The Red Rose of Anjou (12 page)

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Margaret said a sad farewell to Theophanie, who was in tears knowing that it was highly improbable that they would ever meet again, and with her parents set out on the journey to Nancy.

The whole neighbourhood was
en
fête
. This was going to be the grandest wedding they had seen for a long time. It was true the bridegroom would not be present and there would be a nobleman of high rank to stand in for him but the King and all the Court would be there, among them the famous beauty and counsellor of the King, Agnès Sorel, who, it was said, he loved more than his life.

There would be festivities which would last for days and already the traders in the neighbourhood had profited by all the work this had brought them.

Crowds of people were converging on the town of Nancy from all over France and the people even cheered the English delegation.

When Margaret appeared riding between her father and mother the people went wild with joy. ‘Long live the beautiful bride!’ they shouted; and Margaret was thrilled for the first time by the acclaim of the people. It was then that she realized the importance of the occasion. She was going into a new country as its Queen and silently she vowed that she would never forget her native land.

The King and the Queen were already in the castle. Margaret sank to her knees and was lifted up by the King and warmly kissed. Her aunt Marie glowed with affection too and there was Agnès standing beside the King, dazzling as ever with that rather unearthly beauty of hers.

They were making a very important occasion of it.

Then she was presented to the English embassy headed by Suffolk. He introduced her to his lady to whom she immediately took a great fancy. She liked Suffolk too. There was a kindliness about him and he had such a protective air.

The King told her that jousts and all sorts of entertainments were being planned to celebrate her nuptials.

‘Dear niece,’ he said, ‘this is going to be an occasion you will never forget.’

‘I suppose, Sire,’ said Margaret, ‘that few forget their wedding days.’

‘This is but a proxy marriage and there will be the official ceremony when you get to England. I want you to remember this as your last ceremonial occasion as a Princess of France.’

He placed his hand over hers and patted it. She sensed that he was very pleased with the wedding.

It was a great delight to see Yolande again.

At first the sisters did not recognize each other, which was natural since it must be twelve years since they had been together. They both remembered though vaguely the upheavals in their lives which young as they were had made a deep impression. There was that journey to France undertaken when Margaret was two and Yolande three to go with their mother to plead with the King. They remembered how shortly afterwards Yolande was taken away to go to live with the Vaudémont.

‘And now we are both to be married,’ said Yolande.

‘You too?’ asked Margaret.

‘Ferri is determined on it. He has said we have waited over-long. Every time it is suggested our father makes some excuse why it should not take place.’

‘You want to marry then, Yolande?’

‘But of course,’ said Yolande. ‘Ferri and I have grown up together. We have always been good friends. It is different for you, Margaret. You have never seen your bridegroom.’

‘The Marchioness of Suffolk tells me a great deal about him. She says he is handsome though gently so...if you know what that means. In fact, everything about him is gentle. He is kindly and hates being cruel to anyone even his enemies, and he is a great scholar and interested in poetry, painting and music’

‘That should suit you,’ said Yolande, ‘and if you are anything like our mother and grandmother—which I suspect you are— you will be able to tell him what he ought to do.’

‘The more I talk of him the less apprehensive I become. What of Ferri?’

‘Ferri is bold and romantic and I would not have him otherwise. I am fortunate not to be going to a man I do not know.’

‘But I feel I already know Henry through Alice.’

‘Who is Alice?’

‘She is the Marchioness. I call her Alice. She asked me to. She is a very pleasant woman. I have taken a fancy to her and I think she has to me.’

‘Most people would be ready to take a fancy to their Queen.’

‘I have no doubt, but I do feel friendship for Alice. She is different from any woman I have met. Perhaps it is because she did not descend entirely from the nobility. Her father, she tells me, was Thomas Chaucer, the eldest son of Geoffrey Chaucer who made a name for himself with his writing. He married a sister of Catherine Swynford who was John of Gaunt’s third wife. You see the connection.’

