The Shadow Queen

by Anne O'Brien

  ‘The lords are worthy of it.’ The King handed a cup of wine to Thomas. ‘What will you do with such a sum? Purchase land perhaps. Build yourself a castle. I know there’ll be nothing from your family for you to inherit beyond a handful of manors.’

  ‘I will neither purchase land nor build a castle, my lord.’

  ‘Then what? Will you go on pilgrimage to the Jerusalem?’

  As Edward looked surprised, light began to dawn for me.

  And as it did, every sinew in my body was tense. How much had Edward promised? Enough to give Thomas no hesitation. I knew exactly what he would do with it, if it were enough. And if it were… But what would be the repercussions? For me? For Will and for Thomas? It was as if a black abyss had opened before us, into which we, all three of us, might fall and be consumed. My mother was unaware of the hovering events. My uncle Wake was engaged in some sotto voce aside on the King’s extravagance with a group of knights. The Dowager Countess was still consumed with glowing pride in her son. The King and Queen had no thought of what Thomas was planning, of the shocking level of deceit that had been practised at the royal court. Perspiration was suddenly a cold finger tracing its path along my spine.

  My attention snapped back to Thomas, to hear him saying:

  ‘I have a purpose for this money, sir.’

  Surely he would not announce it. Surely he would not inform the massed ranks of the court of what he intended. The black abyss crept nearer to the toes of my shoes like a noxious wave. In that moment I prayed that the sum would not be sufficient, that Thomas could not proceed as he wished. But I had seen his face. I knew it would be enough.

  What had the King done, so unwittingly? First to encourage Thomas as our steward. And now this.

  ‘I have a purpose that has been in my mind for seven years but which I have been unable to accomplish. Now I can do so. I have the means.’ Patting the document where it was now hid in his tunic breast, Thomas lifted his hands and, much as I had those few months ago, removed the white silk mask. ‘I will wear this no more. I have fulfilled my oath to perform deeds of valour in France, for God, England and my King.’

  Was that all he would say? The black abyss of scandal receded a little as my breathing eased, but not much. Rejecting his mask would not demand a fortune from royal hands.

  He tucked the white silk into his tunic with Edward’s promise of money.

  ‘You are not renouncing your sword, I hope?’ the King asked, knowing that Thomas would never do that.

  ‘No, my lord. But I renounce my role as steward to the Salisbury household.’

  My breathing once again became shallow.

  ‘As you wish.’ The King looked faintly surprised. Will stiffened at my side. I stood perfectly still, waiting. ‘You no longer need to earn a living, of course, in the house of another man. Unless it is my own.’

  There was a whisper of laughter through the court.

  ‘No, my lord. Your money has been most generous, but that is not the reason why I must no longer be employed by the Earl of Salisbury.’ He bowed. ‘I think that the Earl will have no wish to employ me longer, in any capacity.’

  Will looked startled. I had my own expression well in under control. The King was amused.

  ‘Tell us.’

  Thomas swept the court with a bold eye, such that I was astonished at his confidence before the eminent throng.

  ‘It is my intent, my lords, my ladies, to reclaim my wife.’

  A look of bewilderment touched the King’s face, and many others except for my mother and the Dowager Countess. And Will who stiffened again with an intake of breath as if he had been stung by a wasp.

  ‘Your wife? We were not aware that you had taken a wife. Or are you merely affianced? A secret understanding with some lady, forsooth!’ Edward was intrigued.

  ‘I have a wife, sir. And now I will speak her name. We were married seven years ago but I did not have the money necessary to prove it. Now I do. And prove it I will.’

  ‘But why do you have to prove it? Who is the lady?’ Edward, perplexed now. And then: ‘Is there a problem with her family?’

  ‘Her family is exceptional.’

  With no further warning Thomas held out his hand, palm up. His gaze on me was uncompromisingly direct.

  ‘This is the lady who is my wife. And has been for seven years.’

