" Previously on Reign..." " I didn't murder anyone." "You are suspected of ungodly acts." "Just don't let them drown me." "Black magic." "To nurture what was growing between us." "We are linked." " Stephan." " Alive?" "Are you sure?" "How?" "I believe the child's death" " was a ruse." " Catherine." "You are a heartless woman, abducting your son's child." "Return to the decaying bosom of your true family the Medicis or flee to the new lands." " Exile?" " I don't care, but you will never be welcome at this court ever again." "Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth." "Catherine de Medici." "What a pleasure to meet one so legendary." "I've come to offer you something... the destruction of our mutual enemy," "Mary, Queen of Scots." "I will love you for the rest of my life." "And I will never let you go again." " I'm dying?" " Yes, you are." "Not again." "Yes, again." "And again." "And again and again and again." "Shall we go back to bed?" "Francis, we have more important things to do than make love or build boats." ""We"?" "You have been no help with the boat at all." "England is still a threat." "The nobles are still uneasy," " shaken after the coup." " It failed." "The privy council has called for a meeting this afternoon." "Well, you'd better start sanding or we'll never make it." "Francis, we are king and queen." "We have important matters to attend to." "This... this is important." "And this." "Nothing is more important. _" "It's not the bloodshed, Your Majesty..." "Correct, Lord William, as our troops are not even there." "It's the expense of your Scottish cause, which many say is personal, designed more to undermine Scotland's queen than secure our borders." "There are many reasons to back the Protestants in Scotland." "You back their efforts because they want" "Mary, their Catholic queen, gone, a queen even English Catholics believe has the right to your throne." "What next?" "Do we attack half our population to put you at ease?" "The realm will strike down anyone who acts against its sovereign ruler." "Is it not our sworn duty?" "Bad day on the job, my dear?" "Half of England wants me gone." "Only the Catholic half." "Well, the rest don't want Mary, but they certainly wish I were a man." "Of course they do, especially your privy council." "Here." "Men don't like taking orders from women." "They can barely stand speaking to them." "Ah." "You were nobody's first choice, and yet here you are." "You've been tense ever since Mary's half brother, James, refused to push for her abdication." "So much for your plan." "It had merit." "If Mary couldn't even keep the job of queen in her own nation, how could she be a good candidate for yours?" "A better choice for stability?" "I think not." "But there is another way to dispose of her." "I will not kill her." "Neither would you." "She's your cousin, she's my daughter-in-law." "And to kill a monarch, well, that's not a precedent we want to set, now, is it?" "No, I speak of another way for her to lose her throne." "Disempower her." "Do you know who empowers her?" "Her half brother, her Catholic lords." "Who finances her Catholic lords?" "Rome, the Vatican, with its thousand years of tithing and vast stores of gold." "Donated in the name of God, of goodness, righteousness and purity." "Those who the Vatican support must uphold the tenets of the true faith." "They must be unassailable, or who is the Pope supporting?" "Are you suggesting there's a way to turn the Pope against Mary?" "Just a few minutes more." "Who are those people?" "I've invited a few guests to drop by from French court." "Nobles, staff loyal to me." "I wanted to vet them before they bear witness to Mary's infidelity with Prince Condé." "Bear witness... to the Pope." "With your protection," "I would like to ask them to leave for Rome today." "You're sending delegates to Rome to call Mary, Queen of Scots... a whore." "She'll be disgraced, forced by her own countrymen off her throne and no longer capable of reaching for yours." "Your Majesties." "Narcisse." "I have some disturbing news from a general aiding those loyal to Queen Mary in Scotland." "Your ear always to the ground." "I have learned to be grateful for your spies, as you have aided us in the past." "Go on." "Some of your Highland lords have been turned." "We have neither their armies nor their territories allowing safe passage to assist those besieged." "Adding time and expense to an already costly effort." "The conflict rages on." "And it will soon turn against us." "Yes." "Unless significant funds can be raised, men deployed, new lords bribed, then I predict that Scotland will be lost." "Mary, our military resources are already near breaking point." "There has to be a way." "We're not the first to turn to such resources." "No, I'd say to Your Honor, you're close to the last." "To be clear, we're talking about... a pirate." "Dear Lord." "The privateer Martin de Lambert is here." "How is it that such a