The King’s Concubine: A Novel of Alice Perrers

by Anne O'Brien

  But increasingly Edward looked inward and was reluctant to talk to me. Nor did I realize the problem until I saw him waiting on the battlements for news that did not come, with young Thomas clamped to his side by a heavy hand on his shoulder, even though Thomas shuffled and twitched, clearly wishing to be in the stables or practicing his swordplay—anywhere but with his burden of a father.

  “Then go!” Edward snapped, releasing the boy, and Thomas went with alacrity.

  When I took the boy’s place, tucking my hand within his arm, Edward smiled, but there was a loss in his face. It was not I he wanted, and although the remedy was clear to me, it was not a pleasant one. I thought I would not enjoy the outcome, but I was woman enough and confident enough in my new role to do it. For the sake of the King’s health, I would risk the consequences.

  I wrote a formal invitation on good-quality vellum, complete with wax and Edward’s seal, and prepared to dispatch it with a courier in full regalia. It was wholly illegal for the King’s Concubine to employ the royal seal—but why not? It could not help but have the desired effect. With a duplicity for which I made no excuse, I kept it from Edward. What point in raising his hopes if by some chance it never came to pass? Nor did I sign my name—it crossed my mind that I might just live to regret this missive. Indeed, I stood before the fire in my chamber, holding it between my fingertips as I considered consigning the document to the flames.

  Could I not provide all the affection that Edward needed?

  But news arrived. Devastating news that drove Edward to his knees in the chapel, his face ravaged with distress. The Prince’s tiny son and heir, Edward of Angouleme, heir to England’s crown, had died in Bordeaux. The Prince was too ill and distraught to carry on the campaign. He would return to England, leaving the campaigning in the increasingly ineffective hands of Gaunt.

  Edward wept.

  In the same hour I sent the letter. I could not afford to change my mind.

  I wrote again to Windsor, with rigid formality.

  I am restored to Edward’s pleasure. And to his confidences. He has no interest in Ireland. The Gascony situation takes all his attention, which at best is wayward. You are still your own man in Ireland and I think there will be no interference from London.

  I received a reply by return of the courier, in Windsor’s trenchant style—he wrote as he spoke.

  I received your two letters within days of each other; such is the difficulty of communication. I am relieved that you are restored.

  For me or for him? I grimaced cynically.

  Keep my name in Edward’s mind. This is a hard road and I need all the help I can get.

  The final paragraph surprised me.

  I would give you one more piece of advice. You have experienced what it will be like for you without royal patronage. I did warn you when we last met. You rejected my advice. Now you know it for the truth. Your position as royal mistress can be undermined in the blink of an eye. Make the most of your opportunities while you can. I doubt the Prince and his ambitious wife will make a place for you at Court.

  And then I was more than surprised.

  I think of our meetings more frequently than I might wish. Yours was not a comfortable companionship, but I find that you dwell in my thoughts. It might surprise you to know that you are, on occasion, impossible to dislodge. You have claws of steel. So, accepting that, I admit that your wit and charm give me consolation in my isolation in this place. With some regret, I do not see myself returning to London within the foreseeable future. I think we would have dealt well together if events had fallen out differently.

  Keep well, Alice. Keep safe. Your supreme position will make your enemies livelier than you might imagine. Take care that you do not put any weapons into their hands.

  Accept this advice from one who knows.

  I laughed softly, and then stared as I unwrapped the package that accompanied the reply, its content obvious even before I unrolled the soft leather: a slim-bladed knife that could be secreted in a sleeve or bodice. A lethal means of protection from the assassin. How ridiculous of him! Who would possibly wish me physical harm?

  I found that I too regretted Windsor’s absence from Court. I doubted he would be faithful to that final less-than-chaste kiss. But then, as King’s Concubine, neither was I.

  He had my protection in mind. A foolish dog and a slim blade.

  Should I have been afraid? I was not. My mistake, perhaps.

