Daughter of York (14 page)

“Fortunata,” Margaret repeated the name slowly. “What a beautiful name. I fear it did not bring her good fortune, though. How old is she?”

“I fifteen years,
madonna,
” the dwarf murmured, daring to look up at Margaret through those incredible lashes. “Plis.”

“Plis?” Margaret frowned and then laughed. “Oh! Please, of course!”

“Fifteen?” blurted out Richard, who had been staring, fascinated, at Fortunata. “Why, she is smaller than me!”

“Dickon, hold your tongue!” Margaret rebuked him. “Please go and tell Ann where I am. Dickon! Are you listening? That’s better, now go!”

Richard made a face behind his sister’s back on his way out, and Jack hid a smile.

“Sir John, how long have you been hiding Fortunata, and how is it you are able to give her to me? Is she a servant of yours?” Margaret asked.

“Nay, my lady. She is mine to give, but I confess how I came by her is not fit for a lady’s ears.”

“Nonsense, Sir John! I am not so lily-livered I cannot hear your tale. Tell me you fought pirates to free her and I would be more than satisfied. Except then we should have to send her back fom whence she came,” she mused, her mouth turning down.

“
Non, madonna, non, non!
Plis!” All of a sudden, Fortunata was on her knees, tears running down her face. Margaret and Jack stared in astonishment. “Not go back, plis! I burn!”

“Be calm, child,” Jack commanded, “and listen to me. This lady is the sister of the king of England. Aye, you may look dumbfounded, but ’tis no lie. You will serve the Lady Margaret with respect.”

Fortunata responded by kissing the hem of Margaret’s gown.

“Sir John, what do you know about her?” Margaret persisted. “I command you tell me how she came to be with you, unless of course you won her in a game of chance—that I would not countenance! ’Twould be mortifying for her.”

Jack covered his embarrassment with a cough, while Margaret bent and coaxed Fortunata to stand up. “Well, Sir John?” she asked again.

“’Twas not I but the captain of my vessel, the
Mary Talbot
, my lady,” he explained. “Richard Outlaw is a good man, in truth, but he did indeed win Fortunata in a game.”

Margaret frowned. “From whom did this Outlaw cruelly steal this poor thing, Sir John? I pray it was not from her father and mother, or I will have him horsewhipped.” Her own anger surprised her, but her heart had gone out to this unfortunate creature. She was determined to make amends. God had obviously sent Fortunata to her as a test of her charity, and she knew already she would take the dwarf into her household, if Edward would countenance an extra mouth for her to feed. She was dependent upon Edward’s bounty for every gold noble she spent, and so far he had been generous.

She sat down in the chair, holding Fortunata’s hand all the while, and waited for Jack to speak.

“I swear I know not where she came from. I only know Outlaw was taken with her skills upon seeing her perform in a traveling circus with her magician master. Later, after a few drinks I suppose, he and the master fell in together, and Outlaw suggested they throw dice. The man lost all his money that night and begged to try and win it back. Richard took pity on him and offered the money back in exchange for Fortunata, and he accepted. I came aboard a day later and found Fortunata cleaning Richard’s quarters and without much ado extracted the story from him.” He saw Margaret’s dark look and hurried on. “Certes, I railed at him for a goodly few minutes but could do no more than pay him the money he had given. ’Twas only then I realized I now had Fortunata’s fate in
my
hands. And then I thought of you, Lady Margaret.”

“Poor child,” Margaret murmured and then told Sir John, “I like not that your man was playing for a human life, sir, but perhaps she has been sent to me for a reason. You may be sure I will look after her.” She added more kindly, “I am indeed grateful that you thought of me, Sir John. I am glad you did not consider my wish a foolish one that evening in March! You are a good man, I am sure, and Edward shall hear of your kindness.”

“Thank you, my lady. May I have your leave to return to my ship? I have to continue to London.”

“Go, sir.” Margaret held out her hand for him to kiss. “And God speed.”

