The Red Rose of Anjou - Plaidy Jean (книги онлайн полные версии бесплатно .TXT) 📗

‘A good man...very religious. Handsome in a way, though not like the Plantagenet Kings with their long legs and their yellow hair. He does not bluster or swear, nor does he make sport with the women. I would say that first of all Henry of England is a good man.’

‘They will be seeking a wife for him soon,’ said Isabelle.

‘Oh yes, my lady, negotiations are going afoot. It will be a daughter of the King...or a daughter of the Count of Armagnac. A French marriage. It will be a seal on the peace.’

‘There is nothing like a marriage between two enemies to make a peace,’ said Rene.

‘Yet Henry the Fifth married Katherine of France and there was nothing but war after,’ Margaret reminded them.

‘That was a shameful marriage,’ said her mother. ‘Our poor crazy King gave away France at that time.’

‘Well, we’re winning it back,’ said Champchevrier, ‘and a marriage will put an end to war. I know that a painter has been sent to the Court of Armagnac for the express purpose of painting the Count’s daughters. There are three of them and they say the King will take the one most to his taste. I know the painter well. A Dutchman named Hans who has a deft hand with the brush. He has had instruction that they shall be painted in simple garments just as he sees them and in no way is Hans to think of making pretty pictures, but to paint exactly what he sees.’

‘Ah, it seems as though the King is serious. And he will take the one he Likes best.’

‘It’s humiliating,’ said Margaret. ‘If I were one of the Count of Armagnac’s daughters I should refuse to be painted.’

‘What, my lady, and deny your chance of being Queen of England?’

‘If it meant submitting to such a test, yes.’

‘My lord, you have a spirited daughter,’ commented Champchevrier. Then he went on to delight them with stories of the Court of England and it was a very agreeable evening.

He left early next morning with many protestations of gratitude. It was a few days later when Rene discovered that a picture he had painted of Margaret was missing.

It was a charming portrait of the girl in a simple gown with her lovely hair falling about her shoulders and showing to perfection those reddish tints. It was one of Rene’s favourite paintings.

His anger quickly passed and he became highly amused.

‘Do you know,’ he said, ‘I think that rogue Champchevrier stole the picture of Margaret. He must have been very much impressed by her.’

###

Guy de Champchevrier was congratulating himself on the manner in which he had achieved what he had set out to do. The King would be pleased with him. It was a delightful picture; and what was more important than the King’s approval would be that of my lord of Suffolk. William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, was, after the Cardinal, the most powerful man in the land; the great enemy of both the Duke and the Cardinal was the Duke of Gloucester and every day the latter was becoming more and more ineffectual.

No, it was the Cardinal who ruled England with Suffolk close on his heels and so it would be for although England had a King and he was now past twenty years of age he was not meant to be a ruler. He was too gentle to his enemies; he hated the sight of bloodshed; he never wanted to harm his enemies; he liked to be with his books and he was constantly engaged in prayer. He showed no interest in the ladies of the Court many of whom would not have hesitated to indulge in a Little frolic with the King and when he had seen some of them, as he thought, immodestly dressed he had turned shuddering away crying for shame.’ His strongest oath was ‘Forsooth and Forsooth’, and ‘By Jove’. He would have made a better priest than a King, thought Champchevrier.

And as he was riding along he suddenly realized that he was being followed. He called to his servants to move faster and they broke into a gallop, but it was not long before they were surrounded.

Champchevrier protested but he was told that he was arrested in the name of the King.

‘The King of France...’ cried Champchevrier.

‘Indeed the King of France. What other King could there be on French territory?’

Champchevrier said: ‘I can explain.’

‘That you are an escaped prisoner. We know that already. It is on that count that you are now under arrest.’

There was nothing Champchevrier could do but submit.

But when he reached the Court he managed to assure his captors that he was engaged on a mission of some secrecy and one which he could only divulge to the King himself.

‘You are mad if you think the King will see you,’ he was told.

‘You will be in trouble if you refuse to take my message to the King. I come from the King of England.’

After some preamble Champchevrier’s claim was put before the King and Charles, intrigued, agreed to see him.

Champchevrier bowed low before Charles and begged that he might speak to him in private for the nature of his mission was very secret.

Those about the King were suspicious but Charles insisted that he would hear the man and his guards retired to wait at the door and Charles said: ‘Well, proceed.’

‘Sire, I am on a very private mission for my lord Duke of Suffolk and the King of England. It is true that I was taken in battle by Sir John Fastolf and the ransom demanded has not been paid.’

‘Then you have offended against the laws of chivalry and I must hand you over to Sir John.’

‘Let me explain, Sire. I have had conversations with the King of England for I have been treated most honourably in England. I am a native of Anjou and have on several occasions seen the fair daughter of King Rene. The Lord Cardinal has also seen 1 her. You may know, my lord, that there are negotiations going on for a marriage between the King and one of the Count of Armagnac’s daughters. The Duke of Gloucester wishes this marriage but the Cardinal and my Lord Suffolk do not believe that such a marriage will help to bring about a peace.’

The King nodded. ‘I think I agree with that.’

‘My lord Gloucester wishes that marriage to take place because he is all for prolonging the war. He is a man of unsound judgment, my lord.’

‘There you speak truth.’

‘The Cardinal was much impressed by Margaret of Anjou.’

‘I begin to .see what this is all about,’ said the King with a smile.

‘Yes, Sire. Being a native of Anjou, I know the country well. I was able to add my opinion of the lady Margaret’s beauty to that of the Cardinal. Sire, you know what a delicate matter this is. The English do not wish the Count of Armagnac to know that the King is looking elsewhere. It is disastrous that having completed my mission I should be arrested. As I saw it, the only solution was to put the case to you.’

‘And what was your mission?’ asked the King.

‘To secure a picture of the Princess Margaret, my lord. Her father is a fine painter. It seemed likely that he would have made a portrait of his beautiful daughter.’

‘You procured it?’

‘Stole it, Sire. I am on my way to show it to the King of England.’

‘You have it with you? It would prove your story.’

Champchevrier brought the picture from a pocket in his cloak.

The King took it and studied it intently. ‘A beautiful child,’ he said. ‘I think her father has painted her well. I am fond of her father. I was very fond of her grandmother. I liked the girl, too. She made quite an impression at my Court.’

‘Sire, it is bold of me to ask but your sympathy and understanding tempts me to. Would you approve of a match between Margaret of Anjou and Henry of England?’

The King was silent for a moment. Then he said, ‘I think it would have pleased her grandmother.’

Ho was very sad thinking of Yolande. He had suffered a terrible blow in the loss of her. Of course Yolande had been old and he should not have been surprised at her death but that was no consolation.