it had been a blessing that lady henrietta was found and rescued for she had truly begun to think she might be ravaged by the elements. the physical pain was not so bad, not in comparison to the mental anguish she felt, the overwhelming relief she felt when her son and his father appeared in her chambers once more. how could she have been such a fool to ever think that she and maxim would be safer away from marius and french politics? their family could only survive and thrive together, that much had been made obvious.
the riot did not change their circumstances for she was still nothing more than a mistress, an unwanted presence in the medici palace but how others viewed her had never stopped the tides of her relationship. one day they would return to france and be at peace once more, she was sure of it.
“i cannot believe how he’s grown,” henrietta sighed, reaching to grab marius’s hand. he had mostly been at her side since she returned to the palazzo. in the back of her mind, she hoped their son with his bright smile and uneasy steps could not recognize the damage to his mother’s fair face for surely she’d never looked worse. angry bruises bloomed around her grey eyes and at her jaw, the ligature marks at her neck from the stolen necklace appearing the most jarring to henrietta herself. it was a gift from the queen mother and had been with her for nearly as long as she had been in france but it was a small price to pay to see her beautiful family again. “he will make us proud, i am sure of it, my love. he will never disappoint as i have disappointed you with my wretched betrayal. i vow to earn your trust once more now that god has gifted me with a second chance at life.” despite her best efforts, silent tears slipped down her cheeks as her emotions had been embarrassingly unpredictable since her rescue. @princcrcgent