Festina Lente

Chapter Fifty-Five: Disgraced

5th of May 1534 - Château de Cognac

Clasping her hands in front of her, Eleanor of Austria whispered in prayer and kept her eyes fixed on the cross at the altar; she paid no mind to those around her knowing that her fate was sealed and soon she would no longer be the Queen of France. 

The months since the news had come to her that Francis had petitioned the Pope for a divorce on the grounds of Coercion and the fact that he feared that the illness that her family carried would spread to any children. 

Eleanor cursed her aunt, it had been Katherine's actions that had doomed them all and she had no doubts that even her own beloved daughter back in Portugal would be tainted by this. 

It had been many years since Eleanor had seen Maria, she had done what Charles had asked of her and had done her duty to her family when she had married Francis but it had come at a cost. 

Perhaps now she was no longer Queen of France, then she would be permitted to travel to Portugal once she had returned to her brother's court in disgrace and see her daughter again. 

Her thoughts turned to her own mother who had been declared insane by Ferdinand and then her brother, she remained locked away in a nunnery now and her sister shared her fate in England. 

Eleanor could not deny that in these months she wondered if she too would end up in a nunnery, locked away from the world and declared mad like the other woman in her family so that she would not cause problems. 

Her hands trembled at the thought, her brother had requested that no one would speak with their mother in her confinement as no good would come from it; Eleanor had to wonder what he would say about her. 

There were whispers about her great grandmother, Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Castile had been insane and that was where the insanity came from that now inflicted her mother and aunt. 

Crossing herself and raising to her feet, Eleanor stared at the Cross on the altar knowing that her fate was in God's hand; she wished only to see her daughter and that perhaps her brother would be kind to her. 

Turning around to exit the chapel, Eleanor paused at the sight of the Dauphin waiting to speak with her; a frown set upon his face doing little to offer her comfort.

Francis III, Duke of Brittany was a sombre man with solitary taste, he dressed in black more like the Spanish and many put that down to the time he spent in captivity in Madrid under the orders of her brother. 

He was a rather bookish man compared to his brothers after what had happened and Eleanor knew that her brother had not taken great care of the French Prince and his brother while they had been in his care. 

The two boys having been held in damp, dank cells for nearly three years before the treaty that had resulted in her becoming Queen Consort of France had been signed. 

"Your Highness?" Eleanor greeted softly, her eyes searching his face in hope of answers on why he had come to her; she did not see many people these days, keeping herself out of the sight of the people since Francis had announced his intentions. 

The last thing that Eleanor wished to do was make herself a Martyr in anyway, people despised her for her Habsburg blood and what her brother had done. 

"My Lady. I have come with news," the Dauphin stated, he had volunteered to come to break the news to her; he felt it would be kinder to hear the news from him than any of his father's men. 

He would break it kinder than they would, he pitied the woman who had been forced to marry his father and now was being cast aside so that his father might remarry another and fight the Emperor another way.