There were others concerned. Sir John de Maltravers was one, Sir Thomas Gurney another. They had fled to the Continent the day after the murder, which was surely an admission of their guilt.

They shall be found, Edward promised himself, and when they are my father shall be avenged.

But these guilty men had disappeared. Mortimer had paid the price for his sins and Queen Isabella was living in Castle Rising from which she could not emerge without his consent. He had heard that her melancholy was so great that she was subject to fits of madness.

A just retribution, he thought. But she is my mother and it is not for me to add to her miseries. Her sins have created for her a hell on earth and it is for her to inhabit it.

Meanwhile there were domestic problems. He wanted his sister Eleanor to take up residence with Philippa.

Among all the evil things that had happened the brightness in his life came from his Queen and his child.

Little Edward was progressing well and proving himself to be the most beautiful and intelligent boy that ever lived. Philippa was a happy wife and mother and whenever the King felt in need of comfort he went to her. He found her delighting in a letter from the Court of Hainault. She had always been devoted to her family and there was a constant exchange of letters between the two Courts, so Philippa was kept informed of the family’s health, excitement and sorrows.

‘She writes so vividly,’ said Philippa. ‘When I read my mother’s letters it is like being at home.’

This time she was more than usually excited. ‘Such good news, Edward. My mother wants to visit us.’

‘That will be wonderful for you.’

‘Of course I tell her how happy I am, how wonderful you are to me and how ideally suited we are.’

‘I’ll warrant you also write of your son’s perfections.’ ‘She will naturally want to hear of Edward.’

‘What has the young rogue been doing of late ?’

‘Screaming now and then to attract my attention. Continuing to scream if the nurse picks him up because he wants his mother.’

‘I don’t blame him,’ said Edward fondly.

‘He knows exactly what is going on.’

‘I am sure he knows all about the trouble with the Scots and the French and all our other affairs.’

Philippa noticed the sadness which crept into his voice, and she guessed he was thinking of his mother.

She said quickly: ‘All declare there is something really wonderful about little Edward. He grows more like you every day.’

‘Then it would appear that he is well on the way to becoming a paragon of all the virtues ... in his mother’s eyes at least. Now tell me more of these suggested visits.’

‘She wants to see for herself.’

‘Then we must make grand preparations for her.’

‘Oh Edward, how good you are to me!’

He smiled a little grimly. The festivities would be paid for out of the money she had brought into the country. The exchequer was low. When was it not? They were an extravagant family, these Plantagenets. Some spent on themselves and their families like Henry the Third, some on their favourites like Edward. Some on wars like his grandfather. He himself was not averse to a certain extravagance in dress. In fact he liked it very much. A king, after all, must appear in royal splendour to please his subjects and to impress his enemies—otherwise people would begin to wonder whether he was indeed a king.

‘We must make a really rich show for her. Your father will not travel with her, I suppose?’

‘He could not leave Hainault. Isabella will stay with him. She is the only one of us who is unmarried.’

‘I doubt she will remain so for long.’

‘It must be lonely for her ... with us all gone away. First me to you and then Margaret to Emperor Louis of Bavaria and then Jeanne to the Court of Juliers. It must be so different now.’

‘Speaking of families reminds me. I want my sister Eleanor to come to you.’

‘To come to me? To stay, you mean?’

‘Yes, I want her to join your household. You see, Philippa, what has happened to our mother has been a shock to us all. I do not know how Eleanor feels, for I would not ask her. You are good and kind and sweet and I want you to take her under your care. I want you to comfort her.’

Philippa’s eyes were gentle.

‘My dear Edward, you can rely on me to do everything I can to make her happy.’

Edward regarded her with emotion.

Did ever a man have so perfect a wife?


* * *

It was a great comfort to the Princess Eleanor to join the household of her sister-in-law. Philippa welcomed her warmly and the friendly homely atmosphere which the Queen had brought to her Court was just what Eleanor needed at this time.

