Jean Plaidy (22 page)

I looked at her in astonishment. “Why?” I asked.

“It is really about you and Richard. He does not think it is right.”

“I do not understand.”

“He says you are too young and inexperienced for marriage.”

“What does he mean? Most people of my age would be married by now. I should have been married already if Edward had lived.”

“George is against it, Anne.”

“It is not his affair.”

“It is, because the king made him your guardian. I believe you cannot marry without his consent.”

“This is nonsense. Richard had actually talked of our marriage with the king who has given his consent.”

“George insists that the king has made him your guardian and your betrothal therefore is his responsibility.”

“It is all a misunderstanding, I am sure.”

“George is truly angry.”

“If George is displeased by the match I am sorry, but that is not going to stop Richard and me doing what we want to.”

“I think it could, Anne.”

“I never heard anything like this.”

“George says that Richard only wants to marry you because you are an heiress.”

“I am sure Richard thought of no such thing.”

“Don't be simple, Anne. Of course he thought of it. You know our father was the richest man in England. Our mother has a great deal, too. You and I have a large inheritance.”

“I thought our father's estates would be confiscated, for according to the king, he died a traitor.”

“I do not know about that. Many of his estates were brought to him by our mother and George says that because I am his wife they now belong to him and me.”

“Shouldn't they belong to our mother?”

“We are not sure whether she is judged a traitor or not. She is really under restraint and cannot leave Beaulieu, so she is in a way a prisoner. I had not thought of these things, but George knows, of course.”

“Is that why George married you?”

She flushed hotly. “George and I were in love when we were at Middleham.”

“So were Richard and I!”

“Well, George is against it. He is going to the king to protest.”

“Richard will also go to the king, I am sure.”

“Then it will depend on which one wins with the king.”

“It will be Richard, of course.”

“Why?”

“Need you ask? Not so long ago, George was fighting with our father against the king. He wanted the throne for himself, and he married you because you were our father's daughter…a great heiress. All that time Richard was faithful to his brother, the king. So I am sure that he will choose to be on Richard's side in a conflict like this.”

“I do not believe that. He gave his word to George that he was to be your guardian.”

“The guardian of my fortune, do you mean?”

I thought Isabel was going to strike me.

She turned and walked deliberately away.

         

Later George made a point of seeing me. He was suave and his anger had evidently calmed a little: I just saw a gleam in his eyes that betrayed it.

“My dear Anne,” he said. “I wanted a word with you. I believe Isabel has spoken to you?”

“She told me that you do not approve of my proposed marriage.”

“The king has appointed me as your guardian, and your happiness is a matter of concern to me.”

“It would not seem so my lord, for my happiness lies with Richard.”

He smiled at me with a show of patient indulgence.

“My dear little Anne, you are young. You know nothing of the world. Why, but a short time ago you were betrothed to Henry's son.”

“I was considered to be old enough by my father.”

“A marriage of expediency that would have been.”

“It would seem that many marriages are, and if one can make one for love, how fortunate that is!”

“Romantic dreams are very pleasant, but they are often out of touch with reality. Do you think your marriage to my brother would be one of love on his side?”

“I know it. You forget, Richard and I know each other well. We were together at Middleham.”

“Do you know what Richard wants?”

“He wants to marry me, for he has told me this.”

“He wants to marry your fortune, child.”

“As you did Isabel's? No. Richard does not want that.”

“You speak foolishly. I married Isabel because I loved her as she did me.”

“Then, as you were not greatly concerned about her fortune, you will understand our feelings…Richard's and mine.”

“I was never concerned about such matters, but I cannot say the same for my brother.”

“You are indifferent then to money…to power? You lack his ambition?”

He knew it was a reference to his traitorous act when he had believed he had a chance of gaining the crown.

“I am as ambitious as most men, but I know what is more important.”

He was lying, and he was aware that I knew it. I guessed that soon his anger would break out.

“I should tell you,” I said firmly, “that I intend to marry Richard.”

“Remember that I am your guardian and I am determined that you shall not be forced into marriage with the first fortune hunter who comes along.”

“You speak of Richard thus?”

“Richard wants your fortune, and therefore he can be so termed. But I shall protect you from him…and from yourself. It is my duty.”

I said, “I believe Richard will not submit to
your
wishes.”

“I repeat: he seeks marriage with you because of your fortune. The Earl of Warwick's estates are large. He wants a share. It is as simple as that. He would marry you and then make sport with his mistress. Did you know he had a son not very long ago?”

He was watching me closely, expecting to see the horror on my face.

I said coolly, “I did know of this. Richard told me.”

“And you said, ‘Very well, fair sir, I am content. Marry me and enjoy your mistress to your heart's content!' Is the title of the Duchess of Gloucester worth such humiliation, Anne?”

“I believe you yourself, my lord, were not entirely chaste before your marriage. Most young men are not. Marriage is sacred according to Holy Church. When we are married Richard and I will be faithful to each other.”

“When he had his hands on your fortune, you would see.”

I understood perfectly. Isabel and I were joint heiresses. If I married we should have to share. He did not want that. He wanted me to remain unmarried. Then the whole would be Isabel's…which meant his.

He sat there smiling, watching me. But it was an evil smile.

I was trembling a little, and I was afraid he would notice.

I stood up as firmly as I could. “I will leave you now,” I said. “And I assure you that both Richard and I intend to marry each other.”

He gave me a look of assumed sadness and said, “I am your guardian. I must do all I can to protect you.”

I turned and left him.

         

Ankarette talked to me when I was retiring for the night.

