by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XIX -- AGINCOURT
The English king waited some time for an answer to a challenge he had sentto the Duke of Aquitaine to decide their quarrel by single combat; butAquitaine cared more for pleasure than for fighting, and sent no answer tothe cartel. It was open to Henry to have proceeded by sea to Calais, andit was the advice of his counsellors that he should do so; but the kingdeclared that the French should never say that he was afraid to meet them,and that as the country was his by right he would march wherever hepleased across it; and so, after leaving a thousand archers and fivehundred men-at-arms under the command of the Duke of Exeter, he set out onthe 6th of October on his adventurous journey.
Accounts differ as to the number that started with him, some Frenchhistorians put it as high as 17,000, but it is certain that it could nothave exceeded nine thousand men, of whom two thousand were men-at-arms andthe rest archers. Now, while the siege of Harfleur had been going on, thearrangements for the embarkation of the troops and stores carried out, andthe town put in a state of defence, troops had been marching from allpoints of France at the command of the French king to join him at Rouen,so that here and in Picardy two great armies were already assembled, thelatter under the command of the constable.
The English force marched by the sea-shore until it arrived at the riverSomme. No great resistance was encountered, but large bodies of theenemy's horse hovered near and cut off all stragglers, and rendered itdifficult to obtain food, so that sickness again broke out among thetroops. On reaching the Somme Henry followed its left bank up, intendingto cross at the ford of La Blanche-Tache, across which Edward the Thirdhad carried his army before fighting at Crecy.
The French, as on the previous occasion, held the ford; but they this timehad erected defences on each of the banks, and had strong posts driveninto the bed of the river. Still ascending along the river bank theEnglish found every bridge broken and every ford fortified, while a greatbody of troops marched parallel with them on the right bank of the river.At Pont St. Remy, Ponteau de Mer, and several other points they tried invain to force a passage. Seven days were spent in these attempts; thetroops, suffering terrible hardships, were disheartened at their failureto cross the river, and at finding themselves getting farther and fartherfrom the sea. On the morning of the 19th, however, a ford was discoveredwhich had not been staked. The English vanguard at once made a dash acrossit, repulsed its defenders on the other bank, and the whole army with itsbaggage, which was of scanty dimensions, swarmed across the river.
Sir Eustace, with his little force, now reduced to half its number, was,as it happened, in front of the army when the ford was discovered, and,followed by his two esquires and ten mounted men-at-arms, dashed into theriver, while the archers, slinging their bows behind them, drew their axesand followed. For a short time there was a desperate conflict, but asreinforcements hurried across, the fight became more even and the Frenchspeedily gave way. When the king had crossed he thanked Sir Eustace forhis prompt action.
"Had you waited to send back for orders," he said, "the French would havecome up in such numbers that the ford would not have been won withoutheavy loss, whereas by dashing across the moment it was discovered, youtook the defenders by surprise and enabled us to get over without the lossof a single man."
The constable, disconcerted at finding that all his plans for keeping theEnglish on the left bank of the river were foiled, fell back to St. Pol inArtois. Henry followed, but without haste. His small force was greatlyreduced by sickness, while by this time the whole of the royal army hadmarched round and joined that of the constable. On the day after thepassage had been effected three heralds arrived in the English camp toacquaint the king with the resolution of the constable and of the Dukes ofOrleans and Brabant to give his army battle before he reached Calais.Henry replied that fear of them would not induce him to move out of hisway or to change the order of his march; he intended to go on straight bythe road to Calais, and if the French attempted to stop him it would be attheir peril; he accordingly continued to advance at the same rate asbefore.
The constable fell back from St. Pol and took up his post between thevillages of Ruissanville and Agincourt, where, having received all thereinforcements he expected, he determined to give battle. On the 24th theEnglish crossed the Ternois at Blangi, and soon afterwards came in sightof the enemy's columns. These fell back as he advanced, and towardsevening he halted at the village of Maisoncelles, within half a mile ofthe enemy's position. Fortunately provisions had been obtained during theday's march; these were cooked and served out, and the English lay down tosleep. The king sent for Sir Eustace.
"You know this ground well, I suppose, Sir Eustace," he said, "for yourCastle of Villeroy is not many miles distant?"
"'Tis but six miles away," the knight replied. "It is a good ground tofight on, for facing it are fields, and on either flank of these are largewoods, so that there will be little space for the enemy to move."
"That is just what I would have," the king said. "Were they but half asstrong as they are I should feel less confident that we should defeatthem; their numbers will hinder them, and the deep wet ground will hampertheir movements. As for ourselves, I would not have a man more with me ifI could; the fewer we are the greater the glory if we conquer, while if weare defeated the less the loss to England. Does your young esquire alsoknow the ground, Sir Eustace?"
"Yes, sire; he has, I know, often ridden here when hawking."
"Then let him go with four of my officers, who are about to reconnoitrethe ground and see where we had best fight."
Guy was accordingly called up and started with the officers. He first tookthem up to the wood on the right of the French division, then they movedacross its front at a distance of fifty yards only from the French line.The contrast between it and the English camp was great. In the latter allwas quiet. The men after a hearty meal had lain down to sleep, heedinglittle the wet ground and falling rain, exhausted by their long marching,and in good spirits,--desperate though the odds seemed against them,--thatthey were next day to meet their foes. In the French camp all was noiseand confusion. Each body of troops had come on the ground under its owncommander, and shouts, orders, and inquiries sounded from all quarters.Many of the Frenchmen never dismounted all the night, thinking it betterto remain on horseback than to lie down on wet ground. Great fires werelighted and the soldiers gathered round these, warming themselves anddrinking, and calculating the ransoms to be gained by the capture of theking and the great nobles of England. Knights and men-at-arms rode aboutin search of their divisions, their horses slipping and floundering in thedeep clay.
Passing along the line of the French army Guy and the officers proceededto the wood on the left, and satisfied themselves that neither there noron the other flank had any large body of men been posted. They thenreturned and made their report to the king. Guy wrapped himself in hiscloak and lay down and slept until the moon rose at three o'clock, whenthe whole army awoke and prepared for the day's work. The English kingordered the trumpeters and other musicians who had been brought with thearmy to play merry tunes, and these during the three hours of darknesscheered the spirits of the men and helped them to resist the depressinginfluence of the cold night air following upon their sleep on the wetground. The French, on the other hand, had no manner of musicalinstruments with their army, and all were fatigued and depressed by theirlong vigil.
The horses had suffered as-much as the men from damp, sleeplessness, andwant of forage. There was, however, no want of confidence in the Frencharmy--all regarded victory as absolutely certain. As the English had lostby sickness since they left Harfleur fully a thousand men out of the9,000, and as against these were arrayed at least a hundred thousand--someFrench historians estimate them at 150,000--comprising most of thechivalry of France, the latter might well regard victory as certain. Therewere, however, some who were not so confident; among these was the oldDuke of Berri, who had fought at Poitiers sixty years before, andremembered how confident the French we
re on that occasion, and howdisastrous was the defeat. His counsel that the English should be allowedto march on unmolested to Calais, had been scouted by the French leaders,but he had so far prevailed that the intention that Charles should placehimself at the head of the army was abandoned.
"It would be better," the duke had urged, "to lose the battle than to losethe king and the battle together."
