The Queen and the Courtesan (35 page)

‘You are fortunate in your family, Madame,' Margot softly remarked as she stroked the dark curls of little Henrietta Maria, very much a Medici with her brown eyes and olive skin.

‘I am indeed,' Marie agreed. ‘Henry was an enlightened king, exceedingly tolerant, never more so than where his children were concerned. We also have Madame de Moret's son that she had by him, and the two daughters of Mademoiselle des Essarts.'

Margot laughed out loud. ‘I doubt we will ever know the full extent of his offspring. It is generous of you to keep them here in the royal nursery.'

‘I fear I quarrelled with Henry too much in life, so feel I must respect his wishes after his death.' A tear slid down the Queen's pale cheek and she quickly wiped it away. Margot gently patted her hand.

‘Do not blame yourself for what cannot be changed. Henry was far too easy-going, far too good humoured and tolerant for his own good. It is a tragic irony that, like Henri Trois, he should be struck down by a religious maniac. Above all things, he was most tolerant of religion, worshipping God first as a Protestant, as directed by his mother, and later as a Catholic when obliged to do so to end the wars of religion, and for the sake of a crown. He always believed that it mattered not how you worshipped Him, so long as you had faith.'

‘The people loved him for that, and for the fact he cared about the poor, that he brought them peace and prosperity.'

Margot smiled. ‘Did he not say that every Frenchman would be content if he had a chicken in his pot every Sunday? Henry loved to play the fool but was more politically astute than his enemies ever gave him credit for. But then he needed to be, as he and I both were subject to the worst calumnies and poisonous libels. Yet he remained true to himself, and stubborn to the core. He would have his way when it really mattered. I fought him for years, refusing to grant him a divorce because I had no wish to see him marry his whore.' She smiled at Marie. ‘What a relief it was when he finally wed you. And you loved him, Marie, so how could you not object to his fascination with La Marquise?'

Marie looked at this Valois queen she had once so envied and feared and now recognized as a friend, and tearfully nodded. ‘It is true, I loved him with all my heart. Our marriage could have been so different had it not been for the she-cat. I shall forever mourn his loss.'

There were tears standing proud in Margot's eyes too. ‘I was saved some of your pain, Marie, as I never did love him, not in that way. I would tease him mercilessly when I was a girl, calling him a country bumpkin and constantly complaining about his garlic-tainted breath, and his dusty feet.' She laughed out loud. ‘But despite our squabbles and differences he was always my friend, and I shall miss his company and his wise counsel.'

Margot paused for a moment as she let Mademoiselle Christine slip from her lap to run to play with her brother, then smoothing down her skirts she quietly asked, ‘And what of the she-cat, as you call her. Will you let her marry young Guise?'

‘I doubt that would be prudent.'

‘I agree, it would be most unwise.'

The two queens smiled at each other in perfect accord. ‘I shall require her to retire permanently from court, where her presence is most unwelcome, and never allow her to marry,' Marie announced, thinking that would be a just revenge upon the woman who had caused such misery in her own marriage. ‘She, and her sister, lived their lives as harlots so can end them in the same way, alone at Verneuil. I will not have my son threatened by that woman ever again.'

‘Indeed not!' As one they both looked across to where the boy, ever serious, was studying his Latin verbs. ‘As regent, the way ahead will not be easy, but be assured, Marie, that I shall stand beside you. I will do everything I can to help you to protect the Dauphin, and your other children. As strong, independent women, we can do that for Henry, you and I.'

Author's Note

The Queen kept her word and never granted Henriette permission to marry. Nor did she allow her unfortunate sister, Marie-Charlotte d'Entragues, to marry either. When Marie-Charlotte brought proceedings against Bassompierre, who had so greatly wronged her, the Queen ensured that the judges decided against her. La Marquise lived on the riches she had accumulated during her time with the King, indulging herself on luxuries and developing such a passion for food that she grew very fat, far plumper even than Queen Margot, and rarely left the comfort of her couch. She finally died of apoplexy in 1633.

Having safely removed Charlotte to the Imperial Palace, and fearful of arrest or even of assassination, Condé had fled to Milan. Eventually, following the King's death, he returned and was reunited with his wife. Charlotte Princess de Condé settled into married life with her prince, and gave him several children. Unfortunately, she indulged in numerous affairs and was never the faithful wife he had hoped for.

Louis XIII married the Spanish Infanta, Anne of Austria, and the Princess Elizabeth married Philip IV of Spain, thus uniting the two warring kingdoms. Henry's second son, Nicholas Henri, the Duke of Orleans, died in November 1611. All his other children married well, including Henrietta Maria who married Charles I of England and was the mother of Charles II and James II.

Marguerite de Valois lived for a further five years, never giving in to age but always dressing as if she were a young beauty still, and not a plump old woman. She continued to hold her soirées, writing many dramatized pieces herself, and acted as a great friend and support to Queen Marie. Ever a political creature she would often attend the States-General on the Queen's behalf, or write to them with her opinions, particularly when Marie was badly advised by Concini. On every anniversary of Henry's death she caused services to be performed in Nôtre Dame and churches throughout the capital, always mourning his loss. When the young King was crowned in Rheims Cathedral, Margot was, to her delight, invited to act as sponsor, and was also asked by Queen Marie to be godmother to her young son Gaston. She died on 27 March 1615 at her Hôtel du Faubourge Saint Germain, possibly from pneumonia, having caught a chill from which she did not recover. She was sixty-two. After her considerable debts were paid, the pensions and wages of her gentlemen and ladies-in-waiting, and a few personal bequests, the balance of her inheritance she left to King Louis XIII. For some unknown reason, possibly the difficulties of state affairs at the time, her funeral was delayed for twelve months, after which her sealed coffin was taken secretly to Saint-Denis, where the monks at first doubted this could genuinely be a Daughter of France. Later, in 1719, the Valois Chapel in which it was placed was pulled down, and her body mysteriously disappeared. In death, as in life, she was a legend.

Sources

For readers who wish to explore the subject further I can recommend the list below as being the most useful to me. I would like to acknowledge the Project Gutenberg collection for many of the out-of-print titles.

The Favourites of Henry of Navarre
by Le Petit Homme Rouge. 1910

The Life of Marie de Medici
by Julia Pardoe. 1890

History of the Reign of Henry IV
by Martha Walker Freer. 1860

Memoirs of Marguerite, Queen of Navarre.

A Gallant of Lorraine, François, Seigneur de Bassompierre
(1579–1646) by H. Noel Williams. 1921.

Illustrious Dames of the Court of the Valois Kings: Marguerite, Queen of Navarre
by Pierre de Bourdeille and C.A. Sainte-Beuve. Translated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley. 1912

The French Renaissance Court
by Robert J. Knecht. 2008