Courting Her Highness_ The Story of Queen Anne - Jean Plaidy [201]
Mulgrave had served with the fleet against the Dutch and been appointed captain of a troop of horse. The Duke of York was inclined to favour him; but what would his reactions be when he knew he aspired to marry his daughter?
Looking into the eager face of seventeen-year-old Anne he believed she was too simple—or too determined to have her way—to see the enormous difficulties which lay before them.
He caught her hands. “We must be careful,” he said.
“Oh, yes. We must be careful.”
“This must be our secret … for a while.”
She understood that.
“It would not do for His Majesty to know what is in our minds.”
“He has always been so kind to me,” she told him.
Kind, yes. Kindness was second nature to the King. He would smile at Anne, pat her hand, tell her he was delighted she had a lover; and immediately begin to arrange a marriage of state for her. In one respect Anne was a little like her uncle. There was a laziness in both natures which made them long for a peaceful existence and capable of doing almost anything to achieve it.
Charles was not very pleased with the Earl of Mulgrave at this time because he knew that Mulgrave had helped to increase the strife which existed between James and Charles’s illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth. It had become difficult for Charles to banish his brother and not send Monmouth away also; so Monmouth had been exiled too. Charles had seen the necessity, but he remembered that Mulgrave had helped to exacerbate relations between the two Dukes and when he knew of this greatest ambition of all, he might decide he had been too lenient.
Mulgrave wondered how to impress on Anne the need to be very cautious while not letting her believe that marriage between them was quite out of the question. Gentle and yielding as she was to him, so would she be to others; and if it were pointed out to her that she must take a foreign Prince as a husband, would she placidly smile and accept her fate?
“But you understand, my Princess, that we must be very, very careful.…”
He stopped and gave a little gasp, for someone had stepped into the alcove.
A rather shrill voice said: “Ah, Madam, I have searched and searched for you.”
Mulgrave was horrified. Here he was, caught with the Princess Anne in his arms; but Anne merely laughed.
“It’s only Sarah,” she said. “My dearest Sarah how you frightened me!”
“Apologies, Madam. But I thought I should warn you. You are being somewhat indiscreet.”
“We thought no one would see us here.”
“I saw you.”
“Oh, but Sarah, you are the one who sees all.” Anne was smiling at her lover. “John,” she went on, gently, “all is well. It is only my dearest friend who would never bring me anything but good. Sarah, you, who are happily married yourself, will understand.”
“I understand, Madam, but at the same time I tremble.”
“Tremble! You, Sarah! When did you ever tremble?”
“For myself, never. For you, Madam … often.”
“You see, John, what a good friend she is to me? I am fortunate indeed to have two such … friends. John has been telling me, Sarah, that we have to be very careful not to betray ourselves. What say you?”
“I should say he is right,” said Sarah. “And the best way, Madam, if you will excuse my saying so, is not to embrace in the courtyards.”
“We were well hidden from sight”
“H’m,” said Sarah sharply. She peered up at Mulgrave. “You are silent, my lord.”
“My dear lady, you seem well equipped to keep the conversation alive.”
Anne smiled fondly from one to the other. “You must know that I want you two to be friends.”
“Anyone who is Madam’s friend is my friend,” said Sarah.
Mulgrave put in: “That is a great relief.”
“And now,” went on Sarah, “I think, Madam, that I should conduct you to your apartments. I will keep watch while you say your farewells.”
With that she turned her back on them and for a moment they clung to each other.
“John,” whispered Anne, “what shall we do?”
“Nothing … as yet,” he told her. “We must think of a way.”
“Yes, John. You