‘It seems to me you do not find all this in the least irksome.’

‘At times, yes. I should like to be with my family. My children are growing up, you know, and it is always a joy to see them changing. But while I paint my work engrosses me. It is so with artists.’

The Duke was amazed. There could not be a man less like himself. It was not that the Duke was not a highly cultured man. He was. He loved beautiful things, but first and foremost he was the Duke of Burgundy and his main object in life was to uphold his power and increase it.

But he was greatly impressed by René’s work and when he saw the pictures which his prisoner had painted of Duke John and himself he declared that they were very fine indeed and should be placed in the window of the chapel.

‘You embarrass me,’ he said. I do not care to hold an artist such as you captive.’

‘There is an easy remedy for that,’ said René with a smile. ‘Let me go free.’

‘Now you know that is not possible. There are conventions to be observed in matters like this. If I freed you without conditions I should have every prisoner I take claiming to be an artist.’

‘That is a matter, my lord Duke, which could be put to the test.’

‘The appreciation of great art is an individual matter. I should be told that my prisoner was a great artist but of a different school from that which I admired. You see my difficulties.’

‘I do, my lord.’

‘On the other hand,’ said the Duke, ‘I would discuss terms with you. You were captured in battle. The dispute over Lorraine has to be settled. Who has the prior claim—you as husband of Isabelle or Antoine de Vaudémont! Are we to enforce the Salic Law or not? I can see an easy settlement to that dispute.’

‘I should be glad to know it.’

‘You have a daughter, have you not?’

‘Two. Yolande and Margaret.’

‘It is of the elder I would speak.’

‘That is Yolande.’

‘My dear man, Antoine has a son, young Ferri. Why should not these two be betrothed? In time Antoine’s son and your daughter would inherit Lorraine. Would you agree to that? I ask you this, but at the same time I must remind you that you will remain a prisoner until you do.’

‘It seems a fair enough solution,’ said René.

‘Then that will settle the main dispute. But naturally there must be a ransom. Certain castles shall we say?’

‘Which?’ asked René.

‘Clermont, Chatille, Bourmont and Charmes?’

‘You strike a hard bargain.’

‘And twenty thousand gold crowns.’

‘Twenty thousand gold crowns! Where shall I find them?’

‘You will have time to find the money. I should advise you to agree. Ransoms have a habit of increasing with the years. I am being lenient. You must admit. It is because of the respect I have for an artist.’

When the Duke had gone René considered the matter. He wanted to be with his family. He longed to see the children. It was true that little Yolande would doubtless be expected to join the Vaudémonts. Well, that was the sort of thing that happened to girls.

He agreed and very soon after was speeding on his way to join his family.


* * *

After René had been warmly greeted by his family both Isabelle and her mother considered the terms of his release and declared that they were very harsh.

In the nursery, Theophanie was fuming.

‘A nice state of affairs,’ she said. ‘A little mite like my Yolande to go off and live with strangers. Her cousins they may be, but it’s not right. It’s not right at all. And Agnès. Who would have believed that? A Maid of Honour eh, to the Queen. I reckon she’ll be pining for her nice place in my nurseries before very long. Agnès at Court! I can’t see it. I can’t see it at all.’

But the real tragedy was of course the departure of Yolande.

It was a mercy, she muttered to herself, that the child was so young...too young to realize. She was only four years old, poor mite. She was asking a great many questions about her new home.

‘As if I could tell her,’ mourned Theophanie.

Margaret looked on with wide eyes. ^

‘Why is Yolande going away?’

‘Because she’s going to be betrothed.’

‘What is betrothed?’

‘Married, in time.’

Theo, shall I be betrothed?’

‘You certainly will, my lamb.’

‘Is it a good thing to be?’

‘It’s sometimes very good...for others,’ added Theophanie bitterly.

The boys were interested. ‘You’ll have to go one day, Margaret,’ they taunted her.

Yolande was half sorrowful, half proud. She was after all the centre of the activity. She had to have new clothes and was given special lessons on how to behave.

