by Tania Bayard
‘She’s just curious. Nobody takes her seriously,’ Christine lied.
‘I do. Even innocent curiosity can be misinterpreted.’
The wind blew Christine’s cloak open. ‘It’s cold out here,’ she said. ‘Come inside.’
Francesca was happy to see the monk. She wanted to know what was happening at the palace.
‘These are terrible times there, terrible,’ Michel said. ‘Since the king is ill, the rivalry between the dukes of Burgundy and Orléans has become truly dangerous. They both vie for power, and no one knows where it will end.’
‘But the Duke of Orléans is regent,’ Francesca said. ‘He controls everything, doesn’t he?’
‘It should be so,’ the monk said. ‘But the Duke of Burgundy challenges him.’
The children came in and crowded around the monk.
‘And then there’s the Duke of Burgundy’s son, Jean,’ Michel continued. ‘The hatred he and the king’s brother have for each other seems to have no bounds.’
‘But they’re cousins,’ Marie said. ‘It’s not right.’
‘They have always despised each other,’ Michel said.
Christine pictured the two men. Jean was ugly and ungraceful, with heavy-lidded eyes and a long, thin nose that ended in a point, like the beak of a bird. His lips were always pursed, which gave him a perpetually dissatisfied expression. Louis, on the other hand, was handsome and elegant, pleasing to everyone, and irresistible to women. It was even rumored that among his many conquests was Jean’s own wife; supposedly Louis had a portrait of her in a secret gallery where he kept paintings of the women he’d seduced. Christine could understand Jean’s resentment. Like all men with money and power, he had many liaisons, but it was certainly not because of his looks and personality.
Suddenly, Christine knew what Michel was afraid of and why he wanted to discourage anyone from trying to find out whether someone other than the king’s brother was responsible for the fire. It was the dissention between the Duke of Burgundy, his son, Jean, and the Duke of Orléans. Michel was afraid the Burgundian faction, perhaps even Jean himself, had something to do with the fire. If that were the case and people found out about it, there could be real disruption at the court. Since Louis accepted responsibility, Michel probably thought it would be better to let well enough alone. That was why he was acting so strangely.
The children had started to remind the monk again about his promise to take them to his abbey. ‘Maybe I’ll stay there and become a monk,’ Thomas said.
‘Then you won’t be able to go to Italy with your grandmother.’
‘Don’t encourage him, Michel,’ Christine said.
He laughed. ‘I’d better leave now.’
Christine followed him into the hall and said, ‘I need your help.
He faced her angrily. ‘Do I have to tell you again? Stay out of affairs at the court!’
‘It’s something else.’
He fingered the prayer beads that hung from his belt. ‘I fear trouble every time you ask for my help.’
‘I don’t know that you’d call it trouble. It has to do with Loyse, the lion-keeper’s assistant. The girl is not possessed, as many people think. She’s deaf. That’s why she doesn’t speak. Marion found out.’
‘How does Marion know Loyse?’
‘Marion knows everyone at the palace. She befriended her.’
‘Surely it is not wise to let Marion influence the poor girl!’
Christine stamped her foot. ‘You’ve always thought the worst of Marion. I’ll tell you something: she’s making her living selling her embroidery now. She thinks I don’t know, so don’t tell her I told you.’
‘Laus Deo! Now if we could only get her to wear respectable clothes.’
‘I wouldn’t want her to change her ways that much!’
‘But if what you say is true, there is a great injustice here. If Loyse acts the way she does because she’s deaf, she should not have to live with wild beasts.’
‘That’s what I want to talk to you about. I’ve asked the queen to care for her at the palace.’
‘God forbid!’
‘Let me explain. Isabeau has her official entourage of ladies-in-waiting, all chosen from the nobility. She is kind to them, as a queen should be. But I think she cares more for her dwarf and her fools and her mute. I think she would love Loyse, too.’
‘That’s ridiculous. How could you take such a disheveled, dirty girl into the palace?’
‘I’ve already spoken to the queen about it, and she’s agreed.’
