CHAPTER XXVIII.
It was on the day following that which saw the visit of Guy de Marganto Richard de Ashby, that the two lovers stood together at the opencasement of one of the magnificent rooms in Lindwell Castle, with joyin their hearts, such as they had never before known in life. They hadthought, indeed, during the journey from Eltham to Nottingham, that itwas hardly possible anything so bright and sweet could last as thedream-like and uncertain delight which they then enjoyed in eachother's society, in the sort of toleration which their love received,and in the hopes to which that toleration gave rise. But now Hugh deMonthermer had come with happier tidings still; and, with his armcircling her he loved, her hand clasped in his, and her head leaning onhis shoulder, he told her that her father had been with him for an hourthat day, previous to his noon visit to the King, and had given hisdecided consent to their union. He had expressed some doubts, the loversaid, as to her brother Alured's view of the matter, but had promisedto take upon himself the task of bringing his son's fiery andintractable spirit to reason; and certain it is that when the youngnobleman left Nottingham Castle to proceed with his small train toLindwell, the Earl of Ashby had fully and entirely made up his mind tobestow his daughter's hand upon Hugh de Monthermer with as little delayas possible.
Nor was it merely caprice which had produced so favourable a change offeeling in the present instance, although he was by nature, it must beconfessed, somewhat capricious and undecided. He had always liked theyoung knight, even when the two houses of Ashby and Monthermer wereopposed to each other in former days. He had once or twice bestowed acaress upon the boy, when he had met him accidentally at the court ofthe King, and Hugh had shown a degree of affection for him in return,which had produced one of those impressions in his favour that timestrengthens rather than effaces.
Various circumstances had since caused him to vacillate, as we haveseen; but when after the battle of Evesham he found that Hugh was inhigh favour with the gallant Prince, who had just saved his father'sthrone, when he saw the way open before him to the brightest career atthe court of his Sovereign, and remembered at the same time that hemust inevitably unite in his own person all the power and fortune ofthe two great branches of his noble house, he felt, that in a mereworldly point of view, a better alliance could not be found throughoutthe land.
He was, therefore, but little inclined to throw any obstacle in theway; and during the progress down to Nottingham,--a progress which inthose times occupied sixteen or seventeen days--he perceived two factswhich fixed his resolution: first, that his daughter whom he lovedbetter than aught else on earth, had staked her happiness on a unionwith Hugh de Monthermer; and next, that it was the earnest desire ofEdward--though the Prince did not make it a positive request, that noobstacle should be thrown in the way of his friend's marriage with herhe loved.
Thus, he himself had, during that morning, led the way to aconversation which ended in his promising Lucy's hand to Hugh deMonthermer; and it had been arranged that, as the King, at the end oftwo days, was to visit Lindwell and be there entertained for a week,the announcement of the approaching marriage should be publicly made onthe morning of the Monarch's arrival.
Such were the happy tidings which Hugh himself bore over to Lucy, andthey now stood at that window gazing over the fair scene before theireyes, with feelings in their hearts which can never be known but oncein life--feelings, the same in their nature and their character in thebosom of each, though modified of course, by sex, by habits, and bydisposition. It was all joy and expectation and the looking forward tothe long bright days of mutual love; but with Lucy that joy was timid,agitating, overpowering. All her gay and sparkling cheerfulness sunkbeneath the weight of happy hopes, as one sometimes sees a bee sooverloaded with honey that he can scarce carry his sweet burden home;and she had neither a jest to throw away upon herself or any one else,but, as we have said, stood quiet and subdued by Hugh de Monthermer'sside, his arm half supporting her, and her head leaning on hisshoulder. He, too, though always tender and kind towards her, seemedsoftened still more, by the circumstances in which he was placed. Eventhe eager love within his bosom controlled itself, lest its ardourshould alarm and agitate the gentle being, whom he now looked upon asall his own. He soothed her, he calmed her, his caresses were light andtender; and he even strove to win her thoughts away from the moreagitating parts of the subject on which they rested, to those whichwould give her back firmness and tranquillity.
He called her mind back to the day they had spent together in theforest, to the promises they had made, and to the restrictions she hadplaced upon hers. He acknowledged that it was better she had done so,but he added--"I may now ask you unhesitatingly, dear Lucy, to pledgeme here the vow that you will soon make at the altar, and to tell methat you are mine, and will be for ever mine."