  The reply to my royal invitation took longer to arrive than Windsor’s letter, but was far more impressive when it did. It came in person, arriving at Windsor with palanquins, outriders, and an impressive military escort with its pennons fluttering bravely. Eye catching and ostentatious, such an entourage could only have one owner. Yes, I conceded. I might just regret this. But it was the only answer to the problem that I could see.

  Family!

  Edward needed family around him. He wanted—as he had all his life—his children and the memories they brought him. He might be heroic on the battlefield, he might be a superb administrator, his physical presence might be matchless, but at home he needed the anchor of family. The absence of humor and affection played on his temper, his spirits. Philippa and the offspring she had borne him had been so vitally important to him after his own childhood of loneliness and isolation under the selfish hand of his mother. Creating his own family had been all-important to him, giving him all the stability and love he had never had.

  But what now, now that his family had dwindled? Two sons in France, both heavily committed to war. Lionel dead in Italy. His daughters, except for one, all dead. Young Thomas too young and self-interested with the occupations of youth to give his father real companionship. Edward needed family around him.

  Why can’t you give him what he needs? I demanded crossly, but honesty made me admit: I could give him much, but not the sense of belonging that Edward needed. And the one remedy was, regrettably, Isabella, his much-loved daughter. Willful, capricious, a lover of ostentation and show. She was the remedy.

  Now, below me, emerging from the swagged and cushioned palanquin was the unmistakable figure of Isabella, without her much-desired husband but with two little girls with the same fair hair and dawning beauty as their mother. I watched her arrival from the little chamber above the main door. Hardly had she set foot on the ground than she began to issue orders as if she had never been away.

  I tapped my fingers against the window ledge as Isabella laid claim to Havering. Should I waylay her or let her settle in and meet Edward on her own terms? I mentally tossed the choices. If I went down now, there would only be a clash of words and personalities, with no one to cushion the resentment that would erupt like a flame to dry tinder. Ah! But if I let her see Edward, make her own rules, order her own accommodations, I would immediately put myself at a disadvantage. Isabella would take control before we sat down together for supper.

  Well, now! I stilled my fingers, considering the appropriateness of my garments for the occasion that I foresaw. Since when had I retreated from a little unpleasantness? Was I not chatelaine of this palace since my very public elevation at the hunt? Who supervised the money and the housekeeping? God help me to harness my words and my temper—I needed her as my ally. So, having the niceties of Court ceremonial for the welcoming of important personages at my fingertips, I was standing on the dais in the Great Hall, clad in Court finery, Latimer and a servant at my side, when she eventually swept in.

  “Are my rooms prepared?” she asked of no one in particular, imperious as ever, magnificent as ever, superbly gowned in an overrobe of silver and dulcet green that I instantly coveted. If I had not deliberately selected my newest gown, very much to Edward’s taste, rapidly replacing the insignificant robe of leaf green that I had been wearing when I set eyes on Isabella’s splendor, I would have paled into anonymity. Isabella retained her old habit of cutting one’s confidence off at the knees. But I was now prepared to herald my new wealth and status in a startling figure-hugging r
obe of violet silk patterned in vermilion and blue. It was impossible to pale into insignificance in such a gown coupled with a cotehardie of gold damask. I was mistress here, and I signaled to the servant to lead Isabella’s entourage and her two daughters to the accommodations I had had made ready for them.

  Isabella remained. Her eye avoided me with careful nonchalance and fell on Latimer instead.

  “Latimer! It’s good to be back. Some wine, if you please.”

  “Of course, my lady.” Latimer bowed to the Princess, and then to me, before exiting to obey the command. Isabella caught the action, as she must, and her brows rose into perfect arches as her gaze fixed on me, as I knew it would when she deemed it suitable. She had seen me the moment she had stepped across the threshold. How could she be blind to violet and vermilion?

  “Well! Mistress Perrers!”

  “My lady.” I curtsied.

