I decided to try a fresh approach. ‘I recall the king saying that he was eager that you should be crowned his true consort before any heir was born, Mademoiselle. Perhaps he has decided that it would be best even to delay conception until after your coronation, believing that God will bless your union once you are both consecrated.’
The feverish removal of hair-pins ceased and Catherine turned to meet my eye, a flicker of hope dawning in hers. ‘Do you think that could be so, Mette? Really?’
I nodded vigorously, glad to have provided at least some crumb of comfort. ‘Yes, Mademoiselle. As you know, King Henry lays great stress on divine approval of his actions. Truly, I believe you should not doubt his regard for you or his trust in God’s holy will.’
She frowned. ‘But if he is convinced that is God’s intention anyway, why does he pray for a son at the shrine of every English saint we pass?’
I gave her a mischievous smile. ‘Why do you attend Mass every day, Mademoiselle, when God must know that you worship Him unreservedly anyway? Is it not to demonstrate your faith to the world?’
Catherine’s brow wrinkled as she considered this. ‘Actually, I think it is to reinforce my faith, Mette,’ she said after a moment.
‘Well then, perhaps the king is reinforcing his faith in God’s will by giving Him a little reminder now and then,’ I responded.
She gave me a reproachful look. ‘I have said it before, Mette, sometimes you are too flippant in your attitude to God and His Saints. However, we will soon see if you are right about my coronation. The date is set for February the twenty-third. That is just over a fortnight away.’
Agnes and I exchanged relieved glances. A crisis had erupted and now seemed to have subsided, but I did not doubt there would be many more over the next weeks. This had been a warning that for the foreseeable future we would be dealing with a vulnerable young queen whose growing popularity would continue to wreak its share of havoc with her mood. King Henry would not be the only one praying for an heir at the shrines of the English saints. I would very likely be creeping in behind him with my own fervent prayers of intercession.
The thrilling sequel to The Agincourt Bride, coming in Autumn 2013
The Tudor Bride
Follow Catherine and Mette as the French princess becomes an English queen …
King Henry V’s new French Queen, Catherine, dazzles the crowds in England, blithely unaware of court undercurrents building against her. Her loyal companion, Guillamette, suspects that the beautiful Eleanor Cobham, mistress to the Duke of Gloucester, is spying for him. Her warnings are ignored though, for Catherine believes herself invincible as she gives birth to an heir.
Tragedy strikes when King Henry is struck down by fever back in France and Catherine suffers further tragedy trying to reach his deathbed. A weak and weeping dowager queen follows the slow funeral cortège through France and the King’s Harper, Owen Tudor, plays to comfort her.
Back in England, Gloucester persuades the regency council to remove the new young king from her care, and a defeated Catherine retires to her dower estates and asks Owen to go with her as Steward. At the secluded manor of Hadham, a smouldering ember bursts into flame and Catherine and Owen Tudor become lovers.
But their love cannot remain a secret forever, and when a grab for power is made by Gloucester, Catherine – and those dearest to her – will once again face mortal danger …
About the Author
Joanna spent twenty-five years at the BBC writing and presenting for radio and television. Her first book, Rebellion at Orford Castle was a children’s novel set in East Anglia. This was then followed by Island Game and Dubious Assets set in her adopted homeland of Scotland and published under the name of Joanna McDonald.
Gripped by Shakespeare’s historical plays, Joanna originally began researching King Henry V’s ‘fair Kate’ as a schoolgirl and the story of Catherine de Valois and the Tudor genesis has remained with her throughout life. Inspired by a chronicle of Catherine’s ‘damsels of the bedchamber’, the schemes and treacheries of medieval royal courts are brought to life through the eyes of “Guillaumette” the narrator of The Agincourt Bride.
Joanna Hickson lives in an old farmhouse in East Lothian and is married with a large family and a wayward Irish terrier.
Follow Joanna on Facebook or Twitter @joannahickson and find out more at her website joannahickson.co.uk.
Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction.
The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Harper
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Copyright © Joanna Hickson 2013
Joanna Hickson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780007446971
Ebook Edition © 2013 ISBN: 9780007446988
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The Agincourt Bride Page 46