"Oh, willingly, willingly, now!" answered Lucy, withdrawing her handfor a moment, and then giving it back again. "Yours I am, Hugh,whatever betide--yours and none but yours,--yours through weal and woe,through life, till death--oh, yes, and after death!" and she hid hereyes for a moment on his bosom, with the sweet tears of happy emotionrising is them till they well-nigh over-ran the dark fringed lid. Then,turning again to the view before their eyes, they both gazed forth insilence, with their hearts full and their minds busy.
Alas, poor lovers! they little knew that their fate was like thechangeful autumn day, whose clouds and sunshine were sweeping rapidlyover the wide forest scene on which they looked, now sparkling in thefull glory of light, and the next moment, ere one could see the stormin its approach, dark and heavy with the raindrops rushing down, andtearing the brown leaves from the fading trees.
One of those heavy showers had just cleared away, and the rays of thesun were sparkling again over the jewelled ground, when, about an hourafter Hugh's arrival, a large and splendid train was seen coming acrossthe green slopes from Nottingham, betokening the return of the Earl. Herode on quickly, and Lucy and her lover advanced into the richly carvedstone balcony, to wave the hand and welcome him back with looks thatspoke their gratitude and joy; but the Earl did not raise his eyes, andboth Hugh and his fair companion perceived, as he approached, that inthe train of the Earl were several gentlemen not belonging to his ownhousehold.
A moment or two after, steps were heard ascending, and as they weremany, Lucy darted away through a small door which led, by anotherstaircase, to her own apartments, believing that her father wasbringing some strangers to the castle, and wishing to remove the tracesof recent agitation from her countenance before she met them.
Hugh de Monthermer was not long left alone. Lucy was scarcely gone whenthe voice of the Earl of Ashby was heard speaking to some of those whohad accompanied him.
"Stay you here, gentlemen," he said, "he will return with you to theKing--be not afraid; I will be his surety.--Let me speak with himfirst;" and the next instant the Earl entered the hall, with his eyesbent upon the ground and a cloud upon his brow.
Though conscious of perfect innocence, and knowing of no danger thatwas likely to befal him, the heart of Hugh de Monthermer sunk at thewords which he heard the Lord de Ashby utter. They came upon his earlike the announcement of new misfortunes, of new obstacles between Lucyand himself. It is true they might have meant a thousand other things,they might have referred even to some other person, but how often do wesee a boy in the midst of a sunshiny holiday take alarm at the shadowof a light cloud, and fancy that a storm is coming on. Hugh deMonthermer was too brightly happy not to tremble lest his happinessshould pass away like a dream.
Advancing, then, rapidly towards the Earl, he said, with his usualfrank and generous bearing, "What is the matter, my noble lord? Youseem sad and downcast, though you were so gay and cheerful thismorning."
"Everything has changed since this morning, sir," answered the Earl,"and my mood with the rest. The King forbids your marriage with mydaughter; and, as my consent was but conditional----"
Hugh's indignation would not bear restr
aint. "This is most unjust andtyrannical"--he replied aloud; "but I do believe some one has poisonedthe King's mind against me, for until yesterday morning he was allfavour and kindness. Prince Edward is now absent, and some villain hastaken advantage thereof to abuse the Monarch's ear."
"Of that I know nothing," answered the Earl, coldly, "but at all eventshe has forbidden the marriage--and consequently I require you to giveme back my plighted word that it should take place."
"Never!" exclaimed Hugh de Monthermer, vehemently, "Never!--I willnever be accessory to my own bitter and unjust disappointment.--Youmay, my lord, if you will--but I do not think you will--you may breakyour promise, you may withdraw your consent, but it shall be your ownact and none of mine. I stand before you here, as honest and innocentof all offence as ever man was; and, if there was no cause this morningwhy you should refuse me your dear daughter's hand, there is none now."
"There is--there is," cried the Earl, sharply,--"the King's expresscommand."
