She had borne enough. It was her turn now.
As she lay awaiting the birth of her child she wondered why she had chosen such a gloomy place. Although it was the month of June there was a chill in the stone walls and she had noticed that much of the place was in need of repair.
The roof was not watertight and when it rained, her bedclothes were wet.
The whole place had been neglected, and she knew who was to blame for that.
The Despensers had used money for their own needs which should have been spent in repairs. It was a well known trick, and it was one of the reasons why people considered it a boon to get the custody of such places.
Oh the cursed Despensers! First Gaveston and now them. And if some evil fate overtook young Hugh le Despenser what then? Some new young man would appear in due course.
What a man to have married her to! And what a joke that she had managed to get four children by him. Something of an achievement.
But no more. This is the end, she promised herself. Now she would start to work towards that goal which had been in her mind for some time now.
The birth was not difficult. She bore children easily; and this was another girl.
She decided to call her Joanna and she became known as Joanna of the Tower.
Edward came to the baby.
‘Another girl,’ said Isabella, watching him closely. He was good-looking still. She felt angry when she regarded him because in the beginning if he had been prepared to be a good husband to her she would have loved him and worked with him. Then there would not have been this perpetual trouble which time and time again grew out of his infatuations— first Piers Gaveston and now Hugh le Despenser. If only he would be more reasonable with them; if only he did not have make the relationship so blatant, it would have been so much easier. As it was it gave rise to utterances such as those which had almost cost the man Messager his life, and incidents like that of poor Drydas which had brought him to hideous death. If only he could have been discreet; if only he did not have to have them with him all the time, to pamper them, to bestow costly gifts on them.
Oh Edward, you fool. I wonder what will be the end of you. Our son Edward is growing up. Nine years old, a reasonable age and showing every sign of being like his grandfather. That is what the people say when he rides out. He is a growing danger to you, you foolish Edward.
Edward was laughing to himself as though enjoying some private joke. He had scarcely looked at the baby. She waited for him to tell her.
‘It’s Hugh,’ he said.
Her expression was cold, but he did not notice.
‘Did you know he is on an island in the Bristol Channel?’
‘I did not, and should he be?’ she answered. ‘Wasn’t he banished from the country?’
‘He has turned pirate.’ Edward was laughing so much he could scarcely go on. ‘He has an armed vessel and has captured two merchant ships. They were coming up to Bristol full of rich cargo. He has taken their cargo and sent them on empty.’
‘Does he know the penalty for piracy?’ asked Isabella.
‘Oh, Isabella, come now. It was only meant to be a joke.’
‘Do the captain of the ship and the owner of the vessel think that?’
‘They will be made to understand. But is it not just like Hugh?’
‘Exactly,’ she retorted with asperity. ‘The role of pirate should suit him well.’
‘It will not be long before he is back,’ mused Edward. ‘And I shall not rest happy until he is.’
The Queen regarded him cynically. You fool, she thought. You are signing your own death warrant.
MORTIMER
THE AFFAIR AT LEEDS CASTLE
IN gratitude for another birth and quick recovery, the Queen must go to the shrine of St Thomas in Canterbury to give thanks.
She set out from the Tower and what a joy it was to ride through London where the people cheered her so loyally! She was their beautiful Queen who had remained faithful to the King and bore him children even though he behaved so badly with those leech-like friends of his.
‘God save the Queen!’ they cried, and she was amused to think that if the King had been with her she would still have been the one they cheered.
It was a long way to Canterbury and her marshal suggested that it would be a good idea to break the journey at her Castle of Leeds and he would send a messenger on to warn the custodian, Lord Badlesmere, of their approach.
The messenger arrived at Leeds but unfortunately Lord Badlesmere was away and Lady Badlesmere was in charge.
The Badlesmeres were firm adherents of Lancaster’s cause and stood firmly against the King. They had been incensed by Edward’s attitude towards the Despensers, and Lady Badlesmere who was a very forthright woman had been heard to declare that royalty was only to be respected when it was worthy of respect.
Lord Badlesmere had given instructions that none— no matter who― should be allowed into the castle unless they carried an order from him or from the Earl of Lancaster. And when she heard from the Queen’s messenger that the visitor was to be Queen Isabella, she decided that she was not going to swerve from the orders she had received even for her.
‘Begone!’ she cried to the messenger. ‘I will admit none to the castle unless he bears an order from my lord or the Earl of Lancaster.’
‘My lady,’ replied the messenger, ‘do you understand this is the Queen of England?’
‘How can I be sure of that? How do I know that you may not be an enemy in disguise?’
‘You will see for yourself when the Queen arrives.’
‘My good man, go back to your mistress. Tell her that I shall admit no one— no one, do you understand― unless they come from my husband or the Earl of Lancaster.’
The perplexed messenger was wondering how he could go back and tell the Queen that she was denied access to the castle when he heard the sounds of approach. The Queen’s party had arrived at the castle walls.
‘The Queen is here,’ said the messenger. ‘My lady Badlesmere, have you considered that this castle belongs to the Queen and your husband is merely the custodian?’
‘I repeat my orders and these I intend to carry out,’ insisted Lady Badlesmere. ‘If this is indeed the Queen, she must needs find lodging in some other place.’
The Queen hearing the dispute was astounded and commanded her guards to approach the drawbridge, but Lady Badlesmere gave an order to her archers and from the castle walls came a stream of arrows which struck six of the Queen’s company, killing them.
Before the furious Isabella could advance, one of her bodyguards seized the bridle of her horse and forced her to retreat.
‘We must escape from this mad woman, my lady,’ he said and galloped off with her.
The Queen was shaking with anger. How dared a subject behave thus to her!
She knew Lady Badlesmere of old. A woman who thought she was always right and knew how to manage other people’s affairs.
‘By God,’ she cried, ‘she shall be taught a lesson for this.’
The Queen’s party minus the six dead, rode away to spend the night with more hospitable hosts. Lady Badlesmere was in truth, a little disturbed when she found the six dead at the gates. She had them removed and immediately sent a messenger to the Earl of Lancaster.
She knew that there would be trouble. The Queen had been grossly insulted and six of her servants had been killed. Perhaps, thought Lady Badlesmere, she had been a little rash. She believed though that Lancaster would be delighted with this insult to the royal family. After all, she had been acting on his orders and it was yet another proof that he was more important than the King.