As soon as day broke the English were mustered and formed up, and threemasses were celebrated at different points in order that all might hear.When this was done the force was formed up into three central divisionsand two wings, but the divisions were placed so close together that theypractically formed but one. The whole of the archers were placed inadvance of the men-at-arms. Every archer, in addition to his arms, carrieda long stake sharpened at both ends, that which was to project above theground being armed with a sharp tip of iron. When the archers had taken uptheir positions these stakes were driven obliquely into the ground, eachbeing firmly thrust in with the strength of two or three men. As thearchers stood many lines deep, placed in open order and so that each couldshoot between the heads of the men in front of him, there were sufficientstakes in front of the line to form a thick and almost impassable_chevaux-de-frise_. The baggage and horses were sent to the rear, near thevillage of Maisoncelles, under a guard of archers and men-at-arms. Whenall the arrangements were made, the king rode along the line from rank torank, saying a few words of encouragement to each group of men. Herecounted to them the victories that had been won against odds as great asthose they had to encounter, and told them that he had made up his ownmind to conquer or die, for that England should never have to pay ransomfor him.
The archers he fired especially by reminding them that when the Orleanistshad taken Soissons a few months before they had hung up like dogs threehundred English archers belonging to the garrison. He told them that theycould expect no mercy, for that, as the French in other sieges hadcommitted horrible atrocities upon their own countrymen and countrywomen,they would assuredly grant no mercy to the English; while the latter ontheir march had burned no town nor village, and had injured neither mannor woman, so that God would assuredly fight for them against their wickedfoes. The king's manner as much as his words aroused the enthusiasm of thesoldiers; his expression was calm, confident, and cheerful, he at leastevidently felt no doubt of the issue.
The Duke of Berri had most strongly urged on the council that the Frenchshould not begin the attack. They had done so at Crecy and Poitiers withdisastrous effect, and he urged them to await the assault of the English.The latter, however, had no intention of attacking, for Henry hadcalculated upon the confusion that would surely arise when the immenseFrench army, crowded up between the two woods, endeavoured to advance. Themen were therefore ordered to sit down on the ground, and food and somewine were served, out to them.
The constable was equally determined not to move; the French thereforealso sat down, and for some hours the two armies watched each other. Theconstable had, however, some difficulty in maintaining his resolution. TheDuke of Orleans and numbers of the hot-headed young nobles clamoured to beallowed to charge the English. He himself would gladly have waited untiljoined by large reinforcements under the Duke of Brittany and the Marshalde Loigny, who were both expected to arrive in the course of the day. Asan excuse for the delay, rather than from any wish that his overturesshould be accepted, he sent heralds to the English camp to offer Henry afree passage if he would restore Harfleur, with all the prisoners that hehad made there and on his march, and resign his claims to the throne ofFrance. Henry replied that he maintained the conditions he had laid downby his ambassadors, and that he would accept none others. He had, in fact,no wish to negotiate, for he, too, knew that the French would very shortlybe largely reinforced, and that were he to delay his march, even for a dayor two, his army would be starved.
Perceiving at last that the constable was determined not to begin thebattle, he sent off two detachments from the rear of his army, so thattheir movements should be concealed from the sight of the French. One ofthese, composed of archers, was to take post in the wood on the left handof the French, the other was to move on through the wood, to come down intheir rear, and to set on fire some barns and houses there, and so createa panic. He waited until noon, by which time he thought that bothdetachments would have reached the posts assigned to them, and then gavethe orders for the advance. The archers were delighted when theircommander, Sir Thomas Erpingham, repeated the order. None of them had puton his armour, and many had thrown off their jerkins so as to have a freeruse of their arms either for bow or axe. Each man plucked up his stake,and the whole moved forward in orderly array until within bow-shot of theenemy. Then the archers again stuck their stakes into the ground, and,taking up their position as before, raised a mighty shout as they let flya volley of arrows into the enemy.
The shout was echoed from the wood on the French left, and the archersthere at once plied their bows, and from both flank and front showers ofarrows fell among the French. As originally formed up, the latter's vanshould have been covered by archers and cross-bowmen, but, from theanxiety of the knights and nobles to be first to attack, the footmen hadbeen pushed back to the rear, a position which they were doubtless notsorry to occupy, remembering how at Crecy the cross-bowmen had beentrampled down and slain by the French knights, desirous of getting throughthem to attack the English. Therefore, there stood none between thearchers and the French array of knights, and the latter suffered heavilyfrom the rain of arrows. Sir Clugnet de Brabant was the first to take theoffensive, and with twelve hundred men-at-arms charged down upon thearchers with loud shouts. The horses, however, were stiff and weary fromstanding so long in order; the deep and slippery ground, and the weight oftheir heavily-armed riders caused them to stagger and stumble, and thestorm of arrows that smote them as soon as they got into motion added tothe disorder.
So accurate was the aim of the archers, that most of the arrows struck theknights on their helmets and vizors. Many fell shot through the brain, andso terrible was the rain of arrows that all had to bend down their headsso as to save their faces. Many of the archers, too, shot at the horses;some of these were killed and many wounded, and the latter swerving andturning aside added to the confusion. And when at length Sir Clugnet andthe leaders reached the line of stakes in front of the archers, only abouta hundred and fifty of the twelve hundred men were behind them.
The horses drew up on reaching the hedge of stakes. Their riders couldgive them no guidance, for without deigning to move from their order thearchers continued to keep up their storm of arrows, which at such closequarters pierced all but the very finest armour, while it was certaindeath to the knights to raise their heads to get a glance at thesituation. The horses, maddened with the pain of the arrows, soon settledthe matter. Some turned and rushed off madly, carrying confusion into theranks of the first division, others galloped off to the right or left, andof the twelve hundred men who charged, three only broke through the lineof stakes, and these were instantly killed by the bill-hooks and axes ofthe archers.
The second line of battle was now in disorder, broken by the fugitive menand horses of Sir Clugnet's party, smitten with the arrows to which theyhad been exposed as that party melted away, and by those of the Englisharchers in the wood on their flank. The confusion heightened every momentas wounded knights tried to withdraw from the fight, and others frombehind struggled to take their places in front. Soon the disorder becameterrible. The archers plucked up their stakes and ran forward; the Frenchline recoiled at their approach in order to get into fairer order; and thearchers, with loud shouts of victory, slung their bows behind them,dropped the stakes, and with axe and bill-hook rushed at the horsemen.These were too tightly wedged together to use their lances, and as theyhad retired they had come into newly-ploughed ground, which had been sosoaked by the heavy rain that the horses sank in the deep mud to theirknees, many almost to their bellies. Into the midst of this helpless crowdof armed men the English arc
hers burst. Embarrassed by their strugglinghorses, scarcely able to wield their arms in the press, seeing butscantily, and that only in front through the narrow slits of their vizors,the chivalry of France died almost unresistingly.
The Constable of France and many of the highest nobles and mostdistinguished knights fell, and but few of the first line made theirescape: these, passing through the second division, in order to draw upbehind, threw this also into some confusion. The Duke de Brabant, who hadjust arrived on the field, charged down upon the flank of the archers.These met him fearlessly, and he and most of those with him were killed.This fight had, however, given time to the second division to close uptheir ranks. The archers would have attacked them, but the king caused thesignal for them to halt to be sounded, and riding up formed them in orderagain. The French were unable to take advantage of the moment to try andrecover their lost ground, for the horses were knee-deep in the ground,upon which they had all night been trampling, and into which the weight oftheir own and their riders' armour sunk them deeply.
"Now, my lords," the king said, turning to those around him, "our bravearchers have done their share; it is our turn;" and then, as arranged, alldismounted and marched forward against the enemy.
