My Enemy, the Queen (39 page)

Essex and my daughters brought me little anecodotes from Court which I loved to hear. Penelope was delighted that her brother was in such favor with the Queen, and she assured me that before long he would insist on the Queen receiving me.

doubt I would want to go on such terms,I said.

y lady, you would be ready to go on any terms,retorted my daughter. ou are never going to be taken as lady of the bedchamber or some such post, but I don see why you should not come to Court as becomes your position as Countess Leicester.

wonder she likes to proclaim her jealousy as she does.

he thrives on it,said Penelope. atton has sent her a bodkin and bucket wrought in gold as a charm, with the pointed message that she might need it as Water is sure to be close at handeferring to Raleigh, of course. You would think she would tell Hatton not to be such a fool, but she replied in like manner and assured him that Water should never overflow her banks, for he knew how dear her sheep were to her. So old Bellwether was thanked for his jealous pains. She loves them to fight among themselves over her. It helps her to forget the crow-feet and wrinkled skin which confront her in that cruel mirror which is not so comforting as her courtiers.

I asked her how she was getting on with her married life and she shrugged the question aside with the remark that no sooner was she delivered of one child than she was pregnant with another, and one day she would tell Lord Rich that she had given him enough children and would bear no more.

Her frequent pregnancies did not seem to impair her looks or health, for she was as vital and as beautiful as she ever was; and I was on the point of telling her about my own love affair with Christopher Blount.

She went on to tell me that the Queen was certainly taken with Raleigh, and he was perhaps the nearest rival Essex had. Essex should be warned, she believed, not to be too frank with the Queen, but to use his frankness only when it pleased her and when she clearly wanted a candid answer.

ou are asking him to go against his nature,I said. believe that is something he would never do.

We talked of him lovingly, for Penelope was almost as devoted to him as I was. We were both very proud of him.

ut Raleigh is clever,she said, s our Robin never could be. Yet Raleigh is making demands on the Queen and when the other day she asked him when he would stop being a beggar, he retorted sharply that he would only do so when Her Majesty ceased to be a benefactresshich made her laugh heartily. You know how she likes that kind of wit. Robin could never give her that. One thing I am afraid of is that he might overestimate his power over her. If he did that, there could be trouble.

I replied that when her favorites overstepped the mark she frequently forgave them. Look at Leicester.

ut there will never be another Leicester,said Penelope soberly. I knew it was true.

I was growing fond of Christopher. I found him interesting and amusing, once he had overcome his awe of me, which it was impossible to sustain now that he was learning that I wanted him as much as he wanted me.

He told me about his family, which was noble but impoverished. His grandfather, Lord Mountjoy, had spent unwisely and his father had squandered more of the family fortunes in an attempt to find the philosopher stone. William, Christopher elder brother, was a man who had no respect for money and lived extravagantly beyond his means, so it seemed unlikely that there would be much left of the family fortunes.

The hope was brother Charles, who was a few years older than Christopher and a few younger than William. Charles had declared his determination to come to Court and restore the family wealth.

I was interested in this family saga because of Christopher of course, and when his brother Charles began to be mentioned as a rival to my son, my amused interest quickened.

The Blounts were possessed of handsome looks, and it seemed that Charles had his fair share of them. He was brought to Court and was among the company which sat down to dine with the Queen. This did not mean that she would speak to all present, but it presented an opportunity to attract her attention, which Charles appearance did at once.

The Queen, I was told, asked her carver who the good-looking stranger was, and when the carver said he did not know she told him to find out.

Charles, seeing the Queen eyes on him, blushed deeply, a fact which enchanted her, and when she heard that he was Lord Mountjoy son she sent for him. She talked to the bashful young man for a few minutes and asked after his father. Then she said: ail you not to come to Court and I will bethink myself how to do you good.

Those about them smiled. Another handsome young man!

