Chapter 1: Who's to blame?
It had been several years since Elizabeth had been forced by her mother to marry the king. Things had slowly but progressively gotten worse. He had seemed so kind and caring at the start of their marriage, but things all changed so quickly she could not even remember what had happened. He used to give her attention and complement her until one day it all changed. She did not know why, but what she did know was that whatever the reason, in his eyes it was her to blame! She knew the only reason that he had married her was because he needed a wife and his precious daughter Mary needed a mother. She was no more than eighteen when she had married him, and she certainly was not ready to play mother to a ten-year-old girl. Nonetheless, they were married because her mother wished it and she was miserable. She used to want his attention, now she dreaded it.
The room had been decorated splendidly for the occasion though what the occasion was she did not know. There always seemed to be a ball for no apparent reason but who was she to question it. All Elizabeth had to do was to show up and behave in the way she was expected too. They did go on rather a long time and it was easy to get bored when nobody spoke to you. She always felt like just another part of the decorative furniture with her jewels and her tiara sparkling in the light just as the chandelier did. But the truth was the chandelier was noticed more than she was; she was almost envious of it. Who would notice if she slipped away to her chambers? She always stayed to the end for fear of him, but he had drunk enough rum that she thought it would be safe. She rose from her perch and left unnoticed or so she thought.
She proceeded up though the dark corridors to her bed chambers. She was exhausted having spent the evening sitting in the one place fighting to keep her eyes open. Elizabeth sat at her dressing table brushing out her thick brown hair when she heard them. The heavy thuds of his footsteps bouncing of the wall; the thing she dreaded to hear. She was terrified fearing what he might do after all he had had a lot to drink tonight. Elizabeth held her breath waiting for it. BOOM! She jumped at the sound of the door flinging open and the drunken king fell into the room.
“Your majesty? Are you alright?” Elizabeth asked so quietly she didn’t know if he had heard her but he had. “Yes, my dear queen why wouldn’t I be? Is there a reason I wouldn’t be?” He was angry now and she knew she had made his mood worse. “No…no there’s isn’t! I simply meant, how are you?” Elizabeth was growing ever more nervous now. What would he do to her tonight? Would he strike her? Or worse? This is what she feared each night when he arrived in their bed chamber. She had no idea what kind of mood her husband would be in. “I am fine! Now would you stop questioning me! God you can be so annoying!” He said it with such venom in his voice it stung her she didn’t know why but it did. “Emily wouldn’t have been like you! She always knew what to say and what to do! But you! You don’t know anything! They only thing you have ever done right was to look after Mary and even that is debatable!”
She hated when he did this compared her to his oh so perfect first wife who he had lost. She didn’t love the king and he clearly didn’t love her, but it still hurt he when he told her, which was every day, that Emily would have done it better or he wished he hadn’t married her! She had challenged him on that once asking him why did he then. That was the first and last time she would question for she had not see the hand coming towards her until it had made contact with her face. She learnt from then on not to challenge him but to agree or remain silent but even that no longer worked for her.
“I’m sorry.” That’s all she could manage. He closed the distance between them heading towards her in anger and pushed her against the wall. “I’m tired of you apologising for everything I know it’s your fault and you don’t need to apologise for it, you’ll get what you deserve for your faults!” Elizabeth knew what was coming! She had said the wrong thing yet again in his eyes. Nothing she could say was right and nothing could change his mind now! He’d already decided her was going to punish her! “Please your majesty! Please!” He could hear the desperation in her voice, see the fear in her eyes and feel the fear in her body as she shook with fear. This only gave him more satisfaction. He slapped her hard across the face. Hard enough to leave a red hand print on her left cheek that would surely leave a bruise, but he wasn’t finished yet he was merely getting started! “Now my dear! You’re going to get exactly what you deserve and, in the process, you’re going to make your king happy! Do you think you could manage to do that right?” He was so angry and determined to hurt her in every way possible and really, she couldn’t blame him if she consented to it.
Regina was full of anger and pain. He cheek stung so much where he had struck her. She didn’t want him to hurt her so she nodded her head knowing it wouldn’t hurt as much if he knew she wanted to make her king happy. So, he slowly walked her over to the bed and lay down. He was too drunk to care not that he would have changed his mind even if her had been sober. He spoke to her every second. He told her how Emily had always loved him. How he wished she was here. How he wished she would listen to him, behave the way he wanted her to! He goaded her the whole time until he was finished. He rolled over and fell into a drunken sleep snoring every now and again. She lay there fighting back the tears she had held in for if he woke and seen this, things would be worse for her.
It was quite early in the morning when there was a knock on the door and a maid entered. She took in the state of the room and the bed and knew that the king had once again hurt the queen. But she was there for a reason. “Your majesty? Are you awake? There are members of the court in your study to see you!” She was so nervous as to what he would say that was if he was awake. “What time is it? What do they want?” He had said it a little harsher than her had intended but he blamed Elizabeth for that. She had put him in a terrible mood last night.
The maid was quite taken aback the king was normally so gentle spoken towards everyone even his wife when they were in public. “It is just after five your majesty. I’m afraid they didn’t say what it was only that it was important and that it concerned the kingdom.” He was worried now and apologetic. “I am sorry for the way I have just spoken to you it wasn’t my intention to be so harsh in my tone. Well if they have come at this hour it must be something important. Would you send my valet up to help me dress? And if required would you send up the queen’s maid at my orders. Thank-you”. She curtsied before she left the room “of course your majesty.” She slowly backed out of the room and hurried down the stairs to the servant’s quarters.
He looked over towards his wife. She looked so peaceful, so perfect when she slept. But there was something that wasn’t so perfect in her completion this morning. It was a fresh bruise on her cheek. He hadn’t realised just how hard he had hit her last night. He always felt regret when he saw what he’d done to her, but he told himself she had deserved it so that he wouldn’t go insane with guilt. The he looked at her wrists. He saw more bruised when he had restrained her so that she couldn’t lash out against him. Yet another reason to hate himself. Really it wasn’t her fault. Was it? He missed his Emily. How he had loved her. And how she always knew how to make him happy! Was it Elizabeth’s fault that she couldn’t make him happy or was it him? He had asked himself this question for years but had always put it to the back of his mind because he knew that it couldn’t be him. Everything she got she deserved! That meant yes it was her fault, but he still couldn’t help wonder was that what he truly believed!
There was a knock on the door and his valet entered. Louis slowly got out of the bed not wanting to wake his wife and progressed to the dressing room. He had hurried to get dressed not wanting to keep the gentlemen downstairs waiting. Before heading for the stairs, he returned to the bed chamber and proceeded towards the bed. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and then left the room heading for his study.
