The Courts of Love - Jean Plaidy [147]
“I will not have it. I shall never share your bed again.”
“So be it,” he said. “You are past childbearing now . . . or soon must be. I am surprised you went on so long. You are no longer a young woman.”
“So you have already pointed out. And there are others who please you more.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“I hate you,” I said. He smiled at me cheerfully.
“I shall go to Aquitaine,” I went on.
“It is not a bad idea. Perhaps you will be able to bring a little sense to the natives.”
“They are my people,” I said. “I am going to rule them, and when I do, you will see there is no more trouble in Aquitaine.”
He was looking at me shrewdly. I knew that he was thinking that that could be true and that it would be an excellent idea for me to go back to Aquitaine and remain there for a while.
I hated him. He was not thinking of me but of his dominions. Then I felt exultant. Aquitaine was one he was not going to keep.
That was a strange Christmas. Neither Henry nor I wanted to publicize our differences. When he had seen that I was adamant and determined to leave him and settle in Aquitaine, he suggested that when the festivities were over he and his army escort me there. That would give the impression that, as there was a state of unrest in the country, I was going to stay there for a while and see if I could bring about a more peaceful atmosphere.
I could see that this was a concession I must make, for if it were generally known that there was a permanent rift between us, it could throw our affairs into confusion. So we left together as though we were on good terms.
As we came near to Aquitaine a shock awaited us. The country was in revolt under the leadership of the Count of Angoulme.
This was one of those occasions when Henry’s genius for governing came into play. In a short time he had repressed the revolt, punished the offenders and restored peace—although an uneasy one—to Aquitaine. I had to be grateful that he had returned with me.
When he left, it was more or less calm, although there was an attempt to kidnap me when I was riding not far from Poitiers.
It was a band of rebels who had the idea of capturing me and holding me to ransom until their demands were met. I was alert for trouble and before they were able to catch me I had galloped back to safety, but the commander of the military force which had been left by Henry to guard the castle was killed in the affray. So it was clear how dangerous the situation still was.
But it was amazing how my presence there affected the people. Perhaps they guessed that all was not well between Henry and me, that I had left him and had come back . . . alone. That was what they cared about. They wanted no foreigners governing them. I was a branch of the old tree. They had resented Louis, but Henry even more so.
I could sense the mood of the people. After all, they were my own people. When I rode out, they would cheer me. They let me know that they wanted me to stay here, to be their sole ruler. It was heartening.
Musicians and poets began to fill the Court. I restored castles to those from whom Henry had taken them when suppressing the rebellion. I wanted them to know that in my opinion they had rebelled against Henry . . . not against me.
I was in my own country. I was Duchess of Aquitaine, a title which pleased me more than that of Queen of England.
Bernard de Ventadour was one who returned. It was a great joy to bring back those evenings of music. They still wrote songs proclaiming my beauty—pleasant to hear but hard to believe, though of course I took great pains to preserve my looks, and although I was getting old, marching up high in the forties, for my age I was still a handsome woman.
I had my children with me. Richard was my constant companion. We rode together, talked together, and he loved those evenings when the musicians entertained us for he could perform with considerable skill himself. Young Henry was with us now and then. He loved to be with me and was resentful when he had to join his father. This made me gleeful. Eleanor and Joanna had never seen a great deal