A Powerful Little Love

Chapter 34

"Peepholes?" asked the Queen curiously.

"Yes," confirmed Amorette.  "I thought you ought to know as our rooms are so close by."

The Queen's eyebrows rose.  "And who else have you imparted this information to?"

Amorette shook her head.  "No one else yet your Majesty.  I have only just discovered the ones in my rooms."

The Queen nodded as she appeared to consider something.  "Mesdames," she called to her ladies who were littered all about her rooms.  "You will go and cheek your own rooms now for these peepholes.  If you find any you should report them to me right away.  Spread the word to any of your friends you meet along the way."

All of the women began to file out, a few turning to glance back at the awkwardness of two onetime friends who were very quickly left alone.  Amorette had not come to the Queen's rooms with the intention of repairing their friendship in any way, but she had not been comfortable with letting her discovery go unheard of by her neighbour.

"I was so sorry to hear about your husband," said the Queen solemnly.  "Truly.  I do not believe we need to be on friendly terms for me to pass on such sentiments.  I have thought of you a great deal in the last months.  I know it probably seems rather too little too late but I did want to apologise for the way I behaved.  I believe I wasn't in my right mind."

"Are you referring to your attempt to have me killed?"  There was just a hint of malice in Amorette's words, but she didn't really mean it.  In truth she still didn't have the energy for such anger and disdain.

The Queen seemed strangely unbothered by her words.  "I know now that I was wrong not to trust you Amorette.  I see it all so clearly now.  I lost a very good friend the second my belief in you faltered.  I'm not asking for forgiveness, or for a return of friendship in any way.  All I ask is that you hear me when I say that I regret what I said and did.  I hope you understand that I am trying to rid myself of those mistrustful thoughts."

Amorette sighed heavily.  "Your Majesty I never truly blamed you for what happened.  I said it at the time and I'll say it again, I may know what it is like to be a woman in this world, but I do not know what it is to be a Queen.  I have faced ridicule and mockery as every woman has who rises above the station that a man has placed her in.  I'm only thankful that I never let any man influence me so wholly and completely that I lost that determination I had in the beginning.  I cannot imagine what it must be like therefore, to be in your position.  My respect for you has diminished a great deal not as a Queen but as a woman.  I thought we were close enough that if you had misgivings you could have spoken to me in confidence.  I looked to you as an example of an intelligent and capable young woman striving to rise to the top in a world of men.  I suppose you still do that."

The Queen looked down towards her shoes for a few seconds and when her eyes returned to meet Amorette's, there was something new there; some new sorrow had taken hold.  "You do not ease my guilt any, Madame.  But you are right, I should have spoken with you before I acted.  You were always so resourceful and trustworthy before.  I do not know why I saw red."

"How do I know that will not happen again?" asked Amorette.  "I would never have been uncivil to you, but I could never be your confidant much less your spy after what has occurred.  How am I to know that your trust will not waver again?  I would be setting myself up for a fall.  I do appreciate your apology though.  Perhaps if this situation with the peepholes is as bad as I fear, you will assist me in getting an audience with the King.  I know I certainly don't want to sleep in a room where anyone may look in upon me through a hole in the wall."

The Queen nodded with a small smile growing upon her face.  "Madame I can grant you entrance to his presence chambers but you will have to fight every man in there to be heard.  He listens to me no more than he listens to the birds that sing in the trees."