‘I don’t believe this, Christine. Such a plan will never work. What will happen when the ladies-in-waiting see her? And how long do you think the girl will be able to stay there once the Duchess of Burgundy finds out?’
‘They won’t see Loyse the way she is now. I’ll bring her home and make sure she’s bathed and neatly dressed before I take her to the palace.’
‘And what does your mother say about it?’
‘I haven’t told her yet.’
‘I don’t want to be here when you do.’
‘First I have to get Loyse away from the lions. I’ve spoken to Gilet, the king’s lion-keeper, and he’s agreed.’
‘I thought he needed an assistant.’
‘He admitted he’s just gotten lazy. In any case, Klara has volunteered to help him, once Loyse is gone.’
Michel looked as though he would faint. He said, meekly, ‘After this, I’ll believe anything of you, Christine.’
‘The problem is, how do we explain to Loyse what’s happening?’ Christine asked. ‘We don’t know what she thinks, we don’t even know whether she’s aware her mother is dead. Marion communicates with her on a very simple level, but this is complicated. That’s where you come in, Michel. You communicate with the brothers at the abbey with signs. Couldn’t you do that with Loyse?’
Michel shook his head. ‘We do communicate that way some of the time. But the hand signs and gestures we use have to do with our life at the monastery: worship, food, and the everyday necessities. How could I use them to tell her she’s going to leave the lions and live with the queen?’
‘I’m sure you can figure something out.’
Francesca came in. ‘What are you two doing out here?’
‘Nothing. I’m merely asking Michel to help me solve a problem. And he’s agreed, haven’t you, Michel?’
Michel shuffled his feet.
‘Meet me here tomorrow morning,’ Christine said.
TWENTY-NINE
Some bodies are not as perfect as others. There may be physical imperfection, weak limbs, or some other defect, but Nature makes up for it with something even better.
Christine de Pizan, Le Livre de la Cité des Dames, 1404–1405
Early the next morning, Michel arrived, looking very unhappy. Even one of Francesca’s freshly made rissoles didn’t cheer him.
‘What’s wrong?’ Francesca wanted to know. ‘What mischief are you getting up to now, Cristina?’
‘Nothing. We just thought it would be nice to take Klara to see the lions.’
Then Marion appeared. ‘Now I know there is something going on,’ Francesca said, and she stormed up the stairs.
‘Never mind her,’ Christine said. ‘Come on, Klara. It’s time to take Loyse away from the lions.’
‘Does that mean I can stay with them instead?’ Klara asked.
‘Soon,’ Christine said. ‘For now, just remember to be quiet and calm. Remember what Gilet said about not getting the lions excited.’
‘She’ll behave,’ Marion said. ‘Let’s go. I can’t wait to see what you have in mind.’
Out in the street, people stared at the monk in his solemn black habit accompanied by a tall prostitute in a crimson cloak, a lady in a plain brown cloak, and a young woman who fairly skipped along beside them, talking excitedly. As they passed the beguinage on the rue de l’Ave-Maria, Klara said to Marion, ‘I wish Agnes would come out. I’d tell her I don’t have to do any more housewor
k because I’m going to be a lion-keeper.’
Michel heard, and he said to Christine, ‘I hope you know what you are doing.’
They went to the door of Gilet’s house and found him waiting for them. ‘I had a feeling you’d be here today,’ he said. ‘Loyse doesn’t know anything about this, of course.’ He looked at Marion. ‘I’ve seen you with her.’
‘And this is Brother Michel,’ Christine said. ‘He’s going to help us.’
Gilet looked at the monk dubiously. ‘Do you know anything about lions?’
Michel shook his head.
‘He will know how to communicate with Loyse, though,’ Christine said.
Loyse emerged from the lions’ stockade as soon as they approached. She looked encouragingly at her visitors, and indicated that she wanted them to go into the stockade with her. Marion held out her hand to signify that they would stay outside. Then Christine motioned to Michel, who stepped up to Loyse and made a sign of blessing. Immediately, Loyse crossed herself. Then Michel did some curious things with his hands. Loyse laughed soundlessly and made some strange gestures with her own hands.
