Текст книги "Katharine, The Virgin Widow"
Автор книги: Jean Plaidy
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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
Philip and Ferdinand Meet
NEWS WAS BROUGHT TO FERDINAND THAT HIS SON-IN-LAW had landed at Corunna.
This was disquieting news. Ferdinand knew he had good reason to mistrust Philip and that his son-in-law’s intention was to drive him out of Castile, become King himself and reduce Ferdinand to nothing but a petty monarch of Aragon.
This Ferdinand would fight against with all his might.
He was not an old man, he reminded himself. He felt younger than he had for many years. This was doubtless due to the fact that he had acquired a new wife, his beautiful Germaine.
Many eyebrows had been raised when Germaine had arrived at Dueñas, close by Valladolid, for there, thirty-seven years before, he had come in disguise from Aragon for his marriage to Isabella.
There were many people in Castile who looked upon Isabella as a saint, and they were deeply shocked that Ferdinand should consider replacing her; and to do so by a young and beautiful girl seemed double sacrilege; moreover as any fruit of the union might result in the breaking up of Spain into two kingdoms, this was not a popular marriage.
Ferdinand was realizing how much of his popularity he had owed to Isabella. Yet he had lost none of his ambition; and he was ready enough to end his six weeks’ honeymoon with the entrancing Germaine in order to go forward and meet Philip, to match his son-in-law’s rashness with his own experience and cunning.
There was one man in Spain whom he heartily disliked but who, he knew, was the country’s most brilliant statesman. This man was Ximenes, whom, against Ferdinand’s advice, Isabella had created Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain. Ferdinand summoned Ximenes to his presence and Ximenes came.
There was a faint contempt in the ascetic face, which Ferdinand guessed meant that the Archbishop was despising the bridegroom. This was a marriage which would seem unholy to Ximenes, and when he received him Ferdinand was conscious of a rising indignation. But he calmed himself. Ferdinand had learned to subdue his hot temper for the sake of policy.
“You have heard the news, Archbishop?” he asked when the Archbishop had greeted him in his somewhat superior manner, which Ferdinand thought implied that he, Ximenes, was the ruler.
“I have indeed, Highness.”
“Well?”
“It will be necessary to walk carefully. There should be a meeting between you and the Archduke, and it should be a peaceful one.”
“Will he agree to this?”
“He will if he is wise.”
“He is young, Archbishop. Wisdom and youth rarely go together.”
“Wisdom and age mate almost as rarely,” replied the Archbishop.
That allusion to the marriage made the hot blood rush to Ferdinand’s cheeks. He had often advised Isabella to send the insolent fellow back to his hermit’s cell. But he was too useful. He was too clever. And he was ready to devote that usefulness and cleverness to Spain.
“What in your opinion should be done in the matter?” asked Ferdinand shortly.
The Archbishop was silent for a while; then he said: “As husband of the Reina Proprietaria, Philip has a stronger claim to the Regency than Your Highness. Yet since you are a ruler of great experience and this is a young man who has had a greater experience of light living than of serious government, it might be that the grandees of Spain would prefer to see you as Regent rather than your son-in-law.”
“And you would support my claim?”
“I would consider Your Highness the more likely to do good for Spain, and for that reason I would give you my support.”
Ferdinand was relieved. Much depended on the Archbishop. It was fortunate that Philip’s reputation for licentious behavior had travelled ahead of him; it would not serve him well with Ximenes.
“Philip is now in Galicia,” said Ferdinand. “It will take a little time for us to meet; and in the meantime, I understand that many of the grandees are flocking to him, to welcome him to Spain.”
Ximenes nodded. “I fear the recent marriage has not endeared Your Highness to many of the late Queen’s subjects.”
“She would not have wished me to remain unmarried.”
“One of her most proud achievements was the union of Castile and Aragon under one crown.”
Ferdinand’s brows were drawn together in a frown and he needed a great deal of restraint not to send this insolent fellow about his own business. But this was his business. Ximenes was Primate of Spain and he was not a man to diverge from what he considered his duty, no matter whom he upset by doing it. Such a man would go cheerfully to the stake for his opinions.
One should rejoice in him, thought Ferdinand grudgingly. He seeks no honors for himself. He thinks only of Spain; and because he believes I shall make a better Regent than Philip he will support me.
