Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith

Author:Anne Easter Smith [Smith, Anne Easter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Biographical, Romance, General
ISBN: 9781451608229
Google: xKXsMUI3qCUC
Amazon: 141655047X
Publisher: Touchstone
Published: 2011-05-09T23:00:00+00:00

18

France, 1444 to 1446

Three days before John of Somerset’s death, Henry the Sixth of England and France was formally betrothed, with Suffolk standing as proxy, to Margaret, the fourteen-year-old daughter of René, duke of Lorraine, count of Anjou, king of Naples and Sicily. More significantly, Margaret’s aunt was queen of France.

Richard and Cecily, who had recently added a daughter, Elizabeth, to their growing family, were surprised by the match. Isolated as they were from the English court, they were not privy to the reasons behind the choice, though they recognized it was surely time for twenty-three-year-old Henry to take a bride.

“I understand why Armagnac’s daughter was eventually abandoned,” Richard murmured during one of his visits to Cecily and their new baby. “But René of Anjou’s daughter? She is not even the elder of his girls and she can have very little in the way of a dowry. What was Suffolk thinking?”

“As part of the terms of his release from the Tower, did not the duc d’Orléans give his word to Suffolk to negotiate a peace between us and France?” Cecily asked, watching while Richard rocked baby Bess in the crook of his arm. “Perhaps he thought this would please the French enough to come to terms, so maybe it was not Suffolk’s idea.”

Richard grunted. “He backs it, I am certain, because Gloucester opposes it. It still persists—the Gloucester faction against the Beaufort faction. And the king is in the middle.”

“Which side would you come down on if you were there?”

“Neither—or the king’s, I suppose.” Richard kissed the baby’s cheek. “We shall find out soon enough why the choice was made. Suffolk will be here anon.”

“MY DEAR YORK, his grace the king is in need of an heir, and we cannot wait until one of King Charles’s daughters is of an age to bear a child,” William de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, explained. “Aye, a royal French bride would have been desirable, but I regret to say we are not in a good negotiating position. René d’Anjou is Charles’s brother-in-law and so Margaret is close enough to be of use, we hope. Before I left, I told Parliament I was merely the messenger doing the council’s bidding. ’Twill not be my fault if the arrangement fails.”

Richard caught Cecily’s fleeting look of surprise. They had both presumed Suffolk was squarely behind the match.

“And peace?” Richard arched an eyebrow. “Is it possible after almost a hundred years of war?”

Suffolk was chagrined. “A truce of twenty-three months was all the French offered.” But then he looked Richard straight in the eye and declared, “But the first true one since King Harry died, and I am proud of it. The citizens of Tours themselves were enthusiastic. It was amusing but moving to hear them cry in English, ‘Peas, peas’ upon the conclusion of the betrothal. And, if you noticed, your people here in Rouen cheered me when I entered the city.” He resented having to defend himself to the duke of York, and it showed, Cecily noted.

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