I was delighted to find that his wife was with him. Because of our relationship, Anne of Burgundy and I had seen each other now and then during our childhood, and we had always liked each other. It would have been difficult not to like Anne. She had grown very beautiful, with a beauty which comes from an inner goodness rather than from features.
I was able to talk to her more freely than to other members of the party—except, of course, Joanna Courcy.
She told me how anxious her husband was.
“The situation here,” she said, “is worse than is generally admitted. It is incredible what this Maid has done. She has even aroused Charles from his lethargy sufficiently to get him to agree to a coronation.”
“Poor Charles!” I said. “He never really wanted a crown.”
“Nor did his brother Jean. How strange that so many fight to attain a crown and that those to whom it comes by inheritance would rather someone else had it.”
“Well, there are always many to fight for it. What a strange position we are in!”
“And you and I, Katherine, now owe our allegiance to a new country…and one which was the enemy of our native land. What a mess it all is! I think that, if there had never been this quarrel between Burgundy and Orléans or Armagnacs, everything would have been different.”
“But my husband was determined to take France.”
“And my husband is determined to follow his brother’s wishes.”
“And we are caught up in it. Your case is different from mine, Anne. I was married to Henry as part of a treaty. You married his brother because you loved him.”
“Yes. I was one of the lucky ones. But you loved Henry. John says that Henry was above all other men. It was such a tragedy. John has never got over it. He worshiped his brother.”
“Henry was the sort of man people worshiped.”
She put her hand over mine and pressed it firmly.
I felt an urge to tell her. Do not be sorry for me, I wanted to say, for I have found a greater happiness than I ever had with Henry. If I could be left in peace with my family, there is nothing else I would ask.
I restrained myself. Anne was a good woman; she would be sympathetic, but her first allegiance would be to Bedford, and if she thought I had broken the law—which many might say I had—she would feel it her duty to tell her husband.
And sitting with Anne, I did realize fully that, however unimportant I had been made to feel, I yet remained the Queen, and it could be that the children I had by a second marriage might have some claim to the throne. Henry was the natural heir, of course, but Edmund and Jasper…oh no, the circumstances would have to be very extraordinary for anyone to think for a moment that they could be in line for the throne. But something of that kind must have been behind Gloucester’s reasoning when he had forced that statute through Parliament. Perhaps there was something in his scheming beyond spite. No…no…the idea was too remote.
I said: “Henry and your husband were such great friends. It was wonderful to see the brotherly love between them.”
“I felt they always wanted to protect each other…and themselves, of course. Their father’s hold on the throne was not very secure, and that made them alert for danger. It drew them together as a family.”
“The Duke of Gloucester does not appear to have the same family feeling.”
“There are some who will always work for themselves and see everything as it affects them personally.”
“And Gloucester is one of those.”
There was a pause and at length she said: “He has caused John a great deal of anxiety. I have worried a great deal. My brother is very angry with Gloucester. It affects his relationship with my husband, for my brother is, I believe, the most powerful man in France.”
“I know. There was the proposed duel.”
“Which, fortunately, did not take place.”
“I believe no one intended that it should.”
“No. But the trouble is still there, and Gloucester has caused it. I could not bear to see the friendship between my husband and brother broken.”
I nodded in agreement and she went on: “And now there is The Maid.”
“She is in the hands of Luxembourg.”
“Yes…and I believe he will sell her to the highest bidder.”
“Poor girl!”
“She has wrought great havoc.”
“To the English,” I replied. “To the French she has brought hope.”
Anne looked a little surprised. I could see that she regarded England as her country now. How lucky Bedford was! I felt a pang of envy. I understood completely their love for each other. Was I not blessed with similar devotion? But they did not have to hide their happiness behind a cloak of deception.
“I am so glad that I found you here,” I said.
“I am with John whenever possible,” she replied. “We hate to be separated.”
“Have you any idea how long it will be before Henry is crowned?” I asked.
“John wants it to be soon. He always wanted it to take place in Rheims. It should. That will mean a great deal.”
“Then why do we not go to Rheims? Why do we stay here in Rouen?”
“I will tell you why. Because there is so much disruption in the country. It is not safe to attempt the journey. The King must not be taken into danger.”
“Is it so bad, then? I thought …”
“The situation has changed considerably since The Maid took Orléans. There are pockets of resistance everywhere. John must be absolutely certain that the King could reach Rheims in safety before he attempts to take him there.”
“How can a simple girl have done so much?”
“John says it is the legend she has created. Somehow she has made the people of France believe that she is being guided by God. John says it is not the girl herself. It is the myth surrounding her.”
“But if there is a myth, she has created it.”
“It is the people who have created the myth.”
I could see that in her eyes all that John did and said was right. And I did not attempt to argue the point further.
As the weeks passed, I began to wish that I had made excuses not to come. I had not thought it would be so long. I had imagined that we would go straight to Rheims, the coronation would take place, and we should all return home. I had reckoned on a few months. How different it was! I certainly should have made excuses not to come.
But should I? When I thought of the consequences of discovery, I would be reduced to a state of terror. It was not for myself I worried, and I supposed they would not harm my little ones; it would be Owen they would seize. I saw that I must take every possible precaution against discovery. I must remember this and not grow too impatient at the delay.
It was brought home to me how precarious the situation was when Bedford and Anne left Rouen for a short hunting trip. I cannot think it was solely to hunt. Bedford would be investigating certain parts of the surrounding country, I supposed, testing its safety before allowing the King to move on. But it was no doubt wise to call this foray a hunt.
There was alarm when the members of the hunt came back without the Duke and Duchess. They were struck with horrified amazement to find that they had not returned.
The enemy were in the neighborhood, they said. Could it possibly be that they had fallen into their hands?
While the awful contemplation of what this could mean gripped us all, Anne and Bedford came riding into the castle. Bedford was pale and tight-lipped. Obviously they had been in great danger.
I learned afterward that they had become cut off from the party and had come very close to a company of French soldiers. By good fortune they had managed to keep hidden until the company passed, but it was only due to good luck that they had escaped capture.