I apologize for the wait, guys! I wanted to see how the relationship would progress on the show before I continued. Unfortunately, what we're seeing is rather disheartening, but I haven't lost hope. Lola and Narcisse have argued before - certainly this can't be the end of them. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I'm really excited to get this story rolling, so I hope you guys are willing to stick with me through some of these slower chapters. Also, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! They truly make my day.

When Lola awakened, drowsy and confused, it wasn't to Narcisse's smirk. (She refused to admit how much she had hoped she would. She would not travel down that road again.) Instead it was to the slightly worried face of one of her maids, a young girl with mousy hair and a pretty smile, though it was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

"Queen Catherine has requested an audience with you, m'lady."

Queens did not make requests. Lola had learned that very well in the company of Mary. This was an order, and one that made Lola's heart sink. She stared at her maid incredulously. "This instant?"

The maid paused. Lola had no doubt that she was inwardly cringing at her state of disarray. "Immediately, yes."

Lola scrambled from beneath her covers, the pain in her head spiking as she did so. One hand desperately tried to smooth the wrinkles from her nightgown while the other flew to her head. "I'm not even - my hair - "

The door swung open regardless of her protests, just as Lola knew it would. Catherine had never been the patient or sympathetic type. Or at least, not toward Lola. Their relationship had only ever been lukewarm in its very best moments. Most times, it was frigid as ice. Lola knew exactly where they stood at the moment when she saw the determined tilt of Catherine's chin, the way her eyes flashed and her lips curled up into an unfriendly smile. Perhaps, in a way, Lola respected her for that stubborn pride and seemingly unbreakable will. But she refused to be afraid of Catherine, just as she refused to have feelings for Narcisse. (It was those refusals that kept her sane, that kept her in line, that kept her safe.)

"Lady Lola. I did hear you had recently taken ill. How unfortunate." Lola couldn't help but notice that it didn't seem like Catherine thought it was unfortunate at all. "I'm so sorry to bother you at such a time, but I'm afraid the matter is most urgent."

The maid had shrunk back, away from Catherine's overwhelming presence, and now the queen caught sight of her. Her lip curled. "Leave."

Lola watched as the girl helplessly stumbled through a curtsy and fled the room, the door clicking shut behind her. Catherine took a moment before turning to face Lola again, her hands folded neatly in front of her while that wicked smile remained plastered to her face. Lola wanted to balk, but instead she felt her shoulders square and her own chin rise despite the way her body ached in protest. "Always so dramatic."

"One has to be if they wish for others to give you the right sort of attention. You, on the other hand, seem to have a talent for attracting all the wrong kind."

Lola frowned. "If this is about your son - "

"It isn't."

"Then I don't understand."

Catherine walked forward until she was at Lola's bedside, towering over her. Lola didn't stand - couldn't - but she kept her eyes trained on the queen, determined to keep what little ground she had. If anything, Catherine only seemed vaguely amused by such a display. "You seem to have a special talent, Lola, for taking things that don't belong to you. I had thought you'd grown smarter since your last mistake." Her head tilted slightly, bloodred skirts rustling as she shifted and crossed her arms over her chest. "It would seem I was wrong."

"What are you accusing me of, exactly?" Lola would not play games. She'd learned things were much better upfront and in the open.

"It has been brought to my attention that you and Lord Narcisse have... relations."

Lola's heart stuttered a bit, but she managed to keep a straight face. "What you've heard is false."

"It had certainly better be." Catherine stooped down like a mother leaning toward her young child. Her expression was still frozen into that horrible, sickening smile. "I would hate to see anything unfortunate happen to the mother of my grandchild."

And then she was gone just as quickly as she'd come, her skirts sweeping behind her and the door slamming shut. The instant she was out of sight Lola crumbled, her breath racing from her lungs as she dropped back down against her pillows. Her heartbeat hammered painfully in her ears. It took her a few moments to recover, dragging her legs back atop the bed and breathing deeply. Ill. It was absolutely, completely ridiculous, but as her head pounded she couldn't deny it.

She could do nothing that day, and probably the next, but Lola felt something simmering within.

There was a certain man she needed to have a talk with, and the sooner the better.

x

"I thank you for seeing me, Lord Forst." Her tea cup clicked almost musically as she delicately set it back on the tray, offering the young lord a smile. "Especially after our time together was so rudely cut short at the festival."

"The honor is mine completely." The young lord had been shy at first, but once they'd been seated and the servants left them he seemed to have relaxed immensely. "I was afraid I'd lost you that night."

Lola laughed softly, folding her hands in her lap. "I don't give up that easily."

"So I've heard." Lola raised an eyebrow and Lord Forst grinned. "I've heard of your endless devotion to Queen Mary. It's quite admirable."