In accordance with his orders, Sir Eustace de Villeroy and Guy were postedclose to the king, while John Harpen led the men-at-arms from Summerley.For a time the battle raged fiercely. In the centre fought the king withhis nobles and knights; while the archers, who had most of them thrown offtheir shoes and were able to move lightly over the treacherous ground,threw themselves upon the enemy's flanks, and did dreadful executionthere. In the centre, however, the progress of the English was slower. TheFrench knights made the most desperate efforts to attack the king himself,and pressed forward to reach the royal banner. His brother, the Duke ofClarence, was wounded, and would have been killed had not the kinghimself, with a few of his knights, taken post around him, and kept offthe attacks of his foes until he recovered his feet. Almost immediatelyafterwards a band of eighteen knights, under the banner of the Lord ofCroye, who had bound themselves by an oath to take or kill the king,charged down upon him. One of them struck him so heavy a blow on the headwith a mace that the king was beaten to his knee, but his knights closedin round him, and every one of his assailants was killed.
The Duke of Alencon next charged down with a strong following; he cut hisway to the royal standard, and struck the Duke of York dead with a blow ofhis battle-axe. Henry sprung forward, but Alencon's weapon again fell, andstriking him on the head clipped off a portion of the crown which Henrywore round his helmet. But before the French knight could repeat thestroke Guy Aylmer sprung forward and struck so heavy a blow full on theduke's vizor that he fell from his horse dead. His fall completed theconfusion and dismay among the French, and the second division of theirarmy, which had hitherto fought gallantly, now gave way. Many were takenprisoners. The third division, although alone vastly superior in numbersto the English, seeing the destruction of the others, began to draw off.They had moved but a short distance when loud shouts were heard in theEnglish rear. Two or three French knights, with a body of several hundredarmed peasants, had suddenly fallen upon the English baggage and horseswhich had been left at Maisoncelles. Many of the guard had gone off tojoin in the battle, so that the attack was successful, a portion of thebaggage, including the king's own wardrobe, and a great number of horsesbeing captured.
Ignorant of the strength of the attacking party, Henry believed that itwas the reinforcements under the Duke of Brittany that had come up. At thesame moment the third division of the French, whose leaders were alsosimilarly deceived, halted and faced round. Believing that he was about tobe attacked in front and rear by greatly superior forces, Henry gave theorder that all prisoners should be killed, and the order was to a greatextent executed before the real nature of the attack was discovered andthe order countermanded. The third division of the French now continuedits retreat, and the battle was over. There remained but to examine thefield and see who had fallen.
The king gave at once the name of Agincourt to the battle, as this villagepossessed a castle, and was therefore the most important of those nearwhich the fight had taken place. Properly the name should have beenAzincourt, as this was the French spelling of the village. The loss of theFrench was terrible, and their chivalry had suffered even more than atPoitiers. Several of the relations of the French king were killed. TheDuke of Brabant, the Count de Nevers, the Duke of Bar and his twobrothers, the constable, and the Duke of Alencon all perished. No lessthan a hundred and twenty great lords were killed, and eight thousandnobles, knights, and esquires lost their lives, with some thousands oflower degree, while the Duke of Orleans, the Duke of Bourbon, and manyothers were taken prisoners.
The accounts of the English loss differ considerably, the highest placingit at sixteen hundred, the lowest at one-fourth of that number. Theplunder taken by them in the shape of costly armour, arms, rich garments,and the trappings of horses, was great; but of food there was but little,many of the victors lay down supperless around the village ofMaisoncelles.
The knights who had led the peasants to the attack of the baggage-train,instead of joining in the fight, and had thereby caused the unfortunatemassacre of so many prisoners, fell into great disgrace among the Frenchfor their conduct, and were imprisoned for some years by the Duke ofBurgundy.
That evening the English king knighted many esquires and aspirants ofnoble families, among them Guy Aylmer, who was indeed the first to receivethe honour.
"No one fought more bravely than you did, young knight," he said, as Guyrose to his feet after receiving the accolade; "I will see that you havelands to support your new dignity. Twice you were at my side when I was inthe greatest danger, and none have won their spurs more fairly."
John Harpen would also have been among those knighted, but he declined thehonour, saying that he was not come of gentle blood, and wished fornothing better than to remain his lord's esquire so long as he hadstrength to follow him in the field.
The next morning the army marched to Calais. The king turned aside withSir Eustace, and with a strong party rode to Villeroy. Guy had gone onwith the men-at-arms at daybreak, and a banquet had been prepared, andtwenty cartloads of grain and a hundred bullocks sent off to meet the armyon its march.
"'Tis a fine castle, Sir Eustace," the king said as he rode in, "but trulyit is perilously situated. If after this I can make good terms with FranceI will see that the border shall run outside your estates; but if not,methinks that it were best for you to treat with some French noble for itssale, and I will see that you are equally well bestowed in England, for intruth, after fighting for us at Agincourt, you are like to have but littlepeace here."
"I would gladly do so, my lord king," Sir Eustace replied. "During thelast three years it has been a loss rather than a gain to me. I have hadto keep a large garrison here; the estate has been wasted, and the housesand barns burned. Had it not been that there was for most of the time atruce between England and France I should have fared worse. And now I maywell be attacked as soon as your majesty and the army cross to England."
"You will have a little breathing time," the king said; "they will haveenough to do for a while to mourn their losses. I will not leave behindany of your brave fellows who have fought so hard here, but when I arriveat Calais will order two hundred men of the garrison to come over toreinforce you until you can make arrangements to get rid of the castle, ifit is not to remain within my territory."
Sir Eustace introduced Sir John Aylmer as the father of the newly-madeknight.
"You have a gallant son, Sir John," the king said, "and one who is like tomake his way to high distinction. I doubt not that before we have donewith the French he will have fresh opportunities of proving his valour."
After the meal was over the king went round the walls.
"'Tis a strong place," he said, "and yet unless aid reached you, you couldnot resist an army with cannon and machines."
"I have long seen that, your majesty, and have felt that I should have tochoose between England and France, for that, when war broke out again, Icould not remain a vassal of both countries."
"It shall be my duty to show you that you have not chosen wrongly, SirEustace. I cannot promise to maintain you here, for you might be attackedwhen I have no army with which I could succour you. As soon as I returnhome and learn which of those who have fallen have left no heirs, andwhose lands therefore have come into my gift, I will then make choice of anew estate for you."
The army marched slowly to Calais. It was weakened by sickness and hunger,and every man was borne down by the weight of the booty he carried. Onarriving there the king held a council, and it was finally determined toreturn to England. The force under his command was now but the skeleton ofan army. Fresh men and money were required to continue the war, and heaccordingly set sail, carrying with him his long train of royal and nobleprisoners. The news of the victory created the greatest enthusiasm inEngland. At Dover the people rushed into the sea and carried the king toshore on their shoulders. At Canterbury and the other towns through whichhe passed he received an enthusiastic welcome, while his entry into Londonwas a triumph. Every house was decorated, the conduits ran with wineinstead of water, and the people were wild with joy and enthusiasm. Greatsubsidies were granted him by Parliament, and the people in their joywould have submitted to any taxation. However, throughout his reign Henryalways showed the greatest moderation; he kept well within constitutionalusages, and his pleasant, affable manner secured for him throughout hisreign the love and devotion of his subjects.
On his arrival at Calais Guy discovered that among the prisoners was hisfriend Count Charles d'Estournel.
"I am grieved indeed to see you in this plight," he exclaimed as he methim.
"'Tis unfortunate truly, Aylmer, but it might have been worse; better aprisoner than among the dead at Agincourt," the light-hearted young countsaid; "but truly it has been an awful business. Who could have dreamt ofit? I thought myself that the council were wrong when they refused all theoffers of the towns to send bodies of footmen to fight beside us; had theybeen there, they might have faced those terrible archers of yours, forthey at least would have been free to fight when we were all but helplessin that quagmire. I see that you have knightly spurs on, and Icongratulate you."
