The Star of Lancaster - Plaidy Jean (читать книги онлайн полные версии txt) 📗

The musicians began to play. Harry refused to dance and his partner and the girl who had danced with the boy whom Isabella had chosen, danced together while Harry stood by sullenly watching.

There was no doubt that the Queen danced beautifully. She had a special grace all her own. Now and then she glanced Harry's way and caught his eyes on her. That seemed to please her.

When the dance was over, she seemed to lose interest in the incident and laughing ran out of the room but not without first throwing a mocking glance in Harry's direction.

As soon as she had gone the instructor cried at Harry: 'You are a fool. I never saw such behaviour in all my life. This could cost me my position and you your place at Court. Am I not supposed to be teaching you courtly manners as well as dancing and have I not just seen the worst display of bad manners that have ever been seen at Court? Do you realize she is the Queen?'

*I knew she was the Queen, of course,' muttered Harry.

*And you refused to dance with her when she did you the honour of selecting you!'

'She was laughing at me/

'You refused to dance with the Queen! Rest assured, my lord, this is not the end of the matter. She will tell the King and you will be sent back to the country where you belong.*

*I do not care,* said Harry contemptuously.

But he did care. He very much enjoyed Court life. He could not bear to think of going back to the country to the care of Mary Hervey or return to Oxford to work under the stern eye of uncle Beaufort.

He kept thinking about her. She gave herself airs. Well, why shouldn't she? She was the Queen. And she was very beautiful. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. Her way of speaking was fascinating, as was her manner.

He had made her angry—although she had pretended not to be. She would tell the King and everyone said that the King denied her nothing for he loved her dearly and treated her like some precious little pet. She would only have to say I want that ill-mannered Harry of Monmouth sent away from Court and he would be dismissed.

All through the day he kept realizing how much he enjoyed Court life. He noticed too how elegant and charming some of the women were. None of them had the style of the Queen of course, although she was only a child. But she had changed him in some way. She had made him aware of things which he had never noticed before.

He was desolate, calling himself stupid to have antagonized her. At any moment the dismissal would come. His father would be angry with him; his grandfather would despise him. What hope would he have of rising if he was going to let his silly pride govern his actions?

He should have danced with the Queen; he should have flattered her. He should have made her like him. He could see it clearly, now that it was too late.

The summons did not come, however, and in a few weeks he ceased to expect it although he did not forget the Queen and whenever he could he took the opportunity of watching her, though she never noticed him again.

Everyone at Court was talking about the combat which was to take place between the Dukes of Hereford and Norfolk and as the Duke of Hereford was the title which had recently been bestowed on Harry's father this matter was of especial interest to him.

As far as Harry could understand, Thomas Mowbray, recently created Duke of Norfolk—at the same time as Henry of Lancaster had been made Duke of Hereford—had made a suggestion to Hereford which the latter construed as treason and which he had laid before the King.

Norfolk had retaliated by declaring that he was no traitor and that Hereford was bringing the accusation to cover up his own nefarious intentions.

The outcome of the matter was that the King had agreed that the two men should meet in combat. There was a great deal of whispering at Court and Harry had what Joan Waring had called long ears. If one of these men was a traitor, it was asked, what was the point in having a combat to settle it? A traitor might be the victor and an innocent man killed. It was all very strange. But the excitement grew as the days passed. The Court had moved to Coventry, a fair city surrounded by thick walls mounted by thirty-two towers. There were twelve gates into the city and it was consequently one of the strongest fortifications in the country.

Outside the city walls there was great activity while pavilions were erected. Harry watched the work with mixed feelings for his father would be one of the chief actors in this drama which was about to be played on this glittering field and if his father were to die ...

The thought bewildered him. He saw little of his father and he had found him stern and undemonstrative—very different from his mother who although long since dead lingered on in his memory. He would never forget the beatings his father had given him. For his own good, his mother had told him; but he had always felt that he would have been better without them, for when he felt the urge to do something which would incur punishment he never stopped to think of the consequences. That came after. In the castle they were gambling on the life or death of the Dukes of Hereford and Norfolk—for this was no joust a Plaisance but the culmination of a bitter quarrel, which would mean the end of one of them.

His grandfather arrived. Harry noticed with satisfaction that his pavilion, flying its pennants and lions and leopards, was almost as fine as the King's. They would be his emblem one day. His grandfather summoned him to his presence. He was a very old man and he seemed to have aged since Harry had last seen him.

Tour father will triumph over the traitor Norfolk,' he told Harry.

'Of a certainty,' replied Harry loyally.

But he could see that his grandfather was no more sure of this than he was.

'You will sit with the Duchess and myself,' said John of Gaunt. 'It is well that you will be here to see this day.'

He is afraid, thought Harry; and he is reminding me that if my father is killed I shall be my grandfather's heir. He is a very old man. It could not be long before I would be head of the House of Lancaster.

But Harry was not yet to be head of the House of Lancaster. It was the most extraordinary gathering that had ever been.

Harry saw his father ride out. He looked magnificent on his big white horse caparisoned in green and blue velvet decorated with gold swans and antelopes. His armour, Harry had heard, had been made in Milan where the best armour was made.

Then came the Duke of Norfolk who looked almost as splendid; his colours were red and the velvet was embroidered with lions and mulberry trees.

Then the strangest thing happened. The heralds on orders from the King suddenly dashed forward shouting: 'Ho! Ho!' which meant that a halt was to be called to the proceedings.

The King disappeared from his pavilion.

'Where has he gone?' whispered Harry.

His grandfather said: 'This is a strange business. I think he is going to stop the combat.*

Harry could hear the relief in his grandfather's voice. He knew then how frightened he had been.

There was great tension in the crowd of spectators who felt they were about to witness unusual events. They had come to see a life and death struggle between two of the highest in the land, but whatever was going to happen now could be equally exciting.

Two hours passed before one of the King's advisers came

out to announce to the crowd that there would be no combat. The King and his counsellors had decided the issue could not be settled in this way, and it had been agreed that since there was a doubt of the loyalty of both contestants they would be exiled from the country. Hereford would not return for ten years; Norfolk would never return.

A hushed silence fell on the crowd. Harry saw that his grandfather's face had turned a greyish colour. He gripped his seat and whispered: 'Oh God help us. Not this. Not this.'