  The court, to a man, stared at Thomas as if he had taken leave of his senses. As if during the fighting he had suffered a bang on the head that had robbed him of his wits, impairing his judgement.

  ‘No, no. That cannot be.’ The King looked at Philippa for help and received none. She was looking at me with an expression of horror.

  Thomas was still staring at me.

  ‘Joan.’

  It was a command.

  What did I want in that fateful moment? I wanted not to be the object of infamy. I wanted to remain in the affections of the King and Queen. I did not want to hurt Will, who was looking at me as if I had a knife in my hand that I might just use to draw his blood. I did not want the court to whip itself into a storm of chatter and criticism, of finger-pointing at me and at my morals.

  I almost stepped back. Surrounded by so much confliction, I almost repudiated him.

  But Thomas Holland was regarding me with confidence, with diligence. There was also in that gaze a depth of understanding. He had no notion that I might refuse to step with him.

  ‘My lady,’ he invited, his hand still outstretched to take mine.

  So what did I want? My heart thudded with the immediacy of my desires. I wanted him. I wanted to be with Thomas Holland, acknowledging that all the arguments in the world could not change my mind. I wanted him now as much as I had wanted him seven years ago when I had stood beside him, my raiment covered in feathers and mites from the mews.

  ‘Joan!’ It was Will. His voice was harsh with a world of condemnation in it. ‘Will you do this to us? To me?’

  I looked over my shoulder, curving my lips into a little smile. Since there was only one action I could possibly take, that smile held a world of apology as I placed my hand in that of Thomas and stepped to his side. I would be Joan of Kent. I would make my own choices as much as I was able. I would follow my own destiny.

  Thomas said not a word, nor did he have to. I could read the victory in his face as his battle-worn hand closed hard around mine and he led me forward into the little space before the King.

  ‘The Lady Joan is my wife, as she will affirm. Joan and I took oaths per verba de praesenti.’ How easily the Latin fell from his tongue. ‘There were witnesses to that oath-taking who are still alive to speak of it, and there was a physical consummation. Our marriage is as lawful as your own, my lord. Joan’s marriage to the Earl of Salisbury is not a legal one, it never was, and never will be. And now I have the money to prove it in a court of law.’

  King Edward’s face flamed, the lines from nose to mouth dug deep, becoming even deeper when Thomas compared our marriage to his own.

  ‘Do you say?’ It was the quietest of queries but virulent withal.

  I held Thomas’s eyes with my own. Do it. Say it now. Let us claim what is ours to claim. We had come so far; now was not the time to retreat. Even though I trembled at what we were doing.

  ‘I do say it, my lord.’

  The King looked at me.

  ‘Is this the truth, cousin?’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’

  He rounded on my mother whose expression was as blank as an unwritten parchment.

  ‘Did you know of this?’

  Would she deny it? Would she place the blame fully and foursquare on me?

  ‘Yes, my lord. I knew of it.’

  ‘And you said nothing. You told me nothing about it. You allowed me to believe that the marriage to William Montagu was an honest one.’ The King’s voice deepened to a growl of anger.

  ‘Indeed, sir.’ I had to admire my mother’s composure under attack, although I could see her swallow before she told the lie. ‘I was p
ersuaded by my priest that the marriage was not a true one. That Joan, being young, had been misled. That she had been persuaded against her true will. In which case, if she had been forced by this knight,’ her vengeful eye settled on Thomas, ‘the marriage could rightfully be ignored.’

  ‘Where is this priest?’

  ‘Dead, my lord.’

  ‘You said nothing about this to me!’

  Edward turned again to me, his ire a terrible thing. Thomas’s fingers were firm and steady around mine, giving me his whole support, but indeed I did not need it. I had always seen this eventuality. Here it was. And here Thomas and I must make our case to be together.

  ‘And you allowed yourself to be remarried, madam.’

  ‘I was given no choice, sir. My mother and my uncle were very persuasive. I was forbidden to speak of my marriage contract with Sir Thomas. It was not my wish, but I could not defy my mother and uncle.’