Without a backward glance at Fortunata, he strode quickly from the hall, his dark blue houppelande flapping around his ankles.

5

1463

Margaret stared after Jack, her mind in a whirl. What was she thinking? Who was this little woman whom she had agreed to absorb into her household? Could she be a spy? Was she a witch? This last question concerned her deeply. Her superstitious nature and strict religious upbringing had taught her to be wary of anyone with physical deformities. Even a birthmark could be a message from the Devil. And if she was a witch, she was doomed to the flames of Hell.

“Burn! ’Tis what you tried to say,” Margaret said suddenly, startling Fortunata. “Is that what happened to you where you came from? Did they try to burn you?”

Fortunata crossed herself, pulled a rosary from a fold in her gown and nodded. “I not witch,
madonna.
I good girl. Love God, love
la Sancta Madonna
…”

“Aye, I believe you do.” Margaret rose, and Fortunata scrambled to her feet. “But we must be sure everyone else believes it, too. Now, what are the skills you have—tricks, you understand—that so impressed Captain Outlaw? Magic?” Margaret waved her hands dramatically.

Fortunata cocked her head, watching her new mistress, and then nodded. “I show you,
madonna.
” She took a black wand from her belt, turned around three times and threw it in the air. When it came down it was naught but a silk kerchief. Margaret clapped her hands in delight. “Good, good, Fortunata!” she cried, and the smile of gratitude she received transformed the grim features of the girl’s face into a semblance of beauty. Margaret was charmed.

Ann came hurrying through the door and stopped in her tracks. “Lord Richard told us”—she saw Margaret frown, and she faltered—“he told us you wanted to see me.”

“This is Fortunata. She is Italian but she speaks some English. She will be joining us, Ann, and I will brook no unkindness towards her, do you understand?” Margaret attempted to sound as commanding as her mother, and, watching Ann curtsey and demur, she knew she had succeeded. She turned to Fortunata, who was again hiding behind the chair, and beckoned to her. “Come here, child. This is Mistress Ann Herbert. You must call her Mistress Ann. Do you understand? Mistress Ann.”

“
Sì madonna.
Mistress Anna.” Fortunata looked up shyly at Ann, studying her. Ann’s haughty stare made her inch closer to Margaret, trusting her new mistress to protect her.

An enormous wolfhound bounded into the room, dragging George behind it, and Fortunata screamed in terror and ran to the safety of the chair again. Her fear was a magnet for the dog, which lunged as far as its leash would allow at the small person who had clambered onto the heavy wooden seat.

“George! Call Alaris off at once!” Margaret ordered, standing in front of the terrified Fortunata. Alaris was barking, Fortunata screaming and George shouting, “Down, boy! Down!” to his hound. Curious servants began peering in at the scene, whispering and pointing at Fortunata, who was trying to climb onto Margaret’s back to escape Alaris’s bared teeth. The steward arrived on the scene, flushed and puffing from taking the stairs two at a time, and threw up his hands at the pandemonium. Richard ran into the room, followed closely by Jane and Margaret’s other ladies, and soon the whole wing of the palace was in an uproar. Richard finally calmed the dog and then took the leash from George and spoke something into the hound’s ear. It immediately
whined and sat back on its haunches. “Good dog,” said Richard, patting its enormous head, and Alaris washed the boy’s face with one sweep of its tongue.

“My lady, what has happened here?” cried the white-haired steward, asserting his position as overseer of the royal brothers’ and sister’s households. “Certes, it sounded as though there had been murder done!”

Margaret was extricating herself from Fortunata’s surprisingly strong grip on her neck and succeeded in calming the girl sufficiently to respond with a little dignity.

“All is well, Sir Walter, I thank you. ’Twas my lord of Clarence’s dog that set upon my new servant, Fortunata, here. She was justly afraid. ’Tis over now, and you may go about your business. Pray forgive us for disturbing you, sir.”