‘Ah, she climbed into the nobility.’

‘Her father was a very rich man. He was Speaker of the House of Commons and the Marquess of Suffolk is her third husband.’

‘What a lot you know about her.’

‘We talk and it comes out. She was an only child and I suppose she had a fortune. She was married to the Earl of Salisbury before she married Suffolk. I like her very much. In fact I like Suffolk too. I feel in them I shall have good friends in my new home.’

‘You are excited about this marriage, Margaret. I wish mine could be settled. Father is going to stop it again, I believe.’

‘Perhaps if you spoke to him...’

‘I have done so. He hates the Vaudémont, Margaret.’

‘I suppose it is natural. They were really the beginning of his troubles. If they hadn’t claimed Lorraine...’

‘They had a right to,’ declared Yolande. ‘The Salic Law does exist and their claim for Lorraine comes before his.’

‘You will never get our father to see that.’

‘But he agreed to the terms...marriage for Ferri and me.’

‘I am sure Father will relent. It would be pleasant to have the two marriages together.’

‘We are going to insist on it.’

‘Then I am sure it will take place.’

But René was adamant when it was suggested.

‘There is so much that has to be arranged first,’ he insisted.

But those who knew him well fully understood that this was another example of his procrastination. The fact was that he did not want his daughter to marry into a house which he considered an enemy. That he had promised, that the marriage had been one of the terms of an agreement did not worry him. René was accustomed to waiving an agreement when it suited him.

But he had reckoned without a hot-blooded, romantic lover. Ferri was making plans and if he could get no satisfaction from his prospective bride’s father he intended to carry them out.

The dark November weather had no effect on the ceremonies.

In fact it accentuated their brilliance and crowds witnessed the proxy marriage of Margaret with the Marquess of Suffolk standing in as her bridegroom when the Bishop of Toul performed the ceremony in the church of St. Martins in Nancy and in the presence of a most illustrious assembly presided over by the King of France.

The King had said that this should be an occasion to be remembered and he was determined to make it so. René was nothing loth. He was eager that no expense should be spared— even if it was the expense of others—and with the King of France giving the orders it was very grand indeed.

There must be a tournament in honour of the new Queen of England and all the most famous champions of France must perform in it. Margaret could not help being thrilled by the sight of the pavilions flying their pennants and the numbers of chivalrous knights who wore the daisy. She had chosen this symbol because her name was Margaret which meant a daisy and she had always loved the flower because of that. From now on it should be her emblem and this exhibition of chivalry should be the Field of Daisies.

She sat with the two Queens—her mother and her aunt Marie of France and watched the jousting. The King himself took part more than once and René also rode into the lists.

Margaret had never seen anything like it in the whole of her life and the fact that it should all be in honour of herself—a fifteen-year-old girl—was overwhelming.

There must be eight days of revelry the King had decreed, and each day should be better than the one before. There was one occasion when a figure clad in armour set with jewels appeared at the tournament and when the visor was thrown back the most beautiful face in France was revealed. Agnès Sorrel had appeared thus at the request of the King who wished the whole of France to know how much he revered her.

Charles rode round the field with Agnès and even the Queen joined in the applause.

It was while this was happening that there was a sudden commotion around the royal loge where the ladies were seated. Ferri de Vaudémont had stepped up to Yolande and taking her hand had walked with her across the field. Intent on the glittering Agnès and the homage done to her by the King, few had noticed. And then Ferri had set Yolande on a horse and himself mounting behind her, with a company of five or six friends began to gallop away.

René was the first to notice. He shouted: ‘After them!’ And several of his men gave chase.

The King was astonished. Instead of admiration for his beautiful Agnès there was a tittering in the crowd and everyone was agog to know what had happened.

He ordered that a troop of guards be sent out to see what the disturbance meant and to bring back the fugitives.

Ferri’s attempt to abduct his bride was short-lived; perhaps he had intended it should be so and his motive in making it had merely been to call attention to his case. Within a few hours he was brought before the King.

