Courting Her Highness_ The Story of Queen Anne - Jean Plaidy [29]
For a few seconds the mild shortsighted eyes were concentrated on her as the beautiful white hands—plump and smooth with tapering fingers—grasped the edge of the coverlet.
“Thank you,” said the Princess.
“Your Highness is a little tired today,” ventured Abigail.
“I have been to the display. My boy looked splendid.”
“Your Highness, I … I had the honour to see him. I was there.”
The dull eyes brightened. “So you saw my boy? Did you not think he was magnificent?”
“Your Highness, I have never seen anyone quite like him. So young and in such command! I would not have missed it for a great deal.”
“I don’t think there ever was another boy like him.”
“I am sure Your Highness is right.”
“He is so clever. Sometimes I believe he simply must be older than I have always thought him.” The Princess smiled. “I think I must have made a mistake in his birth.”
Abigail smiled with the Princess.
“He is so very clever.… I must tell you what he said the other day.…”
Abigail had heard it before. It had been told to both cousin Sarah and Mrs. Danvers, besides several of the waiting women; but Abigail was delighted to have the whole of the Princess’s attention to herself and she listened as though she was hearing the story for the first time.
“Can it be really true, Your Highness!”
“Oh yes. I can tell you I would astonish you with my boy’s antics. I wish you could have seen him in his new camlet suit with the jewels glittering in it. I had let him wear my jewels for the occasion. Such a sight! And the Garter ribbon! He blessed us both … the Prince, his father, and myself … and the sweet child told us afterwards that he sincerely meant all that he had said and that it was not the formal greeting a Prince would be expected to give in public to his parents.”
“How proud Your Highness must be!”
“Proud, I can’t tell you … er …”
“Hill,” said Abigail. “Abigail Hill.”
“No, I cannot tell you. But he is a constant anxiety to us both … his father and me. We watch him. You see I have been unfortunate so often and he is so precious. He has been ill often and I can tell you, er …”
“Hill, Your Highness.”
“I can tell you, Hill, I nearly died of grief. And so did the Prince. If anything should happen to that boy …”
“It must not,” said Abigail quietly.
There were tears in the Princess’s eyes and Abigail handed her a kerchief.
“Thank you. So thoughtful,” murmured Anne; but Abigail knew that she was scarcely aware of her; her mind was at the bedside of her boy during one of his illnesses when she and her husband had experienced all the desolation which would be theirs if they lost this precious boy.
“He is surrounded by care,” said Abigail; “and he is so bright and interested in life.”
“Yes, you are right.”
The Princess was silent, a smile playing about her lips and Abigail had no excuse for remaining.
She said quietly: “Is there anything you need, Your Highness.”
Anne shook her head; she wanted to be alone to dream of her wonderful boy.
Abigail went away so quietly that Anne was unaware of her departure. It was some little time later when she awoke from her reverie and looked about for the woman.
She had discreetly retired, but everything she needed was at hand.
A nice creature, thought Anne. Now what did she say her name was?
Abigail was finding life full of interest. After that conversation with the Princess, Anne was aware of her. She could not always remember her name, but there was no doubt that she was not displeased by Abigail’s personality.
Her women were a vociferous crowd. They were ostentatiously sycophantish, but they could be careless. Often they forgot to perform some little duty which seemed important to the Princess and she had to ask for what she wanted; she had begun to notice that when Hill was on duty everything she needed was always at her side without her asking.
Once when Sarah had been amusing her and making her laugh with her imitations of some of the ministers, Sarah had made some references to Anne’s husband, the Prince of Denmark, which Anne although she smiled, did not