by Jean Plaidy
She was not sorry to be cosseted, to be left alone with her dream of the child.
As he made his way to his apartments, he felt dissatisfied. What did he want? To play that old game of kings? To disguise himself, to stroll out into the streets and join merry bands, to find strange women and make love to them; in any case he wished to escape from the restraint he had put upon himself.
Passing along a corridor, he saw, from where he was, a lighted window. He looked at it idly, and as he did so he saw a woman on the other side of it. She had taken off her coif and was shaking out her beautiful long hair. He recognized her as the beautiful Magdalen Dacre. It was not often that he acted on impulse, but this was one of the occasions when he did.
His heart beating fast, his need for excitement urging him on, he went to the door of Magdalen’s room and silently opened it.
Magdalen had taken off her gown. She stood in her petticoats, her long hair, cloak-like, covering her bare shoulders. She paled when she saw him, and strode to the door where he stood hesitating. She did not speak, but as she laid her hand on the door, he saw the vivid flush in her face. Her excitement was as great as his.
She tried to close the door, but his foot was inside.
“Magdalen…” he began; and he put out a hand to touch her.
But he did not touch her. To his profound astonishment, before he could do so, Magdalen lifted her hand and administered a stinging blow on his cheek. He could only drop his hands and stare. There was no time to do more. This English amazon had, with a second gesture, pushed him backward and shut the door in his face.
As he stood there, bewildered and horrified, he heard her turn the key in the lock.
The new year had come.
Emmanuel Philibert had left England, and Elizabeth had gone back to Woodstock, not exactly a prisoner, but under some restraint. She had declared in the presence of several people that her heart would be broken if she were forced to leave England. Philip realized that between them the royal sisters had defeated him. Both were obstinate: Elizabeth in her determination to remain in England, Mary in hers to insist on Elizabeth’s illegitimacy.
Their behavior was typical of them. Elizabeth, fervently believing in her destiny, though her sister was securely on the throne and about to have a child, was refusing to leave England because she felt that when her great opportunity came she must be in the right spot to exploit it. Yet Mary, secure, with the child in her womb and the might of the Anglo-Spanish alliance behind her, was so afraid of that young girl that she denied her the benefit of legitimacy.
Certainly these had been uneasy weeks for Philip. He could not forget his humiliating encounter with Magdalen Dacre. He did not blame her; he blamed himself. When they met about the court there was no change in her manner to him, nor in his to her; he was as gracious as he had ever been, she as humble and courteous. Neither gave a sign of having remembered the incident. He did not believe she would be so foolish as to report the matter to Mary. Magdalen was clever enough to know that, however angry Mary might be with Philip, she would be doubly so with Magdalen.
Magdalen herself had spent a sleepless night after the incident. She believed that Philip would not allow her behavior to go unpunished. She saw herself disgraced and exiled on some trumped-up charge. She had heard of Spanish vengeance, and she had seen how some of the hidalgos were ready to fight to the death in order to avenge an imaginary insult.
Daily she waited for the storm, but nothing happened. Once she fancied she saw a mute apology in his eyes. Could he really be so reasonable, so just? If so, she must admire his character, for it was not in the nature of powerful kings to see their own faults.
Magdalen eventually became grateful and sought to defend Philip when he was maligned. She mentioned the incident to one of her friends, in strictest confidence, to whom she pointed out that while he might be human in his desires, he was at least man enough to know himself in the wrong and not to seek to avenge a loss of dignity. That, said Magdalen, was admirable, in a King…and a Spaniard.
But how could such a secret be kept? Others must savor it. They must laugh in secret because Philip of Spain had had his face slapped by an English maid of honor.
As the weeks passed the fires of Smithfield had begun to blaze. Gardiner and Bonner had put their heads together; this should have started long ago, they declared. Now that England had returned to the Catholic fold, heretics should learn the folly of their ways, and those who wavered toward heresy should watch the writhing bodies in Smithfield Square and turn from their wickedness.
The people of London looked on sullenly. It seemed to them that a pall of smoke continually hung over the square. They could not get the smell of burning flesh out of their nostrils.
It was the Spanish marriage, the citizens declared. “All was well in this land until we had foreigners among us…”
Spaniards were set upon in the streets from time to time, and soon none of them dared venture out after dark. In the taverns threats were whispered, and the question asked: “Why has this happened to us?” The answer was: “Because of the Spaniards.”
The Smithfield ceremonies were no autos-da-fé. There was not, said the Spaniards, the same reverence in England as in Spain. The English liked a merry spectacle, eating till they could eat no more, drinking until they were boisterous…mumming, dancing. They could find little satisfaction in a religious ceremony that was a solemn dedication. Some came to watch the burnings, but they were a sullen crowd. There was none of the ecstasy which was such an essential part of an auto-da-fé in Spain.
No; the people were sullen, and when these people were angry they showed their anger in ridicule. So now they jeered; and this time they did not spare Philip. The story of Magdalen Dacre and the Prince of Spain had spread to the streets, but it had changed considerably in transit. It was not only a lady-in-waiting whom he pursued; it was every woman he set eyes on. And since the ladies of the English court would have none of him he began to look elsewhere; he prowled the streets at night, said the people, seizing any young girl who happened to be abroad.
