Queen of This Realm - Plaidy Jean - Страница 89

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“Yes. Burghley reports that he is a clever little fellow.”

“He is certainly bright, Your Majesty. I am proud of him.”

“And so you should be. You are young yet, Lettice, and a comely woman. I doubt your father before long will find a husband for you.”

She was silent, her eyes downcast, but I did notice that the color had deepened in her cheeks.

“And how does this wig become me?”

I could see it hardened my face and added a few years to it. When one grows older one's hair must never be darker than it was in one's youth. Lettice had an eye for color; she was one of the most elegant ladies of the Court. She saw what I saw and I was amused by the tact of her comment. She said the black was too coarse for my fine skin. She added: “The golden red is ideal.”

She was right. I made her get Robert's necklace and put it on me.

“Is it not beautiful, cousin,” I said. “It is a gift from my lord Leicester. He always chooses so carefully for me.”

She scratched me a little and I turned and nipped her on the arm. I had a feeling that the scratch was not accidental.

Lettice had an undoubted effect on me. I should have sent her away, and yet on the other hand I did enjoy tormenting myself with speculations as to a liaison between her and Robert.

As for Robert himself he was the same as ever—my devoted if unfulfilled lover, ever hopeful and able, at times, to hide a certain exasperation, knowing, of course, that negotiations for a French marriage were still going on and, I believed, casting lustful eyes on Lettice.

Sometimes I could be amused but at others I was quite angry; and in one of these moods I decided to play a trick on Robert just as I had when I had offered him to Mary of Scotland.

Princess Cecilia of Sweden was the sister of Eric who, at one time, had been one of my suitors. It had been said then that Robert had been bribed with the promise of marriage to Princess Cecilia if he could persuade me to take Eric. Those who put forward that suggestion clearly did not know Robert. It was hardly likely that he would consider Cecilia a fair exchange for me—for at that time he was certain that he was going to persuade me into marriage. Nothing came of that project and Eric went back to Sweden to meet his nut girl and Cecilia married the Margrave of Baden.

However Princess Cecilia visited England later and I was quite taken with her. She had very long straight fair hair which she could sit on when she wore it loose. She was at the time of her visit heavily pregnant and in fact actually gave birth here. Consequently I was godmother to the child.

She and the Margrave were a simple pair, and because I had made much of them on their arrival they had stayed too long, imagining that they could live at the expense of the country. They amassed vast debts and since they had no means of paying them, the Margrave was seized by his creditors and thrust into jail. When this was brought to my notice, I immediately paid his debts and he was released, but as he and his fair-headed bride were departing, her creditors arrived and seized her goods in payment of what she owed. So they departed penniless and it is easily understood why they were not very happy with their stay in England.

Cecilia was now a widow and as there had been a suggestion once that she might marry Robert, why not again? They were both free.

I would make my wishes known to Robert and send a message to Sweden without delay.

Robert was nonplussed.

He looked at me angrily and said: “Is this what you wish?”

To which I replied that he was very dear to me and as I knew he had aspirations to royalty, I thought he might acquire it through marriage with a princess.

White-faced, he strode from my apartment quite forgetful of the ceremony due to the Queen.

I could not resist teasing Lettice for if he married the Princess that would put an end to his frolicking with her.

I said to her: “It may well be that 'ere long we shall lose the shining star of our Court.”

She hesitated and I saw an enigmatical expression flit across her face.

“I mean of course the Earl of Leicester,” I went on.

“Lose him, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. There are plans for him to go to Sweden. You may have heard of the Princess Cecilia. There was a question of marriage between them long ago. She was held forth as a bait for him if he would further my marriage with her brother Eric.”

She stood with bowed head, waiting.

“Knowing how he longs for royalty I thought this would be a splendid chance for him.”

“Your Majesty is very kind to the Earl. I am sure he will be grateful.”

“Grateful!” I shouted at her, and I picked up a hairbrush and threw it at her. “Grateful for sending him away! He is furious, poor man! He hates anything that takes him away from my side. When he is the husband of the Princess, I can scarcely keep him here, can I?”

“No, Your Majesty,” she said quietly, picking up the hairbrush which she had managed to avoid and laying it on the table.

“I tell you this, my Lady Essex,” I went on. “Robert Dudley is only a truly happy man when he is with me. The great desire of his life has been to marry me, and he is the only man I ever wished to marry. I do believe that if I had not vowed to remain a virgin, I might have done so.”

She was silent and I dismissed her. She annoyed me standing there for I was certain now that Robert was not indifferent to her. I had to admit though that the manner in which she had received the news was very creditable.

The Princess Cecilia haughtily rejected the idea of marriage with Robert, as I had known all along she would.

Robert left for Buxton; he was suffering from the gout, he said; but I did wonder whether he merely wanted to get away from Court for a while. It was humiliating for him—first that I should suggest his marrying Cecilia, and then her refusing him.

I was sorry as I always was when Robert went away and if I thought he really was ill, I should be very worried indeed. But I did feel it was necessary to teach him a lesson now and then.

When he came back he was in high favor again as he always was after these little upsets between us. I wanted him to know that whatever happened that affection which had now grown over the years was too strong to be broken.

I was entertained by him at his house at Wanstead—a lovely manor house which he had bought some years before from Lord Rich. Robert had brought his special talents to bear in the house and had greatly improved it. It had a great hall with a ceiling painted to represent morning, noon and night and in which were statues representing Poetry, Music, Painting and Architecture. Exquisitely colored tapestries covered the walls and the gardens were beautiful with fountains and pieces of sculpture; and to make it more attractive it was surrounded by a forest in which deer abounded.

He had called one of the rooms the Queen's Chamber and this he had personally designed especially for me. The walls of this room were covered in some kind of tinsel material which shimmered in the sun's light and that of candles; and the bed curtains were of the same iridescent material. Knowing that this would appeal to me even more than the splendor of the furnishings, he had installed a little room adjoining the bedroom which he called a hot-house, because it was always of a higher temperature than the rest of the house, and in this was a bath, so that when I visited him I had no need to take my bath with me. There were no rushes on Robert's floors. He had carpets everywhere. He certainly knew how to make sure of comfort, and in his houses his first thought, it seemed to me, was how he could accommodate me when I visited him.

When Robert returned from Buxton I felt I had to be especially attentive to him. It had been rather unkind to offer him to the Princess Cecilia.

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