Francis sees no alternative to stop Mary nagging about why he gave in to Narcisse and refuses to give her a say but pretend it's because she failed to give him an heir. She jumps at the chance to accompany the queen-mother to a tedious church ceremony in Beauvais cathedral, protests in vain when she hears it's to Noyon, a town Catherine favors as a fallback popularity investment. On the road, they can barely escape brigands by trap door from the carriage. Given the unrest since plague and religious hatred, they dare not identify themselves and pose as servants to work in an inn, where suddenly arrives not Francis's rescue party but a fake royal couple. Narcisse tells Lola, who refuses a date, how alike they are due to family troubles.
—KGF Vissers