In the taverns they sang of Philip’s amours.
“The baker’s daughter in her russet gown
Is better than Mary, without her crown.”
Philip was alarmed by the ferocity with which Gardiner was conducting the burning of the heretics. He approached Mary on the matter.
Mary, thinking perpetually of the child, was lethargic; she was worried because she did not increase her girth sufficiently to please herself; nothing interested her so much as the stories other women had to tell her of their experiences of pregnancy. Sometimes she would cling to Philip with fear in her eyes. She was terrified that the child might not be living within her. He would soothe her, believing that she was pleading for a renewal of that relationship which was so repugnant to him.
He now felt it necessary to speak to her about the fires of Smithfield.
“Gardiner has no restraint,” he said. “No sooner is England returned to Rome, than he begins the burnings.”
“Is this not as it should be?”
“Yes, yes; but it is always necessary to consider the people.”
“Is that not what we are doing?” Mary was fond of Gardiner. If he was the cruellest and most vindictive of men where heretics were concerned, he was a great statesman and a loyal supporter of the Catholic Queen.
“No!” said Philip. “The people are unready as yet.”
“But what are these ceremonies compared with the great work the Inquisition is doing in Spain?” demanded Mary.
“The Spanish people support the Inquisition.”
“And do my people then support the heretics?”
He was irritated when she said my people in that way, and he retorted: “No. I agree our people do not.”
She gave him her tremulous smile then. “Oh, Philip, our people, of course. That is how I would have it. You and I…together always…” She held out her hand, but he pretended not to see it.
This was so difficult to endure, this wavering between the arrogant Queen who was Queen in her own right, reminding him that the English people would allow him to be nothing more than Consort, and the hysterical woman come late to passion and therefore determined to drain the loving cup to the dregs.
“But the people are not ready,” he said firmly. “Later we will install the Inquisition here. We will have an auto-da-fé in Smithfield Square. But that time is not yet. Your people are irreligious by nature. They prefer laughter to prayers, to forget the sins of their neighbors if they may laugh with them. But we will remedy that in time. Now they are sullen. They like not the fires. They blame my countrymen. They blame me. Their insults are more mephitic than ever.”
“We’ll stop it!” cried Mary shrilly. “Any who insults your countrymen shall himself be burned at the stake.”
“Nay; that is not the way to deal with subjects. I have tried to speak to Gardiner on this matter, but it seems he fancies himself the ruler of this realm. He is thirsty for blood. He has longed for this day and is like an excited child!”
“He is a true servant of God!” said Mary vehemently.
“Yes; but do not upset yourself, my dear. I shall command my friar, Alphonso di Castro, to preach a sermon urging leniency toward heretics, suggesting that they should be given time in which to repent.”
“I see you are angry with me,” said Mary. “You are cold. When I give you my hand, you look the other way.”
“I am deeply concerned for you. You must remember the precious burden you carry. You must be calm…live quietly.”
“What would you have me do, Philip, my love? There is nothing I would not do for you. Command me, I beg of you. Shall I send for Gardiner?”
“There is no need. I would have you rest. It is better that the sermon should be preached by my friar. The people will then see that I am not the monster they believe me to be, for they will know that a servant of mine would not dare preach such a sermon without my consent.”
“The people do not know you, Philip,” she said passionately. “They say ugly things of you which are…untrue…so untrue.”
He looked at her anxiously. How many rumors had she heard? He had endured her cloying devotion; must he yet suffer from her bitter jealousy?
In the Palace at Valladolid Juana told Carlos of the news from England.
“You are to have a brother, Carlos. He will be half English.”
Carlos did not care whether or not he had a brother; he was angry with the English because they had not killed his father, as people had believed they might.
“He will come home,” said Juana. “As soon as the baby is born he will come back to Spain.”
“That will be a long time yet,” said Carlos.
He enjoyed those days. He was a little less wild, although he gave way to bouts of frenzy when any suggested he should learn his lessons. Always he would fly to Juana for protection, calling on her to save him from the monsters.
He continued to call himself Little One; nor would he allow even Juana to try weaning him from the habit.
His tutor, Luis de Vives, felt that, as it was almost impossible to teach Carlos anything, there was no point in forcing matters. To force the boy meant kicking, unpleasant scenes, and injuries to his health, which in their turn meant no lessons. There was hardly anyone who could be persuaded to whip the boy, for none could forget that he was destined to be the King of Spain, and they were sure Carlos was one to remember past injuries.
Only his father and grandfather would dare punish him, and they were both absent.
Often Carlos talked to Juana of her namesake; he remembered vividly that night when he had crept into Mad Juana’s room and talked to her. He told his aunt that she had said that he and she were the only sane ones in a mad world. “But she did not know you, dear Aunt. You are sane too,” he told Juana.
One day during that spring there came news from the Alcázar at Tordesillas. A messenger arrived at the Palace of Valladolid and asked audience of the Queen Regent.
