Queen Of Four Kingdoms, The (25 page)

‘Would you not agree that a marriage between your heir, my son René, and Isabelle of Lorraine would be most fortuitous in uniting the two duchies at last?’

Her uncle’s eyes shine and he smiles slowly and gleefully.

‘My dear Yolande, you were always a clever child, and you have grown into a beautiful, clever woman. Yes, yes,’ he ponders slowly, ‘it would be an excellent idea.’ Although her uncle is a heavy man, his eyes are beacons of intelligence and humour. Moreover, his vocation is genuine, not just the usual destination of the third son, and Yolande loves him even more for that.

Encouraged by his enthusiasm, she proposes that, initially, René should go to spend some time with him, become acquainted, and learn about his prospective inheritance of Bar, and her uncle-cardinal agrees with pleasure.

The Queen of Sicily finds René in Bourges with Jean Dunois, both looking for a possible military career in the dauphin’s small army. When he hears of his mother’s arrival, he comes at once to see her, and she gives him her news.

‘Maman, of course I am delighted to be the heir to your uncle’s dukedom of Bar, but then I know that no one can resist your charm or your acute reasoning,’ he says in a most grown-up manner as he embraces her. He pauses for a moment. ‘As for a marriage with the heiress of Lorraine . . . we both know that the duke her father is a confirmed follower and childhood friend of the Duke of Burgundy. Do you think he will take kindly to an Anjou, from a family of Armagnac supporters, becoming heir to the neighbouring duchy, let alone marrying his heiress?’

He has a point. The sovereign duchy of Lorraine is known to have been sustaining the English for some time, and to their considerable advantage. Yolande’s hope is to untie Lorraine from the web of English alliances and attach this valuable duchy by blood – her blood – to that of Bar, and their united territory to the crown of France.

The question she must now consider is how to persuade the Duke of Lorraine to choose René, a second son from an enemy house, as the ideal husband for his daughter, the heiress to his duchy? France is full of eligible young noblemen far better suited to win the hand of the beautiful Isabelle of Lorraine.

Desperate situations require desperate solutions. There are few secrets in a court, and Yolande managed to place her versatile lady’s maid Eduarda – whom she had taken back from Isabeau – into the duke’s household. Eduarda informed her mistress that the duchess never appeared other than in her chapel, and led a sedentary life quite separate to the lonely duke. The only pleasure he had was in the company of his old friends, and in the visits of his two daughters. ‘Then he lights up,’ wrote Eduarda, ‘at the sight of them and their friends, begging them to remain at his château at Nancy far longer than they intended.’

Yolande is not overly proud of what she does to secure the Duke of Lorraine for France, but nor is she ashamed. She decides to find him a suitable lady companion to ease his loneliness, and to persuade him to be loyal to his rightful king – and not to the English. She believes it would probably be best for her choice of helper to come from Anjou. That way she can have more control through her family, and contact sensible people there to find her a suitable young candidate for her purpose. When Yolande returns to Angers, a meeting is arranged with a young woman named Alison du May.

As she enters the room the girl curtseys low, giving Yolande ample opportunity to study her. Alison du May is a natural beauty, and her curtsey is made with a sure and confident movement, as if she has been at court all her life. She raises her head and her green eyes meet Yolande’s without fear, almost boldly.

‘Alison, do you have any idea why I have sent for you?’ Yolande asks.

At this, the girl stammers a little. ‘Madame, I have none.’

‘My dear girl, as your Duchess of Anjou, I have made enquiries to find the perfect young woman to help our country. You would like to do that, wouldn’t you?’

‘Yes . . . yes,’ she replies hesitantly.

‘I must therefore ask you: are you a loyal subject of the Duke of Anjou and of your king, Charles VI?’ Again the girl curtseys low, and to judge from the clear, open expression of assent she gives, Yolande believes that Alison du May might just be a good choice.

The duchess and Alison meet several more times, both at Angers and Saumur, and through gentle conversation – a question here, an example there of the ways in which France needs her sovereign dukes loyal to their king – it becomes clear that Alison appreciates that France needs Lorraine and Bar on side, and that
she
holds the key to achieving that. The girl certainly understands the perilous situation of the country and, on a personal level, the loneliness of the old duke, and that he needs comforting by day and perhaps by night as well. Is she agreeable to that idea in order to help save France?

