Edward was only too ready to be detained. He had no fancy for going to
Charles of France and doing homage. It was an act never relished by any of his predecessors.
He was delighted when the communication came from Isabella.
She had spoken with the King of France and he had agreed that if Edward
found it difficult to leave his realm at this time he would accept the homage from young Edward. She believed that it was an excellent notion and if the King agreed to send their son it would be a good exercise in diplomacy for the boy and she would take good care of him.
If he agreed, young Edward could be created Duke of Aquitaine and Count
of Ponthieu and could then pay homage to her brother Charles for these
provinces.
Edward was delighted. The Despensers discussed the matter together. It
would keep Edward in England and their lives could depend on that.
‘Let the boy go,’ said Hugh to the King. ‘It will be a good experience for him. He is growing up. It is time he began to take part in affairs. He can lessen your burden, my lord. Yes, let the boy go.’
Edward’s life had been one long series of mistakes, but in sending his son to France he made the greatest mistake of them all.
Isabella and Mortimer could scarcely believe their good fortune. Their plan was progressing beyond their wildest hope.
―――――――
With what joy she rode to the coast to wait the coming of the Prince!
Mortimer was beside her.
‘Soon,’ he whispered, ‘we shall be going home. We shall go at the head of
an army. Nothing could have served us better than the coming of young Edward.
The fact that the King sends him shows that he is unworthy to rule. It is now our task to see that the boy is on our side.’
‘Fear not that I can win him to us,’ replied the Queen.
‘None could withstand your charm,’ Mortimer assured her, ‘least of all a
young boy― and he your son.’
It was a wonderful moment when young Edward stepped ashore. He was
such a handsome boy, showing promise of Plantagenet good looks. He was
going to be tall as his father and grandfather had been; he was flaxen-haired with keen blue eyes, alert, intelligent, eager for life, aware of his destiny and determined to fullil it.
He was accompanied by the Bishops of Oxford and Exeter and a train of
knights. All these, thought the Queen, must be won to our cause.
The boy was clearly overwhelmed by his mother. He would have bowed to
her but she would have no ceremony.
‘My son,’ she cried. ‘My dearest son, it makes me so happy to see you. So
handsome, so healthy. Oh my dear boy, I am so proud of you!’
Young Edward coloured faintly. He had always admired his mother; she was
so beautiful and she had always made it clear that he was the favourite of her children. He had heard it said how patient she was in enduring her humiliations.
He was beginning to understand his father’s way of life and deplored it. He knew that there was trouble in the country because of it and that one day he would be the King. When that time came it would be different. He would make sure of that. He had heard a great deal about his grandfather and he wanted to be like him.
Walter Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter, had talked to him of his duty and had
impressed on him that his life must be dedicated to the service of his country. So he was delighted to be with his mother and to ride beside her to Paris. He was not sure how he should feel towards Mortimer. He knew that the Earl had been his father’s prisoner and had escaped from the Tower. But his mother seemed very friendly with him and Mortimer certainly made a great effort to please the young Prince. And even his uncle, the King of France, showed affection for him and told him bow glad he was that his father had agreed that he should come.
On a September day in the Castle of Bois de Vincennes near Paris young
Edward paid homage to Charles IV of France in place of his father. It was an impressive ceremony and enacted with a show of amity, but the French King
was too wily to stick entirely to his bargain. He might restore Gascony and Ponthieu but he had suffered considerable losses in the action, he complained, and for this reason, he thought it was only fair that he should keep the Agenais.
Isabella and Mortimer looked on with pleasure at the ceremony. The trouble was that now the homage had been paid and the King of France satisfied, there was no longer any reason why the English party should remain in France.
To leave would mean saying good-bye to Mortimer. Moreover if she went
back to England Isabella would be in the same position as she had been before.
Of course she must not return and the task now was to gather as many people as possible to their banner, and when they had a considerable army, then would be the time to strike.
There already existed a nucleus of discontented people from England and
this grew daily. But it was not an army. Isabella wondered whether her brother would help, but Charles was disenchanted with war and he had no intention of carrying on one in England.
He had offered hospitality to Mortimer because he thought he could supply
useful information about England; moreover Mortimer was a declared enemy of Edward so therefore it was wise to have him at hand. Naturally he received his sister who was also Queen of England but he did not expect even her to outstay her welcome.
Mortimer and Isabella realized that although the first part of the mission was accomplished, they had had incredible luck. But now they had to conjure up an army from somewhere. How?
It was true the cause was growing. Many of the people who formed part of
their circle could raise men back in England.
The situation grew more and more difficult every day. Even the King was
beginning to wonder why the English party did not make preparations to leave.
Isabella and Mortimer had anxious meetings together. They would not be
separated. Moreover it would be very dangerous for her to leave now. There were surely spies at court and it might well be that someone had noticed the relationship between them and had reported it to Edward.
‘It would give him an opportunity to be rid of you,’ said Mortimer and
added with a shiver: ‘He could accuse you of treason. Time is what we need, my dearest. Time.’
‘Then we must find it,’ replied Isabella firmly. ‘We shall not falter now.’
‘Stapledon has a great influence over young Edward,’ Mortimer pointed out.
Isabella agreed. ‘I am a little concerned about Stapledon,’ she added.
‘He makes it dear that he regards me as a traitor,’ added Mortimer.
‘The old fool. I am going to sound him out. I am determined to discover
what is in his mind.’
‘Go carefully.’
‘You may trust me,’ replied Isabella.
‘Edward must have had a high opinion of him to have trusted young Edward
to him.’
‘Edward would always put his trust in the wrong people. I will see what can be done with the old Bishop.’
Mortimer agreed. Isabella’s power to fascinate had grown since she had
come to France. She had changed from the humiliated Queen who at every turn was shown by her husband how much more attractive he had found his male
friends.
―――――――
Walter Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter, was reckoned to be a man of integrity.
He was learned and a member of the University of Oxford. He was, in fact, the founder of Exeter College which at this time was known as Stapledon Hall. He had taken a great interest in the rebuilding of his cathedral and had spent a part of his income on making it beautiful.
He had gone into politics some years before when Edward the First had sent him on a mission to France. Later he had returned to France, this time with Edward the Second; he had deplored the differences between Lancaster and the King, and had tried to bring about a reconciliation between them; and Edward’s trust in him was shown by his sending his son to France in his care.