Two Penniless Princesses - Charlotte Yonge 5 стр.

And she looked it, with beauty enhanced by the rich attire which only made Eleanor embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Malcolm, the more scrupulous of the Drummond brothers, begged of George Douglas, when at Durham, to write to his father and declare himself to Sir Patrick, but the youth would do neither. He did not think himself sufficiently out of reach, and, besides, the very sight of a pen was abhorrent to him. There was something pleasing to him in the liberty of a kind of volunteer attached to the expedition, and he would not give it up. Nor was he without some wild idea of winning Jeans notice by some gallant exploit on her behalf before she knew him for the object of her prejudice, the Master of Angus. As to Sir Patrick, he was far too busy trying to compose Border quarrels, and gleaning information about the Gloucester and Beaufort parties at Court, to have any attention to spare for the young man riding in his suite with the barefooted lad ever at his stirrup.

Geordie never attempted to secure better accommodation than the other lances; he groomed his steed himself, with a little assistance from Ringan, and slept in the straw of its bed, with the lad curled up at his feet; the only difference observable between him and the rest being that he always groomed himself every night and morning as carefully as the horse, a ceremony they thought entirely needless.

CHAPTER 3. FALCON AND FETTERLOCK

Beyond York that species of convoy, which ranged between protection and supervision, entirely ceased; the Scottish party moved on their own wa oftener through heath, rock, and moor, for England was not yet thickly inhabited, though there was no lack of hostels or of convents to receive them on this the great road to the North, and to its many shrines for pilgrimage.

Perhaps Sir Patrick relaxed a little of his vigilance, since the good behaviour of his troop had won his confidence, and they were less likely to be regarded as invaders than by the inhabitants of the district nearer their own frontier.

Hawking and coursing within bounds had been permitted by both the Knight of Berwick and the Canon of Durham on the wide northern moors; but Sir Patrick, on starting in the morning of the day when they were entering Northamptonshire, had given a caution that sport was not free in the more frequented parts of England, and that hound must not be loosed nor hawk flown without special permission from the lord of the manor.

He was, however, riding in the rear of the rest, up a narrow lane leading uphill, anxiously discussing with Father Romuald the expediency of seeking hospitality from any of the great lords whose castles might be within reach before he had full information of the present state of factions at the Court, when suddenly his son Malcolm came riding back, pushing up hastily.

Sir! father! he cried, theres wud wark ahead, theres a flight of unco big birds on before, and Lady Jeans hawk is awa after them, and Jeanies awa after the hawk, and Geordie Red Peel is awa after Jean, and Davies awa after Geordie; and theres the blast of an English bugle, and my mither sent me for you to redd the fray!

Time, indeed! said Sir Patrick with a sigh, and, setting spurs to his horse, he soon was beyond the end of the lane, on an open heath, where some of his troop were drawn up round his banner, almost forcibly kept back by Dame Lilias and the elder Andrew. He could not stop for explanation from them, indeed his wife only waved him forward towards a confused group some hundred yards farther off, where he could see a number of his own men, and, too plainly, long bows and coats of Lincoln green, and he only hoped, as he galloped onward, that they belonged to outlaws and not to rangers. Too soon he saw that his hope was vain; there were ten or twelve stout archers with the white rosette of York in their bonnets, the falcon and fetterlock on their sleeves, and the Plantagenet quarterings on their breasts. In the midst was a dead bustard, also an Englishman sitting up, with his head bleeding; Jean was on foot, with her dagger-knife in one hand, and holding fast to her breast her beloved hawk, whose jesses were, however, grasped by one of the foresters. Geordie of the Red Peel stood with his sword at his feet, glaring angrily round, while Sir Patrick, pausing, could hear his son Davids voice in loud tones

I tell you this lady is a royal princess! Yes, she isas there was a kind of scoffand we are bound on a mission to your King from the King of Scots, and woe to him that touches a feather of ours.

That may be, said the one who seemed chief among the English, but that gives no licence to fly at the Dukes game, nor slay his foresters for doing their duty. If we let the lady go, hawk and man must have their necks wrung, after forest laws.

And I tell thee, cried Davie, that this is a noble gentleman of Scotland, and that we will fight for him to the death.

Let it alone, Davie, said George. No scathe shall come to the lady through me.

Save him, Davie! save Skywing! screamed Jean.

