; and you know that I do not speak idly, messieurs.'

'When is it to be done?' Anjou demanded.

'Come with me to my apartments, and we will speak further on it,' his mother said, moving swiftly away from the King's rooms. Entering her salon, she abruptly dismissed her women, and then, turning to de Guise and her son, said, 'It must be done tonight.'

'There is no time,' replied de Guise, the soldier.

'You have no choice,' Catherine said. 'At this very moment Coligny lies wounded, but tomorrow or the next day he will be well enough to come to the King with his personal accusations. Then all is lost for us. It must be tonight! Now! Before Coligny has the opportunity to see Charles again.'

'It is not yet evening,' de Guise mused slowly. 'Perhaps if we worked quickly, and spread the word to our people. Once it has begun, all Paris will join in to destroy the Huguenots. Yes, it can be done! When the tocsin sounds at two o'clock tomorrow morning, we will begin. Is that satisfactory, Majesty? Is that time enough?'

'Yes,' was the reply. 'It is a good time, for the pious Huguenots will be sleeping in their houses.' She smiled. 'All but my good beau-frere, who will be celebrating with the rest of the court at the last ball to be given in honor of his marriage to my daughter. Tomorrow Margot and Navarre will go down to Chenonceaux for their honeymoon trip away from all distractions of the court.'

'I still say that Navarre should be killed, too,' de Guise muttered.

'Why? So your adulterous union with my daughter might be made legal-after, of course, the removal of your wife? I think not, de Guise. Be grateful I did not have you removed forcibly these past three afternoons from my daughter's bed where you have lingered while Henri of Navarre played tennis with Alencon in the courts by the river.'

'Madame!' The Duc de Guise made an attempt at denial, which Catherine waved aside.

'Do not bother to deny the truth, m'sieur. It is of no import in this matter. What is important is that we keep our dear Navarre and Conde amused tonight. I think for Conde it will be Mademoiselle de Grenier.'

'You cannot lure Conde with a woman, Mother! He is newly married himself, and besides, he is an awful prude,' Anjou said.

Catherine laughed. 'You underestimate me, my son. Conde's passion, military strategist that he is, is chess. Mademoiselle de Grenier is the finest chess player at court. She will engage him in a tourney, and keep him thus occupied. As to his wife, I will see that Alencon keeps her amused, for she is quite fond of him in a sisterly way.'

'And Navarre?' the Duc de Guise queried Catherine.

'For Navarre I have a special treat, messieurs. Since the night before his wedding he has been vigorously