splendid court lacks a menagerie?" "The rhinos and zebras I can keep in a stable," " but what of my tiger?" " What about your ship?" "Her cage is being repaired... she broke free." "We caught her, but she tore apart two of the cabins." "I brought her as a gift for you." "One, sadly, we cannot accept." "About our offer..." "To steal gold for you." "I have requirements." " Go on." " 50% of the profits, a small castle I'm rather fond of in Cologne..." "You said as much in your letter." "And your blessings on a marriage." "It's time for me to take a wife." "All right." "I've met your lady, Greer, and I think she might do nicely." "The issue with Lady Greer is that..." "It's not negotiable." " Out here again." " Hmm." "You are careful not to walk the grounds during the day." "I'm careful in all things." "Your French witnesses have reached the Continent." "Traveling south to Rome, through Bavaria, avoiding France." "Whether they succeed or fail, no one can know I've launched such a personal campaign." "Or that you're here." "You needn't worry." "Catherine de Medici is in Tuscany, in an unwanted family home, attached to an abandoned lumber mill." "Reports that she does nothing but weep and pray and rage drift back to French court." "You have a decoy." "Even the servants believe she's me." "Her only neighbors are some cloistered monks." "No one at French court will know that I am here in England." "Your own secret weapon against Mary, Queen of Scots." "The war between you is personal, Elizabeth, and I will help you win it." "Oh, Catherine." "Lord Dudley." "Did anyone see you?" "No, when you dismiss your servants, they know not to come back." "You said we can't do this." "We can't." "Then don't force me to be in your presence day in and day out." "Let me hold you in my arms, Elizabeth... or let me leave court." "I can't." "I need you near." "To see you even if I can't touch you." "My dear husband, there you are." "They said you were meeting late with the bursar." "Is he troubling the queen again?" "You needn't worry about Elizabeth or me." "You work too long." "And Elizabeth, she is so alone." "So many against her." "I want her to know that we are with her, thinking of her always." "I finished this today, to remind her of just that." "She does feel our love, doesn't she, Robert?" "Amy, you shouldn't have." "Lady Lola." "Lord Narcisse, I-I was just..." "Avoiding me, as you have done for the past few weeks." "You returned my gifts, but please tell me you read my letters." "Nothing you say will make me change my mind." "I will not be seduced into risking my life." "Lola, please." "I risked everything to be free for you." "Don't you see?" "That's just the problem." "Catherine knows of your feelings for me." "She is exiled, banished from court." "For how long?" "She's done terrible things and been forgiven before." "She is Francis' mother." "If she returns, I will protect you." "And who will protect me from you?" "You say you want to court me, to do so honorably with the truest of intentions..." "So you have read my letters." "I hope you didn't skip over the dirty bits." "Stop it." "You hurt me to please your lover, and I know you'll try and justify it, so let me be clear." "The issue is this:" "I fear you." "You fear losing yourself to a man because you've only been with boys, and I include the king on that list." "Were you mine, I would protect you with my life and much more." "Your vengeful skills such as blackmail, extortion, murder..." "Stop judging me and admit the truth." "I would never hurt you, and you know that." " What is it?" " Word on the sorceress Delphine." "Don't call her that." "She's wanted by the Crown for murder." "Leave such superstitions to the Church and tell me what you've learned." "Multiple reports, many of them conflicting." "There was a dark-haired beauty who took shelter in a farm about a day's travel from here." "Next morning, half the farmer's cows took ill, many died." "Animals get sick and spread disease to one another, just as people do." "And witches are known to leave a trail of evil." "They say when they're near, birds fall from the sky." "You said you had other leads." "Another with dark hair, blue eyes, caught stealing food." "In her bag, they found strange herbs and ointments, bloody rags, tools no one could identify." "She made a run for it, but they caught her." "Bound her to something." "Yes, uh, she refused to give her name." "That's the lead to follow... that's Delphine." "You seem quite sure, my lord." "Just go." "I suppose I should thank you for not marrying me off." "And to a privateer, no less." "Of course it was out of the question... for many reasons, including that you're still married." "Did you tell him that?" "It's none of his business." "Nor are the terms of your estrangement." "He clearly finds you attractive." "Mary, how dire is the situation in Scotland?" "It's always dire, Greer." "And the realm's finances here?" "I have my own business, Mary," "I