‘What’s going on, Michel?’ Christine asked.
‘She knows some rudimentary signs.’
‘That means you can talk to her!’ Marion exclaimed.
‘Not exactly,’ Michel said. ‘Those were just the signs we brothers use in our everyday life, like how to ask for bread, or find out where our shoes are. It’s amazing, though. She must have spent some time in a convent; that’s the only place she could have learned this.’
Christine thought back to the day she’d learned about Loyse’s birth from the midwife who’d delivered her. Vaguely, she remembered something about Loyse’s mother having sent the child away for a while, but she couldn’t think where.
She asked Michel, ‘Can you make her understand what we’re here for?’
‘She’s obviously very intelligent. She’s learned how to use her good mind to make up for her affliction. We should be able to communicate.’
‘I’ve been able to do it,’ Marion piped up. ‘You’re smarter than I am, so you should be able to do it, too.’
Michel wiggled his fingers at her. Then he turned to Loyse and made some hand motions. At first she didn’t understand. But after a while it became obvious that she did.
‘Does she know where we’re taking her?’ Christine asked.
‘She knows we’re taking her away. I’ve been able to make her understand that it’s going to be all right. She doesn’t know we’re taking her to your house first, or about your mother. Perhaps it’s just as well.’
‘Can I stay here with the lions?’ Klara asked.
‘Not today,’ Christine said. ‘We’ll come back soon, and Gilet will show you what to do.’
Klara looked disappointed, but she didn’t object. Loyse indicated that she wanted to go back into the stockade. Klara went with her.
‘Don’t you want to go with them, Michel?’ Marion asked.
Michel coughed. ‘I think not.’
‘Does Loyse know that Klara is going to help Gilet now?’ Christine asked.
‘I think she understands that the lions will be well treated when she’s gone.’
Loyse and Klara emerged from the stockade. Loyse looked longingly back at the lions, who had followed her to the entrance, but she didn’t try to go back. ‘Good luck,’ Gilet called after them as they went out into the orchard.
Now Christine had to consider how to deal with her mother. She looked at Loyse, her disheveled hair and the tattered rags that passed for clothes, and she was certain that as soon as Francesca saw her, she would explode in a fit of anger. On the other hand, she remembered that Francesca had brought Klara home without consulting her first.
Francesca wasn’t there. ‘She went to the market,’ Georgette said, looking not at Christine but at Loyse. Christine expected her to recoil from the ragged stranger, but she didn’t. Instead she said, ‘I know who this is.’
‘You’ve seen her before?’ Christine asked.
‘Sometimes I go to look at the king’s lions. Many people do. Everyone thinks this girl is possessed, but I’ve never thought so. She seems to love the lions. Why have you brought her here?’
‘She’s going to stay with us for a while.’
‘What will your mother say?’
Loyse was looking around the kitchen with awe. Marion had her arm around her, as though she expected she might try to run away, but Christine could see there was no likelihood of that. Loyse was entranced.
Just then the children ran in, followed by Goblin. Christine pushed them back into the hall. ‘We have a guest,’ she told them. ‘You may have heard of her. The things you’ve heard are wrong.’
‘Who is it?’ they all cried at once.
‘It’s the lion-keeper’s assistant. People say she’s possessed, but it’s not true.’
‘But she never speaks. There’s something wrong with her,’ Thomas said.
‘She’s deaf. And since she’s never heard anyone speak, she’s never learned how. Now listen to me. Her name is Loyse, and she is our guest. You must be kind to her.’
‘Is she going to live with us?’ Jean asked. ‘What will grand’maman say?’
‘Loyse will stay with us for a little while, until she gets accustomed to living somewhere other than the lions’ stockade. Then I’m going to take her to the queen.’
‘The queen! What will she do with her?’
‘The queen is kind to all sorts of people. Remember, I told you about the dwarf, the fool, the Spanish minstrel, the mute?’
‘Can we go there too?’ Thomas cried.
‘Perhaps someday. Not now. First come into the kitchen and meet our guest.’
