The Merry Monarch's Wife

by Jean Plaidy

  Yet, in spite of everything, James had time to spare for me.

  “Dear sister,” he said. “I know you loved him well. I loved him too. He was the best brother a man ever had. I cannot hope to be like him.”

  We wept together and James went on: “You must stay here in your apartments at Whitehall until you feel well enough to move.”

  I remembered then that I was no longer Queen of England. The Duchess of York bore the title now, and I was occupying those apartments set aside for the Queen. I had become the Queen Dowager.

  “I had forgotten,” I said apologetically. “I must leave them.”

  “No…no, not until you are prepared to do so. The Queen joins me in saying that she hopes you will act on your inclination and not feel there is any need for haste.”

  “That is gracious,” I said. “How is the Queen?”

  “She is well enough,” he said. “As well as any of us can be at this sad time. She hopes that when you have recovered a little you and she will meet.”

  I thanked him and forgot a little of my own sorrow in my deep pity for him. He was so overwhelmed with cares; and I wondered how he would fare…a proclaimed Catholic king of a Protestant country.

  I tried to arouse myself. Life must go on. I must make up my mind what I should do without Charles. What place had I here? I had lost my poor Donna Maria, but for a long time she had been ailing and she had never made any attempt to adjust herself to the English way of life. She had been very critical of Charles’s infidelities. Poor Maria. But at least she had been a link with my native land.

  I wondered if I ought to return there. What should I do? There had been so many changes. My mother dead, Alfonso too. There was only Pedro and his wife…who had been Alfonso’s wife. Would there be a place for me?

  I discussed the matter with Lord Feversham, who controlled my household affairs. He was a handsome man, dignified and sympathetic.

  “It is perhaps a little early to make plans, Your Majesty,” he said. “You are not well enough to think of traveling, and His Majesty, King James has given you permission to use these apartments until you wish to move. May I suggest that you go to Somerset House? It has always been a favorite residence of Your Majesty.”

  “You may be right, Lord Feversham,” I said.

  “Then, of course, if Your Majesty wished to retire for a while from the court, there is the convent at Hammersmith.”

  “Oh yes,” I said, thinking of the convent with which I had been connected for some time. A sojourn with the nuns would be very desirable. There could be complete peace. I could pray and ask for guidance. I could perhaps reshape my life.

  “Thank you, Lord Feversham,” I said. “You understand so well.”

  “Madam,” he said earnestly, “I would give my life to serve you.”

  He looked at me with great affection, and in that moment he reminded me of Edward Montague who had shown a similar care for me…and perhaps because of it had lost his life, for if people had not noticed it and commented on it, he would have remained my Master of Horse and never been present at the battle during which he had been killed.

  For two months I remained undecided at Whitehall, and then I moved my household to Somerset House.

  I WAS RELYING more and more on Lord Feversham. He would talk to me of state affairs and was very frank, knowing that he could safely be so with me.

  “There is a certain uneasiness,” he said. “The Whigs remain quiet…which could be ominous. In my opinion, they will be watching very carefully for any sign of Catholic influence in the country. That is something they will try hard to prevent.”

  “How can they?”

  “There are means.”

  “They will be loyal to the King.”

  “Let us pray for that, Your Majesty.”

  “But he has given his support to the Church of England,” I said. “Did he not announce this in his speech to the Privy Council?”

  “He did. But on Easter Sunday he attended the Catholic Church openly.”

  “But he has long made clear his support of it.”

  “That is so, Your Majesty. But he is now the King, and the ceremony of that visit to the church was noted. It was an official occasion.”

  “You sound apprehensive, Lord Feversham.”

  “I fear conflict, Your Majesty. The last is not long behind us, and we know the effects of that one.”

  “The late King often spoke of it. He was determined the like should never happen again.”

  “He was wise. I pray God that…”

  He did not finish, but I knew he feared for James.

  I wanted to know what was happening, which showed I was being taken out of the lethargy which had been with me since Charles’s death. I was no less unhappy, but at least I was interested in what was going on about me. My own future was hazy and bleak. For so long Charles had dominated my life…even before I had met him. I could not believe that those days were over forever.

  I was very grateful to my Lord Chamberlain, who was doing so much to draw me out of my melancholy.

  IT WAS ONLY LOGICAL THAT, now we had a Catholic monarch on the throne, the position of Titus Oates must be a little uncertain. He had been very quiet of late and had indeed lost a great deal of his popularity over the last few years.

  Yet I was entirely surprised when one day Lord Feversham came to me and said: “Oates has been arrested.”

  “On what charge?” I asked.

  “On that of perjury, Your Majesty.”

  “There must be a wealth of evidence to support that,” I said.

  “Your Majesty speaks truth.”

  “Who is prosecuting him?”

  “Judge George Jeffreys.”

  “I have heard of him, I think.”

  “That does not surprise me, Your Majesty. He has dealt with several cases in which Oates has appeared, and always seemed to favor him. He is a clever judge—amusing, witty…but a hard drinker, often seeming to relish the punishments he has to inflict. I think he is open to seek advantages for himself and has little sympathy for those who can be of no use to him. He likes, it is said, to ‘give a lick with the rough of his tongue’ to those he has to sentence.”

