The Rose of Provence (7 page)

“
Milady, Doctor Nostradame would like to talk with you,” her
maid awkwardly stopped next to Diane.

Princess Poitiers gave one last glance in the mirror, and
acknowledged the sight contently. The light rays of the morning sun
glittered on her maroon curls, and the rouge powder masked the dark
circles that the insomnia drew under her eyes. She has hardly slept
for days; terrible
presentiment
disturbed her thoughts, the reason of which she
did not understand. She rubbed some more rouge powder on her cheeks
and lips, and then said with a sigh:

“
All right, I'll receive him. Show him in!”

The doctor was approaching with soft steps, and then he
stopped next to the sofa. Before he bowed, he noticed that trouble
shaded the princess’ forehead.

“
Excuse-me, Ma’am, for disturbing you at such an early hour,
but due to the issue at hand, I took the liberty of visiting you,
and it allows for no delay.”

When he uttered these words, Amrita appeared again in front
of his mental eyes as she was lying in the arms of earl de la Roux
or d’Angerville or whatever was the name of that hellhound. He knew
that the girl could never be his, because apart from the fact that
her heart has already long been taken, according to all
indications, the wheel of time does not turn equally for the two of
them either. The glimmering hope at the time of seeing her again
was pushed into a dark, bottomless pit by the emergence of the
earl, and it also irrevocably confronted him with the fact that he
squandered his love to an unearthly creature.

“
What’s wrong doctor? Your words and features frighten me,”
said Diane, and waved to the maid to leave them alone.

“
I must inform you of two bad pieces of news; moreover, these
are in correlation.”

“
Come on, Michel!

“
First of all, you have to know that Princess Catherine is
pregnant for some days, and she will give birth to a boy within
nine months.”

“
What?! But how could this be possible?” The noble lady’s face
grew pale at first just to burst into flames in the following
moment. “But that woman is infertile!”

“
Not anymore…”

“
Are you sure? How could anyone know about a pregnancy after a
few-days?!”

“
Milady, maybe you have already heard that I have certain
abilities, which help me to see the future.”

“
All right, let’s assume that you’re telling the truth.
According to these, a miracle has happened?”

“
Yes, we can say that,” nodded Michel. “And we can also say
that someone made a miracle.”

“
Please, Doctor, don’t speak in riddles! I’m at the end of my
patience,” whispered Diane with the calmness of a simmering
volcano.

“
Well, here is when the other bad piece of news comes into the
picture,” continued Michel, exhilarated, because he knew that he
found his match for his plans with the woman. “A witch is living in
the court, near the crown prince and his wife. This wench helped
Catherine with black magic to get pregnant by her
husband.”

“
Who is that?!”

“
Amrita du Bois, the princess’ lady,” Michel uttered the name,
and it discouraged him that by mentioning the girl’s name, his
heart still sank.

“
That little whore!” hissed Diane, and the feast came to her
mind where Henri glutted his eyes on the red-haired girl. “I should
have got rid of her when she first queered my pitch…”

“
And this is still not the end of the story,” said the Doctor
languidly. “I’m so sure about this, because I knew Amrita in my
youth as well. At that time, she lived in Arles, and she was
twenty-five years old as was I. But since then, I became forty
years old, and she has not aged a single day. Then, she was, and
still she is, the lover of earl d’Angerville, but the earl is known
under another name, and he also hasn't aged,” after a short pause,
he added: “He is Morgan de la Roux, whom you also like very much as
far as I know.”

By mentioning the name, Diane lifted up her head. She was
sure that the Doctor told her this because he is well aware that
she is also the lover of the earl.

“
Morgan is a witch too?” She asked, and thought that nothing
else could explain his witchy skills in the bed, and
elsewhere.

“
Oh, no, he is something else,” Michel swayed his head.
“Worse. He is a vampire.”

“
What the heck?” The princess was taken aback.

“
Blood-sucker. When I was a medical student in Montpellier,
several mysterious deaths happened, and all the clues led to the
earl. Of course, nothing could have been proven, but I knew that
there was something wrong with him. Each and all of the victims
were young girls with two tiny wounds, the size of a pinprick, on
their necks, and all drops of blood disappeared from their
bodies.”

“
By gosh…” Diane’s eyes widened. “One of my maids, Claire is
really pale, and few days ago I thought I saw such wounds on her
neck that you have just mentioned, Doctor.”

“
Well, you can see Milady; none of them gave up their evil
practices. We have to stop these demonic creatures!”

The princess was deep in her thoughts. She was more practical
and utilitarian than to decide about someone’s fate on the basis of
whether the person is virtuous or demonic. The red-haired girl has
to die, she had no doubt about that, and not just because she
caught Henri’s eyes. If she really helped Catherine to get
pregnant, she has to be punished, because the birth of the
successor to the throne causes unpredictable consequences for
Diane. So far, she could easily play the role of the first woman of
the future king because his infertile wife could not have a say in
anything. But if Catherine gives birth to a boy, who is going to be
the successor to the throne, the situation in the court will
undergo a great change. And from that time on, she will have much
less influence… And it is also not acceptable if that red-haired
woman mesmerizes Morgan, because although it is obvious that the
man has been in several beds apart from hers, but as long as these
beds belong to simple womenfolk, it does not upset her. However,
she did not want to fight for the earl’s favors with a witch. But
what will Morgan’s fate be? It is obviously out of the question to
give up the luscious hours spent with him.

“
All right Doctor, I'll help you to commit the slut to the
flames, but on the condition that earl de la Roux doesn’t get
hurt.”

Nostradame’s penetrating glance sank into the princess’ eyes.
It was no doubt that such voluptuous passion fetters the woman to
the earl whom he had better not to disturb, because otherwise, he
would turn Diane against himself.