"Given upon some false showing," said Hugh de Monthermer. "I will go tohim this moment. I will dare my accusers to bring forward their chargeto my face. I will prove their falsehood upon them--first by show ofwitnesses, and next by arms--and bitterly shall they repent the daythat they dared sully my name by a word. I know them,--I know who theyare, and their contrivances, right well. I had a warning of their beingnear, last night.--I do beseech you, my lord, tell me, of what do theyaccuse me? and fear not that I will soon exculpate myself."
"Nay, I know not, accurately, Hugh," replied the Earl, in a kindliertone than he had hitherto used. "I have heard, however, that there is acharge against you, a general charge of conspiring with those enemiesof the state who have been striving to raise once more the standard ofrebellion in the North and in the marches of Wales."
"It is false--it is as false as hell!" cried Hugh; but then, after amoment, growing calmer, he took the old Earl's hand, saying, "Forgiveme, my dear lord, if, in the heat of so bitter a disappointment, I havesaid anything that could pain or offend you. Forgive me, I entreatyou--and promise me two things."
"What are they, my good lord?" demanded the Earl. "I will, if they aremeet and reasonable."
Hugh de Monthermer lowered his voice from the tone in which he hadbefore been speaking, and replied, "They are meet and reasonable, mylord, or I would not ask them. First, promise me that the moment I amgone you will write a letter to Prince Edward, telling him that hishumble friend, Hugh de Monthermer, is accused of crimes which hedeclares he never dreamt of. Beseech him to return with all speed tosee justice done, and send the packet by a trusty messenger to Derby,where the Prince now lies."
"I will--I will," answered the Earl; "it shall be done within an hour.But what more, Hugh--what more?"
"This, my dear lord," replied the young nobleman,--"your messenger willreach Derby to-night; and, if I know Prince Edward rightly, ereto-morrow's sun be an hour declined from high noon, he will be inNottingham. I will beseech the King to wait till that moment, to hearmy full defence. What I ask then is, that you will meet me in thepresence, and, if you cannot lay your hand upon your heart and say thatyou believe me guilty, you will renew your promise of dear Lucy's hand,and urge the King with me to give his consent likewise."
The old Lord hesitated, but at length answered, "Well!"
"Then now farewell, my lord," said Hugh de Monthermer. "I must not staytill your dear daughter comes. After the happy hour we passed but nowtogether, 'twould well-nigh break my heart to see her under othercircumstances."
Thus saying, he wrung the old man's hand, and strode towards the door,but turning for an instant before he quitted the chamber, he saw thatthe Earl stood fixed in the midst of the hall, with a hesitating air;and he added, aloud, "You will not fail, my lord!"
"No, no," replied the Earl, "I will meet you at the hour younamed.--Fear not, I will not fail."
There was a wide landing-place between the top of the stairs and thedoor of the hall; and Hugh de Monthermer found it crowded withgentlemen belonging to Henry's court. The moment he appeared, Sir Guyde Margan advanced towards him, saying, "Lord Hugh de Monthermer, I amcommanded by the King----"
But Hugh interrupted his address, frowning upon him sternly, "To summonme to his majesty's presence!" he said. "I go thither, at once, sir,and that is enough!--Take care, Sir Guy de Margan!" he added, seeinghim still approaching him; "remember, I am not fond of your closepresence!"--and he brought the hilt of his long sword nearer to hisright hand, striding onward to the top of the staircase, as he did so;while the gentlemen who occupied the landing, not exactly liking theexpression of his countenance, made way for him on either side, and Guyde Margan bit his lip with an angry frown, not daring to approach tooclosely.
The young nobleman's horse, and the attendants who had accompanied him,were ready in the court; and springing into the saddle, without givingthe slightest attention to those who followed, he shook his bridlerein, and galloped on towards Nottingham. The others came after at fullspeed: and both parties entered the city, and passed the gates of thecastle almost at the same moment. Dismounting from his horse, Hughproceeded at once towards the royal apartments, leaving several of thepages and attendants behind him, unquestioned, on his way. In theante-room of the audience chamber he met William de Valence, for thetime one of the prime favourites of the Monarch; and stopping him, heasked, "Can I speak with his Majesty, my Lord of Pembroke? I find Ihave been accused wrongfully, and must clear myself."
"His Grace expects your lordship," answered the Earl, with an icy look;"but he expects to see you in custody."