  “He sounds most unpleasant.”

  “I am in agreement with Your Majesty, but it is said that he can show a certain charm to those with whom it would be an advantage to do so.”

  “And he is to try Oates?”

  “It would appear so.”

  “I shall be most interested to hear the verdict.”

  “I will report to Your Majesty if I discover anything.”

  As a compliment to the new King, Judge Jeffreys found Titus Oates guilty. Not that that needed any great effort.

  Oates was fined, stripped of his ecclesiastical robes and sentenced to stand in the pillory; he was whipped through the streets, starting at Aldgate and finishing at Newgate. That was not all. Two days later there was to be a further whipping from Newgate to Tyburn. For the rest of his life he was to be a prisoner.

  It was harsh, but it had to be remembered that he had caused the deaths of thirty-five innocent people.

  I felt almost sorry for the man when Lord Feversham told me how Jack Ketch, the notorious executioner, known for his delight in prolonging the suffering of his victims, together with his men, laid a whip of six thongs on the bare back of Titus Oates, and the people flocked into the streets to see this once proud man brought low.

  He must have been almost dead when they brought him to his cell; but James had refused to stop the second flogging, although it was said that at the first Oates had been almost flayed alive.

  A just reward perhaps for all the misery he had caused to countless people, besides those who had lost their lives because of him.

  IT WAS JUNE. Charles had been dead four months. I was wondering whether James, who had since his accession shown great moderation, might have learned wisdom from his brother, and while he remained a Catholic, be able to maintain peace in the realm.
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  He had shown no desire so far to force his religion on his subjects, but I guessed the Whigs were alert and at the first sign of James’s favour toward the Catholics, there would be trouble.

  I was alarmed when Lord Feversham told me that Archibald Campbell, the Earl of Argyll, had been arrested in Scotland.

  Argyll had come from Amsterdam, where he had been in the company of the Duke of Monmouth, in three ships in which were three hundred men. His plan was to collect more on his arrival. He was displaying banners on which were written the words “For God and Religion against Popery, Tyranny, Arbitrary Government and Erastianism.”

  In Scotland he gathered more men, but unfortunately for him, one of them had been captured and confessed that he had come with Argyll to turn the King off the throne and give the crown to the Duke of Monmouth.

  The plot was therefore prematurely disclosed and those who were involved took fright and deserted.

  “They would have had no chance against the King’s forces,” said Lord Feversham. “Poor Argyll! His venture did not last, and he found himself alone, and was captured and brought to Edinburgh Castle.”

  “How could he have hoped to succeed?” I asked.

  “’Tis my belief that he had no thought of attacking until Monmouth arrived.”

  “Surely Monmouth cannot be so foolish as to think he can overthrow the King?”

  “He will insist that his father was married to Lucy Walter.”

  “But the King denied it so often.”

  “The King is dead.”

  “You cannot think that such a venture would succeed?”

  “I am not sure. It depends on how many will support him.”

  “But Charles always swore that he was illegitimate.”

  “He is a Protestant.”

  “But if he has no right…”

  “So much depends on what the people want.”

  “Do you think King James will give up lightly because the people want it?”

  “Do not the people always have their choice…in time?”

  “Did they want Cromwell…and the Parliament to govern them?”

  “Cromwell was strong. He had many supporters.”

  “And you think if he had not died, the King would not have been recalled?”

  “That may have been, but at the time he came to power, the majority of the people wanted Cromwell.”

  “And if they want the Duke of Monmouth as their King…?”

  “Your Majesty, I should tremble if that came to pass.” He looked at me anxiously.

  I said, “Please, always be frank with me. I shall know, Lord Feversham, that what you have to say to me is between us two.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty. I shall always tell you what is in my mind.”

  Later he told me that the Earl of Argyll had been beheaded in Edinburgh. His head was placed on a spike at the west end of the Tolbooth, but, before that, came the news that the Duke of Monmouth had landed at Lyme Regis.

  THE DRAMA HAD BEGUN. Jemmy had come for that which all his life he had coveted. Poor Jemmy, I feared for him. I had so often felt that he was far from the valiant ruler he had imagined himself to be. He had mistaken his charm and good looks for kingly qualities. He had not inherited his father’s wisdom.

  I waited eagerly for news. I was fond of Jemmy. There was something lovable about him and, in some ways, he reminded me of his father. How often had I wished that he had been my son! How much easier my life would have been. Now I feared deeply for him. He would have to learn that charm of manner does not make up for a lack of wisdom.

  I understood what his plan was. Argyll, as a Scot, was to capture Scotland for him, while he took England, and as the West Country was strongly Protestant, that seemed an ideal spot for him to begin his campaign.

  Lord Feversham kept me in touch with the news. These tête-á-têtes had become a custom with us, and from him I learned much more than I could from the gossip of the ladies or the scraps of news which came to me from other sources.