Of course he followed up that invitation and soon was a great favorite with the Queen, for he had other qualities besides his good looks, being well read, particularly in history, so that he could meet the Queen on an intellectual level which delighted her. As he remained somewhat retiring and did not spend extravagantor indeed he was unable tohe Queen found this refreshing, and he was fast becoming a prominent member in her little band of favorites.

One day when he tilted she was there to watch him and made no secret of her pleasure in his victory, to celebrate which she gave him a chess queen of gold and very richly enameled. He was so proud of it that he ordered his servants to stitch it onto his sleeve, and carried his cloak over his arm so that all could see this mark of royal pleasure.

When this caught my son eye, he wanted to know what it meant and he was told that the Queen had bestowed the favor on young Blount at the previous day tilting. Another fault of my son was his jealousy, and he thought of the Queen admiring this young man filled him with rage.

t seems every fool must have a favor,he said slightingly; and as these words were spoken in the hearing of several people, there was nothing Charles Blount could do but challenge him.

I was very upset when Christopher told me, and so was he. He came to me almost in tears. y brother and your son are to fight a duel,he said; and it was then that I learned the reason.

Duels could end in death and that my son was in danger sent me frantic with anxiety. I sent a message to him at once to come to me without delay. He did so, but when he heard what I wanted he became impatient.

y dearest Rob,I cried, ou could be killed.He shrugged his shoulders and I went on: nd what if you killed this young man?

t would be a small loss,he replied.

ou would deeply regret it.

e is trying to creep into the Queen favor.

f you are going to fight with every man at Court who is doing that, I don give much for your chances of survival. Rob, I beg of you be careful.

f I promise to, will that satisfy you?

o,I cried vehemently. can only have one satisfaction from this affair and that is for you to call it off.I tried to be calm, to reason with him. he Queen will be very displeased,I said.

t is her fault for giving him the token.

hy should she not? He pleased her at the tilt.

ear Mother, I have already accepted the challenge. That is enough.

y darling, you must give up this madness.

He was tender suddenly. t is too late now,he said gently. on be afraid. He hasn a chance against me.

is young brother is our Master of Horse. Poor Christopher is so upset about it. Oh Rob, can you see how I feel. If anything happened to you

He kissed me, and his expression was so tender that I was overwhelmed by my love for him, and my fears increased tenfold. It is so difficult to convey his charm, and it was always especially effective following his louring looks. He assured me that he loved me, that he always would; he would do anything in his power to make me happy, but the challenge had been made and accepted. He could not in honor stop it now.

I could see that there was nothing for me but to pray fervently that he would come through this unharmed.

Penelope came to see me.

ob is going to fight Mountjoy son,she said. e must be stopped.

an we stop him?I cried. have tried to. Oh, Penelope, I am so frightened. I have begged him but he refuses to stop it.

f you can persuade him, no one can. But you must see his point. He has gone so far it would be hard to withdraw now. It disastrous. Charles Blount is such a handsome mans handsome as Rob, but in a different way. Rob should never have shown his jealousy so blatantly. The Queen hates duels and will be furious if either of her pretty young men is harmed.

y dear, I know her better than you ever will. This is all her doing. She will gloat because they have fought over her favor.I clenched my fist. f anything happens to Rob I shall blame her. I would be ready to kill her.

ush!Penelope looked furtively over her shoulder. e careful, Mother. She hates you already. If anyone heard what you said heaven knows what might come of it.

I turned away. I could derive little comfort from Penelope, and I knew that it was no use pleading further with my son.

So there was nothing I could do to stop the duel and it took place in Marylebone Park. There was defeat for Essex, which was probably for the best, since Charles Blount had no intention of killing my son or dying himselfhich would have meant the end of both their careers. There was a good deal of wisdom in Charles Blount. He was able to end the duel in the best possible way since Essex insisted on its taking place. He wounded my son slightly in the thigh and disarmed him. Charles Blount was unharmed.

