He said: ‘To abduct her in that way...’

‘Poor young man. He was desperate.’

‘You must forgive him,’ said Agnès gently. ‘Remember it was for love of your daughter.’

‘Well,’ said René, ‘since it appears to be your wish, Sire, and yours my lady...’

‘Let us send for the happy pair and tell them the good news,’ said Agnès.

So Yolande and Ferri were married and the jousts and the entertainments continued.

###

Charles talked to Agnès about the alliance of Margaret and Henry. He was sure it was a good thing for France.

‘It is an indication of the change which has come about since his father married a French Princess. The Fifth Henry had the daughter of the King of France. Our dear Margaret is a very minor Princess—in fact some would say no true Princess at all.’

‘Well, her father is the King of Sicily and Naples.’

‘Poor René, do you think he will ever see Sicily again?’

‘No, but it gives him some satisfaction to call himself King.’

‘And it has brought a crown for his daughter. I doubt she would have been considered if she had not borne the title of Princess...minor though it is.’

‘I hope the dear child will be happy.’

‘She will rule Henry, I am sure of that. He is a weakling, you know, and she is the sort of woman to rule. I shall never forget her grandmother...’

Agnès put her hand over his. ‘I know how dear she was to you.’

‘She was such an extraordinary woman. I was sad to lose her. Thank God I had you, Agnès, then.’

‘I shall always be beside you.’

‘It must be so,’ he said. ‘It would be too hard for me to live without you.’ He was thoughtful for a while. Then he said: ‘It is very good for France to have a strong Frenchwoman Queen of England.’

‘Remember she is very young.’

‘I do. But she is clever, and I think she will remember her duty to France. I will send for her and talk to her, and then you shall tell me if you think she will be good for France when she is in England.’

Margaret was pleased to be summoned by the King. She had become very fond of him. He was always kind and treated her as though she were his daughter. He had made a great effort to give her a splendid wedding and, although she knew that this was to impress the English, at the same time he had delighted to please her. Moreover he had brought about the marriage of Ferri and Yolande, for if he had not made it his business René would have found excuses to put it off again.

He received her informally and kissed her tenderly. Agnès did the same.

‘So,’ said the King, ‘we now have before us the Queen of England. How does it feel to be a Queen?’

‘I am scarce that yet.’

‘‘Tis true you have not seen your bridegroom and have had to take old Suffolk in his stead.’

‘The Marquess of Suffolk has been a good friend to me, as has the Marchioness.’

‘It is well that you make friends. You may need them when you get to your new home. So you have taken a fancy to the Suffolks. And the Talbots too, I believe.’

‘I have found them to be very kind to me.’

‘So they should be...to their Queen. It is going to be a difficult path you have to follow. Sometimes it is necessary to pursue a devious policy. You are very young and there are those who will seek to exploit your youth. You will have to be watchful, Margaret.’

‘I know that it is not going to be easy...’

‘But you are a clever girl. Often I see your grandmother in you and your mother has always had my greatest admiration. You are another such as they are, and I can tell you that you will find the King easily led. Margaret, make sure you are the one to lead him.’

‘Do you think he will listen to me?’

‘Of a certainty he will. You will be the nearest to him. He is a gentle person, they tell me. He does not care for brilliant ceremonies and all the pomp of kingship. He is a good young man. You will have no difficulty with him. It is those around him of whom you will have to be watchful. You must influence him in the choice of those close to him and let me tell you something I have learned: walk very warily at first. Let them see you as the young girl...the child...a little bewildered by her new home, anxious to please. But all the time you will be watchful. Make sure you are friendly with those closest to the King. At the moment he is ruled by them. One of whom you will be particularly careful is the Duke of Gloucester. He was against the marriage, and he will be unfriendly to you. He will try to prove that it was a mistake. Watch him but do not be afraid of him. If you are clever there will be nothing to fear from him. He is popular—for some odd reason—but his wife was accused of witchcraft which she was using to destroy the King. He is losing his power, but watch him.’

‘I will do as you say, dear uncle. I can see I shall have to learn a great deal.’

‘Then you have made the first step. Is that not so, Agnès?’

‘Yes,’ said Agnès, ‘the first lesson is always learning that there is much to be learned.’

‘It is never wise,’ went on the King, ‘to give too much power to the nobles. Then they will vie with each other. It sets up rivalries between them. It is better to give posts of authority to those who come from less exalted beginnings and have shown by their talents that they can excel in them. Above all, dear child, remember that you are French. Never forget your native land.’

‘I could never do that. I shall always love France. England will be my adopted country but France is my own.’

‘That is right,’ said the King. ‘And your marriage has brought about a truce between us. They wanted a peace but they shall not have that until they withdraw all claims to the crown of France. In the meantime they are holding on to Maine and Anjou. Margaret, they must give up these provinces and in particular Maine. Only when Maine is in our hands can we be certain of driving them out of France. You must persuade the King to give up Maine.’

‘You could not take it?’

‘At great expense of life and money and then perhaps not succeed. No, I want them to give it back to us in exchange for peace.’

‘I will do what I can...for France,’ said Margaret.

‘Bless you, my child,’ said the King. ‘Our love and faith go with you.’

###

It was time to leave and her father very solemnly handed her over to the Marquess and Marchioness of Suffolk. The King was present and he was seen to wipe away a tear when he took his niece into his arms and kissed her tenderly.

He whispered to her as he held her against him, ‘Remember us. Remember France.’

And she replied: ‘I will. Oh, I promise I will.’

When the cavalcade went out from the castle, the King rode with Margaret for two leagues and then he said he must take his last farewell of her. They embraced and they were both weeping.

‘You are going to one of the greatest thrones of Europe, my dear niece,’ said Charles, ‘but it is scarcely worthy of you.’

‘I will try to do what is right,’ she told him. ‘And I shall always love you and France.’

The King was genuinely moved and after one last embrace turned and rode sadly back to Nancy.

René and Isabelle rode on with her. The parting with them would come later; and as they rode along it occurred to them that their daughter was very young and that they were placing her in the court of intrigue in a country which was not entirely in favour of receiving her.

They reached Bar where they were to part and when the moment came they could not speak—not one of them. They could only look mutely at each other lest their pent feelings should escape and they give way to grief.

As she rode away, not daring to look back at her father, Alice brought her horse to ride beside her. She said nothing but her sympathy and this gesture touched Margaret deeply. It meant that she had said goodbye to her family but she still had friends.