Reign

- Previously on Reign... - Did you sleep with him?

Yes. And now Gideon is on your side.

Were you seducing him so you can get out of this alive?

I don't know.

Elizabeth is sending you an offer to succeed her

as queen of England. In return,

she will choose your next husband.

You are going to accept.

The Vatican wants something.

They want me to accept Elizabeth's offer,

and then when I am named her successor,

your queen will be assassinated, and I will take her throne.

I'm just a pawn, even if I were assassinated, they'd just

replace me with the next Catholic in line.

replace me with the next Catholic in line.

A man would be their preference.

I have named Queen Mary Stuart

as my successor in exchange

for choosing her next husband,

and I choose you.

It's the Red Knights.

Catherine, watch out!

"Your debt will be paid."

You and Father executed 13 knights

on the trumped up charge

of heresy, simply because you couldn't pay them?

How could you believe that was your only option?

Not the only one, the cleanest.

I've already made

the unwelcome move of deposing Lord Narcisse--

the unwelcome move of deposing Lord Narcisse--

a popular regent-- so that you may rule

by my side. I cannot have

your past sins affecting my reign.

You won't.

This vendetta is against me,

and I will handle it.

Impressive.

Where did you learn to shoot like that?

My late husband.

He thought it was a skill

that would serve me well.

Well, King Francis was right.

Now that I've seen your abilities with a bow,

I certainly won't be crossing you.

It's funny, isn't it? The two of us here.

Both knowing we've already had our one true love.

Still, you do as your queen commands, Lord Dudley.

I realize that Elizabeth's given me something

that I needed following my wife's death.

A fresh start.

You'll be starting anew

as the king consort of Scotland.

That's not so bad, is it?

Neither is being named Elizabeth's successor.

Becoming the next in line

to the English throne

to the English throne

validates you as a female monarch,

allows you to rally waning support.

I can't imagine things have been easy of late.

What with finding yourself a guest at French court,

while your own country turns against you.

Your queen's decision probably has less to do with helping me

and my uncomfortable political position,

and more to do with bolstering her own.

It's very clever,

naming a weakened Catholic queen her successor,

naming a weakened Catholic queen her successor,

to reinforce herself as the better choice.

Elizabeth is shrewd.

I suspect the two of you have that in common.

Perhaps, through our marriage, I can build a bridge

between the two of you.

That would be beneficial.

I want you to know that I am fully committed to this union.

I know that ours might never become a great love,

but I do believe we can have a congenial life together.

I believe that as well.

Well, then, shall we make it official?

Well, then, shall we make it official?

Mary,

Queen of Scots,

would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?

Yes, I will.

I know you and Robert Dudley have history,

but he's not as terrible

as you made him out to be, Gideon.

The man is as ambitious as he is self-serving.

Apparently Elizabeth finds those to be appealing qualities.

He all but admitted that he's still in love with her.

Their love was real,

I can tell you that.

Yes, perhaps, that's the answer-- encouraging him

that to wed you would be to give up,

when he should be fighting for Elizabeth's hand.

Well, they have no chance of a future together.

Well, they have no chance of a future together.

He knows that.

Well, I could lie and tell him you're a miserable lover.

Dudley made one thing clear,

he needs this marriage.

He believes it's his only option.

Lately, however, I've been pondering a different man.

Likely the Vatican thinks that once I take

the English throne, I will be ousted

or killed. If they plan

to put a king on the throne after me,

they must have someone in mind.

That someone isn't Dudley,

because he isn't getting the Crown Matrimonial.

Nor is he Catholic.

Are there any other Catholic males in the line of succession?

The most likely candidate in our family tree

The most likely candidate in our family tree

is a distant cousin of mine and Elizabeth's.

His name is Joseph Tudor.

A Catholic and a Tudor to boot.

Do you have any idea where he is?

After Mary Tudor died

and Elizabeth turned England Protestant,

Joseph fled to France.

If my theory is correct,

then Archbishop Ridolfi has already been in contact with him

about stepping in to rule England.

If we can find real evidence of this,

and I can get it to Elizabeth, she will be forced

to rescind her offer to name you her successor.

Well, that would be taking quite a risk.

Lest you forget, I also have a duty to Elizabeth.

Lest you forget, I also have a duty to Elizabeth.

By stopping the Vatican's plot, I save my queen's life.

I would take this risk, even if it weren't my duty.

We will stop the Vatican,

but to start, we must find Joseph Tudor.

I trust your visit to Mary's chambers

was to end your liaison.

was to end your liaison.

Now that she's my fiancée, your mission to seduce her

is obsolete.

Well, Mary will be devastated.

It seems I'm quite good

at my job.

Drawing women in,

seducing them, learning their every secret.

But you already knew that, didn't you,

given my time with Elizabeth.

Stay away from the queen of Scots.

Is that the queen of England's order?

No, that's my order as the Earl of Leicester

and the future king consort of Scotland.

Joseph Tudor

appealed to us for asylum

appealed to us for asylum

when Elizabeth took the throne,

and started persecuting all

of Mary Tudor's Catholic supporters.

As we are a Catholic monarchy,

Henry granted him sanctuary here in France.

Since when did you become interested

in the whereabouts of a distant cousin?

It's a theory I'm working on with Gideon.

How are things with the English ambassador?

I know you.

You've come to care for him, correct?

Perhaps a little.

But I have bigger worries.

I came to ask you

about Archbishop Ridolfi.

about Archbishop Ridolfi.

Has he had any visitors?

No, he's been too busy borrowing the royal carriages,

for what he calls "holy errands."

Do you know where he's been going? No.

But his drivers loathe him.

I'm sure they'd share that information with you.

What are you up to, Mary?

It's best you remain unaware.

Joseph Tudor?

Who's asking?

I have a message from Archbishop Ridolfi.

It's about time. Did he say

how much longer I'm to stay in this dreadful house?

It's ridiculous.

A man of my future standing.

Why don't we discuss that future inside?

Thomas and I like the name Logan for a boy and Fiona

for a girl. No.

Your choices are far too Scottish for a child

growing up in France.

We want the child to fit in,

don't we?

Lord Thomas, for you.

What is it?

Someone knows.

Somehow they knew.

It says that

your pregnancy is a ruse. That the mother

is your sister,

a "purveyor of whores."