"There was no need, sir," replied Hugh; "I fear not to meet my King,and never need force to make me face my foes. Will you bring me to thepresence--that is all I require."
"Follow me, then," said the Earl; and opening the door, he announcedthe arrival of the young knight to Henry, who immediately ordered himto be brought in.
The Monarch was seated near a table, with the Lord Mortimer standing byhim. They were apparently jesting upon some subject, for both weresmiling when Hugh de Monthermer entered; but the moment the weak andtyrannical Sovereign's eyes fell upon him, an angry scowl came upon hiscountenance, which brought King John strongly back to the minds ofthose who remembered that feeble and cold-blooded Prince.
"So, sir," said Henry, "you have come of your accord, to meet thereward of your high merits!"
"I come, your Grace," replied Hugh, bowing low, "to meet my accusers inyour royal presence, and to give them the lie in their teeth, if theydare to charge me with any act contrary to my allegiance or my duty."
"What!" said the King--"was consorting with De Montfort, was fightingat Evesham, not contrary to your allegiance?"
"Oh! my lord," answered Hugh, "if the charge goes as far back as that,I must plead both your Grace's special pardon, and your general amnestyto all who laid down their arms, made submission, and offended notagain!"
"But you have offended again," exclaimed the King; "that is the chiefcharge against you."
"And whoever does make it," replied Hugh de Monthermer, "is a false andperjured traitor, and I will prove it upon him, either by investigationbefore your Majesty, or by wager of battle--my body against his, withGod for the judge."
"Nay--nay, sir," said Henry, "we know your strength and skill in armsright well; and this is not a case where we will trust plain justice tobe turned from its course by a strong arm and a bold but perverseheart. We ourselves will be your accuser, with whom there can be nowager of battle; and those we call to prove your crime shall be butwitnesses."
"My lord, that cannot be," replied Hugh, boldly. "My King will never bejudge and accuser, both in one."
"Then you shall have other judges," cried the Monarch; "your peersshall judge you. But, if you be truly innocent, you will not scruplenow to answer at once the charges made against you."
"It is for that, I come," replied the young knight. "Unprepared, notknowing what these charges are, I come to meet them as I may. I prayyou, let me hear them."
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While he and the King had been speaking, a number of new faces hadappeared in the audience chamber, comprising all those who had followedthe young nobleman from Lindwell; and Henry, running his eye over them,exclaimed--"Stand forth, Guy de Margan--and you, Hugh Fitzhugh--andyou, Sir William Geary, come near also, and say of what you accuse LordHugh de Monthermer."
"'Faith, sire," replied Sir William Geary, with his usual sarcasticgrin, "I accuse the noble knight of nothing. I was at the pass of armsat Northampton, my lord, when he unhorsed the four best lances in thefield. Now, I never was particularly strong in the knees, and,moreover, am getting somewhat rusty with years; so God forbid that Ishould accuse any man who talks of the wager of battle. When I heardit, I trembled almost as much as Sir Guy de Margan here."
"It is false! I trembled not!" exclaimed Sir Guy.
"True--true," answered the other, "you only shook, and looked sickly."
"Sir William Geary," cried the King, "this is no jesting matter! Speakwhat it was you told me that you saw."
"I saw a fat monk," replied Sir William Geary, whose inclination for ajoke could hardly be restrained--"a jolly monk as ever my eyes restedupon, and this fat monk, sire," he continued, more seriously, seeingthat the King was becoming angry, "stopped, and asked his way to theapartments of the noble lord. He jested as wittily with Sir Harry Greyas a court fool does with a thick-headed country lad; but when he hadgone on his way, Sir Guy de Margan here, a very serious and reputableyouth, as your Majesty knows, told me, in mysterious secrecy, that thefriar was a very treacherous piece of fat indeed--a traitor'smessenger--a go-between of rebels--a personage whom he had himselfknown with Sir William Lemwood and the rest, in the marches of Wales.So, inviting him sweetly into my chamber, we two watched together forthe monk's going forth from this noble lord's apartments which was notfor more than an hour. In the meanwhile, pious Sir Guy entertained mewith his shrewd suspicions, of how the monk and the valiant knight werehatching treason together, which, as you know, sire, is a cockatrice'segg, laid by male fowls, and hatched by dragons looking at it. Avery pretty allegory of a conspiracy, if we did but read fools forfowls--that by the way; but to return to my tale:--the monk at lengthappeared in the courtyard again, and shortly after the Lord Hugh deMonthermer, him following. Thereupon; one of those irresistibleinclinations which set the legs in motion, whether man will or not,seized upon me and good Sir Guy; and drawn as if by that rock ofadamant on which the Earl is fixed, we pursued, without power ofresistance, the path of knight and friar. Just at the gate of the citywe found our ascetic friend mounted on a mule, and holding a horse forhis knightly acquaintance, on which we saw the gallant Lord spring, andafter that they rode away together. This is all I have to say, sire,and what I have said is true; but far be it from me to take anyaccusation against a knight who can squeeze a horse to death betweenhis two knees, or stop a charger in full course by catching hold of aniron ring, and grasping the beast with his two legs."