It was particularly hard that she should have to go now that their father was home. When Margaret pointed this out to Theophanie she said somewhat mysteriously: ‘Well, it’s just because...’

And try as she might Margaret could get no more out of her.

In due course Yolande went away and Margaret missed her very much although her father was with them again and that made life very pleasant. He had changed. There was a scar on the left side of his forehead which was where the arrow had struck when he had been captured by the Maréchal de Toulongeon which was the reason why Yolande was no longer with them.

René was very different from their mother. He liked to be with them. He would paint and sing and read poetry and that was very interesting. He talked to them all about how he had been captured and had painted on glass in the Château of Dijon; he was entirely frank with them and he was giving them all an interest in music and poetry.

‘It is well enough,’ said the Dowager Duchess Margaret who was with them. ‘They will be cultivated; but we must not forget that they must learn other things besides an appreciation of the arts.’

Margaret was fond of her son-in-law but she was now and then exasperated with his attitude. He was a considerable artist it was true; his poetry and music gave pleasure to the entire household and even the youngest pages would listen entranced when René sang his own compositions in the great hall after dinner.

‘But what of this ransom?’ demanded the Dowager Duchess of her daughter. ‘Fine poetry and paintings are not going to pay that, are they? And will Burgundy wait much longer?’

There was an additional disaster. The Maréchal de Toulongeon had added his claims to those of his master Burgundy.

He was the one who had actually captured René. He was therefore claiming a further eighteen thousand crowns as his share of the ransom.

‘There you are,’ said the Dowager Duchess. ‘Time is passing and nothing is being done.’

‘I don’t think René gives it a thought,’ said Isabelle. ‘He is so happy to be here with his family and to pursue those pleasures which are such a delight to him.’

‘In that way he is merely putting off the evil day. It is more than two years since he returned and nothing has been done except to send Yolande to the Vaudémonts. Believe me, Burgundy will not wait much longer and now that Toulongeon is adding his demands René will find himself in great difficulties. Something must be done.’

‘I will speak to René,’ said Isabelle.

Margaret shook her head. ‘That is no use. I will speak to the Emperor of Germany.’

‘Sigismund?’

‘Why not. He has great power. He might be able to persuade Burgundy to be more moderate. There is just a possibility that Burgundy would listen to him.’

‘It is worth trying,’ said Isabelle. ‘No harm can be done.’

The more the Dowager Duchess considered this the more pleased she was with the idea. She would send messages to the Emperor who, as he was her brother-in-law, could scarcely refuse to help her. She was getting old, she said, but thank God she could still make decisions.

‘On the day I could not do that,’ she told her daughter, ‘I would wish to depart this life.’

‘My dearest mother,’ said Isabelle, ‘you have always been a woman of power. Sometimes I think the women of our family should have been the ones to govern. Everywhere we are cursed by this ridiculous Salic Law.’

‘It is an added obstacle for us to overcome, my dear. Now we will see what Sigismund can do for us with Burgundy.’

It was some time before she discovered. The messengers had to reach Sigismund and he had to decide how to act. He wanted to help and sent messengers to the great Duke to tell him that he considered the terms he had arranged with René were too harsh. They must in the name of reason be modified. He knew the state of René’s affairs and that he was not in a position to meet demands such as the Duke had made.

A few months passed. The pleasant life continued. René asked nothing more than to be with his sons and Little daughter; and his only regret was that Little Yolande had had to go away. He could blissfully forget that he must find the ransom and that Burgundy’s patience might be getting exhausted.

The Dowager Duchess was feeling very pleased with herself. She had received a message from Sigismund to say that he would do all he could to make Burgundy see reason and had already approached him. She was congratulating herself on her ability to solve her son-in-law’s problems far better than he could himself when she had an unpleasant shock. Emissaries from the Duke of Burgundy arrived at Nancy.

Their message was that the Duke was incensed that René should have had the temerity to appeal to Sigismund. As for the Emperor, he would do well to mind his business. As a result of this meddling, Burgundy would negotiate no longer. René must return to captivity and this time bring his two sons with him as hostages.