“There must be a speedy meeting between Your Highness and your sonin-law.”
“Should I go cap in hand, across a country which I have ruled, to implore audience of this young man who has no right to be here except for the fact that he is married to my daughter?”
Ximenes was silent for a few seconds; then he said: “I myself could go to him as your emissary. I could arrange this meeting.”
Ferdinand studied the gaunt figure of the Archbishop in those magnificent robes of office which he wore carelessly and under protest. It was only an order from the Pope which had made him put on such vestments, and Ferdinand knew that beneath them he would be wearing the hair shirt, and the rough Franciscan robe. Such a man would surely overawe any—even such as Philip the Handsome.
Ferdinand knew he could trust this affair in such hands. He was greatly relieved and it occurred to him in that moment that Isabella had been right when she had insisted on giving this man the high office of Archbishop of Toledo, even though Ferdinand had wanted it for his illegitimate son.
It seemed that, now she was dead, Ferdinand was continually discovering how right Isabella had so often been.
* * *
IN THE VILLAGE of Sanabria, on the borders of Leon and Galicia, Ferdinand met Philip. Philip came at the head of a large force of well-armed troops, but Ferdinand brought with him only some two hundred of his courtiers riding mules. On the right hand of Philip rode Juan Manuel, but on the right hand of Ferdinand rode Ximenes.
The meeting was to take place in a church and, when Philip entered, only Juan Manuel accompanied him; and Ximenes was the sole companion of Ferdinand.
Ximenes studied the young man and found that he did not despise him as he had thought he would. Philip was not merely a philanderer and seeker after pleasure. There was ambition there also. The mind of this extraordinarily handsome young man was light, and he had never learned to concentrate on one subject for long. He had been born heir to Maximilian; and consequently all his life he had been petted and pampered. But there was material there, mused Ximenes, which could be molded by such as himself; once this young man had realized the brief satisfaction which the indulgence of his sensuality could bring him, a ruler of significance might emerge.
As for Ferdinand, he and Ximenes had never been friends. It was the Queen whom Ximenes had served from the time Isabella had brought him from his hermit’s hut until her death, when he had occupied the highest position in Spain; and although Ximenes had not—so he assured himself—ever sought such honors, since they were thrust upon him he had done all in his power to deserve them. The welfare of Spain was of the utmost importance to him. He would serve Spain with his life; and now he was ranged on the side of Ferdinand, and his great desire was to prevent civil strife between these two.
He did not like Juan Manuel—a troublemaker and a self-seeker, decided Ximenes. His presence would hamper the proceedings greatly, for it was clear to Ximenes that Philip relied on the man.
Ximenes turned to Juan Manuel and said: “Their Highnesses wish to speak in private. You and I should leave them for a while. Come.”
He took Juan Manuel’s arm and with him went from the church.
Juan Manuel was so overcome by the personality of this strange man that he obeyed without question; and when they were outside the church, Ximenes said: “Ah, but there should be someone to guard the door. It would not be well if their Highnesses were interrupted. As a man of the Church I will undertake this task. Return to your army and I will send for you immediately your presence is required.”
Juan Manuel hesitated, but when he looked into those deep-set eyes he felt that he was in the presence of a holy man and dared not disobey. So he left Ximenes, who returned to the church, which he entered, thus joining Philip and Ferdinand.
Ferdinand was asking Philip why his daughter had not accompanied her husband to this meeting place, for she was in truth the ruler of Castile; and Philip was explaining that his wife, alas, was not always in her right mind. There were occasions when she was lucid enough, but there were others when it was necessary to put her under restraint.
Ferdinand accepted this. It suited him, no less than Philip, that Juana should be at times sane and at others insane. Her unbalanced state was a matter which men such as her husband and father would use according to their needs.
It soon became clear that the advantages were all in Philip’s hands and he was not going to relinquish them. Juana was Queen of Castile; her son Charles was heir to the crowns both of Castile and Aragon. Therefore as husband of Juana and the father of the heir he had a greater right to govern Castile as Regent.
There was nothing Ferdinand could do about that and Ximenes was aware of this. Ferdinand must sign those documents required of him; he must surrender the entire sovereignty of Castile to Philip and Juana, and all that was left to him were the grand masterships of the military orders and those revenues which Isabella had left to him in her will.