"What have you to answer, sir?" demanded the King, turning to Hugh.
"Simply that I saw a monk yesterday, sire," replied the young nobleman,"and that he stayed with me nearly an hour, talking much of venison,and somewhat of hunting. He may, from his language, have committed thecrime of taking a fat buck when he had no right to do so; but, by myfaith, that is the only treason I should suspect him of, and not oneword did he utter in my presence, either about risings, rebellions, oraught else that could move your royal displeasure."
"Ha! what say you to this, Sir Guy de Margan?" asked the King. "Tellus, who is this friar? Is he a rebel, or is he not?"
"Notoriously so, my lord," replied Guy de Margan. "I found him withLemwood and the other traitors, to whom you, sire, sent me for thepurpose of negotiation; and it would seem that he had come to comfortthem with promises of assistance from the North."
"But yet that does not prove," said Mortimer, "that the Lord Hugh heldany treasonable converse with him. His business with that good lordmight have been of a very simple kind."
Malevolent injustice becomes most dangerous when it assumes the garb ofequity; and Mortimer, who knew the whole that was to come, only assumedthe style of an impartial judge, that his after persecution of theyoung nobleman might seem dictated by a sense of justice.
"It might have been so, indeed," replied Guy de Margan, "had it butbeen a visit from the friar to my Lord of Monthermer; but their settingforth together would seem strange; and the secrecy observed in the monkquitting the castle first, and the knight following at a littledistance, renders it more strange still. Perhaps Lord Hugh willcondescend to explain why he went, and where."
"Methinks," answered Hugh, "that the honourable spies who crept aftermy footsteps from the castle to the town gate, might have carried theirinquiries a little farther, when they would have saved the necessity ofsuch questions here."
"In regard to one point," said Hugh Fitzhugh, a large, burly Normangentleman--"in regard to one point, I, at least, can give someexplanation. What he went for I can but divine, but where he went Iknow right well. He rode out with all speed to the forest, for I sawhim there with this same monk they mention. The truth is, I hadsomewhat missed my way; and coming through some of the by-paths of thewood, I suddenly chanced upon a party of five persons in deep andearnest conversation. Three of them had vizards on their faces, too,and the two that were unmasked were Hugh de Monthermer and the friar wehave heard of. Now, my lord the King, unless he explain that, we haveno explanation at all. But your wisdom will judge."
"Let him explain, if he will," said the King, "or rather, if he can. Idoubt it much; but I am willing to hear."
"My lord," replied Hugh de Monthermer, "for once in their lives thesenoble gentlemen have told the truth: I did go out after the priest; Idid accompany him into the forest; I did meet three men there--but withno evil purpose; nor did one word transpire which any man could calltreason."
"Who were the men you went to see?" demanded the King.
"Nay, sire," replied Hugh, "you must forgive me, if I give not theirnames. My accusers, if they charge me with crime, must show that I havebeen guilty of it. Now no such thing is even attempted to be proved.All that they assert is, that I spoke with a friar, rode out with afriar, and was seen conversing with three unknown persons in Sherwood.If this be held as treason, God defend the innocent!"
"But, my good lord," said Mortimer, to whom the King turned his eyes,"it is shown that this friar, who took you forth to speak with threeother men, is himself a notorious traitor, and you must show that theothers were not so also, or the imputation will lie against you ofconsorting with, and concealing the counsel of, the King's enemies."