To the rescuea Drummond, shouted David; but his father pushed his horse forward, just as the men in green, were in the act of stringing, all at the same moment, their bows, as tall as themselves. They were not so many but that his escort might have overpowered them, but only with heavy loss, and the fact of such a fight would have been most disastrous.

What means this, sirs? he exclaimed, in a tone of authority, waving back his own men; and his dignified air, as well as the banner with which Andrew followed him, evidently took effect on the foresters, who perhaps had not believed the young men.

Sir Patie, my hawk! entreated Jean. She did but pounce on yon unco ugsome bird, and these bloodthirsty grasping loons would have wrung her neck.

She took her knife to me, growled the wounded man, who had risen to his feet, and showed bleeding fingers.

Ay, for meddling with a royal falcon, broke in Jean. Tis thou, false loon, whose craig should be raxed.

Happily this was an unknown tongue to the foresters, and Sir Patrick gravely silenced her.

Whist, lady, brawls consort not with your rank. Gang back doucely to my leddy.

But Skywing! he has her jesses, said the girl, but in a lower tone, as though rebuked.

Sir ranger, said Sir Patrick courteously, I trust you will let the young demoiselle have her hawk. It was loosed in ignorance and heedlessness, no doubt, but I trow it is the rule in England, as elsewhere, that ladies of the blood royal are not bound by forest laws.

Sir, if we had known, said the ranger, who was evidently of gentle blood, as he took his foot off the jesses, and Jean now allowed David to remount her.

But my Lord Duke is very heedful of his bustards, and when Roger there went to seize the bird, my young lady was over-ready with her knife.

Who would not be for thee, my bird? murmured Jean.

And yonder big fellow came plunging down and up with his swordso as he was nigh on being the death of poor Roger again for doing his duty. If such be the ways of you Scots, sir, they be not English ways under my Lord Duke, that is to say, and if I let the lady and her hawk go, forest law must have its due on the young man thereI must have him up to Fotheringay to abide the Dukes pleasure.

Heed me not, Sir Patrick! exclaimed Geordie. I would not have those of your meinie brought into jeopardy for my cause.

David was plucking his fathers mantle to suggest who George was, which in fact Sir Patrick might suspect enough to be conscious of the full awkwardness of the position, and to abandon the youth was impossible. Though it was not likely that the Duke of York would hang him if aware of his rank, he might be detained as a hostage or put to heavy ransom, or he might never be brought to the Dukes presence at all, but be put to death by some truculent underling, incredulous of a Scotsmans tale, if indeed he were not too proud to tell it. Anyway, Sir Patrick felt bound to stand by him.

Good sir, said he to the forester, will it content thee if we all go with thee to thy Duke? The two Scottish princesses are of his kin, and near of blood to King Henry, whom they are about to visit at Windsor. I am on a mission thither on affairs of state, but I shall be willing to make my excuses to him for any misdemeanour committed on his lands by my followers.

The forester was consenting, when George cried

Ill have no hindrance to your journey on my account, Sir Patrick. Let me answer for myself.

Foolish laddie, said the knight. Father Romuald and I were only now conferring as to paying the Duke a visit on our way. Sir forester, we shall be beholden to you for guiding us.

He further inquired into the rangers hurts, and salved them with a piece of gold, while David thought proper to observe to George

So much for thy devoir to thy princess! It was for Skywings craig she cared, never thine.

George turned a deaf ear to the insinuation. He was allowed free hands and his own horse, which was perhaps well for the Englishmen, for Ringan Raefoot, running by his stirrup, showed him a long knife, and said with a grin

Ready for the first who daurs to lay hands on the Master! Gin I could have come up in time, the loon had never risen from the ground.

George endeavoured in vain to represent how much worse this would have made their condition.

Sir Patrick, joining the ladies, informed them of the necessity of turning aside to Fotheringay, which he had done not very willingly, being ignorant of the character of the Duke of York, except as one of the war party against France and Scotland, whereas the Beauforts were for peace. As a vigorous governor of Normandy, he had not commended him self to one whose sympathies were French. Lady Drummond, however, remembered that his wife, Cicely Nevil, the Rose of Raby, was younger sister to that Ralf Nevil who had married the friend of her youth, Alice Montagu, now Countess of Salisbury in her own right.

Sir Patrick did not let Jean escape a rebuke.

So, lady, you see what perils to brave men you maids can cause by a little heedlessness.

