Plaidy, Jean - Royal Sisters - The Story of the Daughters of James II

He could not breathe; there were so many people crowding the apartment and all day and all night they remained.

James came to the bed, his eyes alight with fanaticism; he bent his head and whispered to his brother that since he was at heart a Catholic he should receive the rites of the Catholic church.

“No,” said Charles, “you endanger your life, brother.”

But when had James thought of danger? He had the chamber cleared and Father Huddleston, who had once saved the King’s life at the battle of Worcester, was brought disguised into the death chamber.

“Brother,” said James, “I bring you a man who once saved your life; now he comes to save your soul.”

The sacrament according to the rites of the church of Rome was given with extreme unction.

Then the doors were thrown open and those who had been shut out were allowed to return.

The next morning Charles II was dead.

LONG LIVE THE KING

here was a quiet throughout the country. There was a new King on the throne—King James II—and everyone was waiting to see what would happen. The cries of “No popery” were no longer heard, but eyes were alert and there was an air of waiting, an implication that the present era was uneasy and perhaps temporary.

There was one who was in the minds of all, though few mentioned his name: James Duke of Monmouth, at present at The Hague, the guest of the Prince and Princess of Orange. What would he do now? His greatest enemy had been the Duke of York who was now King James II. Monmouth had ostentatiously called himself the Protestant Duke. And what was the Protestant Duke doing now?

Anne, heavily pregnant, was thinking constantly of the child she was to have. She indulged herself more than usual.

“I am determined this time,” she told Sarah, “that my child shall live.”

“He will be a step nearer to the throne when he is born than when he was conceived,” commented Sarah.

Anne wept then for Uncle Charles. “He was always so kind to me. I cannot believe that I shall never see him again. Of course, dear Mrs. Freeman, there were times when I had no notion of what he meant. He was so witty always, but kind with it, and you know that is a rare gift. Is that why he was so loved, do you think? Oh, how I miss him.”

Fat, pink fool! thought Sarah. You could be Queen of England before long and all you think of is crying for Uncle Charles!

Sarah had long talks with John. They were growing closer together; they were more than lovers; they were partners and their ambition burned more brightly than any passion; Sarah was once more pregnant and this time they hoped for a son.

“John, John,” she cried, “what does this mean? What can this mean?”

“We can only wait and see.”

Sarah stamped impatiently. “We must not wait too long.”

“But, my dearest, for a while we must wait. I am wondering what is happening now on the Continent.”

“Monmouth?”

“And William. Do not forget William, my love.”

“Depend upon it Caliban is hatching some plot.”

“And forcing his wife to help him, I’ll swear.”

“She has about as much sense as my dear Mrs. Morley. They are told ‘Do this’ ‘Do that.’ And like idiots they do it.”

John touched her cheek lightly. “Which is very good for my dear Mrs. Freeman.”

“I’m thinking of the other one—Mary. Don’t forget she comes first.”

“We must not plan too far ahead, my dear. Remember James is still the King.”

“But is he going to remain King?”

“He has stepped into his brother’s place naturally and easily. I confess I expected trouble. There has been none. It seems he understands his danger for he has been behaving with more good sense than he usually shows.”

Sarah clenched her hands. “And Monmouth? What of Monmouth?”

“They’ll never accept the bastard.”

“The Protestant Duke!” said Sarah with a sneer. “And William? Those two are said to be friends. Rivals, as Charles once said, for the same mistress. And that mistress is the crown which James now wears.”

“We’ll keep our eyes on The Hague. That’s where the next move will come from.”

“William and Mary! Do you think they’ll make an attempt?”

John shook his head. “Not yet. William’s too clever. James will have to commit himself more deeply before it would be wise for anyone to try to oust him from the throne. The English don’t want a papist King but you know what they are for fair play. They wouldn’t like Mary to take over before her time … unless it was for a very good reason.”

“Mary! They say she does not enjoy good health and William would have no chance without her. And then it would be Queen Morley’s turn. John, do you understand that the day my plump Morley mounts the throne I can rule this country?”

John smiled at her. “I believe you capable of anything, my love. But we must be patient. We must wait … alert. We must first see which way the wind is blowing. It would not do for us to get caught in the coming storm.”

He was wise, she knew. Sarah had no doubt that when the time came they would be on the winning side.

The preparations for the new King’s coronation went smoothly. Anne’s great regret was that she would not be able to attend for she was expecting her child to be born any day.

James had found time to visit her at the Cockpit in spite of all his new duties. He embraced her with great tenderness and told her that she should rejoice to have a King for a father.

“Rest assured,” he said, “that I shall see benefits flow to my beloved daughter.”

That was comforting.

“Dear Father, but look at the size of your daughter! Delighted as I am by my state I am irked that I shall not be able to see you crowned.”

James smiled secretly and later Anne learned that he had ordered that a special closed box be erected in the Abbey from which she should watch the ceremony in the company of her husband.

“You do not imagine,” he said, “that I could allow my dear daughter to be absent on this great day!”

So Anne was in the box with George while the ceremony took place and afterward Mary Beatrice, the new Queen, made a point of visiting her stepdaughter there.

“What do you think of my dress?” asked Mary Beatrice, her lovely dark eyes shining; she was always happy on such occasions because she liked to see honor bestowed on her husband.

“Worthy of a Queen,” declared Anne. “Tell me, how do you feel … now that you are a queen?”

Mary Beatrice looked a little sad. “I should feel happier if I were in your condition.”

“You will be … ere long,” said Anne.

Ten days later Anne’s daughter was born. She seemed healthy and although Anne and her husband had longed for a boy they now declared themselves to be completely delighted.

“Soon she shall have a brother,” George promised Anne; and she was sure he would be proved right.

“I shall call her Mary after my dearest sister,” said Anne. “Poor Mary. I feel so guilty to be happy here in England while she must remain in Holland with Caliban.”

John had returned from a mission to France whither he had gone ostensibly to tell Louis of James’s accession, but actually to attempt to obtain further loans from Louis. This he failed to do, but when he returned there was an opportunity of spending a few weeks with Sarah in the house he had built on the site of that old one near St. Albans where Sarah had spent part of her childhood.