Reign Recap S1E14: Dirty Laundry

Mary and Francis come home from the Honeymoon, and Mary is quiet distant. They return to reality, but she’d rather go back to the country house, where their love was safe. Francis tells her that Catherine is no longer a threat, and Bash should be far off in Spain. Mary hopes Bash finds happiness, and Francis would rather focus on making a troop of little royals.

The Bohemian Archduke comes to discuss a French ship firing on a Bohemian one. Henry and Catherine maintain it was an accident, and Kenna catches the Archduke’s eye. Henry and Kenna talk of their deal, so far the suitors that Henry has presented have been less than satisfactory, but the Archduke could be perfect. The only catch, he expects a chaste bride, something Kenna is far from being. Henry can make sure there are no whispers of her whoreness. Henry introduces Kenna to the Archduke, and she easily charms him. Mary and Francis return, and they look very happy. And Mary has come bearing great news for Greer and Lola, suitors are lined up for both. Catherine comes with a greeting, asking Francis for a word, and the politics and backstabbing begin. Catherine wants to hear about their travels, but first she breaks the news that Bash never made it to Spain, that guards’ bodies were found on the side of the road. Bash’s body was not found. Either he killed the guards, she says, or they were attacked and he managed to get away. Catherine tells him that Henry has men looking for him.

Bash is hunting in the woods, he’s tackled by a girl, Rowan. He nearly fell into a boar trap, and she berates him over it. She takes Bash back to her camp and introduces him to her brother Carrick. Rowan and Bash spent the say hunting Pheasants. Carrick is wary of him, but Bash doesn’t plan on staying. Carrick thinks he hears the boar, and raises his bow, but Bash stops him from firing, good thing too. It’s not a boar, but Olivia.

Mary has gift gowns for her ladies, but Lola’s does not fit. Could someone be holding a bun in her oven? Greer asks Mary if she is pregnant, its been two months, but she is not. She offers the ladies Marzipan, and Lola at first says no, but then takes a piece. Mary notices how odd she’s acting, and Kenna does too.

Rowan asks how Bash knows Olivia, and points to her fine clothing. Weird that Francis’s former mistress would be out in the wilderness. Carrick sees that Olivia has been fed on, and that she must leave. They tell him that she’s been chosen by the darkness.

 Archduke spends time with Kenna. He tells her that its been a year since his wife passed and been pressured to get a new wife. He tries to kiss Kenna and she turns her cheek. Meanwhile the King is seducing the Archduke’s sister. Kenna feigns that she is worried for her reputation, that her body is a vessel of god, and she must remain pure for her future husband. The King and Cecilia get frisky, and he accidently thrusts her off the balcony to her death. Well, that was unfortunate.

Bash comes to Nostradamus with Olivia. He thought that Bash had lost. He looks over Olivia’s body, sees the bite marks and self inflicted slashes. Nostradamus is unsure if it is human or animal. Bash wonders if it is the thing that the Pagans have been worshipping in the woods, the thing that needs blood. Nostradamus is unsure of what caused it, but he knows that it certainly is no animal that requires sacrifice. Nature isn’t so malignant. He cautions Bash to leave, that the castle is not a safe place for him.

Catherine looks though some items, when Mary comes to visit. Catherine has her mind on Mary’s womb as well. Catherine is prepared though, she gives Mary a concoction to rub on her chest before love making, one for Francis, to lie still after for an hour, and then pills to take as well. She is pushing hard for heirs, ones that will never come. Catherine takes the pills, being the wrong ones, when Henry comes storming in. Mary scurries out, leaving all of Catherine’s baby making suggestions behind. Henry spills that the duchess accidentally fell to her death. She asks why he’s coming to her, but he needs her help covering up the problem, to help him prevent war. She doesn’t want the blood on her hands, but Henry tells her that it’s the most practical solution. Catherine isn’t going to do him any favors without something in return. She asks for Diane’s Chateau, but he doesn’t want to take back his gift. She tells him to call Diane back to clean up his mess then. Henry capitulates, the chateau is hers.

Kenna comes to visit Lola about her little liaison with Francis. Lola says that she can’t do it at the moment. But Kenna has noticed that she’s tired all the time, pale and barely eating, she knows that she’s pregnant. Kenna thinks it’s a brilliant move to secure her place as Francis’s mistress. Kenna would have done the same King if she had the chance. Lola is quick to defend her one night stand. The pregnancy will shame her family, and Mary will eventually forgive her. Kenna tells her that Francis will be a good father, and that she’ll get to play some sort of part in the child’s life, better yet, her place at the French court is assured. None of this sounds good to Lola. She doesn’t want to be known as a mistress. She doesn’t want to keep the baby. She asks Kenna if she knows of anyone who ends babies. Kenna doesn’t know of anyone herself, she practices safe sex, but her maid may. She seemed “troubled” a while back, and had something taken care of.

Mary finds Bash in her chambers. She thought he was gone to Spain. He tells her that Francis tried to kill him, that he hates Bash and sees him as nothing more than a threat. Mary doesn’t think that Francis would do anything to hurt him. Bash knows otherwise. She tells him that it would not change anything. It would change her heart, and if Francis did try to kill Bash, Bash would kill him. Mary cautions Bash to watch his words, that they are treasonous. He tells her for her own sake, she should find out who she is married to. He tells her that if she needs him to put a light in the woods, and he will meet her where they first kissed. Cheeky bastard.