understand that appearances matter, that a lavish lifestyle is easier to maintain than thousands of soldiers at home and abroad." "We need to find additional sources of income and quickly." "Tell Martin he has your blessing." "What about your marriage?" "If he hears I'm married, imply there's an annulment in the works." "We won't even need a long engagement, just one that extends beyond his departure." "But I'll break it off once he delivers the gold." "He picked you, Greer." "You do realize men fall at your feet?" " Stop." " All I'm saying is, he'll want your company before he goes." "A few days." "What's the harm?" "People know of your fondness for Dudley." "I care for him as I would a brother." "We were locked in the tower together when I was nothing." "But enough of a threat to be implicated in a treasonous plan." "You spent many days together, forging a deep bond." "Is that when you became... close?" "I am a virgin queen." "Of course you are." "You have to be as you are unwed." "And Robert is already married." "Anyway, he was too lowborn for you, you being the daughter of a king." "Legitimate or illegitimate, royal blood flows in your veins." "And now it is time that you found yourself a husband." "What a novel idea." "Well, the issue is that if you marry a monarch, as befits your station, they will fault you for giving a foreigner control of England." "And any Englishman is obviously beneath your station." "I'd be marrying down, diminishing my own standing." "What if there was a candidate who could raise your station by creating a valuable alliance without threatening you or your people?" "A husband who wouldn't even be a threat to your lover?" "What kind of husband is that?" "A boy-husband, my son Charles." "A prince." "Wed him and you will have your own alliance with France, leveling the playing field with Mary." "Your nobles want to ensure that you provide heirs." "This promises that you will, in time." "Well, once Charles is anything less than petrified at the thought of making love to you." "Though I'm sure you'd enthrall him." "It's just that he might not be much use to you in that department for a year or two." "He barely has a whisker on his face." "A year or two?" "Maybe three." "Nearly a thousand days with your lover, Robert Dudley." "Francis would never allow it." "It's obvious the union would undercut Mary's power." "It will come with an offer for you to reduce your aggression in Scotland." "And why would I do that?" "Because soon it won't matter." "Once your delegation calls Mary a whore before the Vatican." "Scotland's queen will fall." "A boy, you say?" " Any deformities?" " None." "Charles is very handsome and gentle." "I want to lay eyes on him myself." "Arrange the meeting." "_" "A wrinkle in our plan?" "What kind of wrinkle?" "I sent word to the family that my son Charles was staying with, and they said he left for French court." "Well, had he left on his own or been called back?" "It's unclear, but the fact is that if you had met him and approved and decided to go ahead with this union, you'd have to reach out formally to Francis anyway." "Surely by now Mary and Francis know that key lords have turned against her." "She can't keep this up." "She's on the verge of losing Scotland." "They will welcome a well-timed offer that implies a truce." "You'll see." "Narcisse came to you officially, asking to court me?" "And was swiftly denied." "Oh, by me as well." "He is relentless." "Did you encourage him in this?" "No, just the opposite." "Present a challenge in a way that engages him?" "I resent your implication." "My implication is that you might be lonely." "That by sleeping with a future king, you had no idea that you'd be handing over your freedom, freedom to choose your own suitor." "I know Narcisse can wear people down, but I don't want him anywhere near our son." "Near him?" "He was only near him to save him, to save me, when your mother had us abducted." "Do you hear the way you're defending him?" "I know you may not want to, but you have feelings towards him." "And I don't want John growing up, believing that Narcisse is what a man should be." "What a man should be?" "Francis, you are his father." "John will model himself after you." " Won't he?" " Of course." "Are you thinking of sending us away?" "No." "I'm not, I swear it." "But then..." "The topic of Narcisse is finished." "I forbid your union, and in doing so," "I am saving you from the biggest mistake of your life." "You have my attention, what is it?" "Your Majesty, the queen requests your presence." "It's a message from Elizabeth herself." "She wants to marry Charles." "Why?" "I think the answer is in her terms." "The battle for control of Scotland rages on." "But she is so close to an advantage." "Well, she doesn't know that." "She doesn't know how close we are to being incapable of supporting French troops, let alone Scottish ones." "Her offer could not be more timely." "We will find the