"Read that," he said.
"I read the letter he gave me. I could not believe those words. Maximilian, unable to go on without help, had given up and made peace terms with Louis. There was to be a marriage between the dauphin and Mary's young daughter, Margaret; and the little girl's dowry would be Burgundy and Artois.
"The letter fell from my hand," went on Richard.
"I was as stunned as Edward. My first thoughts were of my niece Elizabeth, known throughout the court as Madame la Dauphine. Another would have that title now. I was not surprised at my brother's wrath. This alliance between Louis and Burgundy would mean that there was no longer any need for Louis to keep the peace with England."
"Will this be the end of the king's pension from France?" I asked.
"I could see that that was what was hurting Edward most. I was very alarmed for him, Anne. I have never seen him as he was then. It was always his way to shake off trouble. He had always been optimistic ... even at the worst of times. Then ... he leaned forward in his chair, and suddenly I saw his face suffused with purple blood. I loosened the shirt at his throat as he gasped for breath. Then I shouted for help. When they came in he had slipped to the floor. He looked so big, so helpless, so different from himself."
Richard put his hand over his eyes.
"I love him, Anne," he murmured.
"He was always my wonderful brother. So big, so strong ... so powerful. It was heart-breaking to see him thus."
I tried to comfort him.
"Richard," I said.
"This cannot be ... the end."
"The physicians are with him. They say it is a seizure. He clings to life. He knows he must not leave us."
I prayed with him and we waited for news.
The king had recovered. He sent for Richard, and I waited in trepidation for his return. It was very relieved when I saw him for I knew that the news was good.
Richard was smiling.
"He is magnificent," he said.
"He looks almost his old self. He says that the Christmas festivities are to go on as usual and he wants them to be more splendid than ever."
"He has completely recovered then?"
"It seems so. I wonder if he feels as well as he implies, for he did speak to me very seriously. He said, "My little Edward is but a child. He is twelve years old. He is young to have responsibility thrust upon him." I said, "But that will not be for many years."
"Oh yes, yes," he replied. But I saw the clouds in his eyes and he went on slowly and thoughtfully, "I have had a seizure, Dickon. When this sort of thing happens, it can be called a warning. Oh, I don't mean I am going to die tomorrow. I have years yet. I must have ... because Edward is so young."
"I said, of course he would fully recover. He is as strong as an ox. We could not do without him. Little Edward could not. I could not. England could not. He took my hand and pressed it. He told me he had known all through his life, which had been a somewhat turbulent one, that he could rely on me. I had never failed him. Some had and he was sorry indeed for what happened to them.
"My good friends at one time," he mused.
"Warwick, George, they betrayed me. But never you, Dickon, never you." I was deeply touched, and I told him how I had always loved and admired him. He had been the hero of my childhood, I said, and he continued to be.
"We sat in silence for a long time. Then he said, "I want you to promise me this. If I were to have another seizure, and if that time ..." I shook my head and said, "No, it will not be so." He ignored that and went on, "I want you to be the one to look after Edward. Guide him ... you shall be Protector of England until he is of an age to govern. Then I want you beside him." I assured him that I would follow his wishes. Whatever he asked, I would do for his sake. He seemed contented then. I said, "But you are going to live for a good many years yet, Edward."
"At least twenty," he said with his old jocularity. He seemed happier then."
"He must be worried about his health."
"Yes ... he began to talk about his achievements, as though he wanted to justify himself."
"Perhaps," I said, "he felt a twinge of conscience about taking the throne from Henry who was the rightful king."
"I guessed it was on his mind. It was right that Edward should take the crown for England's sake ... but as you say, Henry was in the direct line. He did not speak of Henry. He went on to stress the improvements he had brought to the country. Trade had increased.
"I always had sympathy with the merchants," he said.
"And some of their wives," he added, trying to introduce a lighter note. I said in the same mood, "I believe Jane Shore is still in favour."
"Perhaps that was not wise, since he was stressing his virtues."
"Oh, he never looked on his amorous adventures as sins. They were natural, he would say, and gave not only pleasure to himself but to his partners in the exercise.
"It is a king's duty to please his subjects," he always said. No, he did not mind the reference to Jane; he is always happy to speak of her. I believe he cares very deeply for that woman.
"He went on to say that he understood business, which most kings did not.
"There is more to governing a kingdom than going to war and giving pageants," he said. I replied, "Well, trade certainly has improved and you have brought law and order to the land."
"And," he added, "I have started to build St. George's Chapel at Windsor which will be a splendid asset to the nation. I have built libraries. And who was it who brought Caxton with his printing to these shores? Did I not do that?"
"You have done a great deal for the nation," I assured him.
Then he went on to talk of that which had always been a matter of contention between us: the French pension. He said, "I know you disapprove most heartily of that. I understood your feelings. But it was the right thing to do at the time. I had the money for my country, Dickon: Louis' money. True, it is over now. Louis won't pay another crown. Why should he? He is no longer in fear of Burgundy, and it was Burgundy he was thinking of all the time. It made him my enemy and Warwick's friend ... for a while. But Louis' friendship swayed this way and that. Well, after all, he is a king. But let me tell you this: I had Louis' money which meant that I did not have to tax my own people ... merchants and such like. That is another reason why trade prospered. So who shall say it was wrong? The money was better spent that way than in profitless war." I said: "It is significant that he should talk to you thus. Do you not think it implies that he is in fear of sudden death?"
"He always opened his heart to me."
"He is anxious. The queen will be deeply hurt and humiliated about the Princess Elizabeth. It is a pity she was so insistent on her being known throughout the court as Madame la Dauphine."
"The queen allowed her avarice and pride to overcome her sense of propriety. She ought to know that royal alliances can never be counted on until they are completed. However, the anxiety over the king's health has overshadowed that other disappointment." The queen must be relieved that he is still alive."
"It will make her realise how much she depends on him."
"I think she has always been aware of that," I commented.
During Christmas the king was as merry as ever and the anxiety about his health began to wane. What could be wrong with a man who danced as he did, ate as heartily and indulged in the usual flirtations with the ladies of the court? It had been a temporary indisposition and the king's strong body could shake off such an inconvenience with ease.
He was determined to promote that theory; and to see him dancing in the great hall with his beautiful eldest daughter now shorn of her grand title and merely Princess Elizabeth implied that it was the right one.