Courting Her Highness_ The Story of Queen Anne - Jean Plaidy [121]
“I … I believe that Her Majesty has already been informed.”
“Nonsense! You don’t imagine that Her Majesty would not have told me!”
What could Abigail say to that? She lowered her eyes and looked embarrassed; but inwardly she was laughing. Her Grace was going to receive a shock.
Sarah was looking into the accounts. That girl was far too fat. It was probable that she and her fellow servants were following the Queen’s habit of drinking chocolate last thing at night.
The consumption of chocolate had not been excessive.… She glanced through the Queen’s account. What was this three thousand pounds?
The Queen had wanted it for a private matter. As keeper of the Privy Purse she remembered the occasion well.
“A private matter,” said the Queen; and Sarah had been too concerned about the Vain matter to try to discover why.
This would be just about the time of the Masham marriage.
Horror dawned on Sarah. Could it be possible? Had Anne given the girl a dowry?
That would be like Anne. She was a generous woman. The dowry was not really important and naturally she would want to give a relative of Sarah’s a dowry. But it was rather a large sum for a bedchamber woman! And why had the Queen kept the secret? Why had she not told Sarah?
The more Sarah thought of it, the more certain she became that the three thousand pounds had gone to Abigail—and the greater was her perturbation.
Sarah came briskly into the Queen’s apartments and with a wave of the hand dismissed two of the women who were in attendance. Abigail must have heard of her approach for she was nowhere in sight.
Anne, lying back in her chair, picked up her fan and smiled at Sarah.
“My dearest Mrs. Freeman.”
“I have just heard of Hill’s marriage to Samuel Masham.”
“Oh yes,” said the Queen. “Hill is Masham now. I find it difficult to remember to call her Masham. I was saying so to Mr. Morley last night.”
“I cannot understand why Your Majesty has not been kind enough to tell me of the marriage.”
“Oh, I have bid Masham to tell you, but she would not.”
“I brought her to this Court. I took her from a broom. But for me where would she be now? Yet she marries and it appears that the whole Court knows of it and I do not.”
Anne fanned herself unconcernedly. What had become of her? Didn’t she care that she had upset Mrs. Freeman?
“I find it most extraordinary. In the past Mrs. Morley would never have kept secrets from Mrs. Freeman.”
“I always liked to share secrets,” said Anne, “and particularly with you. I remember thinking to myself, ‘I must tell Sarah that.’ It was in the days before we became Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Morley.”
“And yet you did not tell me of this marriage.”
“I have bid Masham tell you … but she would not.”
How was it possible to keep one’s temper with such a woman?
Sarah took the first opportunity of leaving the Queen, and went at once to Mrs. Danvers.
“You had better tell me everything you know about this affair,” she cried.
“Your Grace is now satisfied that there has been a marriage?”
“I have ascertained that—and that I have been kept in the dark. Now, Danvers, you must tell me anything else you know.”
“I know that Abigail Hill spends some two hours every day with the Queen in the green closet. The Prince is there, but he sleeps most of the time and often Hill is alone with the Queen.”
“Talking to the Queen?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Talking to the Queen! Advising her not to take Mrs. Vain but a woman of her choice instead—the Danvers girl in this instance. Not that Hill was interested in the Danvers girl. Her only object would be to keep out Sarah’s choice.
“She plays the harpsichord to Her Majesty, does the poulticing and massaging. Often I have seen her sitting on the stool at Her Majesty’s feet. If she is not there Her Majesty sends for her. I have heard them laughing and the … mimicry.”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. Ridiculing her.