money, Mary." "Resorting to piracy will keep the war going." "Our troops will make progress, the English-backed Protestants will retreat." "But then they will move forward and back until it all blurs into a bloody, endless stalemate." "It's a drain on our resources, and England's, too, and has been for years." "Elizabeth's real war is with me." "My claim to her throne." "Perhaps her advisors have realized this and are pressuring her." "But an engagement with Charles creates an alliance." "How difficult would it then be for France to overrule my brother, about Scotland or any matter?" "Very difficult." "I know that." "But if we allow her to marry Charles, she has said she will cease her aggressions in Scotland." "Francis, someone has to make the first move toward peace." "Do we find it so unbelievable because she is the one doing it and not me?" "By giving Elizabeth this alliance, we are calling it even in one area..." "Mary, it won't be even." "No." "She will have a prince and I will have a king." " You cannot do this." " Why?" "Because you will not have the king of France." "When I became ill, with the pain in my ear, and fever, they told me that if the pain returned," "I would not survive long." "It has returned." " No." "They're wrong..." " And when I am gone, you will have no position here but that of a widow, and I cannot abandon you unprotected." " I cannot, I cannot leave you..." " You won't." " We'll find other physicians, experts..." " No." "No, Mary." "Please, listen." "Please hear me." "I am dying." "I'm dying." "You will survive this." "And I will help you in every way that I can." "I've already sent for my brother weeks ago." "Charles?" "He doesn't know that he'll be king soon enough, but he should be here." "We must keep my illness a secret for as long as possible." "To put the pieces in place." "I can't think about politics right now." "You don't need to." "I have." "I will protect you and France." "Stop being so strong, so perfect." "Worrying about me when you..." "When we..." "I don't know how much time we have left." "But every moment matters." "It always did, I just didn't..." "I didn't see it before." "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." "Things between us, I..." "I didn't want you to return to me out of pity." "Francis, I love you." "And once I had you back," "I just wanted to enjoy every moment of your happiness." "If that's selfish, I'm sorry, but" "I am determined to find the joy in our lives." "In the small things..." "In everything." "It all makes sense now." "The boat?" "Yes." "The boat." "Will you come with me?" "You are ravishing, charming, highborn, a lady." "What else should I know about you?" "I am highborn, it's true, but..." "But more of a madam than a lady?" " I know about the whorehouse." " Then you probably know" "I've only recently been welcomed back to court." "And none of this bothers you?" "I like that you're scrappy." "But it's good you have an interest to keep you occupied, as I'm gone for months at a time." "How many months?" "Ten out of 12, I'd say." "I'll send letters, along with jewels and gold." "We could have a few children." "Would you like that?" "I no longer thought it was a possibility." "Why?" "Because of your profession?" "Surely they would be ashamed of me." "I'll teach them not to judge you." "You can teach them not to judge me." "They'll grow, knowing they've parents who've each found a way to weave some right into what many consider wrong." "What is it?" "You're a surprising man." "I like you, too." "Charles." "My lord." " You have news of Delphine." " It took a bit longer than expected to reach the town where she was held, and by the time we got there..." "She'd slipped her bonds and got away." "Yes." "How did you know?" "I saw you and your men arrive with no prisoner in tow." "We'll continue the search and bring you any leads we hear." "Especially anything closer to court." "She is near." "Watch this, Charles." "You've much to teach me." "I'm glad that you think so." "I'd love to work with the master who first trained you in archery." "Who's planning gatherings these days?" "And where can I have one, so it won't get in the way?" "Get in the way of what?" "Court business." "Prying eyes." "I hear you're quite the host." "That you got into a bit of trouble for such gatherings in Spain." "That wasn't the reason that engagement was called off." "Well, you're a free man now and back home." "And the reason I brought you here was to educate you." "You are the Dauphin now, the next in line." "So I'm to learn about trade routes and intricate power plays our nobles favor?" "Every guardian I've ever had says the same." "Well, now it's time to listen." "All right." "But first let's go for a ride." "I brought a fine mare with me from the south." "A good jumper." "We'll take the path beyond the chapel." "Oh, I'd like that, but I have business to attend to." "But I thought you said you wanted to talk." "We will." "Now that