  “I didn’t expect you to be here still. And what role do you occupy now that you are no longer a damsel?” The disdain might have cut me to the quick if I were of a mind to let it. “Can I guess? Palace whore?”

  I stayed unmoving on the dais. “Things have changed, my lady.”

  “They must have, if you are giving orders to Latimer.” She produced a sudden frown. “Does my father know? I presume he does.”

  “Of course.”

  “So you have stepped into my mother’s shoes.”

  “One might say.…”

  She was uncomfortable, and I enjoyed it. Would she ask me outright? A servant entered with a tray of wine and offered it, kneeling before me. I motioned him to offer it to the Princess instead. What pleasure it gave me.

  Her lovely face had acquired the consistency of granite. “You are controlling the household, it seems.”

  I inclined my head. “Someone must. It pleases the King that I do it.”

  Isabella deliberately ignored the wine. “I’ll soon change that.”

  “Certainly, my lady. If you intend to take on the burden yourself…”

  I knew that the Princess had no intention of taking on such a role. So did she.

  “Where is the King?” she demanded.

  “In the stables, I believe.” Isabella turned on her heel. “Wait!” I had to speak now. “There’s something you should know.…”

  She halted. “And that is…?”

  “The King has not been robust.”

  “So?”

  “Have a care in your choice of words to him.”

  “I don’t need you to tell me.”

  I stepped down and faced her, our eyes much on a level. “But you do. You have not seen him in the weeks—months—since Her Majesty’s death. I have.”

  She considered this, momentary indecision clear in her pursed lips, then spun around to accost Latimer, who had stepped quietly into the Great Hall again. “I understand the King has been ill, Latimer.”

  “Yes, my lady. But he is now much improved.”

  So she did not trust me to give her the truth even about her father. I had some bridges to mend if I would make use of this Plantagenet princess. And seeing the ingrained hostility in the set of her spine, in her rigid shoulders, I thought I might have wagered wrongly in that damned invitation.

  “Have you taken advantage of his kindness?” she demanded, jealousy thick in her voice. “I see you’ve been more than busy.” Now that I was close, her eyes narrowed on my expanding waist. “Another bastard? Who’d have thought you’d have the wit to rise so high. But beware, Mistress Perrers; you’ll rise no more.”

  I swallowed a smart retort. Isabella was an intelligent woman and I must appeal to that. I walked beside her, keeping step even when she quickened hers as if she would shake me off. Isabella had no idea how single-minded the Queen’s erstwhile damsel could be.

  “He can’t be too ill,” she announced. “He invited me here to participate in a celebration.”

  “I know.”

  “He said he was arranging a tournament.”

  “Yes.”

  “Would a man who was ailing commit himself to a tournament?”

  “No.”

  “When is it to be held?”

  “It isn’t.” That stopped her. Once again we faced each other like two cats posturing on a roof ridge. “There is no such arrangement,” I stated.

  “Who wrote the letter?”

  “I did.”

  I heard the intake of breath, saw her nostrils narrow, and awaited the outburst, but it did not come. Rather her stare turned speculative. “To what purpose? You would invite me here?”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “If you wanted to rule the roost, you would not bring me back to England. We both know my inclination is also to rule.”

  “That I know.”

  “So why?”

  “The King’s spirits are low. The Prince’s state of health is uncertain, and his little son is dead. The King’s in no mood for tournaments. Unless you persuade him, of course.”

  “I’ll speak with him.” She eyed me thoughtfully.

  I smiled thinly. “I wish you well, my lady.” And I did. Edward needed the distraction. “And I should tell you: The King does not know I sent for you.”

  I watched her go; the energy in her step was undoubtedly a flounce. She would not like what Latimer had to show her. I sighed and looked down to Braveheart, who pressed against my leg. God help me! Had I invited a vixen into the chicken run?

  Isabella was in a conflagration of temper when I walked through the gardens to join the royal father and daughter and test the air between them.

