Виктория Холт - The Courts of Love - The Story of Eleanor of Aquitaine

Brittany might be lost to us but at least I had saved my native country.

Having now established the fact that I was the ruler, I must perform the painful duty of doing homage for my land to my suzerain. It was unfortunate that he should be the King of France.

In Tours we came face to face. He received me with courtesy and spoke of Richard with emotion. He had loved him, I know, while he had worked to destroy him. I had seen such emotion once between Henry and Becket.

We looked at each other steadily and with respect. I knew that he would be a formidable enemy, and John would be no match for him. It was for this reason that I was undergoing this humiliating ceremony. My lands belonged to me, I was telling him, not to my son John ... although, of course, he would be my heir. But old as I was, I was very much alive.

I believed there was something which was of the utmost importance. That was an alliance between our countries, and what could bring that about better than a marriage?

Philip Augustus had a son; my daughter Eleanor had a daughter. There should be a marriage between them, and to bring this about would be my next task.

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There was no one else I could trust to do this. I must see my granddaughter and assure myself that she was prepared for what lay ahead. I must bring her to her bridegroom.

To undertake the journey to Castile was a little daunting, but I knew it must be done, so, having assured myself that Philip Augustus saw the advantage of this alliance and was agreeable to it, I immediately set about making my preparations.

My pleasure at the prospect of seeing my daughter outweighed my apprehension at the thought of the rigors of the journey. People would say I was not of an age for such arduous travel but I saw through this match a means of making peace in Europe. My family would be allied with that of Philip Augustus, and I was very anxious that the bride I should bring to him would be acceptable.

I had not seen my daughter Eleanor since she was nine years old, and she was now thirty-eight and had borne Alfonso of Castile eleven children. I wanted to spend a few months at her Court grooming the granddaughter I should choose to be the future Queen of France. So my journey was necessary, and discomforts must be forgotten once more. Perhaps, once I had brought this to the desired conclusion I could settle down to the peace of Fontevrault.

I left Poitiers and traveled down to Bordeaux. Unfortunately my way led through the land which belonged to the Lusignan brothers. I remembered passing this way once before, when Henry and I were about to part. It all came back to me so vividly ... how I had been riding with Earl Patrick when we had been waylaid by Guy and Geoffrey de Lusignan who had killed Patrick and tried to make me their captive. I had escaped but it had been one of those alarming incidents which one never forgets. And as I was thinking of this I noticed a party of horsemen riding toward us. They surrounded us, and to my horror I saw that what had happened before was about to be repeated.

I demanded to know in whose name they dared obstruct us. Then a man rode up to me. He was obviously the leader—a very handsome, elegant person. He bowed low and said that he was Hugh le Brun de Lusignan and he would offer me hospitality for the night.

I thanked him and said I had a long journey before me and I must ride on.

He smiled at me in a rather impish fashion and said: “My lady, I am afraid you have no choice. I shall insist on giving you the comforts due to your royal person.”

With horror I realized that he intended to abduct me.

This would be for a different motive than in the past. They were not now attempting to force me into marriage. This would doubtless mean ransom. I looked around at my retinue. We were in no position to repulse them. We had been foolish to ride into Lusignan country without sufficient protection. I saw there was no help for it. To my fury I was forced to ride beside my abductor, Hugh le Brun, to his castle.

There I was housed in the finest apartments. He was determined to treat me with the utmost respect. At the table he insisted on serving me himself.

I said: “You are a bold man, Hugh le Brun. Has it occurred to you that, though you have the advantage now, it will not always be so?”

“I wish your ladyship no harm.”

“Then why behave in this uncouth manner?”

“Because I wish myself much good.”

“You mean you will demand a ransom. Since King Richard was held by his jealous enemies there have been those who have developed a taste for this sort of thing. Do you intend to ask a ransom from my son the King?”

“No, my lady, from you.”

“Then you had better tell me.”

“What I want is the county of La Marche.”

I was astounded by his impudence. Henry had seized La Marche from the Lusignans some years earlier. Richard had fortified it. It was an important stretch of land.

“You are talking nonsense.”

Hugh le Brun lifted his shoulders and smiled. “It seems that Your Ladyship likes my castle.”

“I find little to admire in its owner.”

“Perhaps time will change my lady’s views.”

“I believe that would only strengthen my dislike.”

“Then it is a pity, for if you do not give me La Marche you will be here a very long time.”

I was dismayed. I lay awake at night thinking of the implication of this. How should I reach Castile? What would happen to the match I so desired? One must settle this matter quickly for when matrimonial arrangements are allowed to hang fire they have a way of evaporating.

I was frustrated and angry. For two days I fumed against Hugh while he remained charming and unmoved.

At length I saw that I could be here for a very long time unless I gave way to his demands. So, cursing the fate which had brought me into Lusignan country, deploring the wily tactics of my kidnappers, while admiring them, I began to see that the difficulties of freeing me in the long run would be more costly than giving up La Marche.

So at length I agreed.

Hugh le Brun took, as he said, a reluctant farewell of me when the transaction was made; and thinking regretfully of what the incident had cost me, I continued my journey.

Everything seemed worthwhile when I arrived in Castile. I was enchanted with my daughter Eleanor. She was beautiful still, even though she had borne eleven children. Hers had been a successful marriage. She was one of those women almost certain to enjoy a happy marriage providing her husband is not a monster. Her nature was gentle, kindly, while she herself was highly intelligent and accomplished. She was the perfect wife and mother.

When I had spent a few moments with her, I thought what a tragedy it was that we had lived so much of our lives apart.

The Court of Castile reminded me of that long-ago one over which my grandfather and father had reigned. Everything was comfortable and elegant. It was wonderful to hear the troubadours again; to be with my daughter was such a pleasure that I felt happy as I had not thought to be ever again after Richard’s death.

We talked of the old days when she with the others had been in the nursery. She told me how the children had looked forward to my visits. They had all sought to win my favor, she told me, for they had loved me dearly even though they were a little afraid of me. They had not loved their father and as soon as they sensed—as children do—that there was trouble between us they were all prepared to defend me, and hated him the more ... all except Geoffrey the Bastard, who thought his father was the most wonderful being on Earth.

It brought it all back ... incidents which I had forgotten. I was back there in the nurseries when they were all about me ... my dear children ... and towering above them all, my golden boy, my Richard, whom I should never see again.