"Now, Count, what can I do to ensure your release at once? Whose prisonerare you?"
"I surrendered to one John Parsons, an esquire, and I shall, of course, assoon as we get to England, send home to raise money for my ransom."
"I know him well," Guy said; "his lord's tent was pitched alongside thatof Sir Eustace, before Harfleur, and we saw much of each other, and oftenrode together on the march. If I gave him my guarantee for your ransom, Idoubt not that he will take your pledge, and let you depart at once."
"I should be glad indeed if you would do so, Aylmer."
"At any rate he will take the guarantee of Sir Eustace," Guy said, "whichwill, I know, be given readily, after the service you rendered to hisdame, and it may be that you will have it in your power to do him aservice in return." He then told the count of the intention of Sir Eustaceto sell the estate, or rather to arrange for its transfer.
"It is held directly from the crown," he said, "but just at present thecrown is powerless. Artois is everywhere Burgundian, and it wouldcertainly be greatly to the advantage of Burgundy that it should be heldby one of his followers, while it would be to the safety of France that itshould be held by a Frenchman, rather than by one who is also a vassal ofEngland."
"I should think that that could be managed," the count said thoughtfully."I will speak to my father. I am, as you know, his second son, but throughmy mother, who is a German, I have an estate on the other side of theRhine. This I would gladly exchange--that is to say, would part with tosome German baron--if I could obtain the fief of Villeroy. I have no doubtthat Burgundy would not only consent, but would help, for, as you know bythe manner in which your lady was made a hostage, he looked with greatjealousy on this frontier fortress, which not only gives a way for theEnglish into Artois, but which would, in the hands of an Orleanist,greatly aid an invasion of the province from Pontoise and the west. And,although the court would just at present object to give the fief to aBurgundian, it is powerless to interfere, and when the troubles are over,the duke would doubtless be able to manage it."
Guy had no difficulty in arranging the matter with D'Estournel's captor,to whom Sir Eustace and he both gave their surety that his ransom shouldbe paid; and, before sailing, Guy had the satisfaction of seeing hisfriend mount and ride for St. Omar with a pass through the Englishterritory from the governor.
CHAPTER XX -- PENSHURST
After accompanying the king to London Sir Eustace and Guy rode toSummerley, where Long Tom and his companions had already arrived, havingmarched thither direct from Dover. There were great rejoicings at thecastle. Not only the tenants, but people from a long way round came in tojoin in welcoming home two of the heroes of Agincourt. The archer hadalready brought news of Guy having been knighted, and he was warmly,congratulated by Dame Margaret and by Agnes, who received him with herusual sisterly affection. Katarina, also, congratulated him, but it waswith less warmth of manner. In the evening, how ever, her mood changed,and she said to him:
"Though I do not say much, you know that I am pleased, Sir Guy."
"KATARINA SWEPT A DEEP CURTSEY, AND WENT OFF WITH A MERRYLAUGH."]
"I am not sure, Countess Katarina--since we are to be ceremonious to eachother--that I do quite know, for since I returned from France last time, Ihave seldom understood you; one moment you seem to me just as you used tobe, at another you hold me at a distance, as if I were well-nigh astranger."
Katarina shrugged her shoulders. "What would you have, Guy? One can't bealways in the same humour."
"You are always in the same humour to Dame Margaret and Agnes," he said;"so far as I can see I am the only one whom you delight to tease."
"Now that you are a belted knight, Sir Guy, I shall not presume to teaseyou any more, but shall treat you with the respect due to your dignity."Then she swept a deep curtsey, and turning, went off with a merry laugh,while Guy looked after her more puzzled than ever.
That evening he received the news that during the absence of Sir Eustaceand himself Sir William Bailey, a young knight whose estates lay near, hadasked for the hand of Agnes, and that, although Dame Margaret had beenunable to give an answer during her lord's absence, Agnes would willinglysubmit herself to her father's orders to wed Sir William.
Guy remained for some months quietly at Summerley. The Emperor Sigismundhad paid a visit to England, and then to Paris, to endeavour to reconcilethe two countries. His mediation failed. Henry offered, as a finalsettlement, to accept the execution, on the part of France, of the treatyof Trepigny. Nothing, however, came of it, for there was no government inFrance capable of making a binding treaty. In spite of the disgrace andthe slaughter of the nobles at Agincourt there was no abatement of theinternal dissensions, and the civil war between Burgundy and Armagnac wasstill raging, the only change in affairs being that the vicious andincapable Duke of Aquitaine had died, and the queen had once again goneover to the Burgundian faction. Count Charles d'Estournel had carried intoeffect the mission with which he had charged himself. Burgundy had eagerlyembraced the opportunity of attaching to his side the castle and estatesof Villeroy, and he and the Count d'Estournel between them raised a sum ofmoney which was paid to Sir Eustace for the relinquishment to Burgundy ofthe fief, which was then bestowed upon Count Charles.
The sum in no way represented what would now be considered the value ofthe estate, but in those days, when fiefs reverted to the crown or otherfeudal superior upon the death of an owner without heirs, or wereconfiscated upon but slight pretence, the money value was far under thereal value of the estate. Sir Eustace was well satisfied, however, withthe sum paid him. Had his son Henry lived he had intended that theanomalous position of the
lord of Villeroy, being also a vassal ofEngland, should have been got rid of by one of his sons becoming itsowner, and a vassal of France, while the other would inherit Summerley,and grow up a vassal of England only. Henry's death had put an end to thepossibility of this arrangement, and Charlie would now become, at hisfather's death, Lord of Summerley and of such other English lands as couldbe obtained with the money paid for the surrender of the fief of Villeroy.
In the first week of July there were great rejoicings at Summerley overthe marriage of Agnes with Sir William Bailey. The king had not forgottenhis promise to Sir Eustace, and had raised him to the title of BaronEustace of Summerley, and had presented him with a royal manor nearWinchester. Guy was summoned to court to take part in the festivities thatwere held during the visit of Sigismund, and the king said to himpleasantly one day:
"I have not forgotten you, Sir Guy; but I have had many to reward, and youknow importunate suitors, and those who have powerful connections to keeptheir claims ever in front, obtain an advantage over those who are contentto hold themselves in the back-ground."
"I am in all ways contented, your majesty. I have lived all my life in thehousehold at Summerley, and am so much one of my lord's family that I haveno desire to quit it. Moreover, my father has just returned from Villeroywith the garrison of the castle, and it is a great pleasure to me to havehis society again."
"I thought that some day you would have married Dame Margaret's fairdaughter, after acting as their protector in the troubles in Paris, but Ihear that she is betrothed to Sir William Bailey."
"Such an idea never entered my mind, your majesty. She was but a child inthose days, not so much in years as in thought, and brought up together aswe were I have always regarded her rather in the light of a sister."
Guy's quiet stay at Summerley came to an end suddenly. A fortnight afterthe marriage of Agnes, Harfleur was besieged by the French by land andwater, and the Earl of Dorset, its governor, sent to England for aid. Theking sent hasty orders to his vassals of Kent, Surrey, and Hampshire, tomarch with their retainers to Rye, where a fleet was to gather for theirconveyance. A body of archers and men-at-arms were also sent thither bythe king, and the Duke of Bedford, his brother, appointed to the commandof the expedition. Sir Eustace was suffering somewhat from the effects ofa fever, the seeds of which he had contracted in France, and heaccordingly sent his contingent, thirty archers and as many men-at-arms,under the command of Guy.