There had been so many shocks in her life. She had quickly learned that her parents were at war with each other. She had heard whispers which she did not understand about the Despensers. She remembered seeing a swinging body on a rope and she and Joanna had huddled together afraid to look out of their window and yet unable to stop themselves although they knew that their dreams would be haunted by that sight for a long time to come. Then her father had disappeared and her mother had come from France with the Earl of March; afterwards her father had died and then, most frightening of all, Joanna had been taken away from her and married to the Prince of Scotland. She had never really recovered from that shock for she and Joanna had always been together until then. They had shared the same household. The Lady Isabella de Valence had been their guardian and Johanette Jermyn their governess, while John de Tresk had looked after their wardrobe. They had been a happy household and then gradually she had noticed an apprehension descend upon them. In those early days she had never thought of life without Joanna, and then suddenly her sister was whisked away. Poor sad little Joanna, who had been so frightened and clung to her at night and declared she would never never go. But the day had come and they had all travelled up to Scotland—except Edward. He would not come and people said it was because he did not like Joanna’s being sent away.

And ever since Eleanor had realized that she might have been the one to be sent into that cold harsh country to live among strangers, away from her home, from Edward, Philippa, Lady de Valence and the rest. They might have allowed Johanette to go with her but after a while princesses’ countrymen and women were always sent home. Philippa’s had been but that was not important for Philippa had Edward and that was what she wanted; and now they had the dear little baby.

It was a joyful day for Eleanor when she heard that instead of being sent away to some foreign land she was to go into the Queen’s household. This was balm; it would almost make up for the loss of Joanna; and it was Philippa’s intention that it should.

There was the baby to be admired, for Philippa did not behave in the least as Eleanor’s mother had. Eleanor had rarely seen Queen Isabella during her childhood and when she did there was so much to be remembered—curtseying in the correct manner, giving the right answers to the questions which were directed at her, and although few were she had always to be ready in case they might be. Philippa was quite different. She liked to sit with her baby in her lap with Eleanor on a stool while they talked of him and to him and marvelled at him.

Eleanor wished that Joanna could have been there so that she could have enjoyed this life before being taken away to Scotland.

Philippa did a great deal to soothe Eleanor’s fears. She was sure, she said, that when Eleanor married it would be someone she loved as she, Philippa, loved Edward. Philippa never tired of telling of the romantic way in which Edward had come to her father’s Court and how the four girls had liked him so much but that there was something special between her and Edward, and she told of how frightened she had been that she might not be the chosen one.

In time Eleanor’s dreams ceased to be haunted by disaster. The days were pleasant. She saw more of Edward than she ever had before and she thought she was indeed lucky to have such a brother and a new sister who was good and kind and who helped her to understand what was expected of her.

The great excitement now was the coming of the Countess of Hainault. Philippa had not seen her mother since her marriage; her excitement was infectious and Eleanor was caught up in it.

Edward joined them and they excitedly discussed the arrangements for the entertainments they would give. Edward was determined that all due honour should be paid to the mother of his Queen. He loved to joust for he excelled at the sport. His long arms and legs gave him an advantage and since the death of Mortimer and retirement of his mother an aura of kingship had settled on him. Each day he grew more and more like his grandfather but he loved splendour far more than Edward the First ever had. Edward certainly liked to show off his handsome looks and figure with fine clothes and to appear before his people as a champion; but it was an understandable vanity and the people enjoyed it.

‘There shall be tournaments in and around London,’ he said. ‘We will begin with Dartmouth and Stepney and the best of all shall be Cheapside. I will ride out through the streets with fifteen chosen knights and we will challenge any to come against us.’

‘It will be magnificent,’ cried the Queen.

‘I shall have a gallery put up across the road and you ladies shall watch the joust from it.’

‘My mother will be most grateful for your kindness in entertaining her so lavishly,’ said Philippa, but she was thinking of the cost, for she had been amazed at the poverty of England—. which was still feeling the effect of the extravagances, first of Gaveston, then the Despensers and after that Mortimer—when compared with the prosperity of Hainault which was so much smaller and of less importance in the world than England. She was sure that something should be done about it. But with the King glowing with anticipation at the pleasure in store this was not the time to talk about the country’s poverty.