  “Monmouth has had a proclamation read in the market place,” Lord Feversham told me. “He announces that he now heads the Protestant forces in the kingdom and is the legitimate heir to the throne.”

  “What will become of him?” I asked.

  “I fear the impulsive young man will lose his head ere long.”

  “King Charles would have been greatly distressed. He loved him devotedly. I knew there was discord at times, but that was all due to the Duke’s recklessness and ambition.”

  “As is the present situation, Your Majesty. Oh, what a tragedy for this country when the King passed on.”

  “You are right. It is a tragedy for us all.”

  The next news I heard was that a Bill of Attainder had been issued against Monmouth and there was a price of five thousand pounds on his head.

  Monmouth retaliated by marching to Taunton, where he was proclaimed King. He had gathered an army of seven thousand men and declared the Westminster Parliament was traitorous, and he had the effrontery to put a price on King James’s head. He swore he was the rightful heir to the throne, for his mother had been married to King Charles, and in time he would prove this. I am sure he believed this would be so, for there would be no hesitation in producing the little box with its documents once he had defeated James.

  At Bridgwater he was proclaimed King. Then he went to Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet. The West Country was with him.

  I could imagine his bitter disappointment—for I knew him so well—when Bath refused to surrender to him and when the troops he was expecting did not arrive. By that time he would have heard of Argyll’s capture. Poor Jemmy! He had no great stamina for the tremendous task which he had set himself.

  His men, fearing retaliation, were deserting in hundreds. There was one great hope. The peasantry was gathering round him shouting “No Popery! King Monmouth for us!” He marched back to Bridgwater to meet his new army: unskilled men, brandishing their scythes and pitchforks.

  I hoped that he would escape to Amsterdam. What his reception would be there, I could not imagine.

  Churchill marched westwards with two thousand regular soldiers, and fifteen hundred more joined him from Wiltshire. They encamped on Sedgemoor.

  The battle was swift, as was inevitable. Monmouth’s west country yokels were unfit to stand up to trained soldiers. Monmouth was no Churchill, and very soon more than half of his army were lying dead on the field. The enterprise had failed.

  I tried to make excuses for Jemmy. He was only a boy, playing at being a king.

  He made his excuses for flight from the field. Lord Grey had urged him to leave, for he must save his life to fight again for the cause. Whatever happened, he left his poor sad army and fled with Grey.

  I heard later how they had ridden hard toward the Bristol Channel, how they had to leave their exhausted horses and travel on foot, how they disguised themselves as farm laborers.

  About a month after his arrival in England, Monmouth was captured in a ditch in which he had hidden himself under bracken.

  King Monmouth’s reign was over.

  He was brought to the Tower to await his trial.

  I COULD NOT STOP THINKING how saddened Charles would have been. He would have forgiven his son, as he had so often in the past. But Jemmy had never attempted any prank of such magnitude before. The slitting of Sir John Coventry’s nose, the murder of the beadle, suspicion of being involved in the Rye House Plot…that had all been forgiven. But this was an attempt on his uncle’s crown, and his father was no longer there to shield him.

  How I wished he had not acted in his way! If he had been wiser he would have known the enterprise could not but fail. There would be so many who would never accept him as Charles’s legitimate son—for he himself knew, as well as any of us, that that was false.

  His courage failed him. He had believed in success and had never considered what failure would mean. Now he was faced with reality and he was a very frightened young man.

 
I was surprised to receive a letter from him. He had written from the Tower. He knew of my regard for him, he wrote, and, being so close to his father, I had been aware of the love between them.

  I smiled a little sadly. Indeed, I knew of the King’s love for his son. I could almost hear Charles’s voice: “Jemmy has some regard for me, but a greater fondness for my crown.”

  James had always been my friend, Monmouth wrote. He would listen to me. He, Monmouth, believed that if he could speak to James…he might be able to explain and let him see how contrite he was.

  I let the letter fall from my hand.

  It was true James had always been a friend to me, but what Monmouth had done was beyond forgiveness. Did he think James would forgive him, and give him a chance to try again?

  I did not think so.

  I spent a sleepless night, and when I did doze, I fancied that Charles was close. “He was my son,” I seemed to hear him say. “He was a foolish, impulsive boy.”

  And when I arose I decided I would attempt to see James.

  I was surprised that, in view of all the state matters which must be occupying him at this time, he granted me an interview.

  He greeted me warmly and asked how I was faring.

  I told him I was living peacefully at Somerset House and occasionally spent a few days at Hammersmith. Then I came straight to the point.

  “I have had a letter from the Duke of Monmouth.”

  I saw the surprise in his face.

  “He is asking me to beg you to see him.”

  “He has been a traitor. He was to his father…and now to me.”

  I said: “He could never harm you. He has not the power.”

  “He could surround himself with those who have more sense.”

  “That is true. He will lose his head, I suppose.”

  “What else? He deserves it. Perhaps he should have lost it before…and would have if Charles had not been so soft with him. He was implicated in the Rye House Plot. He would have murdered his own father.”