"I had hoped that we had done with Harfleur," Long Tom said as theystarted on their march to the seaport. "I don't mind fighting, that comesin the way of business, but to see men rotting away like sheep withdisease is not to my fancy."
"We shall have no fighting on land, Tom," Guy replied, "at least I expectnot. When the French see that the garrison is reinforced they willprobably give up the siege, though we may have a fight at sea with theFrench ships that are blockading the town and preventing provisions fromreaching the garrison. Doubtless we shall take a good store of food withus, and the French will know well enough that as we had such hard work incapturing the town, they can have no chance whatever of taking it byassault when defended by us."
Guy and his party had a small ship to themselves, with which he was wellcontent, as, being but a newly-made knight, he would, had he been in alarge ship, have been under the orders of any others who chanced to bewith him; while he was now free to act as he chose. The voyage wasfavourable, but when the fleet arrived off the mouth of the Seine theyfound that the work before them was far more serious than they hadexpected. In addition to their own fleet, which was itself considerablystronger than the English, the besiegers had hired the aid of some greatGenoese vessels, and a number of galleys, caravels, and many high-deckedships from Spain. They occupied a strong position off the town, and couldbe supported by some of the siege batteries. The English fleet lay to atthe mouth of the Seine, and at night the captains of the troops on boardthe various ships were rowed to Bedford's ship, which displayed a light atthe mast-head, so that the fleet could all lie in company round her. Hereafter much discussion a plan for the battle next day was agreed upon. Theenterprise would have been a very hazardous one, but, happily, at daybreakthe French ships were seen coming out to give battle. Confident in theirsuperior numbers, and anxious to revenge their defeat at Agincourt, theFrench commanders were eager to reap the whole glory of victory withoutthe assistance of their allies, whose ships remained anchored in theriver.
Bedford at once made the signal to attack them, and a desperate fightensued. Great as was the slaughter in those days in battles on land, itwas far greater in sea-fights. Except to knights and nobles, from whomransom could be obtained, quarter was never given to prisoners either byland or sea, consequently as soon as soldiers in a land battle saw thatfortune was going against them they fled. But on sea there was no escape;every man knew that it was either death or victory, and therefore foughtwith determination and obstinacy to the end. The two first French shipsthat arrived were speedily captured, but when the rest came up a desperatebattle took place. Guy was on the point of ordering his ship to be laidalongside a French craft little larger than his own, when his eye fellupon a great ship carrying the flag of a French admiral, and at oncediverting the course of his vessel, he ran alongside her. The archers wereon the bow and stern castles of his ship, and as they came within a shortdistance of the Frenchman, they sent their arrows thick and fast into thecrowded mass on her deck. Two grapnels, to each of which were attachedtwenty feet of chain, were thrown into the shrouds of the French vessel,and Guy shouted to the men-at-arms in the waist to keep the enemy fromboarding by holding the vessels apart by thrusting out light spars andusing their spears.
The French had a few cross-bowmen on board, but Guy, running up on to thecastle at the bow, where Long Tom himself was posted, bade him direct thefire of his men solely against them, and in a very short time thedischarge of missiles from the French ship ceased. In vain the Frenchattempted to bring the ships alongside each other by throwing grapnels;the ropes of these were cut directly they fell, and although many of theEnglish spears were hacked in two, others were at once thrust out, and thespars, being inclined so as to meet the hull of the enemy below the water-line, could not be reached by their axes. The wind was light, and therewas no great difference in point of sailing. The English sailors werevigilant, and when the Frenchman brailed up his great sail, so as to fallbehind, they at once followed his example. At the end of a quarter of anhour the effect of the arrows of the thirty archers was so great thatthere was much confusion on board the enemy, and Guy thought that,comparatively small as his force was, an attack might be made. So thespars were suddenly drawn in and the chains hauled upon. The archerscaught up their axes and joined the men-at-arms, and as the vessels cametogether they all leapt with a great shout upon the enemy's deck.
The French knights, whose armour had protected them to some extent fromthe slaughter that the arrows had effected among the soldiers, foughtbravely and rallied their men to resistance; but with shouts of"Agincourt!" the men-at-arms and archers, led by Guy,--who now for thefirst time fought in his knightly armour,--were irresistible. They hadboarded at the enemy's stern so as to get all their foes in front of them,and after clearing the stern castle they poured down into the waist andgradually won their way along it. After ten minutes' hard fighting theFrench admiral and knights were pent up on the fore castle, and defendedthe ladder by which it was approached so desperately that Guy ordered Tom,with a dozen of the archers, to betake themselves to the English forecastle and to shoot from there, and in a short time the French leaderslowered their swords and surrendered. The French flag at the stern hadbeen hauled down and that of England hoisted as soon as they boarded, andthe latter was now run up to the mast-head amid the loud hurrahs of theEnglish.
The moment the French surrendered, Guy called to his men to cease fromslaying and to disarm the prisoners, who were still much more numerousthan themselves. The common men he told to take to their boats and rowaway, while the admir
al and knights were conducted to the cabin, and aguard placed over them. As soon as this was done Guy looked round; thebattle was still raging and many of the French ships had been captured,but others were defending themselves desperately. Twelve of Guy's men hadbeen killed, and several of the others more or less severely wounded, andseeing that his countrymen did not need his assistance, he ordered thedecks to be cleared and the dead bodies thrown overboard. In a quarter ofan hour, the last French ship had been taken. There was now breathing timefor half an hour, during which the Duke of Bedford, whose ship lay not farfrom Guy's prize, had himself rowed on board.
"All have done well to-day, Sir Guy Aylmer, but assuredly the feat youhave performed surpasses any of the others, seeing that you have capturedthis great ship with one of the smallest in our fleet. Their crew musthave been three or four times as strong as yours, which was, as I know,but sixty strong. Has the Count de Valles fallen?"
"No, my lord duke, he is, with six of his knights, a prisoner in thecabin."
"I will see him later," the duke said; "we are now going to attack theGenoese and Spaniards. Is there aught that I can do for you?"
"Some twenty of my men are dead or disabled," Guy said, "and I must leaveten in charge of this prize. I have suffered the French soldiers, afterdisarming them and the sailors, to leave in their boats, and ten men willtherefore be sufficient to hold her. If your grace can spare me thirtymen-at-arms I will go on in my own ship to attack the Genoese."
"I will do so," the duke replied. "I will send ten to keep this ship, andtwenty to fill the places of those of your men who have fallen. I canspare ten from my own ship and will borrow twenty from such of the othersas can best spare them."
In a few minutes the thirty men came on board, with a sub-officer to takecharge of the prize. Guy returned with his own men and twenty new-comersto his vessel, and sailed in with the fleet to attack the great ships ofthe Genoese and Spaniards at their moorings. As they approached they werereceived with a heavy cannonade from the enemy's ships and shorebatteries, but without replying they sailed on and ranged themselvesalongside the enemy, their numbers permitting them to lay a vessel on eachside of most of the great caravels. Their task was by no means an easyone, for the sides of these ships were fifteen feet above those of the lowEnglish vessels, and they were all crowded with men. Nevertheless, theEnglish succeeded in boarding, forcing their way in through port-holes andwindows, clambering up the bows by the carved work, or running out ontheir yards and swinging themselves by ropes on to the enemy's deck, whilethe cannon plied them with shot close to the water-line.