Klara stood protectively near Loyse, seemingly to ward off any attacks by the children. But they merely stood staring at the disheveled girl, until Christine spoke. ‘This is Loyse. If you speak to her, she won’t hear you, but you can make her welcome in other ways.’
Jean was the first to respond. He approached Loyse with a smile on his face and bowed slightly. Thomas followed and did the same thing, while Marie and Lisabetta curtsied. Even Goblin was subdued, although he sniffed the air. ‘He smells the lions,’ Thomas whispered to Jean.
Klara looked as though she were about to cry. She thinks Loyse is hers, and she doesn’t want to share her, Christine mused. She said, ‘I know she’s your friend, Klara, but you can’t have her all to yourself. Cheer up. You can go with us when we take her to the queen.’
‘When?’
‘After my mother gets home and makes her presentable.’
Marion laughed. ‘What makes you think your mother is going to agree to do that?’
‘Agree to what?’ asked Francesca, who was standing in the doorway holding a large loaf of bread. She hadn’t yet noticed Loyse because all the children were standing around her. Michel went to her. ‘Don’t be alarmed. We’ve brought Loyse, the lion-keeper’s helper.’
‘She was the lion-keeper’s helper. Now she’s going to be a companion for the queen,’ said Marion.
Francesca seemed so stupefied that Christine put her arms around her to keep her from fainting.
‘I know what you’ve heard about her, Mama. But she’s not possessed. She doesn’t speak because she’s deaf.’
Michel made some mysterious signs to Loyse. The girl smiled at Francesca and held out her arms.
‘I’ve made her understand that you are Christine’s mother,’ Michel said.
Francesca hesitated, and then she stepped up to Loyse and enfolded her in her arms. ‘Poor little woman,’ she said. She turned to Christine. ‘But why is she here?’
‘It’s a long story. The important thing is that the queen wants to see her, and we have to make her presentable first.’
Francesca lowered herself onto a bench and fanned herself with the loaf of bread. ‘And you expect me to take care of that?’
‘Well, it’s what you’re good at.’
Francesca studied Loyse. ‘I think a bath house would be best, but they wouldn’t let her in. Go and get the tub, Georgette.’
Georgette dragged the big wooden tub into the middle of the room and went out to get water. While the water was heating over the kitchen fire, Francesca shooed everyone out except Georgette, Christine, and Marion. Loyse looked apprehensive when Klara left, but she didn’t object when Francesca undressed her and helped her into the tub. The warm water seemed to soothe her.
‘You see, she isn’t a stranger to all of this,’ Marion said. ‘Her mother didn’t treat her as badly as everyone thought.’
‘This is probably the first bath she’s had in a long time,’ Francesca said, as she poured water over Loyse’s hair and rubbed soap in. Loyse put her hands over her face to keep the soap out of her eyes and gave a soundless laugh of pleasure.
‘I think the lion-keeper’s wife took her to their house and gave her a bath once in a while,’ Marion said. ‘I know she brought her meals.’
Francesca and Marion helped Loyse out of the tub, and Georgette dried her hair. Klara peered timidly around the kitchen door. ‘Can I come in?’ she asked. She held up one of her dresses and announced, ‘We’re the same size.’
‘So you are,’ Christine said as she lifted the dress over Loyse’s head. Then Francesca combed and braided her long auburn hair. There was a collective gasp of surprise: Loyse was beautiful.
‘If we gave her a starched linen headdress, she could pass for one of the queen’s ladies,’ Christine said.
‘Does she know she’s going to the queen?’ Klara asked.
‘Not yet,’ Christine said. ‘But soon.’
‘How soon?’ Francesca wanted to know. ‘If she stays here, where is she going to sleep? I’ve already got Klara in my room, Cristina, and you need your room for your work. We can’t put the children out of their beds.’
‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ Christine said.
Marie had crept into the room. She’d overheard the conversation, and she said, ‘She’s been sleeping with the lions, so she won’t mind sleeping on the floor.’
‘We could fix her a bed in front of the fire,’ Georgette said.
‘So we could,’ Francesca said.