  “I have been turned out of my rooms!”

  “Turned out?” Edward chuckled at the drama of it. “I expect you’ve been provided with something larger and far more fitting—you’ve brought the children, I presume.”

  “The rooms were mine—you had them built for me!”

  “So I did. But they were empty. Why not make use of them? You rarely visit, and Alice finds them very comfortable.”

  Did I not say? Edward had moved me into the sumptuous royal apartments. When I had listed what I had wanted, I could not have envisaged what I got: the suite of palatial rooms constructed for a princess. And how I relished them.

  A taut silence fell on us like a hoarfrost, sharp and cold, broken only by the strident cry of a magpie in the stand of trees. Isabella took a breath. I wondered what she would say, whether she could manage to be diplomatic. The line of her jaw had the tension of a bowstring. She stopped on the path with a swish of embroidered skirts, and turned foursquare to Edward.

  “You would put your mistress in my room?”

  No diplomacy here. Careful! I breathed. Careful, Isabella! He may be aging, but his pride is as strong as it ever was. In confirmation, Edward’s hand closed tightly into a fist.

  “I think you should ask pardon for that,” he remarked mildly enough.

  “Do we pretend she is not? That she was not, in all those years when my mother was alive?”

  The ermine mantle of royalty slipped invisibly but impressively back onto Edward’s shoulders. Even they braced as if to take the weight of it.

  “I’ll tolerate much, Isabella, but not that. You will not judge me or your mother. I have given Alice the authority to administer my household.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to. You are a guest. If you do not like it, there is no compunction on you to remain.” Isabella’s lips parted, then clamped together. “Exactly! You are not without intelligence.” Edward smiled, but the warning was still there. He knew exactly what he had achieved for me. “Now that the formalities are over, how long will you stay? We must see what we can do to entertain you.”

  Isabella’s glance slid to mine. I left them planning. They were two of a kind when it came to outward display and spending money. So Isabella would stay for some weeks, but I was secure in Edward’s favor. Daughter and mistress could work very well together when they had to, to ward off the dread melancholy.

&nb
sp; Isabella had other ideas, of course. She whispered in my ear as we entered the Great Hall together for supper. “Don’t expect to win my regard. You won’t succeed. You’re an upstart, Mistress Perrers.”

  True. I was, and always would be, but I had worked hard for my position. I decided to flex my claws a little.

  “I don’t need your regard, my lady.” I remained solemn as she raised her brows. “His Majesty needs me in his life far more than he needs you.”

  “He’ll listen to me.…”

  “No, he will not. Ah…” Edward was there to lead me to the chair at his right hand. “Perhaps your daughter should take the preeminent position,” I suggested smoothly. “For tonight, at least. As an honored guest…”

  I showed my teeth in a smile. Isabella returned it but with a flash of eye as she sat. It was an excellent evening, with food and wine and music and entertainment. The King’s spirits revived under his daughter’s ready wit. She paced beside me as we left the chamber.

  “Have a care, Mistress Perrers.”

  “I always do, my lady! I always do. As I have a care for the King.”

  She was furious, she would remain my enemy, but I knew she saw the truth in what I had said.

  I left the field to Isabella through necessity, for I could barely see my toes over the swell of my belly. When the child kicked incessantly and I began to find life at Court wearying, I announced my intentions. Edward kissed my lips and my hands and packed me into one of his royal barges as if I were a precious piece of glass.

  I had just acquired the house and manor of Pallenswick through Greseley’s clever negotiation and my borrowed gold coin, courtesy of the royal Treasury. And Pallenswick was a gleaming gem of a property on the banks of the Thames, to which I had moved my sons and my whole household. My access to Edward and the Court was as easy as donning a pair of silk slippers.

  “I’ll come if I can,” Edward assured me.

  “I’ll do just as well without you.” I knew he would be engaged in the progress of the war, and would be barred from the birthing chamber, King or no. Isabella would keep his spirits in good order.