"Which is a high crime, my lord," added Henry, sternly.
Hugh de Monthermer gazed down thoughtfully on the ground for a moment,for he found that he was placed in a situation of much greaterdifficulty and danger than he imagined; but looking up at length, heanswered, "My lord the King, I am here in this presence without friendsor counsellors to aid or to assist me. I have come without forethoughtor preparation, as fast as my horse would hear me, to answer a charge,cunningly contrived beforehand by my enemies. I do beseech you, give mebut four-and-twenty hours to consider well how I ought to act. If I mayhave any one to advise with me, I shall esteem it as a grace; but ifnot, at all events let me have time for thought myself. I know that Ican prove my innocence, beyond all doubt, if I have time to do it."
"You shall have time and counsel too," replied the King, "but it shallbe under custody. My Lord of Mortimer, attach him in our name. Let himbe conveyed to his chamber; set a strong guard upon the door; and giveaccess to any one of his servants, but not more, that he may have freeleave to send for what counsellor he will; let that counsellor visithim; and as he asks for four-and-twenty hours, bring him before usagain at this same time to-morrow."
The Earl of Mortimer took a few steps forward, as if to attach theyoung nobleman for high treason, but Hugh de Monthermer bowed his head,saying, "I surrender myself willingly, my lord, an
d fixing my fullreliance on the King's justice, await the event of to-morrow withoutfear."
He then left the presence under the custody of Mortimer, and wasconducted to the chamber which he had occupied since his arrival atNottingham, and which comprised, as was usually the case with thoseassigned to noblemen of high rank, a bed-room for himself, and anante-room, across the entrance of which one or two of his attendantsusually slept, barring all dangerous access to their lord during thenight.
Having beckoned some of the King's guard as they passed along, Mortimerstationed two soldiers at the door of the ante-room, and took measuresfor their regular relief on the rounds. He then entered with hisprisoner, and finding stout Tom Blawket in the ante-room, he askedwhether the young nobleman would choose him as the attendant who was tobe permitted to wait upon him, or would send for any other.
"I should have asked for him, my lord, had I not found him here,"replied Hugh. "I thank you for your courtesy, however, and trust thatthe time may come when, having proved my innocence, I may repay it."
"I hope to see you soon at liberty," rejoined Mortimer, with a darksmile; and retiring from the chamber, he ordered another guard to bestationed at the foot of the staircase.
No sooner was he gone, than Hugh called the stout yeoman into the innerroom, and bade him shut the door.
"Nay, look not downcast, Blawket," he said, as the man entered with asad and apprehensive look, "this storm will soon pass away. Indeed, itwould have been dissipated already, but that I was embarrassed by amatter which will be joyful tidings to you."
"I know what you would say, my lord," replied the good yeoman, "for,since we have been here, I have heard of the noble Earl. That urchinboy who served you some time at Hereford, sprang up behind me one daywhen I was crossing the forest, and told me all about it."
"Well, then, Blawket," continued Hugh, "no time is to be lost; get toyour horse's back with all speed, and ride along upon the east side ofSherwood, taking the Southwell road till you come to the _Mere mark_--atall post painted with red stripes--There turn into the wood for somefive hundred yards, and sound three mots upon your horn, whoever comesto you, will lead you to my uncle. Tell him I have been watched; thatthe man who passed while we were speaking together yesterday recognisedme; and combining that fact with others, has given a face of truth toan accusation of treason against me. Show him that I dare not say whoit was I met, lest the forest should be searched and his retreatdiscovered. When twenty-four hours are over, however, I must speak, ifI would save my head from the axe, for I see that there is a darkconspiracy against me, and I am without support. Beseech him to put asmany miles as may be between himself and Nottingham, ere this hourto-morrow, for the King's wrath burns as fiercely against him as ever.Away, good Blawket--away!--Should any one stop you, and ask you whereyou are going, say for Master Roger More, a clerk well skilled in thelaws, and lose no time."
"I will not spare the spur, my lord," replied Blawket, and withdrew,leaving Hugh de Monthermer in meditations, which were sad and gloomy,notwithstanding all his efforts to convince himself that no real dangerhung over him.
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