She dipped her head, offering a polite smile. "You are far too kind." A brief pause, and she glanced up at him. "Did you enjoy the rest of the festival? Lady Kenna truly did a spectacular job."

He glanced out the nearby window, where green was just beginning to spread out over France. Spring held a promise of summer and warmth, but for the time being Lola found herself hating how lukewarm it felt. She missed the heat and scalding summer sun. "It was quite lovely, but I do believe your presence would have made it infinitely better." When he turned back she saw concern etched into his features. "I heard you fell ill the morning after."

His expression made her squirm slightly, and she hated herself for much preferring Narcisse's amused smirk and teasing. "It passed quickly. I'm feeling much more myself today."

"Excellent." He offered her another one of those smiles - something that was hesitant and somewhat strained, but still sweet - and leaned forward onto the table between them. "Lady Lola, I do hope you'll forgive me for being so forward, but I would quite like to court you."

Lola's heart nearly stopped. It was what she had been expecting, of course. What she'd wanted. But suddenly it seemed that it was happening too quickly. Her face became warm. "I - I would be honored, Lord Forst."

The smile blossomed into a full grin that made his face look fairly handsome, and Lola couldn't help smiling back even though her head was spinning. Courtship. He wants courtship. Eventually, if all worked out, he would want marriage. She could picture it if she tried hard enough. They would live in a large house with many servants, the grounds well kept, his family incredibly kind and polite. And yet, she could only imagine it in a constant state of springtime - always lukewarm, never quite enough for her.

She banished the thought from her mind. She was lucky for any offer at all, and this lord was young and kind. Things could have been much worse.

And yet, as Narcisse's smirk flashed through her mind without permission, she couldn't help but feel that things could have been much better, too.

x

"This weather is far too frigid and damp for a lady recovering from illness."

Lola was not surprised that Narcisse found her alone, as he seemed to have a talent for doing. She'd been in the gardens, desperately searching for any sign of life among near the pathways. She kept her eyes trained on the ground before her. "I was searching for flowers."

A pause, and she could feel his eyes burning into her back.

"I've heard Lord Forst intends to pursue you."

Turning around to face him, she tilted her chin upward slightly even as she tugged her cloak more tightly around herself. "What you've heard is true."

"I'd hoped I had persuaded you against such a decision. It could only end badly."

She couldn't help but release an extremely unladylike snort as he stepped toward her, close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. Strange, but such proximity no longer made her as uncomfortable as it once did. Instead, she rose to the challenge. "Do you know what else could only end badly?" He raised an eyebrow in that annoying way of his, and she scowled. "This. What we are doing right now, especially when Catherine now wants my head for it."

She wanted so badly for him to react - a moment a panic, a flicker of surprise - but his expression remained unchanged. "Catherine threatened you?"

"Did you expect otherwise?" Lola felt the fire being fueled and stood taller, her stance steady as she glared up at him. "You lied to me, made me think that it was safe to - "

"I never lied to you," Narcisse cut her off, tilting his head slightly. "I only asked if the status of my... acquaintance with Catherine affected your opinion of me."

She resisted the urge to slap him. "Why does it matter? You clearly are not willing to separate yourself from Catherine, so why do you care at all for me? She can give you everything you want. Love, power, money. Why do you not just go to her and leave me be?"

He regarded her evenly. "Most women would be honored that a man would hesitate before a queen when he thinks of them."

The beating in her chest fluttered. She bite the inside of her cheek. "From what I've heard, you have never hesitated. But I do not interfere in your social affairs, so I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop interfering in mine. I welcome Lord Forst's attentions. He makes me happy."

His gaze darkened slightly. "I warn you, Lola, that a loveless marriage will bring you no happiness."

"Better a relationship without love than a relationship without trust."

She didn't give him time to respond, turning on her heel and heading back toward the castle, ignoring his calls after her. He didn't try to follow - she knew he wouldn't - but she swore she could feel his eyes on her until she rounded a corner and was out of his sight.

x

"A gift for you, my lady."

Lola raised an eyebrow as her maid presented her with a small package. She'd just been about to go to bed. "From who?"

"I'm not certain. It was brought by a servant boy who refused to give me a name."

Lola regarded the gift warily as she carefully lifted the cover. It took her a moment to recognize the item inside, and when she did it felt as if something within he was stirred to life. When she glanced up, she managed a shaky smile. "Thank you, Angeline. You are dismissed."

The girl curtsied and was gone. Lola gently lifted the item from the box and stared at the delicate blue petals, pressing her lips together tightly. Beneath the flower, in neat handwriting, was a simple note.

The first spring flower.