thought she could see
the queen in the flames. Then that he had summoned her from them, or that she had never
left. Then he tried to rise. âI will go to her,â he said.
âNo, no,â said the young nun, tucking the
blanket around him again. âShe is coming here, to you.â
Almost at once there was noise and movement
outside the room and the queen came in with his son. He looked at her and his face
filled with light. âMy love,â he said.
But he could not tell her what he had seen
in the fire, she had too much news of her own. She and the prince recounted their
adventures. They had been attacked by robbers and threatened, on the point of death, but
she had outwitted them, and one of the robbers had rescued them and taken them to a
cave. They had hidden there for two days until, by some miracle, de Brézé and his squire
had found them. Then they had ridden towards Carlisle, but before they could get there
they had been attacked again. An English spy had forced them into a small rowing boat,
but de Brézé had knocked him senseless with one of his own oars and rowed them to
Kirkcudbright Bay. So here they were.
He listened to all this in amazement. There
was no one like her â she was like a heroine from a story. Miraculously she had found
her way back to him, with his son.
âIt is so good to see you,â he said. âTo be
with you again.â
âI cannot stay here,â she said. âI must go
to Edinburgh, to see the new king.â
âBut you must rest,â he said, âand
recuperate.â
âThere is no time,â she said. She had to go
to the Scottish court, to see how things stood with them after the disaster at Norham.
âWhere is everyone?â she said, meaning his councillors.
Gradually they appeared. John Fortescue came
to his room with one or two others. They told her that the news was not good. Warwick
and his brother Lord Montague had set out to punish the Scots for their support of the
Lancastrians and they had burned and pillaged their way over the border for a distanceof some sixty miles. No castle, village or house had been spared;
they had killed many people and destroyed the livelihoods of others, burning all the
crops and the animals.
âThe Scots will not want to see us now, my
lady,â John Fortescue said.
âThatâs why I must go,â she replied, âto
tell them that I will leave. I will go to the conference at St Omer. But I will need
money and ships.â
Already the King of France and the Duke of
Burgundy were at St Omer, ready to make an alliance with the Great Usurper, as she
called King Edward.
She looked at the king.
âSomeone has to stop them,â she said, âor
what hope is there for us?â And she turned back to her councillors.
As they tried to dissuade her, he could see
her resolve hardening. It seemed to the king that there was a little halo of light
around her head, like a crown of tiny flames. He could not tell her that he would give
that crown up; it would be incomprehensible to the queen.
âOne of us must go to St Omer. I must try,
at least, to attend the conference, if they will let me. And if they will not, I must
try to speak with my cousin Louis. You must see that,â she said to the king as if he was
arguing. But he was not arguing. It was just that he did not want to be left alone
again.
âIt will be better if you do not come,â she
said. âWe cannot both leave the country at this time. And so much travel will make you
ill.â
âYes,â he said. He wouldnât argue; he could
see that she had to go. Because she would never see the beauty in giving it all up.
âIf the alliance is made we lose
everything,â she said, turning back to John Fortescue. âBut if I can see King Louis I
know I can persuade him to help us again. I will be
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