Henry was triumphant.
I accompanied my mother to Troyes, where I was to be formally betrothed to Henry. I felt a sense of relief that it was to happen at last. My longing to be free from conflict was now intense. I had seen Henry only briefly, but I felt I knew a great deal about him and I was ready to trust myself to him.
I went with my mother to the church of Notre Dame in Troyes. Henry was already there. He had arrived on May 20 with his brothers, the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, and 1,600 men, chiefly archers, to remind all that they must accept him as the conqueror or take the consequences.
Lodgings had been prepared for him at the Hôtel de Ville.
I remember now the moment he came into the church. He looked godlike in shining armor, and in his helmet was a fox’s tail decorated with gems.
As he approached me, he gave me a most warm and loving smile. Then he took my hand and that of my mother and led us both to the altar.
My mother explained to him that her husband, the King, was too indisposed to be present.
Henry graciously inclined his head. He would know that my father was suffering from another of his mad spells—which was not surprising considering that this ceremony was tantamount to the surrender of France to the conqueror.
The terms of the peace were read aloud so that all might hear.
It was as though my father were speaking and, when I thought of him alone in his room at the Hôtel de St.-Paul, I was glad that he would be unaware of what was happening about him. He would be happier that way. At least he did not know that he had lost a kingdom.
“I, Charles VI, King of France, give my daughter Katherine in marriage to King Henry V of England.
“King Henry shall place no hindrance in the way of our retaining the crown for as long as we shall live.
“It is agreed that immediately on our death the crown and kingdom of France shall belong perpetually to King Henry and his heirs.
“During those times when we are prevented from taking part in the affairs of the kingdom, the power of government shall belong to King Henry, with the counsel of the nobles and sages of our kingdom.
“King Henry shall strive with all his might to bring conflict in this kingdom to an end and bring back peace to those cities, castles, places and districts that belong to the party commonly known as that of the Dauphin or Armagnacs.”
As I looked around among those assembled in the church to listen to the terms of surrender, I wondered what their feelings were to hear this solemn renunciation of their country to an invader.
Philip, Duke of Burgundy, was present. Now the ally of the conqueror, he was in deep mourning for his father.
Henry was beside me. He had taken my hand, and on my finger he placed a ring encrusted with jewels. It was one worn by English queens at their coronations, he told me afterward.
I felt a certain contentment. It seemed now that my marriage with Henry was certain.
It was a little more than two weeks after that ceremony, on June 3, that I was married to Henry and became Queen of England.
The ceremony took place in the parish church of Troyes, and I doubt the people of that town had ever seen such a magnificent spectacle before.
My husband wanted everyone to realize that he was, in all but name, the King of France; and all the pomp and glory were an indication of his power.
It touched me deeply that this mighty warrior could be tender toward me. I felt happy and secure and I thanked God that, out of the terrible tragedy which had befallen France, at least this had come about.
The truth was that I was proud of him. He was triumphant and I wanted him to be, even though his triumph was the defeat of my country.
My mother was pleased with me. She cared nothing for France, only for herself, and I believed she craved excitement so much that she would have welcomed it whatever it cost.
She was ingratiating toward my husband, exerting all her wiles. Not that he appeared to be aware of the feminine allure which had led men like Louis de Bosredon to destruction. At the same time I had a feeling that he was assessing her in his shrewd manner and wondering how she could be of use to him.
After the ceremony, Henry and I sat side by side, and he spoke to me in his rather anglicized French and I responded in my quaint English which amused him.
I told him I should improve my English. I had learned to speak it, but the manner in which he spoke was somewhat different from that of my teachers.
“You must not change it too much,” he said. “It is charming as it is, Kate.” He went on, “I shall call you Kate. It sounds more English. Kate, I would not have you change one little bit.”
I blushed and hung my head for there, before them all, he kissed my lips.
He prided himself on being a soldier. He told me he lacked the fancy manners of prancing courtiers.
“So much of my life has been spent on the battlefield,” he said. “It makes a man rough and ready perhaps…but honest, Kate…an honest man who says what is in his mind. If you want me otherwise …” He lifted his hands in mock despair.
I said: “I would not want you other than you are,” at which he laughed and kissed my hands and said I delighted him and that I was all he wanted in his bride, which was how he had known it would be from the first moment he saw me.
And I refused to remember that he might have married me long ago if he had accepted the terms offered. I understood why he had refused. He was a man of great ambition. He wanted France…as well as me.
But why should I think these thoughts? I was newly married. I was excited. I believed I had left the melancholy days behind me. I was starting a new life.
QUEEN OF ENGLAND
The Archbishop of Sens had blessed the bed and prayed God to make it fertile. We had been ceremoniously put to bed. This was the moment about which I had thought a great deal. No one had talked to me of what was expected of me. Isabelle’s marriage with her King of England had never been consummated; and afterward, when she had married the Duke of Orléans, she did not speak of such matters. My mother had told me nothing. She was the sort of woman who would have been born with the knowledge of everything that would be required of her.
I felt inadequate. I need not have done. Henry was a gentle and tender lover, and I was greatly relieved to discover that, instead of irritating, my innocence enchanted him.
During the night a grand procession came to our bedside with wine and soup as though to fortify us against the night’s activities.
When they had gone, Henry took me into his arms and laughed.
“The interruption was untimely,” he said. “Forgive me, Kate. I had to agree to it. Here am I, in a new country which has suddenly become mine. There will be enemies all around me. Of course, they are very agreeable now. They have to be.” He laughed again and I laughed with him. “But how do I know who is plotting against me? How do I know when someone is going to creep up to me and thrust a dagger in my back?”
I shivered and clung to him, which pleased him.
“Fret not, sweet Kate,” he said, “and know this: I am a man who is able to take care of himself as well as those about him. You will be taken care of from now on. So have no fear. But I think it as well to follow the customs of the country.” He laughed heartily. “Who wants soup and wine? There are other matters with which to concern ourselves than drinking soup and wine.”
And I laughed with him and was happy. I thought I was the luckiest princess in the world, for although my country had been defeated, my happiness had come out of it. And I was no longer merely the Princess of France. I was Queen of England.
The morning had come. We broke our fast together side by side…he now and then leaning over to kiss me.