Thus Ferdinand, in the village of Sanabria, lost all that he had so longed to hold. He was merely King of Aragon; and there was a Regent of Castile. It seemed as though the provinces were once more divided and Isabella’s dream of a united Spain might be in danger of destruction.
Ximenes agreed that this was the only course. In any case to have refused to accept it would have meant civil war in Spain, and that was unthinkable. The Archbishop therefore decided that it was his duty to attach himself to Philip. He did not trust the young man and he felt a great desire to guide him. Moreover, as Archbishop of Toledo his place was with the ruler of Castile. But he knew how Isabella would have been saddened by this scene in the church; and Ximenes was determined that he would watch the interests of Isabella’s husband.
As they came out of the church Ferdinand’s expression was enigmatic. Yet he did not look like an ambitious man who has signed away a kingdom.
The Mysterious Death of Philip
PHILIP WAS TRIUMPHANT. NOW HE WOULD RIDE INTO Valladolid and all should proclaim him as the ruler of Castile. As for Juana, he had determined to shut her away. He had long been wearied by her passion and possessiveness; Ferdinand had surrendered Castile. So why should he hesitate to go forward and take it; and since Juana was an encumbrance, why not rid himself of her by shutting her away as her grandmother had been shut away before her?
Philip usually acted on impulse, and he immediately called together the most influential noblemen of Castile, and when they were assembled he told them how concerned he was regarding his wife’s mental state.
“I have pondered this matter deeply, as you may well imagine,” he went on, “and it is my considered judgment that the Queen’s interests could best be served if she were allowed to live in retirement. My greatest desire is to do what is best for her, and on this account I ask you all to sign a declaration agreeing to her retirement into seclusion.”
There was silence among the nobles. They could not forget that the Queen was the daughter of the great Isabella and that this young man’s only claim to the crown was through his marriage with Juana and the fact that he was the father of Charles, the boy who would immediately become their King should Juana die.
Was it not possible, they asked themselves, that cunning men might trick them? Could they be sure that Juana was mad?
The Admiral of Castile, who was Ferdinand’s cousin, spoke for that faction which was in doubt.
“It would seem that, although the Queen’s mind is said to be at times deranged, there are many who declare her to be sane; and we must all remember that she is the true Queen of Castile and heir of Isabella. Before agreeing to such measures I should wish to have an interview with the Queen.”
Philip was nonplussed. He had no wish for Juana to come face to face with these men. How could he be sure of what she would say to them? He might threaten Juana or bribe her with offers of his company as he had on other occasions; but Juana was growing suspicious. If she were mad she was not without cunning. She guessed that he was considering putting her away, and that was something against which she would fight with all her strength.
But he dared not refuse to allow the Admiral to see the Queen.
* * *
JUANA LIFTED LEADEN EYES to the Admiral’s face. He was regarding her with kindness; he was trying to tell her that he was her cousin; that it grieved him to see Castile ruled by one who was not related to them except by his marriage to her.
“You have recently seen my father?” asked Juana at length.
“Yes, Highness. I said farewell to him but yesterday. That was at Tudela. He is now on his way to Aragon.”
“It seems so strange. I did not see him. It is so many years since I have seen him; yet I, his daughter, did not see him.”
“That is strange, Highness, and sad.”
Her eyes were melancholy.
“So much that is strange would seem to happen to me now,” she said sadly. “I should have been so happy to see my father, even though he has a new wife now and I cannot understand how he could have replaced my mother. But I should dearly have liked to see him again. God guard him always.”
“Highness, we of Castile wish to see you govern side by side with your husband.”
She nodded.
“That is the wish of us all. Our great Queen Isabella appointed you her heir. It was her wish that you should govern Castile with your husband beside you. But, as her daughter, you are our Queen.”
At the mention of her mother Juana’s expression lightened a little.
“It was her wish,” she said. “Here in Castile I recall the past so much more readily than I did in Flanders. It was her wish, was it not? And it is true that I am Queen of Castile.”
“It is true, Highness,” answered the Admiral.
When he left her he went to his friends and gave them his opinion.
“She seemed as lucid as one could wish. We must guard against ambitious men.”
* * *
THE KNOWLEDGE CAME to Juana one morning when she awoke after a restless night which she had spent alone.
