Chapter 5: The Queen’s Investigation

“You wished to see me, Your Majesty?” Leonardo asked.

“Yes, Signore da Vinci. Thank you for coming. Please sit down. Would you like some tea?” Queen Marie replied.

“Yes, that would be nice,” the artist said, taking a seat.

The Queen motioned for her aide to pour Leonardo some tea and told him, “I am trying to find out some information about the young lady, Danielle de Barbarac, and I was hoping you could give me some information about her background and character.”

“I will be happy to. Let me start, Your Majesty, by telling you what I learned about her from a couple of meetings with her and then maybe you will have some questions,” Leonardo replied.

“Yes, that sounds good, please go on.”

“I first saw her as she was attempting to rescue a servant here at Hautefort. I could see right away that the girl was special. I also noticed and found it odd that a courtier would be wearing shoes that seemed too big for her feet,” Leonardo said, revealing his remarkable powers of observation.

Continuing, Leonardo said, “Prince Henry too, recognized that she was rather remarkable, for he was quite taken with her. The next day, when I was with the Prince, I met her while she was swimming in the river. The Prince hurried to the river bank and recognized her just as we about to walk out of the river. She started to bow but recovered by telling the Prince it was very slippery there.

“Obviously, she was attracted to the Prince, and he was to her, but I could tell she was apprehensive about being with him.

“The next time I met her was the night of the masque. The Baroness de Ghent had locked her in a cellar and Gustave, a local artist and her lifelong friend, asked for my help. After I opened the door, she immediately told me who she was and her station in life. She told me she had deceived the Prince and did not wish to attend the masque. I encouraged her to go and suggested to her that if she told Prince Henry the truth, he would understand. I must say, I was rather disappointed that the Prince didn’t give her the opportunity to explain.

Queen Marie almost felt obligated to defend Henry’s actions, but decided to remain silent.

“Based on my observations and my conversations with Danielle, and the comments and vibes I received from Gustave and the de Ghent servants, I do believe her character to be impeccable. Your Majesty, do you have any specific questions?”

“I was wondering, could she adapt to the life of a courtier?”

“Your Majesty, during her early years, Danielle had a loving father and a life of privilege. I believe a person’s personality is mostly formed during the first few years of life. Danielle might need a few lessons in deportment, but she is a caring and highly intelligent person. So yes, she could adapt very well to the life of a courtier. That should be her station in life.”

“Did you form an opinion about her relationship with Henry?” the Queen asked.

“Of course, Prince Henry must make his own choice; but, Your Majesty, if ever two people were meant for one another, I believe it to be the Prince and Danielle. She has such a passion about life and justice; in my opinion, she would inspire Henry to be a great king.” Leonardo replied with great conviction.

“I wish to thank you for sharing your wisdom and thoughts with me. You have been very helpful,” Queen Marie said, indicating that the meeting was over.

“It is always an honor, Your Majesty,” Leonardo replied as he turned to leave.

Queen Marie, read the letter from Bishop de Portal:

Your Majesty,

As requested, I have interviewed the artist, Gustave, regarding the young lady, Danielle de Barbarac.

First, I found Gustave to be a dedicated artist and a fine and decent young man. I found him to be truthful, and he appears to have no vices.

Gustave and Danielle were childhood playmates and they have always been close friends. Danielle is like a sister to him. After Prince Henry gave Danielle about twenty gold francs, Gustave said it was he who loaned her the gown of a courtier so that she could dress appropriately to go to Hautefort and use the gold francs to purchase the freedom of Maurice, a servant who is like family to her.

Apparently, Henry was the first and only man to capture Danielle’s love. Gustave described how he once played matchmaker between the Prince and Danielle. A few days ago Danielle was playing in a field with a flying contraption made by Signore da Vinci. Prince Henry recognized it and rode up. While Danielle hid behind a hay stack, Gustave told the Prince that he could find Nicole de Lancret at the Manoir de Barbarac. Of course, Nicole de Lancret is the name by which the Prince knew Danielle. As soon as the Prince left, Gustave encouraged Danielle to run to the Manoir de Barbarac so that she could meet with the Prince.

According to Gustave, Danielle’s father was Auguste de Barbarac. He was the proprietor of the Manoir de Barbarac and was a loving father to Danielle. She had a happy and privileged life before he died. However, after the death of Auguste de Barbarac, his wife, the baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, turned Danielle, her step daughter, into a servant.

Danielle was taught to read at an early age and, according to Gustave, loves to do so.

Based on my interview with the young man, I found nothing unfavorable about the character of Danielle de Barbarac. In fact, by all indications, she is a fine young lady of good character.

Your loyal servant,

Bishop de Portal

Rodmilla and her daughters had just finished breakfast when the royal guard with the Queen’s carriage and representatives arrived at the Manoir de Barbarac. Upon seeing Comte de Forez, the Queen’s chancellor, Rodmilla assumed Prince Henry had come to his senses and that the Queen would make arrangements for a wedding with Marguerite.

After being told they were at the manoir to take Danielle for an audience with the Queen, Rodmilla felt the most intense fury. “It is bad enough,” Rodmilla thought, “for that addled-brained prince to be consorting with commoners, but now the Queen is doing so as well. It’s just too much. The entire Royal Family must be losing their minds.”

It required extreme effort; but, after a brief pause, Rodmilla regained her composure and sweetly said, “I’m sorry, that is not possible. You see, Danielle ran off, and no one seems to know where she is.”

Comte de Forez asked Rodmilla if she had a place to speak in private.

“Yes, of course. Come this way,” Rodmilla said.

After she led Comte de Forez and Jean Beaupère, a notary, to the parlor, Rodmilla asked, “What is this about?”

“All in due time, I just have a few questions. Jean Beaupère will take your oath and testimony,” Comte de Forez replied.

“My oath is not necessary,” Rodmilla stated emphatically, feeling insulted at the suggestion.

“Madam, I am here on the Queen’s business. This is just policy, and no one questions your honesty. Now may we get started?” Comte de Forez said forcefully.

Rodmilla knew it wasn’t policy, but what could she do?

During the hour-long session with Rodmilla, she was evasive and difficult to pin down, but the Queen’s chancellor was an expert interrogator. Rodmilla had lapses of memory. She just couldn’t recall how Marguerite got the injury around her eye and she was sorry, but she just couldn’t recall much about any conversation about Nicole de Lancret. “I believe there was some inadvertent miscommunication about when and where my engaged cousin traveled by boat,” Rodmilla replied.

Already incensed, Rodmilla was not completely able to conceal her anger when informed that the testimony of Marguerite, Jacqueline and the servants was also required. Rodmilla protested fervently. “Their testimony is not needed,” she replied, but the Queen’s chancellor told her that her truthfulness was not being questioned and that it was policy to verify and discover all the facts.