Catherine and Henry scrub up Cecilia’s blood. It’s likely to stain, but neither of them are really good at cleaning, and Catherine hopes it’ll just look like spilled wine when it’s done. Catherine rolls the body in a carpet, and Henry continues to be less than useful. They plan to set the body back to her chambers and toss her from the proper window.

Lola questions Kenna’s maid, she feigns innocence, but Lola pushes needing the information for a “friend.” The nurse tells her that it’s a dangerous process, one many girls do not survive. The maid tells Lola she knows of the ruse, that there is no friend. Lola gives the girl a good deal of money, and still she worries about telling her where to get an abortion for her safety.

Catherine and Henry hall the body away, and Henry drops the body again. It’s heavier than it looks.

Father  Le duc comes to call on Nostradamus, in need of some sort of remedy and comes across a disturbed Olivia. He dismisses the demons that trouble her sleep. She awakens with his cross dangling over her. In a panic she stabs him with his own cross in the heart, and pushes his body away.

Mary gets ready for bed, when Francis comes in. She readies to tell him about the conversation she had with Catherine, but he’s more curious about the one she had with his guards about Bash’s departure. She apologizes, but she has to ask if he tried to have him killed. Mary tells him that she wanted to prove his innocence. Francis is upset that Bash came to her bedchambers, even though Mary did not ask him there, and that he has to prove himself to her. He points out that she came to him once telling him that his mother was plotting against her and he believed her without a shred of truth. Believed would be a stretch, it took many attempts on her life before he believed her, but lets not throw stones. He points as royals they can do terrible things but without trust they are nothing. Mary tells him that the same is true of Bash. Francis thinks that Bash only killed the guards to stay close to Mary, tells her that he didn’t order anyone to kill Bash, but someone certainly did. Francis promises Mary that Bash is not safe from him, and Mary puts the light in her window.

Catherine writes Cecilia’s suicide letter. Henry wants her to add something about France, but Catherine scoffs at the idea. She plans to write she was lonely, but Henry has a better idea. Unrequited love is a better option.

Kenna continues her slow seduction of the Archduke. She tells him since he kissed her on the cheek she has been thinking about it. He makes sure that she is ready, and then gives her an innocent kiss on the lips. She pulls him in for something a little less innocuous. Henry and Catherine finish with Cecilia’s letter. He thinks that she deserved better, but Catherine points out that they all do as they prepare the body for a second fall. The archduke is impressed with Kenna’s skills, but she feigns beginner’s luck. He tells her that she would make a beautiful addition to Bohemia, but as he goes in for seconds, Kenna sees the body fall and screams. The Archduke runs to investigate, knowing his sister is on the floor above.

Kenna complains to Mary how Cecilia’s suicide ruined her would be marriage proposal. The ladies head to Lola’s room, but she isn’t there. Her maid tells them that Lola left early in riding clothes, but didn’t tell anyone where she went, but Kenna knows.

Mary asks Bash for his help to get through the Bloodwood, and he cannot believe that she would go there, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She also asks that once they get there that he let her go in alone so that they don’t cause Lola any additional embarrassment.

Henry and Catherine team up. Nostradamus tells the pair that once of his patients killed Le duc, which may just work to their advantage. Cecilia’s brother knows that his sister did not write the note, because she never learned to write. Catherine admits that it was a forgery, written by the duchesses’s lover. Catherine saw Cecilia and a lover together, once Cecilia’s suicide came to light Catherine investigated it. She has the lover tortured and he admitted that once they were discovered she killed herself out of shame. He wrote the note, and they killed him under torture, they did not know that he was a man of the cloth when they were torturing him. Cecilia’s brother asks if they could spread the story that his sister accidentally drowned and Henry and Catherine readily agree, willing to do anything they say to maintain their friendship.

Mary gets to Lola before the procedure could be done. She tells her that she does not have to do it, but Lola thinks if Mary knew the truth she would think differently. Mary finally figures it out. Lola was with Francis when they returned. Now I bet she wishes she had chose the other brother. Bash asks if Mary will be okay. Mary is not sure. Francis told Mary that he was innocent on the attempt on his life, and she believed him. Mary wonders if Bash should leave, he cannot care for her she says. But she’s there, and he cannot hate her, and knows someone needs to protect her.

Henry find Catherine’s duplicity alluring. He wants more from Catherine, but this time she’s not falling into his bed.

Lola apologizes for sleeping with Francis, making excuses that Francis thought that he would never see Mary again, but Mary points out that they were friends, and that she would see her again. Lola asks that Mary keeps the child a secret from her husband.

Rowan gushes that she caught the boar, and asks him to join her for dinner. But Bash tells her that he plans to leave France. She asks him to stay, and he doesn’t say no.

Kenna tells Henry that the archduke has left, and she’s a little disappointed. Henry tells her that, it means that she’ll get to stay at court longer, and they get to play, but Henry’s heart really isn’t in it.

Nostradamus asks Olivia if she remembers last night, what frightened her, and she tells him it’s the darkness, it will take her soul.

Catherine, Lola, and Mary are all engulfed in their own darkness.