‘It is perhaps natural that she should support her son.’

‘There is nothing natural about that woman. She is obsessed by herself.’

‘How will you overcome her obsession?’

‘Perhaps by offering her something better than she could get from her son.’

‘You will buy her loyalty?’

‘She has no loyalty to give to any but herself. I can perhaps buy her withdrawal. For if what one must have for the safety of the realm cannot be given there is only one alternative and that is to buy it.’

‘What will you use for currency?’

‘I will consider, Brother, and inform you of my decision. There is one bright hope in this sorry business and that is that those with whom we have to deal will give their allegiance to the highest bidder – for as long as it can do them good, of course.’

She would speak to him again later, she told Brother Guérin. Then she prepared to have done with her convalescence.

There was work to be done.


* * *

She must lose no time. The rebels were gathering against Louis. They were asking why France should be governed by a woman – a foreigner at that. Even those who wished to remain loyal to Louis did not want a foreigner ruling them – and a woman.

Forces were gathering at Thouars; they would attack in the spring. But she must stop the fighting. There must not be civil war in France.

‘Have we not enough to do to defend ourselves from the English?’ she asked. ‘How long will it be before they attack us?’

Brother Guérin said that he believed that Hubert de Burgh was urging the King not to think of regaining French possessions just yet. They had not enough men and ammunition to make it a success. It was true that the King’s brother, the Earl of Cornwall, was still in England and they must pray that he would not join up with rebels.

She set out and travelled south towards Thouars and set up her camp between that town and Loudun, She then sent messengers to Thouars and asked that one of their company should meet her that they might discuss their differences.

Then she waited in trepidation. So much depended on this meeting. Would they take her seriously? They must have known that her husband had taken her into his confidence, that she was as much a statesman as he had been, and how often he had benefited from her judgment. They must know that – foreigner though they called her – her one desire was for the welfare of France, that country of which her son was now the King.

Who would come? she wondered. Would it be Hugh de Lusignan? His wife would surely not be with him. How could she be in the camp! But he would know her wishes and be afraid to act against them.

It was not Hugh who came as the enemy’s ambassador.

She felt a flutter of excitement tinged with apprehension and a certain annoyance when he was brought to her, for the man who was bowing before her was Thibaud of Champagne.

So they were face to face – the heroine of his fantasies and the man who had told the world that above all things he longed to be her lover.

He was prepared, for he must have begged to undertake the mission, while she was taken completely by surprise; but it was she who was in complete control.

‘So you come here as my enemy, Count,’ she said briskly.

He lowered his eyes and murmured: ‘My lady, that is something I could never be.’

‘Let us keep to the truth,’ she retorted. ‘It will avail us nothing to reject that. You have joined those who stand against the King and they have sent you here to parley with me.’

‘My lady, I begged for the chance of doing so.’

‘That you might receive my scorn for you all in person.’

‘Nay,’ he said, ‘that I may have the joy of seeing you.’

She shook herself impatiently. ‘My lord, have done. Let us be sensible. You have come here to parley, have you not? To make terms with me that you and your fellow rebels may not harm the King and his lands.’

‘I promise you, my lady, that I will serve you with my life.’

That made her laugh.

‘So it seems, my lord! Pray keep your flowery phrases for your verses.’

‘You have read my verses, my lady?’

‘A few of them. When they have been brought to my notice,’

‘I will tell you the truth,’ said Thibaud, ‘for in your presence I could do nothing else. When I was banished from Rheims I turned to your enemies.’

‘Before that,’ she said. ‘I remembered how you had deserted the King and for that reason would not have you at the coronation of his son.’

‘I warned him. I had served my time. I was a loyal servant of the King but I had no love for him. That was impossible.’

She ignored the implication.

‘And now what have you to say? What threats have you come to offer against the King?’

‘Now that I have seen you, my lady, I could do nothing but serve you with my life.’

‘Even though that meant serving your King to whom you owe allegiance?’ she asked cynically.

‘If that were your command.’

‘It is.’

‘Then it shall be.’

‘You change sides quickly.’

‘I was never on any side but yours, my lady. I suffered momentary pique. I had planned to offer myself to you completely. To be your humblest slave if you so wished. And then I was turned away …’

‘I see that I acted unwisely in that. I ask your pardon for it.’

His face was illumined with a joy which almost made him handsome.

‘My lady, I swear I shall serve you with my life.’

‘At this time all I ask is that we make some agreement with the King’s enemies.’

‘They are powerful, my lady. Peter Mauclerc is bent on mischief. Hugh de Lusignan is in leading strings to his wife. Her son, Richard of Cornwall, is now in France; these rebels are planning to join with him.’

‘I know it well. And you are one of them?’

He said quickly: ‘No longer so, my lady.’

‘Are they bent on war?’

‘They could be. Mauclerc’s daughter is betrothed to the King of England. He must need support here badly to have agreed to that. But ’tis my belief that before that marriage becomes a fact the King of England will find reasons why the marriage shall not take place.’

‘But at this time Mauclerc believes it will.’

‘Mauclerc is not with our camp in Thouars at this time. It would be well to make a treaty before he joins it.’

‘Would that be possible?’

‘My lady, we could make it possible.’

‘How so?’

‘You have good bargaining counters, my lady. Ah, forgive me. It is not meet to speak thus of the children of France. There is nothing like a betrothal, an alliance, between families to bring them together.’

‘You believe this would be acceptable?’

‘If my lady would try, she would see. And no harm done if it failed. If it succeeded time would be won … time to let the young King become not so young … time to prepare for any conflict that might follow later …’

‘You give good advice, Count.’

‘I would give everything I possessed to you, my lady, and ask nothing more than that you allow me to your presence.’

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘I will return to my camp now,’ he said. ‘And you will see that I shall serve you with all my heart.’

When he had gone she sat brooding for some time. Her thoughts were in a turmoil. He disturbed her. He really was enamoured of her – this strange plump poet who did not look in the least romantic yet wrote such beautiful verses.

In some ways she hated to make use of him. Her impulse was to dismiss him, to tell him that she wished to hear nothing of him.

But that would be folly. She had seen how her actions at Rheims had been disastrous.

She must use the devotion of the Count of Champagne as well as she could. It was most important to make a truce with the rebel barons in order to strengthen her son’s hold on the crown.


* * *

Isabella came to Thouars where Hugh had asked her to join him. She knew that something important had happened and that he was afraid to make a decision without her.

The rebels were conferring with the Queen of France and her advisers. Blanche must be alarmed to condescend to do so. She must be learning that she could not flout the mighty knights and barons of France, Queen though she might be.

‘What news?’ she demanded imperiously when she was alone with Hugh.

He looked at her longingly and wonderingly. ‘You are even more beautiful than I have been remembering,’ he said.

She laughed, pleased but impatient.

‘That is good hearing,’ she replied, ‘but it would please me even more to hear that we had got the better of our enemy.’

‘We have been negotiating.’

‘Ah, and I trust have good terms. You must have realised the strength of your position since mighty Blanche herself has come to see you.’

‘I think the terms are excellent … for us. Blanche has offered her son Alphonse for our Isabella and our Hugh for hers.’

‘Our daughter is a child yet!’

‘But she will grow up. The King’s brother for our little Isabella and Hugh for the King’s sister. What think you of that?’

Isabella nodded slowly. ‘Fair enough,’ she said.

‘Mauclerc’s daughter Yolanda is for the King’s brother John.’

‘She was betrothed to my son Henry of England.’

‘Blanche fears us. That much is clear. Since she is ready to take Yolanda for her son to save her from an English alliance.’

‘And these are the terms of the treaty?’