I never asked Geordie to put his finger in, returned Jean saucily. I could have brought off Skywing for myself without such a clamjamfrie after me.

But Eleanor and Annis agreed that it was as good as a ballad, and ought to be sung in one, only Jean would have to figure as the dour lassie. For she continued to aver, by turns, that Geordie need never have meddled, and that of course it was his bounden duty to stand by his Kings sister, and that she owed him no thanks. If he were hanged for it he had run his craig into the noose.

So she tossed her proud head, and toyed with her falcon, as all rode on their way to Fotheringay, with Geordie in the midst of the rangers.

It was so many years since there had been serious war in England, that the castles of the interior were far less of fortresses than of magnificent abodes for the baronage, who had just then attained their fullest splendour. It may be observed that the Wars of the Roses were for the most part fought out in battles, not by sieges. Thus Fotheringay had spread out into a huge pile, which crowned the hill above, with a strong inner court and lofty donjon tower indeed, and with mighty walls, but with buildings for retainers all round, reaching down to the beautiful newly-built octagon-towered church; and with a great park stretching for miles, for all kinds of sport.

All this enclosed! Yet they make sic a wark about their bustards, as they ca them, muttered Jean.

The forester had sent a messenger forward to inform the Duke of York of his capture. The consequence was that the cavalcade had no sooner crossed the first drawbridge under the great gateway of the castle, where the banner of Plantagenet was displayed, than before it were seen a goodly company, in the glittering and gorgeous robes of the fifteenth century.

There was no doubt of welcome. Foremost was a graceful, slenderly-made gentleman about thirty years old, in rich azure and gold, who doffed his cap of maintenance, turned up with fur, and with long ends, and, bowing low, declared himself delighted that the princesses of Scotland, his good cousins, should honour his poor dwelling.

He gave his hand to assist Jean to alight, and an equally gorgeous but much younger gentleman in the same manner waited on Eleanor. A tall, grizzled, sunburnt figure received Lady Drummond with recognition on both sides, and the words, My wife is fain to see you, my honoured lady: is this your daughter? with a sign to a tall youth, who took Annis from her horse. Dame Lilias heard with joy that the Countess of Salisbury was actually in the castle, and in a few moments more she was in the great hall, in the arms of the sweet Countess Alice of her youth, who, middle-aged as she was, with all her youthful impulsiveness had not waited for the grand and formal greeting bestowed on the princesses by her stately young sister-in-law, the Duchess of York.

There seemed to be a perfect crowd of richly-dressed nobles, ladies, children; and though the Lady Joanna held her head up in full state, and kept her eye on her sister to make her do the same, their bewilderment was great; and when they had been conducted to a splendid chamber, within that allotted to the Drummond ladies, tapestry-hung, and with silver toilette apparatus, to prepare for supper, Jean dropped upon a high-backed chair, and insisted that Dame Lilias should explain to her exactly who each one was.

That slight, dark-eyed carle who took me off my horse was the Duke of York, of course, said she. My certie, a bonnie Scot would make short work of him, bones and all! And it would scarce be worth while to give a clout to the sickly lad that took Elleen down.

Hush, Jean, said Eleanor; some one called him King! Was he King Harry himself?

Oh no, said Dame Lilias, smiling; only King Harry of the Isle of Wighta bit place about the bigness of Arran; but it pleased the English King to crown him and give him a ring, and bestow on him the realm in a kind of sport. He is, in sooth, Harry Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and was bred up as the Kings chief comrade and playfellow.

And what brings him here?

So far as I can yet understand, the family and kin have gathered for the marriage of his sister, the Lady Annethe red-cheeked maiden in the rose-coloured kirtleto the young Sir Richard Nevil, the same who gave his hand to thee, Annisthe son of my Lord of Salisbury.

That was the old knight who led thee in, mother, said Annis. Did you say he was brother to the Duchess?

Even so. There were fifteen or twenty Nevils of Rabyhe was one of the eldest, she one of the youngest. Their mother was a Beaufort, aunt to yours.

Oh, I shall never unravel them! exclaimed Eleanor, spreading out her hands in bewilderment.

Lady Drummond laughed, having come to the time of life when ladies enjoy genealogies.

It will be enough, she said, to remember that almost all are, like yourselves, grandchildren or great-grandchildren to King Edward of Windsor.