The Red Rose of Anjou - Plaidy Jean - Страница 18

It was a pity Gloucester had not been found guilty of practising witchcraft when his wife had.

But for some reason Gloucester was popular with the people. It was some strange charismatic quality he had. Many of the Plantagenets had it—it was a family gift, though it missed some. For all his excellence Bedford never had it. Henry the Fifth had had a double dose of it. And oddly enough, Gloucester, who had a genius for backing the wrong causes and made a failure of everything he tackled, who had married a woman far beneath him socially who was now charged with sorcery...all this and the people still retained a certain tenderness for him. So in spite of everything Gloucester still had to be reckoned with.

And Gloucester wanted to continue this disastrous war.

Therefore there must be a certain secrecy about these arrangements for Henry’s marriage. A Princess of Anjou was the best they could hope for. It was no use trying to badger Charles for one of his own daughters. England alas was not in a position to make demands any more. A marriage with Armagnac would be tantamount to a pledge to continue the war, so that was the last thing they needed. Charles might be pleased to permit the marriage of his niece—she was in fact his wife’s niece—and he might consider that it was a very good match for Margaret of Anjou, which it was. She would be Queen of England and if that was not a dazzling prospect for the younger daughter of an impoverished man who was only titular King of Naples, Beaufort did not know what was.

He had selected the man who should be the chief ambassador to the Court of Anjou and he was going to see him before he went to the King. Indeed, he thought they should go together without

delay to the King so that the negotiations could be put into practice immediately.

When the Cardinal arrived at Westminster he went at once to the Earl of Suffolk’s apartments before seeking an audience with the King.

Suffolk was delighted to see him while at the same time he wondered if this might mean trouble or some unpleasant task for him. He and the Cardinal worked closely together; and they were both sworn enemies of Gloucester.

William de la Pole had become the Earl of Suffolk when his elder brother was killed at Agincourt. He had had a distinguished military career and after the death of Henry the Fifth had served under the Duke of Bedford. He had been with Salisbury at the siege of Orleans. He had seen the mysterious death of Salisbury and the coming of the Maid.

He knew, as the Cardinal did, that those English hopes which had seemed so bright before the siege of Orleans, had become depressingly dim. England should slip out of France and try to keep as many of her old possessions as possible. Only hotheads like Gloucester would disagree with this.

Since his marriage he had formed a connection with the Beaufort family for his wife was the widow of the Earl of Salisbury and she had been Alice Chaucer before her marriage. Catherine Swynford—the mother of the Beauforts—had had a sister Philippa who had married the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and so there was a family connection.

His long military career made him feel very strongly that peace was necessary and he and the Cardinal had often discussed the best way of achieving this.

Now the Cardinal thought he had found a way.

‘A marriage with Margaret of Anjou could be a stepping stone to peace,’ he told Suffolk when they had exchanged the customary pleasantries.

‘And the King, will he agree to marriage?’

‘He wants it. He knows he has to marry sooner or later. It is his duty to provide an heir and though he has little interest in women he will do his duty. We can count on him for that. In fact he has sent a secret messenger to France to find a picture of her and he is delighted with what he sees.’

‘The pictures of Princesses have been known to flatter.’

‘Well, what would that matter? He would be half way in love with her before she arrived and that can do no harm. Moreover, I have seen her. I found her good-looking, intelligent and vivacious. In fact, everything that Henry needs in a wife.’

‘And of course there are the marriage terms to be arranged.’

‘What we need is a peace treaty. I want this marriage to mean that we abandon our claim to the crown of France.’

‘And do you think the people will accept that?’

‘They have to be convinced it is best.’

‘They are intoxicated by victories like Agincourt and Verneuil. They do not understand why we don’t go on providing them with glorious occasions like those.’

‘The people will accept what has to be done. Give them a royal wedding and they will be happy.’

‘They do not like the French.’

‘They loved Katherine of Valois.’

‘She came in rather different circumstances. When she married Henry it was in victory. He had won France they thought, and was taking the French Princess to make a happy solution for both countries.’

‘What is wrong with you, William? It almost seems that you would put obstacles in the way of this match.’

Suffolk was silent. Then he said: ‘I have a notion that you have decided that I shall go as the King’s proxy to Margaret of Anjou.’

‘Who would be better?’

‘I knew it. It is why you wished to speak to me.’

‘You are a man of maturity and wisdom, William. It is clear to me that you are the one to go to Anjou to treat with the King of France, for that is what it will mean.’

‘You know. Cardinal, that the King of France is a shrewd man. It is not the old Dauphin we have to deal with. Whenever I think of Charles of France I say to myself "There is Joan of Arc’s miracle."‘

‘Yes, Charles has changed. There are such changes. I remember my own nephew, Henry the Fifth—a profligate youth who filled us all with misgivings and then once the crown was on his head he became the hero of Agincourt.’

‘I shall have to barter with the King of France.’

‘It will certainly come to that.’

‘And we shall have to sacrifice something for Margaret. And it will be land, castles...you can be sure of that.’

‘But of course.’

‘And the people are not going to like the sort of sacrifice for which Charles will ask.’

‘Nevertheless the sacrifice will have to be made.’

‘And they will blame the one who made it. Not the King, not the Cardinal, but their ambassador Suffolk. I can imagine what Gloucester will make of that.’

‘So that is what holds you back.’

Suffolk was silent for a few moments.

‘I feel that the people will not like a French marriage and when they hear we have had to sacrifice territory won in battle they will blame the one who made those concessions, that is the King’s ambassador, otherwise Suffolk...if he goes.’

The Cardinal moved closer to Suffolk.

‘But have you thought how grateful the new Queen will be to the man who brought her to England and so skilfully arranged the necessary details for her marriage? The man who has the Queen’s favour will be fortunate indeed. The King is not a very forceful character, is he? I can see him relying on his Queen and then the one she favours will be in a very happy position indeed.’

Suffolk was thoughtful. There might be something in that but there were too many conditions attached. No, he would prefer not to be involved in anything like this. He was getting too old. He would be forty-eight in October. Not that he wanted to disengage himself from politics, but at least he did not want to run into anything that might be uncomfortable or even dangerous.

‘I would rather not be the King’s ambassador on this occasion,’ he said.

The Cardinal shrugged his shoulders.

A few days later the King sent for Suffolk. He wanted him to undertake a delicate mission and Henry was sure he was the best man for the task.

He did not have to ask. He knew the nature of the order. He was to go to France, leading an embassy to arrange terms for the King’s marriage to Margaret of Anjou.