But no one could help loving little William Aigret. He was such a docile child, and I still ruled the nursery.
Soon after that my grandfather died and my father became the Duke of Aquitaine.
My grandfather was genuinely mourned. I spent a great deal of time with Dangerosa; she used to tell me stories about him, and it was from her I pieced together the events of his turbulent life. She loved to tell the story of her abduction and how he had come to the castle to talk business with his vassal, the Viscount of Chtellerault, and as soon as he set eyes on her all thought of business was driven from his mind. I felt I was there during those periods in the castle when they had planned their flight. I seemed to have ridden with them through the forest, she riding pillion, clinging to him as they sped away to happiness. It was very romantic. I did not spare a thought for the poor deserted Viscount and my wronged grandmother Philippa. My sympathies were with the lovers.
Philippa was dead now but in the Courts of Love, which my grandfather had created, their story would be sung for years to come.
The Court changed, of course. My father was a very different man. He was not the great lover; he was more of a fighter. At least he was constantly embroiled in some dispute with his vassals. He was quick-tempered and ready to go to war on the slightest pretext; and he was absent a good deal during the years which followed my grandfather’s death.
There were plenty of young people at the castle, for girls were sent to my mother to be brought up as the Court ladies they would eventually become. There were boys too, who must be taught the art of chivalry and horsemanship. We girls had to learn how to embroider and do delicate needlework, which was so much a part of a lady’s education; we had to sing and dance and make gracious conversation, but I was taught other things besides, such as reading and writing. I had shown such an aptitude for learning when it was thought I might be Duchess of Aquitaine that they decided I should continue. I was, therefore, apart from the other children, and I intended that none should forget it.
There was still a great deal of music in the evenings, but my father, although he loved it, was no composer. He sang well, and this he liked to do, and he enjoyed the ballads and stories about his father. But he was so often away and the character of the Court had changed from what it had been in his father’s day.
When my father came home he would want to know how we had progressed. He was very interested in William Aigret’s performance, but I fancied he had a special fondness for me.
Then one day fever struck Poitou. Several people died and there were restrictions as to who should be allowed to come into the castle.
My mother became ill and she died within a few days. That was not all. William Aigret caught the fever from her and very soon afterwards he was dead.
It was a time of great mourning. It was then that I realized how much I had cared for my mother and that William Aigret had been such a loving little boy.
It was a great loss. There were only two children now—Petronilla and myself, but I had become the heiress of Aquitaine.
Also by Jean Plaidy
Victoria Victorious
0-609-81024-3
$13.95 paperback
An unforgettable novel of Queen Victoria and the remarkable life she lived—a life of romance, triumph, and tragedy.
The Sixth Wife
0-609-81026-X
$13.95 paperback
The intriguing story of Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six queens.
Katharine of Aragon
0-609-81025-1
$14.95 paperback
The life of Katharine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife.
Royal Road to Fotheringhay
0-609-81023-5
$12.95 paperback
The haunting story of the beautiful—and tragic—Mary, Queen of Scots.
In the Shadow of the Crown
0-609-81019-7
$13.95 paperback
A dark and fascinating portrait of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, whose long road to the throne was paved only with sorrow.
Queen of This Realm
0-609-81020-0
$14.95 paperback
An account of Elizabeth I, from motherless child of an all-powerful father to monarch who launched England into the time of its greatest glory.
The Thistle and the Rose
0-609-81022-7
$12.95 paperback
Margaret—Princess of England, but Queen of Scotland—finds herself torn between loyalty to the land of her
