The Follies of the King - Plaidy Jean - Страница 45

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The Scots no longer held Ireland.

Edward was euphoric. ‘All comes well in the end,’ he said.

He had ceased to mourn so sadly for Gaveston now that there was Hugh le

Despenser to comfort him.

Lancaster was once more in the ascendancy. He had been victorious over

Warenne though he made no attempt to insist on his wife’s return and she

remained living in comparative obscurity although all knew that she was under Warenne’s protection.

Warenne had been forced to surrender his estate in Norfolk and his

possessions were considerably reduced by the action he had taken. Eyebrows were lifted when it was known that Alice de Lacy had granted Warenne tenancy of several of the manors she had inherited from her father.

It was a mysterious affair, and the fact was that although Lancaster had

come out of it ostensibly the victor his enemy mocked him behind his back and the fact that he could no manage his domestic affairs better caused them to ask each other how he could hope to deal with the country’s.

Outwardly though he was still the strong man, the King in all but name.

The Despensers— the two Hughs, father and son— were taking possession

of the King. There seemed to be no limit to their avarice; the more that was bestowed on them, the more they wanted, and resentment was rising against

them.

A dispute was now in progress, because since the death of the Earl of

Gloucester at Bannockburn his estates passed to his family and they were to be divided between Gloucester’s three sisters, one of whom had been married at an early age to young Hugh le Despenser. The other two husbands were Hugh

d’Audley and Roger d’Arnory, and these two complained that Hugh le

Despenser had not only claimed almost the whole of Glamorgan as his share

but, because he was married to the eldest sister, had taken on the title of Earl of Gloucester.

It was an uneasy situation. Isabella watched it with calculating eyes. She was aware that the Despensers were creeping farther and farther into the King’s favour and the measure of their success was reflected in their attitude towards her. She was not entirely sure but she believed she detected a veiled insolence.

Trouble in the north broke out and this meant that all attention was focused on the border. Edward marched north with Lancaster to besiege Berwick.

Isabella and her ladies were left behind in Brotherton, a village near York. She was growing impatient. She was advancing well into her twenties; she had three children, born as she often thought, in humiliation. She, reckoned to be the most beautiful princess in Europe at one time, and none could deny she was still a handsome woman, was a notoriously neglected wife. She would never ever

forgive Edward for the humiliation he had made her suffer. The people of

England loved her— but it was partly because they were sorry for her. Well, one day she was going to make use of that sympathy. She was going to show

Edward that she had always despised him, and that she had borne her children out of expediency. Her nature had revolted. She could not deeply love those children, because they were Edward’s too and conceived in necessity. But she was devoted to her first-born, which might have been due to the fact that all her hopes rested on him. She visualized the day when he might stand with her

against his father. During her stay in Woodstock she had thought of herself as resembling Eleanor of Aquitaine whose sons had stood with her against their father.

There was a commotion below. Men were riding into the courtyard. Starting

to her feet she went down to see what was happening and was startled to find men she recognized as the servants of the Archbishop of York.

‘Something has happened,’ she cried.

‘My lady,’ said the spokesman of the men who she saw were troops, ‘the

Archbishop has sent us with all speed. He begs you to prepare to leave without delay. The Black Douglas is at hand with ten-thousand of his men and it seems that his plan is to take you hostage.’

Hostage to Black Douglas! A great soldier and patriot with a complexion so dark that it had earned him his name. Her eyes sparkled at the thought of

adventure. At least she thought Black Douglas was a man.

‘Is this indeed so,’ she said. ‘And how has this come to your knowledge?’

‘My lady, if you will prepare to leave at once you shall hear all when you are safe.’

She hesitated.

‘There is a force of loyal troops surrounding the castle,’ said the spokesman.

‘You must leave at once or you will be in acute danger. The Scots are uncouth.

They might not know how to treat a Queen.’

In less than an hour she was riding away from the castle in the company of the Archbishop’s men.

It was then that she heard what had happened. One of the Scottish scouts had been discovered in the town and because of his strange accent suspected. He was taken to the Archbishop and asked to explain his business. This he could not do to the Archbishop’s satisfaction and finally on being threatened with torture he had admitted that Black Douglas was marching on York, his plan

being to abduct the Queen and hold her prisoner.

When she arrived in York she was greeted by the Archbishop who was

delighted to have saved her but at the same time he believed that it would be dangerous for her to stay and that she should leave at once for Nottingham.

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The King had expressed little concern for Isabella. She was aware of this

and hated him for it. She remembered how distraught he had been when

Gaveston had been threatened and how he had once left her behind at

Scarborough in his need to escape with his beloved friend. If Hugh le Despenser had been threatened he would have been in a state of panic.

Oh yes, indeed, it was unforgivable.

Edward could not continue the Scottish war. The Scots could not be driven

out of Yorkshire. They had a grand leader in Bruce and what the English lacked was just such leadership. Edward was weak; Lancaster was little better. It was a sorry time for England.

Edward had been forced to suggest a two-year truce with Scotland, and

rather to his surprise Bruce had agreed. He did not know then that Bruce was becoming alarmed by the state of his health. Years before he had been in contact with lepers and the dreadful disease had begun to show itself. It was alarming and he needed rest from the rigours of a soldier’s life and for this reason he was ready enough to agree.

Edward was jubilant. He was the sort of man who could live happily in the

moment and shut his eyes to the disasters threatening the future which to the discerning eye would appear to be inevitable. He was behaving as foolishly over Hugh le Despenser as he had over Gaveston and the lesson of that earlier

relationship appeared to have made no impression on him. The Despensers were as greedy as Gaveston had been, as power-hungry and because of this, growing as unpopular with the people.

He will never learn, thought Isabella.

She was pleased that Edward was to go to France to pay homage to the King

— Isabella’s brother Philip V— for Ponthieu. It would give her an opportunity of sounding Philip and trying to discover how much help she could get from him if she should need it. She wondered whether it might be possible one day to place herself at the head of those barons who had had enough of the King and the Despensers. She had often thought of it when Gaveston had been alive, but it had not been possible then. At that time she had not been the mother of two fine boys. Young Edward was growing up long-legged and flaxen-haired like his

father and his grandfather; he was also showing a certain seriousness which seemed to please everyone.

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