  How clear my voice. How certain I sounded. How my heart trembled.

  The King was not persuaded to any degree, turning a snarl of fury on Thomas. ‘You would make of me a fool Holland. In good faith I gave my cousin in marriage to the son of my most loyal friend. You gave me no reason to suppose I could not. You have lived a lie at my side for seven years!’

  Nor was he finished.

  ‘Unprincipled. Immoral. Guilty of crude rape and seduction against an innocent maid. You would pretend to be a chivalrous knight. You are a rogue, sir. You would dishonour me and mine!’

  It was as bad as I ever thought it could be, yet Thomas remained astonishingly calm. Because, as his stepping into our steward’s old shoes, so he had planned this since the French lords had fallen into his hands. His words to the King were forthright.

  ‘I meant no dishonour to you, my lord. I discovered the situation only when I returned from my crusade. Joan was unable to tell me. I returned to find that she was wed to another.’

  Which made no impression on Edward. I had never supposed that it would.

  ‘You wed her in secret! You would undermine my choice of husband for her!’

  ‘No, my lord.’ Thomas spoke with utter conviction, his hand tight clasped around mine as if I might flee the room. ‘There was never that intention. There was no suggestion of another marriage for Joan when I wed her.’

  Edward was beyond reasoned argument. All was denial, accusation.

  ‘You wed my cousin without permission. It was my permission you should have sought, in the absence of her father. You should have come to me, and yet you deliberately defied me, seeing it as a chance to make your future, to gild your ambitions. A gullible girl who would be swept away by brash glamour and false words of crude adoration, from a man who forsook his knightly calling.’

  Well, this is what everyone would think. I felt Thomas inhale slowly, for here was the true ignominy that could destroy his reputation. That he had wanted me only for my royal blood.

  ‘I discovered a love for her,’ Thomas said. ‘I loved her then and I still do.’

  So simple an answer.

  ‘By God, you are ostentatious in the awarding of your so called love!’

  ‘I speak nought but the truth. I knew that you would not give her to me, sir. I am a mere knight, unsuitable to wed a royal princess. You must forgive the effect of love upon us, as you yourself know its power.’ He bowed gracefully to the Queen. ‘As for defiance, it was not so. I am your true and loyal knight. I have fought for you all my life, and will do so again. But Joan will be at my side as my true wife.’

  ‘And you? Do you have nothing to say for your disgraceful behaviour?’ Edward’s eyes bored into mine. ‘Now that I recall, you were keen to know where Prussia was. By the Rood! You were already wed to him then. You said nothing. What have you to say in your own defence now?’

  I looked up at Thomas, then at Edward.

  ‘I took him as my husband. There was no compulsion. It was done of my own free will, because we wished it. We did not speak of it because we knew we would be condemned for it.’

  The King’s thoughts had taken a different tack. I saw it in his face. I had wondered how long it would be before someone spoke of our household, so now I braced myself.

  ‘But you allowed yourself to become the subject of immoral accusation, of sordid culpability. You agreed to Holland becoming your steward. You lived in a household with both of these men.’

  For the first time the King allowed his accusations to touch on Will, which spurred me into sharp retaliation.

  ‘My behaviour within these marriages has been impeccable, my lord. I brought no dishonour to either Sir Thomas or to the Earl, or to yourself and your court. The Queen instilled in me what is due to my name, and I will uphold that until the day of my death. Until I am free of this legal commitment to my lord of Salisbury, I will not to return to Thomas as his wife. It was never my intent to harm the Earl of Salisbury. As long as no one knew, there was no hurt to anyone. All three of us behaved as we should. There was no betrayal, no source of scandal for any man to sneer over. Now all is laid bare, and things must be put right.’

  I would defend my honour to the end.

  ‘Put right. Put right? And how do you intend to do that?’

  Thomas replied as if all could be put right with one sweep of his sword.

  ‘I will take my case before a court of law.’

