Now Eleanor could sit down and write to Philippa and tell her of the strange episode which had now ended happily.

Poor Eleanor, thought Philippa. And she chided herself for feeling that inner resentment because Edward had briefly preferred another woman.


* * *

Edward showed clearly that he did not wish to be separated from Philippa. He took great pains to display his devotion to her which she found very touching. She had never mentioned to him that she knew of his feelings for the Countess of Salisbury and he never spoke of that lady to her. Everywhere he went he wanted her beside him; and he always insisted that she was as magnificently attired as he was—and since he took very great delight in fine clothes they made a splendid pair indeed.

He decided that he would hold a great tournament at Windsor and to this would be invited all the champions of Europe. He hoped that among these would be included the French knights; and it amused him to contemplate King Philip’s chagrin in knowing that his greatest nobles were competing on an English field.

Edward, like his grandfather, had always felt a great interest in the legends of King Arthur and his knights, and he decided that for this occasion there should be a round table and that there the fairest ladies of the land, led by the Queen, should be seated with their knights whose object should be the exercise of chivalry.

Safe conducts were given for all knights no matter whence they came and this applied in particular to the French. They began to arrive from all over Europe.

This was going to be the most magnificent joust of all times. The Princesses Isabella and Joanna were to be present and there was great excitement in their apartments as they were fitted for the glittering garments they would wear. They were to be seated with the Queen in the ladies’ gallery and from there they would select the knights they most admired and perhaps one of them would wear a favour from one of them which would proclaim the lady whom he honoured.

Their father’s cousin Joan was with them. The fact that she was twelve years old—four years Isabella’s senior—gave her a certain authority and she seemed very knowledgeable to the two Princesses. There was an aura of romance about Joan. In the first place she was outstandingly pretty. Isabella had noticed with dismay that whenever Joan was present people looked at her, smiled at her, were ready to indulge her. That irritated Isabella for even her father had a fondness for the girl because she was so pretty.

In fact she was called the Fair Maid of Kent. Another reason why she seemed so romantic was because of her father, the Duke of Kent, who was royal by birth being the son of Edward the First, had been executed before he was thirty years old at the order of the old Queen and Mortimer. Joan herself did not remember him for she was only two years old at the time—but this fact and her beauty made her an outstanding personality.

Joan was very much aware of her charms and already she had admirers. One was William de Montacute, eldest son of the Earl of Salisbury, but when in his household she had made the acquaintance of Sir Thomas Holland, his father’s steward, and she was not sure which one she preferred.

‘My sister Joanna has been betrothed and almost married,’ Isabella reminded Joan, ‘and there have been arrangements for me.’

Joan tossed back her beautiful fair hair and smiled tolerantly at them. ‘Poor little Princesses,’ she said, ‘you will have to marry Princes who are chosen for you. You will have to go away to their countries and be very docile. I shall never be that, I assure you.’

She had no need to assure them. It was clear that Joan would have her own way.

She then told them about William de Montacute whose father was a prisoner of the French and whose mother was said to be one of the handsomest women in the country. ‘Of course she is old,’ added Joan complacently.

She was not sure whom she would marry, she told the Princesses. If she married William de Montacute she would be Countess of Salisbury when his father died and life in a French prison was not the sort of condition to prolong life was it? On the other hand she had Sir Thomas Holland, and he could be very rich. So the Princess would see it was a hard choice for her. On the whole she thought she preferred Thomas and being as royal as they were the title of Countess meant little to her.

Isabella was a little disconcerted that Joan’s affair should be the main topic of conversation. It was annoying that when Joan tried on her glittering garments she looked so much more attractive than they did. Joan was well aware of this and could not resist calling attention to her own charms.

Isabella whispered to her sisters that she did not believe these stories about Joan and her lovers. She would have to marry where she was told—as they would—and there would be no choice for her in the matter.