“
Let it be then,” nodded Michel, because it was not de la Roux
who's trampled down his heart, but Amrita.

“
I’ll give a command to the guards to arrest her,” Diane set
out towards the door.

“
I suggest you to take her to Arles where many people remember
her,” said Nostradame. “So, not only my confession goes against
her.”

“
Why? Isn’t that enough?” The princess stopped.

“
It is, of course. But Amrita seems to be so kind and
innocent. It wouldn’t be good if people thought that only my malice
sends her to the flames.”

“
I see Doctor. You want to protect your own reputation as
well. Let it be this way then. I'll call the guard.”

She stepped out to the corridor, and then through the open
window, she called out to the soldiers waiting in the castle’s
yard.

“
Go and arrest Amrita du Bois, the princess’ lady! If she is
not in her room, search all over the palace for her!” Then, she
turned to the doctor: “Let’s go there! I want to see Catherine’s
face when her main confidante is arrested!”

When they got to the room opposite to the suite of the ducal
couple, the guards have already torn the door open, and they were
pulling Amrita out to the corridor. Catherine came forward to the
noise, and she was gazing at the chaos, flabbergasted. Diane’s
malevolent look left no doubt that it was not only some kind of a
foolish mistake.

“
Amrita du Bois, you are hereby under arrest for witchcraft!”
Michel shouted hoarsely and looking in the man’s eyes, Amrita knew
that the end has come.

Chapter 10

Flames flare up

Langeais, Paris, Avignon – 6-7 May 1543

The light rays of the morning sun just danced around the
corridor when a slender blonde woman left one of the luxurious
bedrooms of the five hundred and fifty-year-old castle of Langeais.
Earl de la Roux, next to whom she got up, was still deep asleep
among the black silk-covered pillows of the carefully carved canopy
bed. However, next to the edges of the heavy, full-length brocade
curtains, the sun tried to peek in vain, only a few narrow beams of
rays reached the gilded clock, ticking on the opposite wall of the
room. The big hand unhurriedly, but relentlessly, crawled towards
twelve, and then, when reaching it, the clockwork started to
ding-dong loudly.

Morgan de la Roux sat up in bed with one agile motion, and
gazed at the clock that showed eight. He never wakes up at this
time, although the old machine indicated every hour on every single
day with the same loudness. The man was not scared by the tolling
of the clock, but by an obscure and more pressing feeling that
broke from out of his guts.

“
Her hour has struck…” He murmured in front of himself, but
only slowly, gradually realizing that Amrita was in big
trouble.

Over the past millennia, since the red-haired witch has
become the only lady of his heart, he felt increasingly stronger if
she was in danger. This time also, he tried to concentrate with his
eyes closed, but he was only sure that Amrita is not in the court,
but she was arrested somewhere afar, maybe in the south. If only he
knew where to go after her, but first, he has to go to Paris to
find out who kidnapped her and in what direction they
headed.

He jumped to his feet, got dressed, and ordered one of his
fastest horses to be made ready. Then, he swung into the saddle and
galloped towards Paris.

Four hours later, he opened Catherine’s door without
announcement. The princess was standing at the window and gazed
into the distance. When the steps, pounding across the hall, sank
into the thick carpet of the salon, she turned slowly and gazed at
the earl uncomprehendingly.

“
Where is Amrita?” The man asked urgently, and Catherine did
not notice that he had not greeted her.

“
They took her two days ago,” whispered the woman in a
trembling voice.“ She spent the first night in the dungeon, and
then they set out to Arles with her the following
morning.”

“
Who?”

“
The royal guard. Princess Poitiers accused her of
witchcraft.”

“
How do you know this?” Morgan’s eyebrow flinched.

“
Doctor Michel de Nostradame knows her from Arles, from some
fifteen years earlier, and some say that Amrita has not aged a
single day since then. But it is crazy, isn’t it?” Catherine swayed
her head, upset.

“
Nostradame…” Morgan was savoring the name, and then he
slapped his forehead. “Of course! I knew he was familiar from
somewhere! That little bastard…”

“
Are you talking about the Doctor?” Catherine asked
doubtingly.

“
Never mind,” waved the earl. “So they took her to
Arles?”

“
Yes, but only to find witnesses to support the Doctor’s
statement, according to which Amrita looked the same fifteen years
ago. Then, they will carry her to Avignon where they are going to
throw her onto a burning pile in front of the Palais des Papes,”
sniffled the princess in a dying voice. “They want to create a
precedent with her.”

“
They are looking for witnesses? The cunning hog!” hissed
Morgan. “This time he wants to play a sure game…”

“
I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

“
Catherine, you have to know something,” said the earl, and
lead the princess to the armchair, because he thought it would be
better if she sits down. “Amrita is really a witch, so they can
find people in Arles, who will confirm the Doctor’s
statement.”

“
A witch? That is impossible…” Catherine felt dizzy, and she
would have definitely collapsed, if Morgan was not so
careful.

“
Calm down! As there are good and bad people, some of the
witches are helpful, the others are harmful. I think I don’t have
to state which side Amrita is on.”

“
But if she cannot grow old, then she is not mortal either, is
she?” Catherine asked trustingly.

“
Her soul is immortal and nothing can consume her body but
fire…”

“
Then…”

“
Yes, she is going to die on the pile,” Morgan bowed his
head.

“
Of course, not forever, but who knows when she can
reincarnate again.”

“
Save her, please, and bring her back!”

“
I’m afraid that is impossible. I mean, perhaps I can save
her, but you can never see her again. If Amrita stays alive, she
has to start a new life in a faraway land.”