The steward had only now spotted Fortunata, and his eyebrows disappeared under his hastily donned bonnet. “Who is this mon—”

“Young woman, Sir Walter? Is that what you were about to say?” Margaret smiled sweetly at him, and he did not dare to gainsay her in front of the household. He nodded, and Margaret enlightened him. “She joined my household this afternoon as a gift from Sir John Howard, to whom I am most grateful.”

She looked around and saw that a goodly number of the household had gathered in the doorway and others were craning their necks over them to see into the room. She spoke so that everyone could hear. “This unfortunate girl has been persecuted in her native land for her lack of inches, and she has been bought and sold like a slave by wicked men who hoped to make their fortune from her want of growth. ’Tis monstrous. I know you would all agree.” She looked at them all intently, and many nodded or crossed themselves. “She has learned some wondrous magic tricks, which will amuse us all on cold winter evenings, and I have no doubt my brother, the king, will be envious of my good fortune. Jehan Le Sage may have a rival!” she finished triumphantly. “Fortunata means good luck in the Italian tongue, and I believe she brings good fortune to us all! Now who will carry her to my own apartments?”

The astonished Fortunata found herself being swept up in the air and borne aloft to Margaret’s apartments by several smiling squires, followed by an exuberant Margaret and less enthusiastic ladies-in-waiting.
The steward bowed as Margaret passed, but she heard his “Tch, tch” as she left the room. Oh, dear, she thought, this would certainly reach Mother’s ears before long. But her heart lifted at her own courage.

I
T WAS LATE
September. Fortunata was no longer stared at nor was she the talk of the Greenwich court. She followed Margaret wherever she went, becoming invisible behind chairs or pillars and even hiding under the table. Margaret didn’t mind; in fact, it amused her. The dwarf was now simply part of Margaret, and Margaret’s attendants could not remember a time when Fortunata had not been there. She had an uncanny knack for knowing exactly how Margaret was feeling and could fetch a cloak or a drink without being asked or turn a cartwheel to jog Margaret out of an ill humor. What Margaret admired the most about her new servant was her quickness of mind and how soon her English became fluent. The accent would always be there, of course, but it lent the dwarf a charm that transcended her unusual appearance.

Of all Margaret’s ladies, Ann was the unhappiest about the addition to their small group. She had imagined she was Margaret’s friend and favorite companion, but Fortunata was quickly taking that corner of Margaret’s heart. Lazy Jane told Ann to be glad someone else would fetch and carry, and what did it matter? Both of them had been found husbands by their fathers and would soon leave Margaret’s service. But Ann continued to sulk, and she slyly pinched Fortunata when she had the chance or tripped her up so that she looked ridiculous. But the little woman would turn the tumble into a comical act and make Margaret laugh, which caused more black looks from Ann.

So life went on as usual, although the rift between George and Richard was deepening. Margaret felt sorry for George, for by now the son of a duke should be in another noble household, learning the responsibilities of his rank. Edward seemed to have forgotten him, just as he had forgotten to find a suitable husband for her. With four years between George and Richard, the elder boy was chafing to shed his minor status and join Edward’s court, while Richard, who was still enjoying boyhood, had the promise of knightly training with Warwick.

“’Tis not fair!” became George’s cry, and often Margaret would not even lift her eyes from her book.

“What is it this time, George?” she asked on one occasion not long after Fortunata had arrived.

“Richard’s new doublet is finer than mine,” George complained. “And he’s my baby brother. Why does Edward favor him so?”

“George, I do understand that you would rather be far from here, but you must not take your impatience out on Richard. Edward sent you equally handsome jackets. Now be glad he remembers you.” She kept her mouth closed on her next comment, which would have been “I did not receive anything from Edward,” and said instead, “’Tis in your imagination that Edward favors Richard. Besides, I favor you; doesn’t that count for something?”

And George had given her his most charming smile and kissed her cheek fondly. “Aye, Meggie, I know you love me. I hope you always will.”

“And why should I not, pray? No matter where I have to go, I will
never
forget my family,” she said vehemently, even though it seemed Edward had forgotten her.