Thus ended the duel in Marylebone Park, but it was to have far-reaching consequences.

It should have taught Essex a lesson, but alas, it did not.

When the Queen heard there had been a duel, she was angry and would reprimand both men, but knowing the temper of Essex and having had an account of what led up to the quarrel between them, she approved Charles Blount behavior.

Her comment was: y God death, it is fitting that someone or other should take Essex down and teach him better manners, otherwise there would be no rule with him.

That was an indication that she was not pleased with his arrogance and that he should take heed and curb it. Of course he did not.

I tried to warn him, to make him see how dangerous it was to rely on her favor. She could change as quickly as the wind and one day she could be doting and fond and the next an implacable enemy.

know her,I cried. n fact few know her as I do. I have lived close to her and look at me now banished, an exile. I have felt her malice and hatred as few have.

He retorted hotly that if I had been treated shamefully, it was Leicester who was to blame.

y my faith, Mother,he said, ne day I will do for you what Leicester should have done. I will make her receive you and treat you with the respect you deserve.

I did not believe him but I liked to hear him champion me all the same.

Charles Blount came to inquire for him every day and sent him a doctor in whom he had great faith; and while my son wounds were healing, the two, who had once been enemies, became friends.

Penelope, who went to nurse her brother, found the company of Charles Blount very stimulating, and through this incident Christopher and I were drawn closer together. His love and admiration for his brother and his anxiety for me, because he understood my fears for my son, made a stronger bond between us. He seemed to grow up and cease to be a mere boy; and when the affair was over we shared our relief that it had turned out far better than we had dared hope.

The matter of the golden chessman was soon forgotten at Court, but, looking back, I can see that it was an important milestone in our lives.

The year dawned with the main preoccupation, the growing menace of Spain. The Queen, Leicester told me, was constantly trying to ward off the final confrontation which she had been successful in eluding for many years, and now it was undoubtedly at hand. Men like Drake had raided Spanish harbors and destroyed them in a manner which was called ingeing the beard of the King of Spain.That was all very well, but it was not going to destroy the Armada, which even our most optimistic people had to admit was the finest in the world. There was a good deal of gloom throughout the country, for many of our sailors had been captured by the Spaniards, and some had become prisoners of the Inquisition. The tales they had had to tell of Spanish torture were so shocking that the whole country rose in fury. They knew that in those mighty galleons would come not only the weapons of war to destroy our ships and subdue our country, but the instruments of torture through which they vowed they would force us all to accept their faith.

We had made merry long enough. Now we had to face realities.

Robert was constantly with the Queenestored to the highest favor againll differences forgotten in the great fight to preserve their country and themselves. It was not to be wondered at that the stories about them, which had existed in their youth, should still be circulated.

At this time a man calling himself Arthur Dudley came into prominence. He was living in Spain helped by the Spanish King, who must either have thought the story was true or that the man allegations could help to discredit the Queen.

Arthur Dudley was reported to be the son of the Queen and Leicester who had been born twenty-seven years before at Hampton Court. The story was that he had been put into the charge of a man named Southern, who had been warned on pain of death not to betray the secret of the child birth. Arthur Dudley now alleged that he had discovered who he was, for Southern had confessed this to him.

This tale was circulated throughout the country but no one seriously believed it, and the Queen and Leicester ignored it. It certainly made no difference to the people determination to keep off the Spaniards.

As the year progressed I saw even less of my husband than usual. The Queen made him Lieutenant General of the troops as a mark of her absolute confidence in him.

The fleet, commanded by Lord Howard of Effingham, assisted by Drake, Hawkins and Frobisherll tried seamen of great courage and resourceas assembling at Plymouth, where the attack was expected. There was an army of eighty thousand men, all eager to hold the country against the enemy. There could not have been a man or woman in that countryave those Catholic traitorsho was not determined to do everything her she-could possibly do to save England from Spain and the Inquisition.