Juana put on her cloak and hood to receive him, fastening the hood about her head so that she was just able to peep out of it. It had been a habit of hers to hide her face as much as possible since she had become a widow. It was remembered that that other Juana had adopted the habit after the death of Philip the Handsome when she had kept with her the coffin containing his body.
“Bad news, Highness,” said the messenger. “Queen Juana is ill and we fear for her life. Her illness started three weeks ago. She demanded to take a hot bath. She was wandering in her mind and she said that the King, her husband, would visit her that night and, as it was years since she had taken a bath, he would find her dirty. The water was brought, and she would have it almost boiling, your Highness.”
“And this bath…it was too much for her?”
“Her legs have been swollen to more than twice their usual size, your Highness. The water was so hot that the skin burst and it has not yet healed. The Queen was carried to a bed, and there she has been since. She will allow no one to touch her. She lies…without attention…and it has been thus for three weeks.”
“Have you not had doctors brought to her?”
“She will have no one, your Highness. She screams if any approach. Her legs, your Highness, are in such a state of corruption that she screams in agony the whole day and night.”
“Something must be done,” said Juana. “I will visit her myself and take my brother’s physicians with me.”
So Juana set out immediately for Tordesillas, taking with her Philip’s physicians, but when they arrived at the Alcázar the old Queen refused to see anyone but Juana.
Young Juana caught her breath in disgust at the condition of the bedchamber. The legs were exposed in all their horror, for the old Queen screamed in agony when they were touched by even the lightest covering.
The Queen called out: “Who are you then…come to torment me? You are Mosen Ferrer, are you…you torturer? See what you have done to me with your tortures!”
Juana fell to her knees and put her hands over her face to shut out the hideous sight. She began to sob hysterically.
“What ails you?” asked the Queen.
“It grieves me to see you thus…and you…a Queen.”
“To see me thus…old, crippled, covered in sores…dying…ah, dying! But why be surprised? This is a fitting end for me.”
“Oh, Grandmother, no…no! The doctors can help you.”
“No one can, but I do not care. Soon I shall be past my pains. I shall be with him.”
“Grandmother, your soul is in God’s keeping?”
“I shall be with my Philip. What happens up there, eh? What happens in Heaven? Shall I find him there with his women about him?”
“Grandmother, hush…hush. I must call Father Borgia. You will see the doctors? You must see them.”
“Father Borgia! He is Mosen Ferrer in disguise, I believe.”
“No…no.”
“He poisoned Philip. Comes he now to poison me? Then let him. For soon I shall be with my Philip. Oh, to be with him again! We shall fight…It matters not. Better to fight with him than to live, weary and lonely, without him.”
“Here is Father Borgia, Grandmother. I sent for him. I implore you, listen to him before it is too late.”
“I’ll not see him.”
“You must, Grandmother. I beg of you, do not depart this life with all your sins upon you.”
She began to whimper: “I am tired. Let me go in peace.”
Young Juana beckoned to Father Borgia, who had come close to the bed. “Pray for her,” she whispered.
So he prayed. “Repent,” he urged. “Ask for forgiveness of your sins.”
She nodded—whether or not in answer to him, none of those who had come to the apartment could be sure.
A messenger came to say that learned priests, having heard of the Queen’s condition, had come from Salamanca to do for her what must surely need to be done.
&nb
sp; They crowded about the bed, and one held a crucifix before the dying Queen.
“Your soul is in jeopardy,” he cried. “Speak and ask forgiveness. Say after me, ‘Christ crucified, aid me.’”
She lifted her eyes to his and the death rattle was in her throat. She murmured: “I feel no pain now.”
“Beg for mercy. Say after me, ‘Christ crucified, aid me.’”
Her lips moved. “Christ…crucified…aid me.”
The priest held the crucifix close to her face. Her breathing was very faint and suddenly she smiled.
Juana, watching her, saw her lips form the name: “Philip!” as she slipped away from the world.
It was April. A fitting time for the heir of England to be born. All the trees were in bud; the birds seemed riotously gay as though to welcome the baby Prince. Even the Spaniards seemed reconciled to England in the spring, perhaps because they knew they would soon be leaving it.
In Hampton Court there was a bustling and a hurrying to and fro and many an excited whisper. Any moment now, it was said; and all England and Spain were on tiptoe for the news. The French were hoping for a hitch, for the birth of a Prince would be the death-knell to the hopes of Henri II of securing England’s crown for his son through Mary Queen of Scots.
A peal of bells was rung at St. Stephen’s in Walbrook, and in less than ten minutes bells were ringing all over the city of London. This was taken as the signal.
“The child is born!” cried the populace.
“And is it a boy?”
“Of course it’s a boy!”
Nothing less than a boy would please the people. The bonfires were lighted. There was singing and cheering in the streets.
And on her bed at Hampton Court the Queen was tossing and turning.
Here was all the ceremony that must attend a royal birth. There must be no doubt that the infant was the one born of Mary; therefore there must be important witnesses at hand.
Some of the experienced midwives were looking furtively at one another. They dared not speak their thoughts for fear of being charged with treason.
