Jasper and Mary awoke abruptly, jarred from their slumber by pounding on the door. They leapt from the bed in panic, each rushing for their clothing.
"Did somebody follow you?" Mary whispered fervently as she grabbed her nightdress and tugged it over her head.
"No. I would have noticed." Jasper quickly slid his breeches on, following them with his boots. "Who else comes to your room?" He demanded, and she whirled on him, her robe in one hand.
"No one else comes to my room!" She whispered angrily, sliding her robe on and tying it. The pounding came again on the chamber door, louder this time. Jasper snatched his shirt from the floor and strode to her closet.
Mary closed him in, ran her fingers thru her hair then took a deep breath before snatching open the chamber door. Two guards stood in the corridor. Mary pulled herself up to her full height, assuming her most authoritative tone, and glared them into nothing.
"What is it? Why have you disturbed my rest?" She exploded angrily, fully expecting them to cower, make their apologies and go.
The two guards shot each other smirks, and one eyed her inappropriately. "Her majesty the Queen, sent us to request you presence." They shot each other another meaningful glance, and the first tremor of fear slid up her spine. "She also asks, that you bring your lover with you."
Mary tried to control her expression. Surely these men with their smug expressions could hear her heart pounding against her chest.
"What are you talking about?!" She snapped, a bit too sharply. "You can see I am alone!" Was her panic apparent in her voice?
The guards looked past her into the room, and she knew the instant their eyes fell upon the great-coat Jasper had forgotten on the chair. A man's coat, no denying it. The blonde guard pushed by her and strode to the chair.
"How dare you?!" She gasped in outrage. The guard snatched up the coat, looked at it then looked about the room. "Get out! Get out of my room this instant!" She shrieked, but he ignored her. The Queen had sent him and he acted under the dictation of the ultimate law in this country. Her words were useless.
The guards eyes landed on the closet door. He smirked back at her. Mary stood gaping as the man strode to the closet and ripped open the doors.
"Lord Wallace," He stated in obvious satisfaction. "The Queen has summoned you and," he paused looking at Mary, as she flushed red, "the Princess..." He remarked mockingly.
A short while later, Mary stormed into her mother's bower in a rage. The Queen regarded her speculatively as the Princess stopped before her, huffing.
"Mother. How could you humiliate me like that?! To have my room searched like I'm some common thief! You.."
"Silence!!" The Queen commanded loudly with a tone that gave May pause. "Sit down. Now." Mary stared at her mother a moment, then obeyed, plopping onto the love seat with agitation. The Queen stood, setting down a book that had been resting on her lap.
"You amaze me, girl. You really do. You don't know what humiliation is. Here I am trying to make you the next Queen of France. And you.."
"I do not wish..."
"I said to be silent!!" The Queen glared at her daughter. "You are my only child. The only heir to this throne. I offer you a man descended from powerful Kings. I work day and night to expand the empire you will inherit, and you slap me in the face with your ungratefulness."
The Queen began pacing, her anger apparent in every tense step. "The Dauphin, the next King Henry, expects you to be virginal! Now, if he'll still have you, you will go to him sullied and tainted. By the son of a common knight no less!"
Mary flinched under the harsh words. "We are in love mother. I will not marry Henry."
The Queen glared. "You will do as I tell you to do. I did not spend a King's ransom on your education to give you to a man only recently made an earl. And even that, a lowly title." Tears welled in Mary's eyes, and began to overflow. "I don't care about his title..."
"Your opinion does not matter. Clearly you are unable to maintain good judgement." The Queen's voice lowered to a dangerous key. "I will try to contain this mess you've made, and keep it from your intended."
"I won't..."
"You will marry him! Or so help me I will have Wallace hung for treason." And the Queen meant her threat. The Princess's heart broke in two. The Queen, seeing that she had finally gotten through to her daughter, pressed on."
"I suggest you tell Wallace it's over between you. And he is not welcome under this roof." She took one step to close the distance between herself and her daughter. "I warn you Mary. If I even suspect you have gone against my wishes, I will have that man arrested and hung before the sun rises and sets another day."
Mary stepped out into the sitting room, struggling to maintain her barely held composure. Jasper stood to go to her, but the blonde guard halted him with an arm thrown out across his chest. MAry took a deep breath, stealing herself for what was to come. She forced her feet to carry her forward, stopping in front of him, she could not even meet his gaze.
"This, brief affair is over, Wallace." She began. "It was... Amusing. But no longer necessary. I am to be the Queen of France... And until I am wed." She glanced up into his face. His mouth hung open in utter shock at her words. She was forced to continue. "Until I wed, I cannot afford to risk this... Game, being discovered.
Her voice broke at the end of her sentence. "So it has been decided, that you will leave this castle as early as possible." She turned her back on him before a tear fell.
"Don't ever contact me." She held her back rigid and walked away.