you're home." "Enjoy." "I'll see you at supper." "Thanks." "Have fun being king." "Lola." "What are you doing in my chambers?" "Taking a bath." "You like me in baths." "I do." "Would you like to join me?" "Am I to understand that you have rethought my proposition?" "That you're willing to let me court you?" "Must we talk about that now?" "Are you just going to watch?" "What were you thinking you would do, beyond this bathing moment?" "When I shared my fondness for this particular situation, my plan was to seduce you." "That was before I came to care for you as I do." "So you don't enjoy the bathing ritual anymore?" "That is not what I'm saying, Lola." "But is this your idea of a... a seduction?" "Phrased like that, it certainly sounds like a failed seduction." "You do not need to seduce a man who already wants you." "Francis denied my request to court you." "Has he changed his mind?" "Have you?" "And why does it have to be so formal?" "Why can't we just try this, in secret?" "Because you said I scared you." "That you don't trust me." "As a potential husband, a true partner." "But Francis forbade that, as you said, so..." "So you feel protected." "That we can only go so far with one another." "That whatever you do or feel, you are saved from making a terrible mistake." "Francis said the same thing." "He called it the mistake of my life." "Which is true, but so is this:" "I am yours this night." "No." "Not like this." "I am going to marry you." "And I can promise you that it is not a mistake, because we are right for each other." "You don't see it, but I do." "And I am prepared to wait until you see it, too." "I got your note that you're leaving." "Greer, the night we spent together..." "Shh!" "I brought you this to take on your journey." "I noticed some of your men wore the locks" " of the women they love." " Your beautiful hair." "Greer..." "Wait, is-is that...?" "The hair of another." "I enjoyed our time together so much." "And the choice was so difficult." "Choice?" "You were choosing between me and some other girl?" "I said I was looking for a bride." "I didn't say I was only looking at one candidate." "You can't be serious." "As though you're some prize?" " Some, some..." " I'm a skilled thief." "A pirate with all my arms, legs and teeth, which is a rarity." "And I make rich those who employ me." "A Dutch baron, who is here at court with his family, put his daughter in the running, too." "She won." "This... never happens to me." "I would never... so casually, without some... promise of something, some deeper bond or..." "I'm sorry you were so mistaken." "But I'm sure we'll see each other again." "You are a scoundrel, a rogue." "A pirate." "So Catherine took a lover, a monk, who bled to death from his wounds, but how was he wounded?" "It was a saw blade, apparently." "After the poor young monk shared an encounter with the queen mother." "They thought the mill was inoperable, but their position activated a lever and..." "Oh, Lord!" "Once she learned that her lover bled to death, she was so stricken with guilt that she hanged herself." "Catherine de Medici is dead." "Catherine?" "Guilt-stricken?" "That's not the woman we know." "Well, it can't be, can it?" "She must have used a decoy." "So where is she now?" "And what on earth is she up to?" "Narcisse requested a meeting that might have an answer to that question." "He says that he has news from Italy." "And what news from our spy in Rome?" "A small delegation arrived surreptitiously." "They were granted an audience with someone very high up, whom they told in great detail of your relationship with Condé." "Oh, what have I done?" "If the Vatican withdraws its support from me, from Scotland..." " Who did they meet with?" " No one wants to say, as the delegation was shown to their rooms and quietly assassinated." "This is ghastly!" "As is treason, which is what this was." "Whoever sent those people misjudged" "Rome's determination to keep Scotland Catholic." "Even if it means murder to support a sinful queen." "Mary, do not look to the past." "I'm not." "Indeed, you should be looking across the channel." "Amongst the accusers' possessions were letters guaranteeing safe passage to England." "She's there." " Who?" " My mother." "Elizabeth is considered a heretic." "She has no ties to the Vatican." "It wouldn't occur to her to set this up." "Or pull it off if she did." "My mother sat in on our privy council meetings." "She's at Elizabeth's side, feeding her information." "Catherine wants to destroy me." "And if she can't, she'll help Elizabeth destroy my nation." "Leave us." "Mary, I will help you for as long as I can." "I can't take on two queens." "Not alone, you mean." "I have to agree to the meeting with Elizabeth." "If we allow her to marry Charles, you'll lose your power." "Soon, I fear, I will have nothing left to lose." "It's time to deal with her directly." "Whatever the cost may be." "Bash?" "Bash!" "Delphine." "What?" "How?" "I