‘Madame, following our several meetings, I believe I do understand what you are asking of me, and I too have made some enquiries. I hear nothing but good about the duke and feel confident that I can make him happy. If I can succeed in that, then I know I can persuade him to return his loyalty to his king and country.’

Alison du May is not only beautiful and bold, she is intelligent; it does not take her long to captivate the Duke of Lorraine – and govern him. Yolande corresponds regularly with her and knows from other informants that Alison does indeed make the elderly duke happy. Should she give him children, Yolande promises her that she will see to it that they are well provided for, but she also makes it clear that she is relying on the girl to see that Lorraine not only returns, but remains with France.

With time, Yolande can see that Alison comes genuinely to care for Charles of Lorraine. Subtly, with her delightful manner, the girl sets about persuading the duke – who adores her – to sign the papers agreeing to the joining of Lorraine and Bar through René’s marriage to his heiress. Another triumph for the Queen of Sicily! René becomes Lorraine’s joint heir and the future husband of his beautiful daughter, Isabella.

Yolande summons her son from Bourges to Angers and gives him the news as she sits embroidering by the fire in Angers’ great hall. To say that René is overwhelmed is an understatement. He sits down beside her, and says nothing for a few moments, as if digesting his unexpected good fortune. Tall and mature, his mother sees a young man before her. Then he stands, paces up and down the room a few times and, turning to her, says:

‘I am glad of it, dearest Maman, of course, and very grateful, but . . .’ he hesitates, ‘it seems as if I am getting my second dukedom more through pillow talk than as my right.’

‘Really?’ is all she says to that, raising her eyebrows but continuing to look at her stitching.

‘I would rather have won it on a battlefield,’ he adds, almost defiantly. How sweet is youth, and she has to smile at his outraged male pride. She stops her stitching and looks at his confused, dear face.

‘My beloved son, you are young and eager to win your spurs in battle, but soon you will appreciate that a dukedom is a dukedom however it comes. As for pillow talk, believe me, it can be as effective, and far less costly, than a cannon.’ She smiles as he bows to her and leaves the room, looking puzzled and lost for an answer.

In time, René will become the ruler of Lorraine, but the immediate importance of the marriage is that it will remove Lorraine from the enemy’s camp and shift the duchy’s support to that of France’s king. Yolande’s methods may be unorthodox, but her goals are the goals of France, and her Spanish conscience never troubles her in this regard.

S
ince Yolande is unable to be with the dauphin at all times herself, she has placed the best of her Angevin advisers about him to help Charles find his way in the strange and dangerous world that is the court of France. To judge him fairly, it is important for her to see him in action, and she invites him to Anjou to join her at her chateau at Saumur, where she will hold a formal court during a meeting of the provinces of Poitou. To her delight, he accepts.

Not surprisingly, Charles, the third dauphin of this reign, is barely acknowledged by the people; to please the Duke of Burgundy and further his own claim to the French throne, his mother had hinted that Charles is illegitimate, typical court gossip bandied about by the Burgundians – and everyone knows that his father is rarely sane. Nor has the young man had an opportunity to show what, if anything, he can do for his country. Yolande can sense his frustration at every turn.

This troubled child she took into her family urgently needs recognition to enable him to fulfil his destiny. She knows his faults better than anyone, but she sincerely believes that, given the right handling and guidance, he can become a worthy king. What doubts he must have when his own mother refers to him as the ‘so-called dauphin’! Nor does he yet understand that she is acting out of fear for her own life and future. Unfortunately, a performance like the one at Azay-le-Rideau shows the depth of his insecurity, and his genuine doubts about his legitimacy eat away at his self-confidence.

Having Charles recognized as the legitimate heir to his father’s throne, not just the acknowledged one, has become the Queen of Sicily’s obsession. He must learn to believe in himself and in his right to succeed his father. To this end she never fails to find occasions to do him formal, public homage, with her head lowered as she makes him a deep reverence or curtsey.