Most of the ships were taken by boarding, some were sunk with all onboard, a few only escaped by cutting their cables and running up the Seineinto shallow water. The loss of life on the part of the French and theirallies in this brilliant British victory was enormous. With the exceptionof those on board the few ships which escaped, and the men sent off in theboats by Guy, the whole of the crews of the French, Genoese, andSpaniards, save only the nobles and knights put to ransom, were killed,drowned, or taken prisoners, and during the three weeks that the Englishfleet remained off Harfleur, the sailors were horrified by the immensenumber of dead bodies that were carried up and down by the tide. Harfleurwas revictualled and put into a state of defence, and the Duke of Bedfordthen sailed with his fleet to England, having achieved the greatest navalvictory that England had ever won save when Edward the Third, with theBlack Prince, completely defeated a great Spanish fleet off the coast ofSussex, with a squadron composed of ships vastly inferior both in size andnumber to those of the Spaniards, which contained fully ten times thenumber of fighting men carried by the English vessels.
This great naval victory excited unbounded enthusiasm in England. The kinggave a great banquet to the Duke of Bedford and his principal officers,and by the duke's orders Guy attended. Before they sat down to the tablethe duke presented his officers individually to the king. Guy, as theyoungest knight, was the last to be introduced.
"The duke has already spoken to me of the right valiant deeds that youaccomplished, Sir Guy Aylmer," the king said as he bowed before him, "andthat with but a small craft and only sixty men-at-arms and archers youcaptured the ship of the French admiral, which he estimates must havecarried at least three hundred men. We hereby raise you to the rank ofknight-banneret, and appoint you to the fief of Penshurst in Hampshire,now vacant by the death without heirs of the good knight Sir Richard Fulk.And we add thereto, as our own gift, the two royal manors of Stoneham andPiverley lying adjacent to it, and we enjoin you to take for your coat-of-arms a great ship. The fief of Penshurst is a sign of our royal approvalof your bravery at Harfleur, the two manors are the debt we owe you foryour service at Agincourt. We have ordered our chancellor to make out thedeeds, and tomorrow you will receive them from him and take the oaths."
Guy knelt and kissed the hand that the king held out to him, andacknowledged the royal gift in fitting words. On the following day, aftertaking the oaths for his new possessions, he mounted, and the next dayrode into Summerley. Here to his surprise he found the Count of Montepone,who had arrived, by way of Calais and Dover, a few days previously. He wassuffering from a severe wound, and when Guy entered rose feebly from achair by the fire, for it was now October and the weather was cold. Hisdaughter was sitting beside him, and Lady Margaret was also in the room.Lord Eustace and Sir John Aylmer had met Guy as he dismounted below.
"So you have gone through another adventure and come out safely," thecount said after Guy had greeted him. "Truly you have changed greatlysince you left Paris, well-nigh three years ago. It was well that MaitreLeroux had the armour made big for you, for I see that it is now none toolarge. I too, you see, have been at war; but it was one in which there wassmall honour, though, as you see, with some risk, for it was a privateduel forced upon me by one of the Armagnac knights. Up to that time mypredictions had wrought me much profit and no harm. I had told Aquitaineand other lords who consulted me that disaster would happen when theFrench army met the English. That much I read in the stars. And though,when Henry marched north from Harfleur with so small a following, itseemed to me that victory could scarce attend him against the host ofFrance, I went over my calculations many times and could not find that Ihad made an error. It was owing greatly to my predictions that the dukereadily gave way when the great lords persuaded him not to risk his lifein the battle.
"Others whom I had warned went to their death, in some cases because theydisbelieved me, in others because they preferred death to the dishonour ofdrawing back. One of the latter, on the eve of the battle, confided to ahot-headed knight in his following that I had foretold his death; andinstead of quarrelling with the stars, the fool seemed to think that I hadcontrolled them, and was responsible for his lord's death. So when inParis some months since, he publicly insulted me, and being an Italiannoble as well as an astrologer, I fought him the next day. I killed him,but not before I received a wound that laid me up for months, and fromwhich I have not yet fairly recovered. While lying in Paris I decided upontaking a step that I had for some time been meditating. I could, whenKatarina left Paris with your lady, have well gone with her, with amplemeans to live in comfort and to furnish her with a fortune not unfitted toher rank as my daughter.
"During the past three years the reputation I gained by my success insaving the lives of several persons of rank, increased so rapidly thatmoney has flowed into my coffers beyond all belief. There was scarcely anoble of the king's party who had not consulted me, and since Agincourtthe Duke of Aquitaine and many others took no step whatever without comingto me. But I am weary of the everlasting troubles of which I can see noend, and assuredly the aspect of the stars affords no ground for hope thatthey will terminate for years; therefore, I have determined to leaveFrance, and to practise my art henceforth solely for my own pleasure, Ishall open negotiations with friends in Mantua, to see whether, now thattwelve years have elapsed since I had to fly, matters cannot be arrangedwith my enemies; much can often be done when th
ere are plenty of fundswherewith to smooth away difficulties. Still, that is in the future. Myfirst object in coming to England was to see how my daughter was faring,and to enjoy a period of rest and quiet while my wound was healing, whichit has begun to do since I came here. I doubted on my journey, which hasbeen wholly performed in a litter, whether I should arrive here alive."
"And now, father," Katarina said, "let us hear what Sir Guy has been doingsince he left; we have been all full of impatience since the news camefour days ago that the Duke of Bedford had destroyed a great fleet ofFrench, Spanish, and Genoese ships."
"Guy has had his share of fighting, at any rate," Lord Eustace said, as heentered the room while the girl was speaking, "for fifteen of our men havefallen; and, as Long Tom tells me, they had hot work of it, and gainedmuch credit by capturing single-handed a great French ship."
"Yes, we were fortunate," Guy said, "in falling across the ship of theFrench admiral, Count de Valles. Our men all fought stoutly, and thearchers having cleared the way for us and slain many of their crew, wecaptured them, and I hold the count and five French knights to ransom."
"That will fill your purse rarely, Guy. But let us hear more of thisfighting. De Valles's ship must have been a great one, and if you took itwith but your own sixty men it must have been a brilliant action."
Guy then gave a full account of the fight, and of the subsequent captureof one of the Spanish carracks with the aid of another English ship.
"If the Duke of Bedford himself came on board," Lord Eustace said, "andsent you some reinforcements, he must have thought highly of the action;indeed he cannot but have done so, or he would not have come personally onboard. Did he speak to the king of it?"
"He did, and much more strongly, it seems to me, than the affairwarranted, for at the banquet the day before yesterday his majesty wasgraciously pleased to appoint me a knight-banneret, and to bestow upon methe estates of Penshurst, adding thereto the royal manors of Stoneham andPiverley."
"A right royal gift!" Lord Eustace said, while exclamations of pleasurebroke from the others.
"I congratulate you on your new honour, which you have right worthilyearned. Sir John, you may well be proud of this son of yours."
"I am so, indeed," Sir John Aylmer said heartily. "I had hoped well of thelad, but had not deemed that he would mount so rapidly. Sir Richard Fulkhad a fine estate, and joined now to the two manors it will be as large asthose of Summerley, even with its late additions."
"I am very glad," Dame Margaret said, "that the king has apportioned youan estate so near us, for it is scarce fifteen miles to Penshurst, and itwill be but a morning ride for you to come hither."
"Methinks, wife," Lord Eustace said with a smile, "we were somewhat hastyin that matter of Sir William Bailey, for had we but waited Agnes mighthave done better."