can't move." "Because I drugged your wine." "I am innocent, Bash, of the murder I was accused of." "Of witchcraft." "But you didn't..." " you didn't..." " Burn?" "I asked not to be drowned, because I knew I could survive the flames." "I covered myself with a protective ointment." "I could feel the heat, though." "It was agony." "Whoever killed that boy, the one whose death I am blamed for, will kill again." "I have felt their urges." "A thirst that will never be slaked." "You must stop them, Bash." "Let others come for me if you must." "But stay here and stop them." "So you know you weren't dreaming." "I feel as though I'm ten hiding up here." "Is a pirate really worth this effort?" "I can't face him, Lola." "Not after what happened between us." "Did you see him with the Dutch baron's daughter?" "No." "She must be very beautiful." "Greer, listen." "I've..." "I learned something." "Martin told the baron's daughter the same story." "That he'd chosen another..." "some girl from the Pyrenees." "So we were all jockeying up to try and better a girl he already had?" "Well, my guess is, he'll tell her there's yet another." "How do you know these things?" "One of my servants became acquainted with one of his men." "And she learned he's not looking for a bride at all." "He likes highborn ladies, so he rolls out a quick proposal to get them into bed." "That is monstrous and despicable to mislead and use people." "Not quite the way you were planning to use him, but you were planning on using him, weren't you?" "But I changed my mind." "I was actually considering a relationship with him." "Marriage even." "Well, the good news is that he's still single." "Should he return to court and you be open to... a renegotiation?" "Never." "I'll decide where to set up the tent." "I want Mary to climb the hill to me." "Charles, too." "Sir!" "I don't understand." "Where is she?" "I don't even see a ship on the horizon." "I don't know, Your Majesty." "It is odd." "Rest assured, you are protected." "We have come in force with the best of your castle guards." "The castle, unguarded." "They're coming for Catherine." "No." "Oh, my Lord." "The men who took Catherine were English." "Frequent guests at court." "Catholics I tolerated." "They were armed." "With so many men away from court to ensure your protection..." "While I stood on the beach and waited like a fool." "They entered and left the castle easily." "She dared to take me on directly!" "Mary planned this entire thing to seize Catherine and take her home." "They never even considered an English-French alliance." "And you never considered peace with Mary." "You and Catherine de Medici had some other plan to topple her rule in Scotland, didn't you?" "Mary threatens me, William." "It isn't just her legitimacy that makes her a better choice." "It's the fact that she's wed." "Every monarchy needs a clear heir to the throne, so power can be passed down without bloodshed or the fear of it." "The fear you feel every day." "I don't need any more lectures" " on that topic, thank you." " My queen, if the goal of creating an alliance with France was to even Mary's advantage, you can do so easily enough." "Take a husband." "Have children, a son." "Stop turning away suitor after suitor." "A husband who would diminish me." "You can talk about our patriarchal system, its evils for women, but I know the real reason that you dismiss marriage." "His name is Robert Dudley." "Elizabeth?" "You must rule your own heart as firmly as you rule your subjects." "Are you sure?" "If we are caught, this ruins your chances at marriage, any alliance." "I don't trust anyone around me but you." "They tell me to rule my heart, but what they want is a man to rule me." "I won't have it." "But Mary..." "Don't say her name." "I can't stand her." "I can't stand the fact that she draws breath." "I am England's queen." "And those who seek to replace me will suffer my wrath." "That is how I will protect myself... and you," "Robert." "I swear." "Lady Dudley, this is remarkable but quite unexpected..." "so young and lovely." "Do shut up now, won't you?" "You said you wanted something from me." "Is it a particular in the sex act?" " I like the details." " That's not what I meant." " Well, then?" " If you must know, if it will quiet you, it's this." "My husband is in Elizabeth's grasp." "And I'd very much like him back in mine." "You're going to help me with that." "Clearly we should have taken your head when you last betrayed your son." "Now you've betrayed your nation by consorting with an enemy." "I sought an alliance for the good of France." "Take her." "I'm a patriot." "I am your mother." "I will not be treated like an animal!" "You're wrong there." "You've met the pirate Martin." "No." "Now meet his companion." "No!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "We have many carriages, but few moving prisons." "It's hard to say which of you needs thicker bars." "But I know who will suffer more."