He wants to be rid of me, she thought. He is planning to put me away.
Where had he spent the night? With one of his women doubtless. He had never considered her feelings, and he wanted her out of his sight. It was not because she was in the way of his having other women, but because he wanted her crown. He did not wish to be merely her consort. He wanted to rule alone.
She would not part with her crown. It was the one possession which made her desirable to him.
The dull melancholy had left her eyes. They sparkled with purpose. She would show him now that she was ready to fight, that she was not as stupid as he thought.
He came to her apartments, all smiles.
They were to make a solemn entry into Valladolid, and he dared not go without her. The people were suspicious of him; they wanted to see their Queen. They would not accept his word for her madness, but wanted to judge for themselves.
Ah, Philip, she thought, you may be master of Castile’s Queen but you are not yet master of Castile.
He took her hand and kissed it; how gracious he could be, how charming! She yearned to throw herself into his arms, but she was able to restrain herself because she kept thinking of the castle of Arevalo where her grandmother had lived out her clouded days.
Not for me! she wanted to shout. I am Queen of Castile and I will not allow you to put me away.
“Are you ready for the ceremony?” he asked.
“Ready,” she countered, “and determined to accompany you.”
“I am glad to hear it.”
“Are you, Philip? I thought you were hoping that you would go alone.”
“But why should you have such an idea?”
She smiled, saying nothing, and the quietness of her smile alarmed him. Could it be that he was losing his hold over her?
“I thought that in your condition…”
“But three months’ pregnant. That is nothing, Philip.”
He could scarcely bear to look at her, he was so dismayed. Now that he wished her to show her madness she was being perfectly restrained. She did not cling to him as he had become accustomed to her doing. She seemed almost aloof. It was that Admiral of Castile who had put notions into her head. He would have to go a little warily where she was concerned.
He put his arms about her and held her against him. “I am concerned for your health,” he said, and when he felt her body quiver a triumphant smile curved his lips. The old power was still there. She was fighting a desperate battle to resist it, but he was determined it should be a losing battle.
“Your concern is appreciated,” she said, “the more so because it is rare.”
“Oh come, Juana, you know how fond I am of you.”
“I did not know. Perhaps because your ways of showing it are so strange.”
“You have allowed yourself to be jealous…unnecessarily.”
“That was foolish of me,” she said. “Now that I am in Castile I remember so much my mother taught me. I hear that there are two banners. I should like to see them.”
“They shall be brought to you,” said Philip, hiding his chagrin. This new calmness, this undoubted sanity, was more disturbing than her madness, and he was going to strain every effort to have her put away because, if she persisted like this, he would find himself in a similar position to that endured by Ferdinand in his relationship with Isabella. That was something Philip would never endure.
But for the time he must act cautiously.
The banners were brought and Juana studied them. “But it would seem,” she said, “that there are two rulers of Castile. There is only one; that is the Queen.”
“Have you forgotten that I am your husband?” demanded Philip hotly.
“In the past you have forgotten that more readily than I have. My husband you are indeed; that is why you ride beside me as my consort. But there is only one ruler of Castile.”
What could he say? He was surrounded by strong men who would be ready to fly to her support against him. Philip had not believed this situation possible; but when they came to Valladolid, Juana rode as the Queen of Castile, and her companion was not the King but merely her consort.
Mounted on her white jennet, dressed in the sable robes of royalty, Juana delighted the people of Valladolid. They remembered that this was the daughter of their own Isabella; and their cheers were for their Queen.
* * *
PHILIP WAS DISSATISFIED. The Cortes had declared its allegiance to Queen Juana and had stated its willingness to accept Philip only as her consort.
Philip fumed with rage.
“The Queen is mad!” he cried. “She is not in the least like her mother. Sometimes I wonder who is the madder—the Queen or the people who insist on making her their ruler.”
The Admiral of Castile stood firm.
“I and many others with me will not allow this iniquitous deed to be done,” he said. “We shall never stand aside and see our Queen sent into seclusion that others may rule in her stead.”
Philip saw that it was no use expecting help from the Castilian nobles; he turned to his own supporters, the chief of whom was Juan Manuel, who saw that with Philip as ruler many rich pickings would fall into his hands. He was continually at Philip’s side and he assured him that in good time they would achieve their end, and Juana would be forced into retirement leaving the field clear for Philip.