“The Duke of Gloucester came to Warwick Court today,” she said. “But the guards would not permit him to enter.”

“What?” I cried. “How could that be?”

Ankarette paused, the gown that she was about to hang up still in her hands. “There is a quarrel between him and the Duke of Clarence. The guards were uneasy. I should think so! They will have offended the Duke of Gloucester mightily. To call on his brother and be refused admittance!”

“What…is this quarrel?”

She lifted her shoulders. “They say the king is involved…and he does not know which one to favor. The king loves his brothers well and when they are fighting together over some matters he wants to please them both.”

I did not say any more. Clearly Ankarette did not know the cause of their quarrel, but I did.

I was afraid. I woke in the night, trembling. I had been haunted by vague nightmares. Clarence was in those hideous fantasies…smiling…but the smiles were a mask. I knew that evil lurked behind them. And I was in his power. He was my brother-in-law. It was he who had command over me. Richard was trying to rescue me. There was conflict between the two brothers, and the king stood between them. He could save me, but where his family was concerned he was weak. He wanted to please both his brothers. He wanted to give me to Richard and at the same time please Clarence by preventing the marriage.

It was not surprising that I was afraid.

I had always been wary of Clarence. I had never understood Isabel's infatuation with him. I always thought that in the first place she had wanted a husband and an ideal choice seemed the powerful brother of the king who would have been in line for the throne if Edward did not have a son; he had been a very acceptable
parti;
and it had gone on from there. Indeed I believe he cared for her. I should have thought him incapable of real affection, but there are many facets to people's characters and I suppose a man could love one sister and be ready to destroy the happiness of the other.

I lay shivering in my bed. He was determined not to share my father's fortune. To what lengths would he go to keep it to himself?

I thought I had escaped from all my troubles. I had contemplated a happy life with Richard—but I could see that I should have to fight my way to it.

But Richard was close by. He would help me. He had tried to see me and had been held off by his brother's guards. He would not allow that to pass. He would come again, possibly with his own guards.

Meanwhile I tried to fight off these alarming thoughts and, as the night closed in on me, I lay listening for footsteps outside my chamber. I did not know what action he would take but I was fearful.

People died of strange maladies that were never explained. King Henry had died of melancholy, they said. There could be many causes, I supposed, for sudden and convenient deaths.

When daylight came, my spirits revived a little.

Richard was not far off, I kept telling myself. He would save me.

         

It was during the morning. I could not bear to be within those walls and went into the courtyard and sat on a wooden seat there. I did not want to talk to Isabel. I could find no comfort from her. She would support her husband; she would say I was young and inexperienced, that George was my guardian and he had my good at heart.

I gazed at the cobbles, thinking of Richard's coming to Warwick Court and being barred by the guards. I could imagine his anger. He would not let it rest there. He would come again. I knew it.

A serving maid slipped unobtrusively into the courtyard. I had not seen her before. There were so many serving maids at Warwick Court that I could not be familiar with them all.

She came and stood before me, looking cautiously about her, and said in a low voice, “My lady, I must speak to you. I have a message from…the Duke of Gloucester.”

My heart began to beat very fast. “Give it to me,” I said.

“I have to speak to you, my lady. I dare not here. People may be watching. Could I perhaps…come to your chamber?”

“Yes…yes. Come now.”

“My lady…if you will go to your chamber, I will come to you when I can. I will bring you something…I can say you sent for it…if I am asked.”

“I will go to my chamber now.”

“Please, my lady…sit a while…then go. I will join you as soon as I am able. It is important to take care.”

She bobbed a curtsy and walked away.

I forced myself to sit for a few more moments, then I walked around the courtyard and after that went up to my chamber. I did not have to wait long, which was fortunate, for my impatience was unendurable.

She came in almost furtively.

“My lady,” she said. “I have this message from the Duke of Gloucester.”

“How did it come to you?”

“I have a friend who is in the duke's service at Crosby's Place.”

I nodded. I knew Richard was often at Crosby's Place when he was in London.

“Yes, yes,” I said. “Give me the message.”

“It is not written. I have to tell you.”

“Then do so…please…quickly.”

“The duke has tried to see you and been refused admittance.”

“I know this to be.”

“There is a quarrel between the brothers and the king wishes to please them both. The duke, my lady, wants you to go to him.”

“Where?”

“That is what I have to tell you. If you will be ready to leave after the household has retired for the night, a carriage will be waiting to take you into sanctuary. There the duke will be waiting for you. I will conduct you to the carriage when you are ready. The duke is very anxious to get you out of Warwick Court. There must not be battle between the two brothers. If there were the king could come down on any side. The Duke of Clarence now has you in his possession. The Duke of Gloucester would have you in his.”

“I shall be ready,” I said.

“Oh…er…my lady, if aught should go wrong…I beg of you not to mention my part in this.”

“I promise. I would not.”

“It would be the end of Jack and of me…if my lord of Clarence…”

“I understand. I would never betray you for helping me.”

“There will be feasting in the great hall tonight, as the duke is here. As soon as you can retire to your room, do so, and be ready. I will come to your door. Come out at once and follow me. I will take you to the carriage and there leave you. You will go straight to sanctuary and tomorrow the Duke of Gloucester will come to you.”

“Thank you a thousand times. I shall never forget what you have done for me.”

She kissed my hand and left me.

         

I do not know how I managed to suppress my excitement during that day.

I was with Isabel in the afternoon. We sat over our needlework as we often did. I must have seemed preoccupied, but that was not unnatural.