It is to this end also that she invites him to Saumur to hold a formal court at her chateau. When news of his visit spreads, many of the Angevins gather at the entrance to the castle to see how this boy they knew has grown into a man, how he has matured, and if he will make a real king. As Charles rides towards the chateau with his entourage, Yolande decides to meet him outside in full view of the members of her court and the people. She is dressed for the occasion in a deep red velvet gown, cut at the neck to allow her famous rubies to show, a delicate golden shawl around her shoulders, the long velvet train of her court dress stretched out behind her. On her headdress she wears her crown as Queen of Sicily, but when Charles dismounts and walks towards her, she curtseys very low and slowly, forcing him to raise her with outstretched hands. She can hear the faint buzz from the assembled crowd when they see this. If she, in her position and with all her titles, can show the dauphin such reverence, others will take note and comply. His face speaks volumes, and she can see from his expression that he is moved, his eyes filled with love and appreciation of what she is doing.

As they enter the chateau together, Charles cannot hide his pleasure at being once again at Saumur. Louis is here, visiting from Marseilles, and Marie and René have come to greet him, as well as the little ones, Yolande and the dauphin’s good son Charles. And greet him they do, like the old friends they are – with warmth, real affection and trust. Their mother knows she has their support as she concentrates all her energy on ensuring that Charles is accepted as France’s true dauphin and future king. This is her duty, and one she performs gladly. It is what her beloved husband would have wished.

June is in full bloom, and Yolande has been granted the audience she requested with the ailing king. Through Odette, she has been kept fully informed about the king’s health, and there is no doubt that his mind is deteriorating, his sanity slipping away more often than not. They meet at the dauphin’s beautiful chateau at Mehun-sur-Yèvre, inherited from Jean of Berry. There is an important matter to discuss with the king concerning Charles, and Yolande knows from Odette that her timing is fortuitous regarding his mind. She gathers Marie, René, young Yolande and Charles, and they leave Angers, rowing upstream on the Loire with its enthralling river traffic, to the delight of the children. Downstream from Tours they join the River Cher. The chateau of Mehun-sur-Yèvre is famous for its soaring towers, and features in the late Duke of Berry’s remarkable illuminated manuscript
Les Très Riches Heures
.

They arrive to see the king in a large gathering of courtiers and their ladies.

‘Your Majesty, sire,’ says Yolande softly, as she drops Charles VI a deep curtsey. How he has changed: he is thinner, with less hair, tired eyes and a sallow complexion. The beautiful, dashing young soldier-courtier is completely gone. She notices a flicker of joyful recognition in his eyes when he sees her, and as he kisses her hand he notices she is wearing his sapphire ring and smiles warmly.

‘My dear cousin Yolande, it is an unusual pleasure to see someone of whom I am so fond at my court. Welcome!’ and he raises and embraces her. ‘Since you wear my ring, I trust you have come with a request that I will be pleased to grant you?’ he whispers in her ear.

Beside him is a young lady she knows well. ‘Odette, my dear young friend,’ she says with a genuine smile to her helper. Yolande reaches out her hand and raises Odette from her court reverence. She can see from the king’s face that her warm greeting to Odette de Champdivers (to whom the court refers as ‘the little queen’) has pleased him. Children and dogs are led away to explore and Yolande turns to her host with a question in her expression.

The king understands that she wants a private audience and they withdraw from the gathering to an adjacent area, Odette following. Once settled, Yolande says quietly: ‘Sire, as you know well, I have had your youngest son, Charles, now your dauphin, in my care for some years.’ From his eyes and the way he nods, she judges him to be quite sane. ‘It grieves me that the young prince is not kept as fully occupied as his rank entitles him,’ she continues, observing with relief that he is listening intently. ‘He has pleased me and my late husband with his dedication to the Church, his studies, and your governance.’

The king turns sharply, with interest, and asks, ‘How does he show his dedication to the Church?’ and she tells him of Charles’s frequent devotions, of his assiduous studies, his time in Anjou and how the people in their territories react to him. She has primed Odette beforehand, and the younger woman confirms everything she says.