Philip was lavishly generous to those whom he considered to be his friends, and recklessly he distributed revenues to them which should have gone to the maintenance of the state. Juan Manuel, on whom he relied as on no other, was becoming richer every week; but Juan was rapacious; he had been led to Philip’s side because he believed that Ferdinand had denied him the honors due to him, and he could not grasp enough.
He greatly desired the Alcazar of Segovia which was in the charge of the Marquis and Marchioness of Moya—the latter was that Beatriz de Bobadilla who had been Isabella’s greatest friend—and Philip, deciding that the Alcazar should be given to Juan Manuel as a reward for his fidelity, sent orders to the Marquis and Marchioness to leave the Alcazar immediately.
The command was delivered into the hands of the intrepid Beatriz de Bobadilla, who retorted that the Alcazar should be handed over to one person only, and that was Isabella’s daughter, Queen Juana.
Philip was furious when he heard this and sent troops ahead to take the Alcazar, while he himself prepared to follow them, Juana with him.
Juana’s resistance was beginning to break down. The effort of remaining calm had been too much for her. If she could have overcome her passionate need of Philip she could have continued in her calm restraint; but he was always there, always taunting her, understanding how she needed him and enjoying baiting her in this way. He was luring her to display her hysteria before the nobles of Castile who had declared her to be sane. She knew this, but she could not always fight against it. And when he mocked her, she wanted to throw herself into his arms, as she had done on so many previous occasions, and implore him to be a good and faithful husband to her.
“Philip,” she said, “why are you so eager to take the Alcazar of Segovia?”
“Because that insolent woman has denied it to us.”
“She is a formidable woman. I remember her in my childhood. She would even advise my mother.”
“She will see that we will brook none of her insolence.”
“Yet she was a good friend. Should you not leave her in peace out of respect to my mother?”
“I leave no one in peace to insult me.”
His mouth tightened and the newly realized fear came back to her.
“Why do you want the Alcazar of Segovia?”
He did not answer. “I know,” she cried. “It is because you want to make me a prisoner there. Segovia will be for me what Arevalo was to my grandmother. You are going to shut me away…away from the world. You are going to make them believe I am mad.”
Still he did not answer.
She went on wildly: “I will go no further. I will not be put away. I am not mad. I am the Queen. You wish to take my crown from me, but you shall not.”
Philip laid a hand on her jennet’s bridle, but she hit him. She heard his low, devilish laugh.
Now she was really alarmed; now she was certain that her premonition was true. He was going to imprison her in Segovia and announce to the world that she was no longer capable of living among ordinary people.
She slid down from her jennet and lay on the ground.
“I will not go a step farther towards Segovia,” she announced.
The cavalcade had halted and Philip was delighted. Now there was going to be one of those scenes which surely must convince all who saw it of her madness.
“Mount your jennet,” he said quietly. “They will be waiting for you at Segovia.”
There seemed to be a grave threat behind his words which terrified her, and she lay writhing on the ground.
Philip leaped from his horse and bent over her with a show of tenderness.
“Juana,” he said audibly, “I pray you remount. Do you want everyone to say that you are mad?”
She looked into his eyes and she was afraid of him; and yet she knew that her great fear was not that she would be shut away from the world but that she would be shut away from him.
She rose obediently and mounted her jennet; then she turned away from the party and cried: “I shall not enter Segovia, because I know that you plan to lock me away in the Alcazar there.”
Then she galloped ahead of them across country and back again, refusing to ride towards Segovia or back the way they had come.
Dusk had fallen and night came; and Juana continued to ride back and forth over the country round Segovia, determined not to enter the town.
Philip thought: If ever anyone doubted her madness, can they do so any longer?
Nothing could have pleased him more.
Such conduct in the Queen of Castile could scarcely be called sanity.
* * *
PHILIP’S TROOPS had driven Beatriz de Bobadilla from Segovia, and the Alcazar was now in the possession of Juan Manuel.
There was a certain discontent throughout Castile that this foreigner should come among them and take their castles with their revenues and distribute them among his friends. Soon, it was said, all the strongholds of Castile would be in the hands of Philip’s followers, and the old Castilian nobility would have no power in the land.