"She chose for herself," Dame Margaret replied with an answering smile. "Isay not that in my heart I had not hoped at one time that she and Guymight have come together, for I had learnt to love him almost as if he hadbeen my own, and would most gladly have given Agnes to him had it beenyour wish as well as theirs; but I have seen for some time past that itwas not to be, for they were like brother and sister to each other, andneither had any thought of a still closer relation. Had it not been so Ishould never have favoured Sir William Bailey's suit, though indeed he isa worthy young man, and Agnes is happy with him. You have not been to yourcastle yet, Guy?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject.
"No, indeed, Lady Margaret, I rode straight here from London, deemingthis, as methinks that I shall always deem it, my home."
"We must make up a party to ride over and see it to-morrow," Lord Eustacesaid. "We will start early, wife, and you and Katarina can ride with us.Charlie will of course go, and Sir John. We could make a horse-litter forthe count, if he thinks he could bear the journey.
"Methinks that I had best stay quietly here," the Italian said. "I havehad enough of litters for a time, and the shaking might make my woundangry again."
"Nonsense, child!" he broke off as Katarina whispered that she would staywith him; "I need no nursing now; you shall ride with the rest."
Accordingly the next day the party started early. Charlie was in highspirits; he had grown into a sturdy boy, and was delighted at the goodfortune that had befallen Guy, whom he had regarded with boundlessadmiration since the days in Paris. Katarina was in one of her silentmoods, and rode close to Lady Margaret. Long Tom, who was greatly rejoicedon hearing of the honours and estates that had been bestowed on Guy, rodewith two of his comrades in the rear of the party. Penshurst was a strongcastle, though scarcely equal in size to Summerley; it was, however, amore comfortable habitation, having been altered by the late owner'sfather, who had travelled in Italy, with a view rather to theaccommodation of its inmates than its defence, and had been furnished withmany articles of luxury rare in England.
"A comfortable abode truly, Guy!" his father said. "It was well enough twohundred years since, when the country was unsettled, for us to penourselves up within walls, but there is little need of it now in England,although in France, where factions are constantly fighting against eachother, it is well that every man should hold himself secure from attack.But now that cannon are getting to so great a point of perfection, wallsare only useful to repel sudden attacks, and soon crumble when cannon canbe brought against them. Me thinks the time will come when walls will begiven up altogether, especially in England, where the royal power is sostrong that nobles can no longer war with each other."
"However, Guy," Lord Eustace said, "'tis as well at present to have walls,and strong ones; and though I say not that this place is as strong asVilleroy, it is yet strong enough to stand a siege."
Guy spent an hour with the steward, who had been in charge of the castlesince the death of Sir Richard Fulk, and who had the day before heard froma royal messenger that Sir Guy had been appointed lord of the estates. Thenew owner learned from him much about the extent of the feu, the number oftenants, the strength that he would be called upon to furnish in case ofwar, and the terms on which the vassals held their tenure.
"Your force will be well-nigh doubled," the steward said in conclusion,"since you tell me that the manors of Stoneham and Piverley have alsofallen to you."
"'Tis a fair country," Guy said as the talk ended, "and one could wish forno better. I shall return to Summerley to-day, but next Monday I willcome over here and take possession, and you can bid the tenants, and thosealso of the two manors, to come hither and meet me at two o'clock."
"Well, daughter," the Count of Montepone said to Katarina as she wassitting by his couch in the evening, "so you think that Penshurst is acomfortable abode?"
"Yes, father, the rooms are brighter and lighter than these and the wallsare all hung with arras and furnished far more comfortably."
"Wouldst thou like to be its mistress, child?"
A bright flush of colour flooded the girl's face.
"Dost mean it, father?" she asked in a voice hardly above a whisper.
"Why not, child? You have seen much of this brave young knight, whom,methinks, any maiden might fall in love with. Art thou not more sensibleto his merits than was Mistress Agnes?"
"He saved my life, father."
"That did he, child, and at no small risk to his own: Then do I understandthat such a marriage would be to your liking?"
"Yes, father," she said frankly, "but I know not that it would be to SirGuy's."
"That is for me to find out," he said. "I asked Lady Margaret a few daysago what she thought of the young knight's inclinations, and she told methat she thought indeed he had a great liking for you, but that in truthyou were so wayward that you gave him but little chance of showing it."
"How could I let him see that I cared for him, father, when I knew not forcertain that he thought aught of me, and moreover, I could not guess whatyour intentions for me might be."
"I should not have sent you where you would often be in his company,Katarina, unless I h
ad thought the matter over deeply. It was easy toforesee that after the service he had rendered you you would think well ofhim, and that, thrown together as you would be, it was like enough thatyou should come to love each other. I had cast your horoscope and his andfound that you would both be married about the same time, though I couldnot say that it would be to each other. I saw enough of him during thattime in Paris to see that he was not only brave, but prudent and discreet.I saw, too, from his affection to his mistress, that he would be loyal andhonest in all he undertook, that it was likely that he would rise tohonour, and that above all I could assuredly trust your happiness to him.He was but a youth and you a girl, but he was bordering upon manhood andyou upon womanhood. I marked his manner with his lady's daughter and sawthat she would be no rival to you. Had it been otherwise I should haveyielded to your prayers, and have kept you with me in France. Matters haveturned out according to my expectation. I can give you a dowry that anyEnglish noble would think an ample one with his bride; and though Guy isnow himself well endowed he will doubtless not object to such an additionas may enable him, if need be, to place in the field a following as largeas that which many of the great nobles are bound to furnish to theirsovereign. I will speak to him on the subject to-morrow, Katarina."
Accordingly, the next morning at breakfast the count told Guy that therewas a matter on which he wished to consult him, and the young knightremained behind when the other members of the family left the room tocarry out their avocations.
"Hast thought of a mistress for your new castle, Sir Guy?" the count beganabruptly.
Guy started at the sudden question, and did not reply at once.
"I have thought of one, Count," he said; "but although, so far, all thatyou told me long ago in Paris has come true, and fortune has favoured mewonderfully, in this respect she has not been kind, for the lady cares notfor me, and I would not take a wife who came not to me willingly."
"How know you that she cares not for you?" the count asked.
"Because I have eyes and ears, Count. She thinks me but a boy, and asomewhat ill-mannered one. She mocks me when I try to talk to her, shunsbeing left alone with me, and in all ways shows that she has noinclination towards me, but very much the contrary."
"Have you asked her straightforwardly?" the count inquired with a smile.
"No, I should only be laughed at for my pains, and it would take morecourage than is required to capture a great French ship for me to put thematter to her."
"I fancy, Sir Guy, that you are not greatly versed in female ways. A womandefends herself like a beleaguered fortress. She makes sorties andattacks, she endeavours to hide her weakness by her bravados, and when shereplies most disdainfully to a summons to capitulate, is perhaps on theeve of surrender. To come to the point, then, are you speaking of mydaughter?"
"I am, Sir Count," Guy said frankly. "I love her, but she loves me not,and there is an end of it. 'Tis easy to understand that, beautiful as sheis, she should not give a thought to me who, at the best, can only claimto be a stout man-at-arms; as for my present promotion, I know that itgoes for nothing in her eyes."
"It may be as you say, Sir Guy; but tell me, as a soldier, before you gaveup the siege of a fortress and retired would you not summon it tosurrender?"
"I should do so," Guy replied with a smile.
"Then it had better be so in this case, Sir Guy. You say that you wouldwillingly marry my daughter. I would as willingly give her to you. Thedifficulty then lies with the maiden herself, and it is but fair to youboth that you should yourself manfully ask her decision in the matter."
He went out of the room, and returned in a minute leading Katarina. "SirGuy has a question to ask you, daughter," he said; "I pray you to answerhim frankly." He then led her to a seat, placed her there and left theroom.
