No one has to know

Chapter 29

Francis had the guards take Bash and Diane outside, while he waited inside the church. Father John had gotten a physician and taken Catherine in the other room. Mary and Greer were with her, but Francis couldn't bring himself to go in the room. He paced back and fourth, not sure what his feelings were supposed to be. Anger and worry and confusion all fought to take precedence. After awhile, Mary emerged from the room. Francis looked up and spoke purposefully in an even tone so as not to give away his conflict of emotion.

"Is she alright?" He asked.

"For now." He looked away. "But with her condition..."

"What condition?" He asked

"Well maybe you would know, had you bothered to let anyone get a word in." She said "She's been ill. She stands a chance of losing the baby or even dying...He said it was probably stress that brought this episode on. So by all means, continue your temper tantrums if you wish to kill her."

"I don't want her to die." He said flatly.

"Then stop acting like an ass." Mary said. Francis said nothing, but simply stormed out of the church.

"Francis!" She called after him, but he did not respond.

He stomped outside and ordered the guards back to the castle. Two guards that held Diane were already on horseback, and took off immediately. Bash who was being held by Leith and the remainder of the guards, were still standing.

"Francis, is she alright?" Bash asked his arms held shackled behind his back. Francis stared for a moment and then mounted his horse. "Francis, please...is she alright?" He started to leave. "You don't have to say anything else, just yes or no...Francis!"

"Take him away, now!" Francis ordered and took off. Bash started to panic. Leith saw this and felt for him. "Please Leith, I need to know." Has pleaded.

"Ready the horses!" Leith yelled to the other guard. "But do it slowly." he added.

"Thank you." Bash said simply. Mary and Greer exited the church, each with an arm around Catherine.

"Thank you both, but this really isn't necessary..." She said. Bash looked up relieved.

"Catherine!" He called. She rushed to him carefully. "Oh God, I was so worried." He said, leaning forward, hands still shackled, into her embrace.

"I'm alright. I promise." She said, holding his face and pressing her forehead to his. He raised his face to kiss her gently. She touched the cut on his lip.

"I'm so sorry." She said.

"It's nothing." He said.

"We really have to go, Bash, before Francis notices we aren't behind him." Leith interupted.

"Go. It's OK." She said. Leith helped him onto the horse and they took off. Mary and Greer came up behind her and Mary took her arm and led her to the carriage that Francis had left them.

Back at the castle, Bash was thrown back into the tower with his mother. They sat in silence for a while when Diane finally spoke.

"Won't you say something? This silence is deafening." She said.

"And what would you like me to say? You have destroyed everything! I may never get to set eyes on my own child because of you!" His anger growing by the second.

"I didn't know she was pregnant." She said.

"And that would have made a difference?" He hissed. She looked away. "I hope you're happy, because all you've served to do is make me love her more. I used to think she contributed a part in all of the bad blood with father, but now I'm not even sure he did. It was all you whispering in his ear wasn't it!? You're selfish and power hungry and I hope Francis takes everything from you! And one day when you end up old and alone, maybe you'll look back on this day and realize it was your downfall!" Bash turned from her and sat facing out the small window in silence.

Mary brought Catherine back to her room and tried to get her to calm down. Catherine put her nightgown on and Mary made her lie down. She sat on the bed next to her and held her hand.

"You need to get some rest." She said.

"How am I supposed to rest with all that's happened?" She asked.

"You have to try. You might have to lose Bash, you don't want to lose your child too." She said. A single tear fell from her eye. Mary wiped it away and brushed a her hair away from her face. "It'll be alright."

After Mary had calmed Catherine down a bit, she went to go find Francis, who was seated on his throne, head in his hands.

"So you've put him back in the tower. What exactly do you plan on doing now?" She asked.

"I don't know." He said quietly.

"Does that mean you're thinking of letting him stay?" She said.

"I don't know." He repeated.

"And what of Diane?" She probed.

"I don't know. I don't know. I don't know!" He got up off the throne and started pacing. "You may let him out of the tower. But he is to be heavily guarded. I won't have him sneaking out again...My mother needs rest and I need to think. We'll revisit this in the morning." He said exiting the throne room. Mary went and told Leith to let Bash out and then went back to let Catherine know. She sat on the bed again and saw she'd been crying.

"I have a small bit of good news. Francis has let Bash out of the tower. He says he's not sure what he will do yet, but that must be a good sign." She said. Catherine sat up a bit.

"He was so angry. Even if he doesn't send Bash away, what if I've lost him? What if he hates us forever? I couldn't take that." Catherine said. Mary gave her an understanding look.

"Alright, let's just worry about one thing at a time. You are going to get some sleep if it's the last thing I do." She said.

"I can't." Catherine replied.

"Do you remember what you used to do when I wouldn't sleep?"

"Mary..."

"You used to sit just like like this," she said leaning back on the pillow and stroking her hair. "And you used to tell me stories."

"Mary if you try to..."

"Once there was a wise and beautiful Queen who fell in love with a young hunter."

"Honestly, I'm not a child."

"One day, the Queen's son locked the hunter in a tower and the Queen thought she'd never see her love again. But the Queen went to sleep that night and when she woke, her son had regained his senses and they all lived happily ever after."

Catherine couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You are ridiculous." She said. "But thank you." Mary smiled and stood.

"Now rest." She said and blew out the candle on the bedside and quietly closed the door as she left.

A short while later, she heard a noise and lit the candle once more. It was Bash.

"After what happened tonight, sneaking in here is the last thing you should be doing. If Francis catches you..." She said.

"I have four guards outside my room, they don't know about the passages and I don't think Francis will be paying either of us a visit tonight. I just needed to see you." He said as he sat on the bed. Catherine threw her arms around him and he sunk onto the bed holding her. They stayed like that until Catherine fell asleep and Bash quietly slipped back out.