  Edward’s smile was a baring of teeth. ‘And which English court, under my jurisdiction, will uphold your clandestine marriage to my cousin, do you suppose?’

  ‘None in England. But I know of one that will. And you have given me the money to achieve it, my lord, for which I will be everlastingly grateful. I will appeal to His Holiness in Avignon.’

  Edward’s hands were fisted on his hips while the gathering waited, agog with such a momentous conflict being played out before them. From victory celebration to a supreme clash of will, in which the King appeared to be in retreat, within a half hour. Edward began to threaten.

  ‘I could refuse to pay the purchase price!’

  Thomas placed his palm against his chest, against Edward’s document.

  ‘You could, my lord. I doubt that you would ever be so unjust. Here I have your written promise. I know that the King’s word is law in this land to which I have given all my strength and my duty. I even sacrificed an eye to the mighty reputation of England.’ His voice softened a little, even if his grip on me was as painful as ever. ‘I have seen your compassion towards your enemies in victory. I know that you would not break your promise to a friend who had risked his life in battle for you.’

  ‘I am not so sure, Holland!’

  ‘I am certain of it, my lord.’

  The celebration ended when Edward, taking Philippa’s arm, ushered her and the now squalling baby out of the chamber without another word. What was there left to celebrate when the King had been so terribly challenged? I had been intended as a bride to honour a longstanding friendship. Instead I had dragged everyone into a hotbed of scandal and predictable innuendo. Nothing I could say would change that. For Edward, it was as if he had opened a much desired gift, to find nothing but dross.

  While I had what I had foreseen. The gossip would entertain the court for many days to come. My reputation, I feared, would be the one to suffer. It had been hard to swallow the censure on Philippa’s face.

  Chapter Six

  The retiring of King and Court left a small knot of people, isolated in the middle of the Great Hall. On one side the Montagus, my mother and my uncle Wake, even my young brother of Kent, all gathered together, united by past connivances and for mutual support in the face of Edward’s displeasure. On the other, isolated in his aloneness, but confident in the justice of his cause, Sir Thomas Holland.

  And I? I stood between them, my hand still firmly held by Thomas.

  It became a moment of illumination, of acknowledgement, an acceptance that here my future truly hung in the balance. I had made my preference known before the King, stepping away from Will, and had given m
y hand to Thomas. I was nineteen years old, old enough to be more than a cipher or a pawn in the battle between these two men for the possession of my person.

  A surge of power surprised me. I was no different from the woman I was yesterday, but Thomas had forced me to make a public stand and I had done so, without hesitation.

  Will was regarding me in complete disbelief, for what was the logic in my choosing a knight over an earl? But I knew. Once, long ago as it seemed, in the freedom offered me in Ghent, I had given Thomas my hand and, as it seemed to my youthful nature, my heart. Nothing had changed. I would live with Thomas.

  Now I must ensure that my wishes continued to be taken into account. It would not be an easy task for I would face rebuttal from all except Thomas. I lifted my chin. Had I not the strength to weather any tempest? I would claim victory in the end, if victory was there for the claiming. I was determined on it.

  But I must achieve it with dignity. There would be no more scandal than we had already created. I would not compromise myself further by taking flight and residence with Thomas against all the dictates of society. In the eyes of all I was still Countess of Salisbury and there I must stay until the Pope allowed me to step across that forbidden line to live with Thomas. I knew the value of legality. I knew the value of acceptance. If there was ever any thought of winning back the King’s benevolence for myself and Thomas, it would be through prudent and thoroughly legal behaviour.

  Thomas was waiting for me to speak.

  ‘I have to go back to William Montagu, my lord,’ I said, quite formally.

  ‘I know that you must, my lady.’

  Our thoughts were travelling in concert.

  ‘Until we have proved this case beyond all doubt,’ I added. ‘Then I will come to you.’

  He turned my hand and kissed my palm as he had once before in Bisham’s cellar. Now he closed my fingers over it, a seal of our intentions. ‘I must leave you again,’ he said.