Guy felt a greater inclination to escape by another door than he had everfelt to fly in the hour of danger, but after a pause he said:
"I will put the question, Katarina, since your father would have me do it,though I know well enough beforehand what the answer will be. I desireabove all things to have you for a wife, and would give you a true andloyal affection were you willing that it should be so, but I feel only toowell that you do not think of me as I do of you. Still, as it is yourfather's wish that I should take your answer from your lips, and as, aboveall things, I would leave it in your hands without any constraint fromhim, I ask you whether you love me as one should love another beforeplighting her faith to him?"
"Why do you say that you know what my answer will be, Guy? Would you havehad me show that I was ready to drop like a ripe peach into your mouthbefore you opened it? Why should I not love you? Did you not save my life?Were you not kind and good to me even in the days when I was more like aboy than a girl? Have you not since with my humours? I will answer yourquestion as frankly as my father bade me." She rose now. "Take my hand,Guy, for it is yours. I love and honour you, and could wish for no betteror happier lot than to be your wife. Had you asked me six months ago Ishould have said the same, save that I could not have given you my handuntil I had my father's consent."
During the next month Guy spent most of his time at Penshurst gettingeverything in readiness for its mistress. Lord Eustace advanced him themonies that he was to receive for the ransoms of Count de Valles and thefive knights, and the week before the wedding he went up with the Count ofMontepone to London, and under his advice bought many rich hangings andpieces of rare furniture to beautify the private apartments. The countlaid out a still larger sum of money on Eastern carpets and otherluxuries, as well as on dresses and other matters for his daughter. Onjewels he spent nothing, having already, he said, "a sufficient store forthe wife of a royal duke."
On his return Guy called upon the king at his palace at Winchester, andHenry declared that he himself would ride to Summerley to be present atthe wedding.
"You stood by me," he said, "in the day of battle, it is but right that Ishould stand by you on your wedding-day. Her father will, of course, giveher away, and it is right that he should do so, seeing that she is no wardof mine; but I will be your best man. I will bring with me but a smalltrain, for I would not inconvenience the Baron of Summerley and his wife,and I will not sleep at the castle; though I do not say that I will notstay to tread a measure with your fair bride."
Two days later a train of waggons was seen approaching Summerley; theywere escorted by a body of men-at-arms with two officers of the king. LordEustace, in some surprise, rode out to meet them, and was informed thatthe king had ordered them to pitch a camp near the castle for himself andhis knights, and that he intended to tarry there for the night. As soon asthe waggons were unloaded the attendants and men-at-arms set to work, andin a short time the royal tent and six smaller ones were erected andfitted with their furniture. Other tents were put up a short distance awayfor the grooms and attendants. This greatly relieved Lady Margaret, forshe had wondered where she could bestow the king and his knights if, atthe last moment, he determined to sleep there.
For the next three days the castle was alive with preparations. Oxen andswine were slaughtered, vast quantities of game, geese, and poultry werebrought in, two stags from the royal preserves at Winchester were sentover by the king, and the rivers for miles round were netted for fish. Atten o'clock Guy rode in with fifty mounted men, the tenants of Penshurst,Stoneham, and Piverley, and these and all the tenants of Summerley rodeout under Lord Eustace and Guy to meet the king. They had gone but a milewhen he and his train rode up. He had with him the Earl of Dorset and fiveof the nobles who had fought at Agincourt and were all personallyacquainted with Guy. The church at Summerley was a large one, but it wascrowded as it had never been before. The king and his nobles stood on oneside of the altar, while Lord Eustace, his wife, Agnes, and Charlie wereon the other. Guy's tenants occupied the front seats, while the rest ofthe church was filled by the tenants of Summerley, their wives anddaughters, and the retainers of the castle, among them Long Tom, with hispretty wife beside him. When
everything was in order the Count ofMontepone entered the church with his daughter, followed by the sixprettiest maidens on the Summerley estate.
"In truth, Sir Guy," the king whispered as the bride and her father cameup the aisle, "your taste is as good in love as your arms are strong inwar, for my eyes never fell on a fairer maid."
After the ceremony there was a great banquet in the hall, while all thetenants, with their wives and families, sat down to long tables spread inthe court-yard. After the meal was over and the tables removed, the kingand the party in the banqueting-hall went out on the steps and werereceived with tremendous cheering. Guy first returned thanks for himselfand his bride for the welcome that they had given him, and then, to thedelight of the people, the king stepped forward.
"Good people," he said, "among whom there are, I know, some who foughtstoutly with us at Agincourt, you do well to shout loudly at the marriageof this brave young knight, who was brought up among you, and who has wonby his valour great credit, and our royal favour. Methinks that he haswon, also, a prize in his eyes even greater than the honours that we havebestowed upon him, and I doubt not that, should occasion occur, he willwin yet higher honours in our service."
A great shout of "God bless the king!" went up from the assembly. Then theparty returned to the hall, while casks of wine were broached in thecourt-yard. As Lord Eustace had sent for a party of musicians fromWinchester, first some stately dances were performed in the hall, as manyas could find room being allowed to come into it to witness them. The kingdanced the first measure with Katarina, the Earl of Dorset led out LadyMargaret, and Guy danced with Lady Agnes, while the other nobles foundpartners among the ladies who had come in from the neighbourhood. After afew dances the party adjourned to the court-yard, where games of variouskinds, dancing and feasting were kept up until a late hour, when the kingand his companions retired to their tents. At an early hour next morningthe king and his retinue rode back to Winchester.
Until he signed the marriage contract before going to the church, Guy wasaltogether ignorant of the dowry that Katarina was to bring, and wasastonished at the very large sum of money, besides the long list ofjewels, entered in it.
"She will have as much more at my death," the count said quietly; "thereis no one else who has the slightest claim upon me."
Consequently, in the course of the wars with France, Guy was able to put acontingent of men-at-arms and archers, far beyond the force his feudalobligations required, in the field. Long Tom was, at his own request,allowed by his lord to exchange his small holding for a larger one atPenshurst, and always led Guy's archers in the wars.
Sir John Aylmer remained at Summerley, refusing Guy's pressing invitationto take up his abode at Penshurst. "No, lad," he said; "Lord Eustace and Ihave been friends and companions for many years, and Lady Margaret hasbeen very dear to me from her childhood. Both would miss me sorely did Ileave them, the more so as Agnes is now away. Moreover, it is best thatyou and your fair wife should be together also for a time. 'Tis best inall respects. You are but two hours' easy riding from Summerley, and Ishall often be over to see you."
Four years after his marriage the king promoted Guy to the rank of Baronof Penshurst, and about the same time the Count of Montepone, who had beenfor some months in Italy, finding that his enemies at Mantua were still sostrong that he was unable to obtain a reversal of the decree of banishmentthat had been passed against him, returned to Penshurst.
"I have had more than enough of wandering, and would fain settle downhere, Guy, if you will give me a chamber for myself, and one for myinstruments. I shall need them but little henceforth, but they have becomea part of myself and, though no longer for gain, I love to watch thestars, and to ponder on their lessons; and when you ride to the wars Ishall be company for Katarina, who has long been used to my society alone,and I promise you that I will no longer employ her as my messenger."
Once established at Penshurst the count employed much of his time inbeautifying the castle, spending money freely in adding to the privateapartments, and decorating and furnishing them in the Italian style, untilthey became the wonder and admiration of all who visited them. In time hetook upon himself much of the education of Katarina's children, andthroughout a long life Guy never ceased to bless the day when he and DameMargaret were in danger of their lives at the hands of the White Hoods ofParis.
THE END.
