Duchessina - A Novel of Catherine de' Medici (31 page)

“I am most heartily sorry for any wrongs that I may have done you, Your Majesty,” she said with her head bowed, “and I most humbly beg your forgiveness.”

I nearly laughed out loud.
I am most heartily sorry for any wrongs that I may have done you.
All those years of misery she had caused me, summed up in one sentence? I regarded her silently for a few moments. “Madame de Valentinois,” I began, “because of your evil influence on King Henri II, and your alienation of his affections from his lawful wife, you are deserving of severe punishment.” Using the royal “we,” I continued, choosing my words carefully. “However, we have decided to show clemency. You are to return to us all the jewels given to you by King Henri II, which you understand do not belong to you but are the property of the Crown. Furthermore, you are to return to us the Château de Chenonceau with all its furnishings.”

I paused, to let that be understood. And then I savored the moment I had waited for and desired for so long. “Finally,
madame,
you are banished from this court from this day forward. We no longer wish to endure the sight of you.”

Diane rose unsteadily and made a deep curtsy. “Your Majesty is most gracious to one so undeserving,” she said, and backed slowly out of the royal chamber. The pages closed the door. I leaned back and sighed.

Diane was gone.

In the end I had outlasted my rival. Just as Akasma had promised, I had endured.

Now, in spite of my grief at Henri's death, the rest of my life would begin. I would live out my destiny as Catherine, queen of France.

T
HE SUDDEN DEATH
of her husband put into Catherine's hands the power to rule her adopted country and to control her own life. Catherine was forty years old when her son, the fifteen-year-old dauphin, François, was crowned king. His wife, Mary, Queen of Scots, became the new queen of France. Catherine, then known as Queen Mother, devoted the rest of her long life to the success of her children.

A fascinating story has been told about Catherine, a devoted student of astrology since her girlhood. Soon after her husband's death, the Queen Mother summoned her astrologer and asked him to predict her future. The astrologer took her into a darkened chamber and showed her a mirror that supposedly had magical powers, explaining that each of her sons would appear, one by one, in the mirror. The number of times the image of each son circled the mirror would indicate the number of years he would reign.

The first to appear was young King François II, whose face was barely visible; the image circled just once. Next came Charles-Maximilien, who circled fourteen times, followed by Édouard-Alexandre, with fifteen turns. Other, threatening faces also appeared, including the face of the heir to the throne if Henri and Catherine's line were to die out. It was surely not the future she hoped for.

In fact, King François II reigned just sixteen months. He died in 1560 at the age of sixteen, and was succeeded by his younger brother, ten-year-old Charles-Maximilien. Catherine, proclaimed Governor of the Kingdom, ruled as his regent. King Charles IX, as he was known when he was old enough to rule in his own right, died in 1574, having been king for fourteen years. He was succeeded by his brother, Édouard-Alexandre, who ruled as Henri III for fifteen years—just as the mirror had foretold. Until the end of her life, the power behind the throne was the Queen Mother, Catherine.

B
UT HISTORY HAS
never been kind to Catherine de Médicis, as she was known in France.

Detractors remember her dark side, the cruel and manipulative Madame Serpent rumored to resort to black magic as well as daggers and poison to dispense with her enemies. She has been blamed for one of France's bloodiest events, the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, in which Catholic mobs attacked and murdered French Protestants over a period of months. Thousands died.

Nevertheless, admirers of strong, independent women regard Catherine de' Medici as a fascinating study of intelligence, strength of purpose, and dedication to her children. Perhaps her greatest fault was her blind devotion to three sons, sickly, weak, and corrupt, and her determination to keep them in power.

But it's the human side of Duchessina, the Little Duchess who became the queen of France, that captivates: the “poor little rich girl” who learned to use her cleverness and charm to make the best of a bad situation. Although her name produces involuntary shudders among those familiar with her later years, it's hard not to be enchanted by stories (no one knows the degree of accuracy) of how she brought Italian influences to the French court—everything from painting and poetry, to cuisine and eating customs, to sidesaddles and high-heeled shoes. It was Caterina/Catherine, it seems, who took French culture and made it shine.

Catherine, queen of France, died on the fifth of January 1589, at the age of sixty-nine.

C
AROLYN
M
EYER
 is the acclaimed author of more than fifty books for young people. Her many award-winning novels include
Mary, Bloody Mary
, an ABA Pick of the Lists, an NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults;
Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess
, a
New York Times
bestseller; White Lilacs, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an NYPL Best Book for the Teen Age, and an IRA Young Adults' Choice; and 
Marie, Dancing
, a BookSense Pick. Ms. Meyer lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.