So all was well. I was the little queen of the Court. I would sit on my grandfather’s knee and make my quaint remarks, which set his beard wagging, implying that he was amused. I was the one who received most of the sugarplums fed to us by Dangerosa.

At this time I heard someone say that the Lady Eleanor could well be the heiress of Aquitaine. That was a great revelation. Aquitaine, that beautiful county with its rivers, mountains, flowers, and vineyards, its many castles . . . all would one day be mine! I was a very contented little girl.

And then it happened. My mother had been sick for a long time. Her shape changed; she rested a good deal. There was a great fuss about what they called “her condition.” I was told: “There is going to be another little one in the nursery.”

I naturally thought of another Petronilla—someone for me to mold and direct and who would become my ardent admirer.

The great day arrived. One of the nurses came to me in great excitement.

“What do you think, my lady!” she said. “You have a little brother.”

What rejoicing there was throughout the castle. “Now we have a male heir,” they said.

My grandfather was full of glee; so were Dangerosa and my father.

It was treachery. I was the heir of Aquitaine. But it seemed that, in spite of all the songs dedicated to the glory of women, they were forgotten when a boy was born.

This was the first setback.

I sat on my grandfather’s knee and voiced my protests.

“But you see, little one, men want a leader.”

“I could lead them.”

“Sometimes we go into battle.”

“You don’t.”

“I did . . . when I was a younger man.”

Dangerosa said: “Never mind. Women have their way of ruling.”

My father tried to console me. “You will make a great marriage when the time comes.”

My mother said: “Happiness does not come with great titles, my child, but with the good life. If you marry and are a good wife, that will bring you more happiness than great estates.”

I did not believe her. I wanted to be the heiress of Aquitaine.

But no one could help loving little William Aigret. He was such a docile child, and I still ruled the nursery.

Soon after that my grandfather died and my father became the Duke of Aquitaine.

My grandfather was genuinely mourned. I spent a great deal of time with Dangerosa; she used to tell me stories about him, and it was from her I pieced together the events of his turbulent life. She loved to tell the story of her abduction and how he had come to the castle to talk business with his vassal, the Viscount of Chtellerault, and as soon as he set eyes on her all thought of business was driven from his mind. I felt I was there during those periods in the castle when they had planned their flight. I seemed to have ridden with them through the forest, she riding pillion, clinging to him as they sped away to happiness. It was very romantic. I did not spare a thought for the poor deserted Viscount and my wronged grandmother Philippa. My sympathies were with the lovers.

Philippa was dead now but in the Courts of Love, which my grandfather had created, their story would be sung for years to come.

The Court changed, of course. My father was a very different man. He was not the great lover; he was more of a fighter. At least he was constantly embroiled in some dispute with his vassals. He was quick-tempered and ready to go to war on the slightest pretext; and he was absent a good deal during the years which followed my grandfather’s death.

There were plenty of young people at the castle, for girls were sent to my mother to be brought up as the Court ladies they would eventually become. There were boys too, who must be taught the art of chivalry and horsemanship. We girls had to learn how to embroider and do delicate needlework, which was so much a part of a lady’s education; we had to sing and dance and make gracious conversation, but I was taught other things besides, such as reading and writing. I had shown such an aptitude for learning when it was thought I might be Duchess of Aquitaine that they decided I should continue. I was, therefore, apart from the other children, and I intended that none should forget it.

There was still a great deal of music in the evenings, but my father, although he loved it, was no composer. He sang well, and this he liked to do, and he enjoyed the ballads and stories about his father. But he was so often away and the character of the Court had changed from what it had been in his father’s day.

When my father came home he would want to know how we had progressed. He was very interested in William Aigret’s performance, but I fancied he had a special fondness for me.

Then one day fever struck Poitou. Several people died and there were restrictions as to who should be allowed to come into the castle.

My mother became ill and she died within a few days. That was not all. William Aigret caught the fever from her and very soon afterwards he was dead.

It was a time of great mourning. It was then that I realized how much I had cared for my mother and that William Aigret had been such a loving little boy.

It was a great loss. There were only two children now—Petronilla and myself, but I had become the heiress of Aquitaine.

Also by Jean Plaidy

Victoria Victorious

0-609-81024-3

$13.95 paperback

An unforgettable novel of Queen Victoria and the remarkable life she lived—a life of romance, triumph, and tragedy.

The Sixth Wife

0-609-81026-X

$13.95 paperback

The intriguing story of Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six queens.

Katharine of Aragon

0-609-81025-1

$14.95 paperback

The life of Katharine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife.

Royal Road to Fotheringhay

0-609-81023-5

$12.95 paperback

The haunting story of the beautiful—and tragic—Mary, Queen of Scots.

In the Shadow of the Crown

0-609-81019-7

$13.95 paperback

A dark and fascinating portrait of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, whose long road to the throne was paved only with sorrow.

Queen of This Realm

0-609-81020-0

$14.95 paperback

An account of Elizabeth I, from motherless child of an all-powerful father to monarch who launched England into the time of its greatest glory.

The Thistle and the Rose

0-609-81022-7

$12.95 paperback

Margaret—Princess of England, but Queen of Scotland—finds herself torn between loyalty to the land of her birth and to that of her baby son, now King of the Scots.

Mary, Queen of France

0-609-81021-9

$12.95 paperback

The story of Princess Mary Tudor, a celebrated beauty and born rebel who would defy the most powerful king in Europe—her older brother, Henry VIII.

The Lady in the Tower

1-4000-4785-4

$12.95 paperback

A vivid telling of the story of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I.

The Rose Without a Thorn

0-609-81017-0

$12.95 paperback

The captivating story of young Katherine Howard, born into poverty but destined for the court of Henry VIII, where she soon catches the eye of the unhappily married king.

The Loves of Charles II

1-4000-8248-X

$14.95 paperback

The fascinating life—and loves—of England’s King Charles II.

Available from Three Rivers Press wherever books are sold


BOOKS BY JEAN PLAIDY

FROM THREE RIVERS PRESS

THE WIVES OF HENRY VIII

The Rose Without a Thorn

The Lady in the Tower

Katharine of Aragon

The Sixth Wife

THE TUDOR PRINCESSES

Mary, Queen of France

The Thistle and the Rose

THE TUDOR QUEENS

In the Shadow of the Crown

Queen of This Realm

The Royal Road to Fotheringhay

Victoria Victorious

The Loves of Charles II

THE NORMAN TRILOGY

The Bastard King

The Lion of Justice

The Passionate Enemies

THE PLANTAGENET SAGA

Plantagenet Prelude

The Revolt of the Eaglets

The Heart of the Lion

The Prince of Darkness

The Battle of the Queens

The Queen from Provence

Edward Longshanks

The Follies of the King

The Vow on the Heron

Passage to Pontefract

The Star of Lancaster

Epitaph for Three Women

Red Rose of Anjou

The Sun in Spendor

THE TUDOR NOVELS

Uneasy Lies the Head

Katharine, the Virgin Widow

The Shadow of the Pomegranate

The King’s Secret Matter

Murder Most Royal

St. Thomas’ Eve

Gay Lord Robert

The Spanish Bridegroom

THE STUART SAGA

The Captive Queen of Scots

The Murder in the Tower

The Wandering Prince

The Three Crowns

The Haunted Sisters

The Queen’s Favorites

THE GEORGIAN SAGA

The Princess of Celle

Queen in Waiting