Months had passed since her argument with Nicole. Dominique settled into a depression that rivaled the one she found herself in right after Pierre’s death. She felt a resurgence of her grief, opening the wound, as if it were brand new. Dominique felt desperate and alone. Not even her work brought her the satisfaction that it once had. She wondered to herself, why am I alive, what is the point?
She even felt disconnected from Henri. Since the baby’s death, he had been heart-broken and seemed unable to share those feelings of pain with Dominique—perhaps because he did not want for her to feel responsible. So he stayed away. Nicole had proven to be a wedge between them, also. When he was home, she ingratiated herself and insisted on his attention, leaving Dominique completely ignored. She knew that she could not say anything about it to Henri as he would find fault with Dominique. She was being too intolerant, or she did not understand what the child had been through, or perhaps if she just took some time to connect with her own daughter…
Besides, Dominique could not bring herself to ask Henri to see her as anything other than the person he saw. He truly cared for Nicole and the loss of her in his life would mean that he had lost two children. Dominique loved him too much to hurt him in such a fashion. Dominique’s conflict must have made her pull away from Henri, further creating the void that now lie between them. She did not know how to fix her broken life.
She rose one morning, long before the sun even, unable to sleep longer. Her dreams had ravaged her mind and there seemed no escape other than wakefulness. She donned her warm cloak and set off up the path towards the Churchyard. There was not a lot of conscious thought, she felt somehow compelled to walk towards the small outdoor altar space that adjoined the cemetery. The outdoor altar was used for sunrise services and funerals now but may have been a site of pagan rituals of old. It was a semi-circle of ancient stones at the edge of the prayer space, a small, intimate clearing where Dominique felt drawn.
Wrapping herself a little tighter in her cloak, Dominique seated herself comfortably in front of the semi-circle of stones. Settling into the space, she breathed deeply. Finding herself entering meditation was as second nature to her now—breathe deeply in through the nose, exhale slowly through the mouth. Her meditation had begun with the silent prayer—help. Aloud, she prayed,
Hail Mary, full of grace
Hail to the Lord,
Lord is with you.
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of the womb, Thy womb, Jesus,“
She paused as the prayer left her lips. “Why?” she thought. “Why didn’t you bless the fruit of MY womb?” She began to cry inconsolably.
With her head in her hands, she truly felt despondent. Why had she come out here at such an early hour? What had she hoped to gain? Just as she was ready to accept that hope would not be offered, she began to notice something. Something was different. Was the sun coming up earlier than she had expected?
Dominique pulled herself away from the embrace of her hands and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the glow of golden light upon her hands. But as she raised her head slowly, Dominique saw the most magnificent angel hovering above the stone semi-circle.
A flood wave of pure, white love enveloped Dominique, instantly bringing her to tears. Never had she felt the intensity of love like this—not even with Henri. This wave of love was God’s pure energy, reassuring her that she was His child and He would care for her. Breathing through this, hoping that the angel would not leave her, Dominique opened her heart.
“Beloved,” the angel whispered, “be not afraid. All is well with your soul, it is as God has planned. Have faith, my dear one.” The warm glow around the angel brought with it a sense of calm Dominique had never known. “You will be with child very soon. This child comes to you with great purpose. It is God’s will. Go forth in faith.”
The angel disappeared, leaving behind a warm glow that lit Dominique’s heart. She would have another child and they were protected by God. This was a miracle, one that would help heal Henri’s heart, also. For the first time in almost two years, Dominique looked to the future with a glad heart and a lightened spirit.
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On an expedition with the future King, some eight months after Dominique’s angelic visitation, Henri’s guard unit set up camp twenty-two miles from Loudun, in a town called Bourgeil. The future King Henry II was asked to spend the night with a wealthy merchant in town. The merchant was thrilled to be in his presence and to serve in such a small way.
Apparently the thrill was reserved for Henry himself, and not the guards. They were offered the shelter of the stables, but chose instead to pitch their tents on the merchant’s lands. Remaining close to their protectee, the men settled in for the night. Henri realized earlier in the afternoon that they would be close to his home in Loudun. He asked his trusted friend and fellow soldier to ride ahead and bring his beloved Dominique to him. It had been months since they had seen each other and he missed her, body and soul.
The trip would take them some four to five hours round trip, so Henri prepared his campfire and cooked some food in anticipation of Dominique’s arrival. She had been so much more at peace since the angel had appeared to her, and truth be told, so was Henri. It was exciting to anticipate that she might be with child soon and that he may be welcoming another son once again.
Henri was taken by surprise. Dominique virtually jumped from the horse and into Henri’s arms when she got close enough. It had been so long since Dominique had been so full of life, that ‘joie de vivre’. For her, it seemed quite exciting to be whisked to the encampment by one of Henri’s fellow soldiers and brought to her husband like a reward.
Never leaving his embrace, they spent hours talking and laughing together in the privacy of Henri’s tent. With the firelight flickering outside the tent, they paused and looked into each other’s eyes. It was like they were gazing upon each other that first time in the garden. “I love you”, Henri spoke. “I love you more than anyone possibly can”, replied Dominique.
She pulled back from Henri and, never breaking eye contact, began to slowly pull on the drawstrings at the top of her dress, allowing it to slide off her shoulders and reveal her breasts. Henri gasped in giddiness. She excited him every time he saw her – like it was still the first time seeing her. Dominique helped Henri remove his clothes and soon she was on top of him. Henri held her hips as they made love, slowly, but with a level of passion neither had experienced. The world around them disappeared. As their souls intertwined, they felt transported, locked together in an embrace, timeless and without bounds. Both had felt it. Both knew what it had meant. Soon they would be with child.