‘What did you mean by behaving in such a way at my tournament?’ demanded Charles.

‘Sire,’ replied Ferri, ‘I had to call your attention and that of others to the situation in which King René has placed not only me but his daughter. Yolande was sent to us as a child. We have grown up together. She wants to marry me as I do her and yet again and again the ceremony is put off simply because the King of Naples does not wish to honour his agreement.’

‘I will speak to the lady,’ said Charles and ordered that Yolande be brought before him.

‘You have been the victim of an abduction,’ said Charles. ‘How do you feel about that?’

‘I was very willing that the abduction should take place. Sire.’

Charles began to laugh. ‘And doubtless planned it with your abductor?’

‘You are right. Sire.’

‘And you want to get married. You are a year older than your sister, eh, and she is now marrying. Is that what you feel?’

‘It is, my lord.’

‘For my part I see no reason why we should not have a double wedding. Perhaps I should speak to King René.’

The two young people fell on their knees and kissed the King’s hands.

‘Enough,’ said Charles. ‘I know you will be grateful if I persuade René to allow the marriage to take place. So, let me see what I can do.’

He sent for René. Agnès was with him when René arrived.

‘So your daughter was abducted?’ he said.

‘It is an outrage. It changes everything. It releases me from my bond. I shall take my daughter back with me.’

‘Nay, nay. You go too fast. In the first place it does not release you from your bond. The marriage was at the root of the agreement you made with the Vaudémont when you were beaten in battle by them. You must remain faithful to the laws of chivalry, brother-in-law.’

René was silent. He had always prided himself on keeping those rules.

‘Be reasonable. The marriage must take place if you value your honour. The young people are eager for it. Why delay?’

‘There are certain matters which have to be arranged.’

‘Oh come, René, how many years have you had to arrange those matters?’

Agnès said: ‘If I may say it, my lord, it would seem to me that much expense would be spared if Yolande and Ferri were married now. Margaret could share her celebrations with those of her sister.’

Charles laughed inwardly. Trust Agnès to find the right answer.

René was wavering. The expenses of a daughter’s wedding were great. He was deeply in debt everywhere. Of course if the wedding took place now Charles would be paying for everything.

He said: ‘To abduct her in that way...’

‘Poor young man. He was desperate.’

‘You must forgive him,’ said Agnès gently. ‘Remember it was for love of your daughter.’

‘Well,’ said René, ‘since it appears to be your wish, Sire, and yours my lady...’

‘Let us send for the happy pair and tell them the good news,’ said Agnès.

So Yolande and Ferri were married and the jousts and the entertainments continued.

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Charles talked to Agnès about the alliance of Margaret and Henry. He was sure it was a good thing for France.

‘It is an indication of the change which has come about since his father married a French Princess. The Fifth Henry had the daughter of the King of France. Our dear Margaret is a very minor Princess—in fact some would say no true Princess at all.’

‘Well, her father is the King of Sicily and Naples.’

‘Poor René, do you think he will ever see Sicily again?’

‘No, but it gives him some satisfaction to call himself King.’

‘And it has brought a crown for his daughter. I doubt she would have been considered if she had not borne the title of Princess...minor though it is.’

‘I hope the dear child will be happy.’

‘She will rule Henry, I am sure of that. He is a weakling, you know, and she is the sort of woman to rule. I shall never forget her grandmother...’

Agnès put her hand over his. ‘I know how dear she was to you.’

‘She was such an extraordinary woman. I was sad to lose her. Thank God I had you, Agnès, then.’

‘I shall always be beside you.’

‘It must be so,’ he said. ‘It would be too hard for me to live without you.’ He was thoughtful for a while. Then he said: ‘It is very good for France to have a strong Frenchwoman Queen of England.’

‘Remember she is very young.’

‘I do. But she is clever, and I think she will remember her duty to France. I will send for her and talk to her, and then you shall tell me if you think she will be good for France when she is in England.’