The Follies of the King - Plaidy Jean (электронная книга TXT) 📗

popularity she enjoyed with certain people.

The chief of these were the Londoners who had always favoured her and had

particularly disliked the King’s handsome young men. The Londoners were at this time annoyed with the King because he had removed a plaque from St

Paul’s which had been set up to applaud the good deeds of Thomas Earl of

Lancaster. Since he was dead— and had died so ignobly ? they had decided to make a saint of him. They forgot his indolence and incompetence; they endowed him with virtues he had not possessed; they were constantly telling each other that if he were there life would be different. It was dangerous and particularly so when miracles were said to take place at that spot where the plaque had been as well as at Lancaster’s tomb. It was a sign of the times.

Their chief cause for concern was Isabella.

‘Everywhere the Queen goes the people cheer,’ complained Hugh.

‘They have always thought very highly of her,’ replied Edward.

‘Yes, at your expense! I like that not.’

‘Dear Hugh, you are too mindful of me.’

‘And should I not be of my liege lord?’

‘There, I have made you scarlet with indignation.’

‘Indeed I am indignant at anything which bodes ill for my lord.’

‘What bodes ill now, dear nephew?’

Edward had taken to calling Hugh nephew. He said it was a pleasant

relationship and some people would take it from the name that he regarded

Hugh in that light.

‘The Queen, I think, my lord.’

‘The Queen! In what way?’

‘She is restive. She is jealous of me. She sees too many people.’

‘What should we do? You tell me, Hugh.’

‘Let us consider her.’

‘Do so, Hugh.’

‘Her brother is the King of France and she writes frequently to him. There are complaints in her letters of your treatment of her.’

Edward shrugged his shoulders. ‘I doubt her brother has time for her

gossip.’

‘The King of France would always have time to hear evil spoken of the King of England.’

‘She speaks no evil. She merely complains that I spend more time with you

than with her. Well, I do not intend to spend more time with her if it means missing your company.’

‘I know it and rejoice in it. I wonder whether the Pope would grant an

annulment.’

‘An annulment! And she the sister of the King of France.’

‘No, he would be afraid of France. He would never grant it. But we might

try.’

‘It would have to be in secret.’

‘It would be. But I believe you should take over some of her lands. She is very well endowed.’

Edward nodded. ‘Then let it be done.’

‘It is unwise that she should keep her French servants. How can we know

that these may not be spies for France?’ ‘What would you suggest?’

‘That they be sent away. Her allowance should be cut to twenty shillings a day and that is enough for her. With more she might use it to make mischief. I believe she is in correspondence with someone in France.’

‘She writes now and then to her brother I know.’

‘Yes? and maybe others.’

‘What mean you, Hugh?’

‘I am not sure, but for your sake, I should like to put a watch on her.’

‘A watch, dear boy?’

‘I thought my wife might be her? what shall we call it? keeper of the

household. She will be able to report to us what is going on there.’

‘Would she undertake such a task?’

‘She would if she were told to.’

Hugh’s wife was the daughter of the Earl of Gloucester and the Princess

Joanna, daughter of Edward the First and therefore Edward’s niece. Hugh had already come into his share of the Gloucester estate through her, so he was pleased with his marriage. Whether Eleanor le Despenser was as gratified with it was another matter.

However she could be made to act as keeper of the household for Isabella

and report where her correspondence went.

So it was arranged.

The indignation of the Queen when she realized what was happening was

great; but much to the surprise of those about her she made little complaint. She was biding her time. Soon she would be the one to call the tune.

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How maddening it was that she should be submitted to such indignity. The

King’s niece to be her guardian— that foolish little creature who was afraid of her mincing husband! How dared she! And yet of course the poor little thing was afraid to do otherwise. She had an idea that the silly girl tried to take her letters and give them to her spying husband. Did she think Isabella would be such a fool as to allow her to do that? Did she think she had not friends who would take what she wrote in secret and deliver it unopened to its destination?

Charles, the last of her three brothers, was now the King of France. He was known as Charles the Fair having inherited the good looks of his father Philip IV. It was said that he was doomed as were all the descendants of the direct line of the Capets and really it seemed that the curse was working. First her father, then Louis le Hutin, then Philip the Tall and the only one who was left was Charles.

He still lived but like the people of France she was ready to hear that some catastrophe had overtaken him.

She wrote fiercely to him, letters which were for his eyes alone. Could he stand by and see his sister— a Princess of France— treated thus? He already knew— the whole world knew that her husband preferred the couch of his

chamberlain to hers. Her husband was a miser. He had robbed her of lands and possessions; he had ordered that she should receive a pittance. He was depriving her not only of her status as a Queen but of everything she possessed. The greatest indignity of all had been to set a keeper of the household over her. A woman who— poor creature? had been married as a child to Despenser on

account of her fortune. This woman’s task was to spy on her, to steal her letters, to treat her as a prisoner. Could he, her brother and King of France stand by and see this happen to a member of the great royal family of France?

Charles le Bel decided that he could pacify his sister by reminding Edward that he owed him personal homage for the provinces he held in France and he considered it the duty of the King of England to come to France and do his duty.

‘Depend upon it,’ said Hugh le Despenser, ‘the Queen has stirred up trouble.

Letters from her have got through to the King of France and this is the result.

Let your young half-brother Edmund go to France. It will keep him out of

mischief. He can explain to Charles le Bel that you are too engrossed in matters of state here to make the journey just yet.’

Edward always made a point of taking Hugh’s advice and Edmund Earl of

Kent was sent to France.

Charles received the Earl with a show of hospitality and gave some

magnificent entertainments in his honour.

The young Earl was no match for the King of France. Moreover, while Kent

was on a visit to Aquitaine, Charles de Valois, younger brother of Philip the Fair and uncle of the King, invaded the Duchy and so successful was he that the earl was forced to agree to a peace which was greatly to his disadvantage and gave the French possession of almost the whole of Aquitaine.

Isabella watched these events very closely and believed that she saw through them the chance she had been waiting for.

Humbly, she sent word to Edward asking if she might see him. He could

scarcely refuse such a request and he was surprised to see how meekly she

came.

Hugh was wise as usual, he thought. They were treating her in the right

manner.

She made no reference to his neglect of her. She came straight to the point and said how grieved she was to see the conflict between him and her brother.

She could not understand what her uncle was thinking of to attack Aquitaine so villainously.