pursuing the Comte de Cher's soon-to-be
'What of the betrothed husband?' Anjou demanded. 'Where does he stand in all of this?'
'He is amused,' the Queen Mother said, 'and does not consider Navarre a severe threat to his betrothed wife. Were it not for my aid, Navarre would not have a chance with the lady, but I shall give him that chance. The Duchesse de Beuvron was once to marry the Seigneur de Marisco. Now that she is widowed, she would like to regain his favor. I will see that she has a chance to plead her case tonight while you, Anjou, will lead Madame Burke to a secluded place to meet Navarre. She will not, of course, know she is meeting him. She will believe she is to see me, that I wish her to carry a personal message from me to Elizabeth Tudor when she returns to England.'
'What if she plays on Navarre's sense of honor?' de Guise asked. 'What then, madame?'
Catherine de Medici snorted. 'Must I outline everything for you? Anjou, my secret study, you know it.'
'The one with the bed in the alcove, Mother?'
'Yes! You will bring Madame Burke there. Drug her, or stun her with a light blow. Yes, perhaps that is better, for a drug might render her useless. Bind her hands, and see she is in a state of dishabille upon the bed. She has beautiful little breasts, and I note that Navarre is fascinated with them. One good look, and his gallantry will dissolve as his lust takes over.' She chuckled richly. 'Yes, one can depend upon Navarre's reactions when a beautiful woman is involved. Wait until after one o'clock before you lure Madame Burke away, Anjou. We want Navarre well occupied when the two o'clock tocsin sounds.'
The final ball that night was a triumph that spilled out from the ballrooms of the Louvre Palace into its neat flower-filled gardens that bordered the River Seine. Except for Henri of Navarre's unwelcome and persistent attentions, Skye was enjoying her time in Paris immensely. Yet she decided that she preferred the Tudor court to this one. There was too much intrigue in the French court, whose inhabitants were a touch too chic and too wicked to suit her taste.
'I never thought,' she said to Adam, 'that I should say I preferred the English and their bluff, honest ways; but compared to the French, they are less complicated.'
He chuckled down at her. 'Do you think you damned impossible Irish will ever stop fighting us, sweetheart?'
She looked up at him, her sapphire eyes wide with innocence. 'Why, Adam,' she said sweetly. ''Tis not the Irish who are fighting the English, 'tis the English who are fighting the Irish.'
'Not this Englishman,' he murmured, bending low to brush her lips with his.
Skye's heart began to race wildly. He seemed to be having that effect on her these days. 'Devil!' she whispered back at him. 'If you don't stop your provocative behavior I shall certainly cause a scene.'
'Adam, you cannot refuse Queen Catherine. Athenais is one of her favorites. I know that nothing the duchesse says can change how you feel, nor should it, but as the Queen has personally involved herself, you must give Athenais a fair hearing.'
'Adam,' Skye said softly, 'how often have I wanted to refuse Elizabeth Tudor, and both you and Robbie have not let me. What is good for me must also be good for thee. Go and speak with the bitch. I do not mind.'
'I suppose we cannot have Catherine de Medici angry at us, especially should we need her refuge from the Tudors. All right, sweetheart, I’ll go and let Athenais prattle at me for a while, and I promise, maman, not to wring her deceiving little neck!' He stomped away across the ballroom to where the Duchesse of Beuvron waited by Queen Catherine's side, smiling smugly.
'You are so very good for him, my dear,' Gaby said softly. 'I have not really seen my son happy in many years. You are the cause of that happiness, and I shall ever be grateful to you for it.'
'It is not hard to make Adam happy, Gaby. I love him,' she said quietly. 'Had he not been so concerned for my welfare, and I not so concerned about everything else, we might have wed long ago. Now I will let nothing stop us.'
'Madame Burke?'
The two women turned, and recognizing the Duc of Anjou, they both curtseyed low. 'Your Highness.'
He acknowledged their obeisance, and then said, 'Madame Burke, my mother would like to speak with you privately if you will follow me, please.'
'Queen Catherine wishes to see me? Forgive me, M'sieur le Duc, but I do not understand.'
'I believe, madame, that my mother wishes you to carry a personal message back to England when you go; a message to your Queen. They have become quite friendly duc to the negotiations between our two families regarding the matter of a marriage between my brother Alencon and Elizabeth Tudor.'
'Go, my dear,' Gaby said. 'You are being honored that Queen Catherine would speak to you herself.' Gaby reached out to smooth Skye's hair and dress in a motherly fashion. 'There,
The Duc of Anjou smiled pleasantly and led Skye off. 'I must say, madame,' he said as they departed the ballroom, 'that your gown is a triumph this evening. That particular shade of mauve pink highlights the creamy clarity of your skin, and I should have never thought to use silver with pink crystal beads for the panel of your underskirt. Your dressmaker is obviously French, and not English.'
'You have found me out, M'sieur le Duc,' Skye replied.
'I must admit to having had this gown made at Archambault by the chateau's dressmaker.'
'Did she choose the colors?'
'No, I always choose my own colors and fabrics.'
'You have an eye, madame. Most women, I have found, are willing to be led in the matter of dress, which too often results in their looking ridiculous.'
'Where are we going?' Skye asked Anjou as they seemed to be moving farther and farther away from the ballroom.
'My mother has a private study in a remote part of the palace. It insures that she not be disturbed. There are
