1636: The Cardinal Virtues – Snippet 29
Chapter 17
Chateau de Baronville, Beville-le-Comte
The ringing of bells awaked Anne from a restful sleep. She could feel the deep pain from labor still, but her exhaustion had been deeper. Even before opening her eyes she reached down to feel her chest: after seven and a half months it felt strange to be without the life that had inhabited her womb.
Strange, she thought. And wonderful.
She knew that the infant would be with a wet-nurse nearby; yet she wished to hold her son, to look upon him. He had only been in her arms for a few short minutes just after his birth before he had been taken away and she had descended into sleep.
She opened her eyes to see the young woman who had been her midwife and doctor: she was sitting in a padded chair, dozing, a coat wrapped around her. It had clearly been a long night for her as well.
“Mademoiselle Katie,” she said, and when the young up-timer woman did not answer, she repeated herself, pitching her voice somewhat louder.
Katie Matewski stirred and then awoke fully, startled. She looked across at Anne and rose quickly, shrugging off the coat and coming to the bedside. “I . . . I beg your pardon, Majesty,” she said in passable French. “I must have drifted off.”
“Do not trouble yourself. Tell me — why are the bells ringing?”
“I’m not sure, my lady. I can go and see. Are you in discomfort? Are you –”
“I am very tired, but I seem to be well. Please go and inquire, and give my compliments to my lord of Uzès.” Uzès was the first gentleman of the bedchamber: he was the first on hand at the queen’s arising and the last on her retirement.
“By your leave,” Katie said. The curtsy was not exactly to court standards, complicated perhaps by the fact that the young lady was dressed in a man’s trousers. If this had been a down-timer, a subject of the kingdom, there might be some slight affront — but she was an up-timer, from whom all sorts of informalities were expected.
Katie opened the bedchamber door and stepped into the outer room. Mazarin was there with Uzès and another man whom she had never seen. He was dressed for travel and looked as if he had come far and ridden hard.
She closed the door behind her. The three men stopped their conversation as Katie appeared.
“How does the queen?” Uzès asked.
“She has just awoken,” Katie said. “I haven’t examined her yet but she seems well. I had a little nap myself, but left word that I should be notified if there was any problem with mother or child.”
“The baby is doing well,” Mazarin said. “But grim news has arrived.”
“Is that why the bells are ringing?”
“Yes,” Mazarin answered. “There has been an ambush. The king is dead.”
“Dead? What happened? An — an ambush?”
The stranger gave a bow. “Mademoiselle, my name is Étienne Servien. I have the honor to serve His Eminence Cardinal Richelieu. We were on our way to this place when we were viciously and violently attacked. My master was severely wounded, and His Majesty the king was slain.” He was distraught as he spoke the words.
“The queen must be told,” Katie said.
“More than that,” Mazarin said. “She must be made ready to travel, and right away. We must leave Beville-le-Comte as soon as possible: there may be a further attack on her person.”
“And the baby –”
“He is in terrible danger,” said Servien. “He is the king of France now, and he has many enemies, none greater than his uncle. It is certain that Gaston was behind the attack. The assassins were led by César de Vendôme, the king’s — and Gaston’s — eldest brother, a légitimé. Gaston will now seek to have himself crowned king.”
“He can’t do that,” Katie said. “Can he?”
“He can,” Mazarin answered, “though he should not. But this is a circumstance often governed by power, not propriety.”
“So who exactly is Vendôme? I thought we were talking about Gaston.”
“César de Vendôme is the king’s eldest half-brother, Mademoiselle,” Mazarin explained. “Before Louis and Gaston were born, King Henry the Fourth of fond memory fathered three children by his first mistress, Gabrielle d’Estrées. César is the oldest of the three. His younger brother Alexandre died in prison several years ago, and his younger sister is now the duchess of Elbeuf. They were all declared légitimés — recognized for their royal blood, but ineligible for further preferment. In a different world, César de Vendôme might have been king of France; while in this one, he has become a regicide.”
“Did he become king in my ‘different world’, Monseigneur?”
“No,” Mazarin said. “He is just as much a bastard in your up-time history. He engaged in further intrigues, including participation in a cabal against me.” He smiled briefly, the strange twists of time and history bemusing him and pushing aside the gravity and tragedy of the situation. “He has many grudges against Cardinal Richelieu, and evidently had enough resentment against his lord king that he did not hesitate to put him to the sword as well.”
“Will he attack us here?”
“No,” Mazarin said. “Because we will not be here. We will be elsewhere.”
