The Courts of Love - Jean Plaidy [80]
As soon as he had gone, I sent the esquire down to the stables to tell them they must make preparations to leave as soon and as quietly as possible. My ladies and I would make ready and join them in half an hour. We were in acute danger.
So, during that night, quietly we left Blois.
I often wondered what young Thibault thought when he awoke to find we had gone and that all his grand schemes for capturing Aquitaine had come to nothing. It would be a lesson to him—as it was to me.
The sooner I was married to Henry, the better; only then would I be safe from ambitious men.
We made our way out of Champagne to Anjou.
Anjou must be friendly territory. I surveyed it with pleasure. Anjou, Normandy . . . they were Henry’s, and soon Aquitaine would be with them, and, in time, I was certain England. What a brilliant prospect! I was not only going to marry the man I loved but acquire great possessions as well. We were completely suited to each other in every way. What a happy conclusion this would be to all my tribulations.
We were riding along merrily when in the distance I saw a figure—a lonely one this time.
“It seems,” I said, “that we have little to fear from one rider. I wonder who it is and why he rides with such urgency. I believe he is looking for us.”
This proved to be the case. The young man pulled up his sweating horse, leaped to his feet and knelt before me.
“My lady,” he stammered, “I come to warn you. You are riding into danger.”
“From whom this time?” I asked.
“From one who calls himself my master—Geoffrey Plantagenet.”
I cried: “The brother of the Duke of Normandy!”
He nodded. “There is an ambush a mile or so from here. Because of your friendship with my true master, I was determined to warn you.”
“Who is your true master?”
“The Duke of Normandy. I served him well and would do so again. He gave me over to the service of his brother and I have never been happy since.”
“I see. So Geoffrey Plantagenet would waylay us. For what purpose?”
“He plans to marry you, my lady.”
“Indeed? They say these Plantagenets are the spawn of the Devil.” I smiled. That applied to Henry, too. So his little brother Geoffrey thought to trap me, Geoffrey the ne’er-do-well, the brother whom Henry despised.
I looked at the young man. I had learned to judge people and I trusted him. The recent experience with Thibault had sobered me considerably. There would be other upstarts who thought they could abduct me, perhaps even rape me and force me to marry them, just to give them possession of my rich duchy. It was the well-worn way in the past for gaining coveted lands. But these little men had not the gift for it.
I said: “I believe you. You will ride beside me and lead us away from the ambush.”
So he did, and it was a pleasant experience for me because not only had I foiled the ambitions of Geoffrey Plantagenet but I was able to talk of my lover to one who knew him well.
There was no doubt that he idealized Henry. I was to discover that Henry had a certain quality which bound men to him. He was a born leader and never in the years to come did I doubt that.
The young man had been heartbroken when he had been assigned to the weak brother. He did not wish to serve Geoffrey Plantagenet, who was jealous of Henry and hated him. Their father, realizing the worth of Henry and the worthlessness of Geoffrey, had left the younger son only three castles.
“His father was a wise man,” I said.
“So I think, my lady, and when I heard that there was a plot to abduct you and force you to marry Geoffrey, I knew that was not what my lord Duke of Normandy would wish.”
“How right you were! I am grateful to you. I promise you that you shall stay in my household, and I think it very likely that I shall be able to persuade the Duke to give you back your place in his.”
How fortunate I was in that loyal servant of Henry’s. When we reached Poitiers in safety, the first thing I did was to send the young man with a message to Henry to tell him that I was in my capital city, awaiting the coming of my bridegroom.
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