Philip had decided against going into Segovia, as Juana showed such fear of the place, and had gone instead to Burgos where he, Juana and their party lodged at the palace of the Constable of Castile, who belonged to the Enriquez family and was related to Ferdinand.
In view of Juana’s strange conduct on the way to Segovia Philip felt justified in putting guards outside her apartments, so that she was to some extent under supervision.
The Constable’s wife, who was the hostess to the party, expressed her concern that the Queen should be treated so, and as a result Philip ordered her to leave the palace.
This seemed the utmost arrogance, and the whisperings against the Queen’s consort intensified; but Philip cared little for this and laughed with Juan Manuel at the Castilians. He had the troops and they would enforce his wishes. He did not doubt that before long he would have Juana put right away finally and he himself would be accepted as ruler in very truth.
“In the meantime,” he said, “we should celebrate our victories, my dear Juan. The Alcazar of Segovia has fallen into our hands; and now we might say that the same has happened to this palace of Burgos. Once we have rid ourselves of that interfering woman the place is ours. Do you not think that that is worthy of a little celebration?”
“Very worthy, Highness,” agreed Juan.
“Then see to it. Arrange a banquet, a ball; and I will show these Spaniards how the Flemings can beat them at all sport.”
“It shall be done.”
While they talked together a page arrived to tell Philip that an envoy from Ferdinand had arrived at Burgos.
“Let him be brought to me,” said Philip; and when the page had gone he smiled at Juan Manuel.
“What dispatches are these my worthy father-in-law sees fit to send me, I wonder?”
“Oh, there is nothing to fear from him. The old lion has had his teeth drawn. He will find it a different matter being merely King of Aragon instead of Spain.”
“My mother-in-law kept the fellow in his place. She must have been a strong-minded woman.”
Juan Manuel looked serious for a moment. When he remembered the great Queen Isabella he could not help wondering what she would say if she could see him now, a traitor to her husband.
He shrugged aside the thought; Ferdinand’s conduct would not have pleased her either, he reflected. It seemed to him that if the great Queen could come alive again she would be so saddened by her husband’s conduct that she would have little thought to spare for Juan Manuel.
Philip was his master now, and it was Philip whose interests were his own.
“It will be interesting to see what dispatches this fellow has brought,” went on Philip. “You may remain, and we will study them together.”
A few minutes later the page returned with Ferdinand’s envoy.
“Don Luis Ferrer,” he announced.
And Ferdinand’s envoy was bowing before the man who was certain that before long he would be sole ruler of Castile.
* * *
THE CELEBRATIONS were magnificent. Juan Manuel had arranged them to appeal to his master. He wished to show his gratitude for all the benefits which had come his way since he had entered Philip’s service; he wished him to know that he would continue to lay all his skill at his master’s feet.
Juana was allowed to partake in the celebrations.
Juan had said: “It would be unwise at this stage to shut her away completely. Wait until more fortresses have come into our hands.”
“Rest assured,” said Philip, “there will be others as important as Segovia and Burgos.”
“Let her show the people that she is truly mad. Then they cannot complain.”
Philip agreed with this. But he had made up his mind that he was going to put her away in as complete a seclusion as that in which her grandmother had passed the last years of her life.
Juana joined in the feasting. There were days when she was very gay, and others when she was overcome by her melancholy. There were times when she calmly received the homage of all; there were others when she shut herself away in her apartments.
She called her father’s envoy, Luis Ferrer, to her and demanded to hear news of her father, of whether he spoke often of her or any of her sisters; of how he lived with his new wife.
Luis Ferrer was eager to talk to her of Ferdinand, and Manuel was afraid that he was trying to bring about a meeting between father and daughter which, he was sure, could only result in harm to Philip.
“We should watch this Luis Ferrer,” he said to Philip. “It is my belief that the fellow is here for no good purpose.”
The peak of the celebrations was planned to take place on a warm September day. There was to be a banquet more lavish than any of those of the last few days, and afterwards there would be ball games, because Philip excelled at these and he was very eager to show the Castilians what he called his superior Flemish skill.
Juana was present at the banquet. She had rarely seen her husband so gay, and she thought how beautiful he was and how in comparison all others—men and women—seemed ugly and lacking in grace.