But when their brother came to their apartments he was immediately attracted to Joan and sat on a window seat with her talking and laughing where she behaved as though she greatly honoured him for allowing him to speak with her.

‘What airs she gives herself,’ said Isabella. ‘One would think she were a king’s daughter.’

Young Edward, however, seemed to find her very atractive and when they rode out it was true that she had three attendants—the Prince himself. William de Montacute and Thomas Holland.

There could be no doubt that Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent, was a very fascinating creature.

There was a new arrival at the joust. He came straight to the King and when Edward saw him he was overcome with emotion.

‘William! ‘ he cried and embraced his friend.

The Earl of Salisbury said that he thought he should lose no time in presenting himself to his sovereign lord who, he knew, had made such efforts on his behalf.

‘I waited only to see my family and hearing that my son had already left for the joust I knew that you, my lord, would wish me to join you.’

‘You are welcome, William. It does me good to see you.’ The King hesitated. ‘Tell me, is the Countess with you?’

‘My lord, she begs your indulgence. An indisposition.’

‘Nothing serious?’

‘Nay, my lord. She assures me of that. But she felt unfit to make the journey.’

The King did not know whether he was bitterly disappointed or relieved. She had done the right thing he was sure—as her tact and discretion would always insist. He longed to see her and yet had she come it would have been embarrassing with her husband just returned from captivity and the gossip which he guessed existed although none would dare let it reach his ears.

‘Come,’ he said, ‘you must show yourself to the Queen. She has been greatly concerned about your imprisonment. Then you must let us know how you were treated. Not too ill, I would guess, by your looks.’

‘No. Philip gave instructions that I was to be well treated. But you know I have had to swear not to take up arms against him again.’

‘I know. It was part of the terms. We will talk of it later. Now let us go to the Queen.’


* * *

There had never been such a joust as this one.

It was January and there was a sharp frost in the air. The Queen with her daughters and her ladies seated in the gallery was a sparkling figure, her gown decorated with pearls and jewels, her velvet cloak edged with finest fur. The King beside her was in red velvet and the entire company glittered.

It was Edward himself who must be the brightest star. He must be the champion of the joust. None should surpass him; nor would it be easy to for he had made himself a master of the field.

The emphasis on this occasion was chivalry. As his grandfather had, he wanted to return to those days when knighthood meant chivalry. And nowhere was this more stressed than in the legendary tales of King Arthur and his Round Table. True knights he proclaimed must respect pity and defend all weaker than themselves and that meant a glorification of that sex which was said to be the weaker. Each knight liked to carry a lady’s favour into the fight. A true knight must believe in and defend the Church. He must show strict obedience to his overlord except where this could conflict against his duty to God. He must always fight the forces of evil.

Edward would wear the Queen’s favour and wear it ostentatiously so that all the whispers about him might be suppressed and he could convey to the company that it ill pleased him that there should be calumnies concerning his relationship with the Countess of Salisbury.

How the people cheered his victory! How he enjoyed riding round the field and coming to rest at the royal balcony and there making his bow to the Queen. Philippa, smiling tenderly, knew what this meant. Contrition. He might stray in his thoughts but she was his Queen, the mother of his children and he loved her dearly.

He kept the Earl of Salisbury by his side and it was clear that he considered him to be his very dear friend. This did not surprise William de Montacute because he had always considered himself to be very close to the King; they had shared so many adventures together, and it seemed natural that having so recently returned from captivity in the King’s service Edward should show his appreciation.

In due course William made his appearance in the lists. It may have been that he was weakened from his imprisonment but to the King’s dismay he was felled by his opponent.

A deep silence was on the assembly and many hurried forward to offer succour to the fallen Earl.

The King ordered that he should be carried into the castle and his own royal doctors should attend him. There was a strange tension in the air. It was not unusual for such accidents to happen on such occasions—and they could result in death—but that at this time the victim should be the Earl of Salisbury seemed somehow like an act of fate.