****
Near dawn, the royal party was assembled in the chapel of Baronville to baptize the child. The first wan light was straining to pass through the thick glass windows. The room was lit with several small candles. Anne, less than twenty-four hours after childbirth, looked radiant and regal, wearing a traveling dress that hung loosely on her frame, a beautiful necklace that reflected all the light in the room, and a small circlet on her head. She held the baby — the rightful king of France — in her arms, and to Katie she looked like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Achille, the brother of the Bishop, stood beside her, in the full regalia of a Knight of Malta, his hat tucked under one arm, his hand on his heart.
The rest of the group, including Monsieur Servien, stood nearby, except for Mazarin, who was to assist Bishop Léonore in the baptism.
Katie had found a dress to wear. She realized, just a little before the gathering in the chapel, that she didn’t feel proper dressing casually in church, even if it was just for a short ceremony; old habits die hard.
The castle servants had been gathered into a choir, and as Bishop Léonore entered the chapel, they began to sing. Mazarin, who waited near the altar, his hands joined in prayer, accompanied them.
Si introiero in tabernaculum domus meae si ascendero in lectum strati mei si dedero somnum oculis meis et palpebris meis dormitationem et requiem temporibus . . .
Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me . . .
Katie didn’t recognize the psalm, but the hastily-gathered singers gave a good account of it; the bishop made his way forward with little ceremony, until he reached the front of the chapel and turned to face the others. He carried his bishop’s crook and wore his alb and surplice; he had intended to perform the service after the baby’s birth, but probably wasn’t planning to do it under such strained circumstances.
Surprise! Its a boy! Now the fun begins
Louis the preemie. On his side, Katie Matewski, Mazarin, Turenne the Queen. On Gaston’s side, ???? I think Louis’ 0dds look ok.
On Gaston’s side:
– Spain.
– Every single noble snubbed by Richelieu during his “reign”
– Ambitious dukes and counts, who want to make the clock go backward and plunge France back into jolly time of unrestricted feudalism.
– Catholic fanatics who want a final solution to the “Huguenot question”
In other words, the same sort of people who ran the Fronde. This time, Turenne is on the other side from the beginning.
Louie the Preemie is right! Two years premature! (Louie 14 was born in 1638, not 1636.
Well, this one has a different father, so he’s not the same person as in OTL, even if he has (inevitably) the same name.
“Turenne the Queen” gave me a chuckle.
Sorry for the omitted comma. It’s by no means clear that Louis Preemie’s father was different from Louis XIV.
Yes but Mazarin is a preemie 2 in that he’s in France earlier . So it still ripples the “Butterfly Effect”.
All across Europe—All across the world—The Butterfly Effect is changing everything.
We must find this butterfly and stop it!
The butterfly is omnipotent.
question is: Will it result in donuts raining down from the sky? If so, we shall NOT kill the butterfly.
Glazed or sugared?
Jelly filled or custard?
We must be precise in these matters.
So long as they are glazed or with sprinkles. An maybe a few Apple Fritters.
— Stewart
The Butterfly has to agree to a Fat Tuesday special, or the deal’s off.
Here, Here, for Apple Fritters!
Nit: That should be “Hear, hear,” with the meaning that you want to hear more of the same thing.
So I say, HEAR, HEAR, for Apple Fritters!
Thanks for the correction. Once I read what I toooooo quickly typed I noticed the same error.
The nobles of France might think Louis XIII was bad. But he’s not a patch of Louis XIV. Centralized government. Divine right of kings. Nobles dancing attendance at Versailles. There is a tiny chance that this uptime history has reached the French nobility. One encyclopedia article would do the job. Unite the nobs in a civil war. Unite them against supporters of the newborn Sun King.
Of course, he isn’t the Sun King. Any more than you are identical with your younger brother. But nobody will care about that. Why take a chance? “Nits breed lice! Find the queen and her brat. Kill them!â€
After the ring of fire, absolutism is not a likely form of government. Of course the nobles aren’t likely to realize this. Nor are they likely to realize that they’re even less popular than a king. Any king. Nor are they likely to unite for any cause.
When it comes to keeping their cookie jars filled, the Haves will always unite against the Have-Nots.
And against any other threats. Young L’Etat, c’est moi qualifies.
But if Richelieu is dead or incapacitated, Mazarin is ready to step in. He has been to Grantville, has become friends with uptimers, and supposedly has imbibed at least some of the attitudes. But most of all, he will have seen the history of France, with events such as the Fronde, the wars, the Revolution, and has the mental agility to see what needs to be done and then do it. If he and Turenne manage to keep the infant king alive, the new Louis XIV will be nothing like the original.
now….where are the Three Musketeers? If this situation doesn’t call for them, I don’t know what will. All for One and One for All!!
Although this time the 3 Musketeers will be armed with Cardinal Rifles (or maybe Browning 12ga)
— Stewart
See Bradley Sinor’s stories: “On the Matter of D’Artagnan” (Grantville Gazette 10), “To End the Evening” (Ring of Fire III), and “All For One” (Gazette 41).