Chapter V: Blue-Coat's Story (2)

'"As you like it," replied Her Ladyship, shrugging her shoulders, and laughing a disagreeable little laugh. "You refuse my assistance, and imagine you can win a grace from Her Majesty by your own diplomatic talents! We shall see."

'"We shall see," I repeated mechanically, as I closed the door and walked away, after an elaborate farewell salutation to Lady Sarah; but I felt more down-hearted and uncertain what course to pursue than ever. I paced slowly along the corridor, pondering on Lady Sarah's proposal, so very strange and so unlooked-for from her, when suddenly an idea darted into my mind that directly threw a light on her meaning. Of course she was scheming to prevent my appeal to the Queen. Her policy was to send me out of the way for the present, until she could in some way contrive to render my petition useless, or perhaps put a stop to my presenting it altogether. Why had I been so dull as not to think of this before? For, as I said just now, Lady Sarah was one of the very persons for whose benefit these cruel ransoms were to be extorted. What was to be done? She had failed, to be sure, in baiting properly the first little trap she had laid for me; but there were many ether ways, of course, in which she might easily manage to thwart me.

'Why had I not followed my first impulse, and gone at once to the Queen in a straightforward manner? Why had I allowed Hal to persuade me for a moment that the crooked path could ever be the best? But, after all, why should I not take the straight path now? It seemed to me, without doubt the only thing to be done under the circumstances, and I resolved to do it. I would go to the Queen directly, without waiting for the next chance opportunity, and tell her my story before Lady Sarah should have time to stand between us. Yes, happen what might, I determined to make my petition without any more delay, with the forlorn hope that Her Majesty's pity and kind-heartedness might grant it in spite of my unlucky piece of misconduct. I had been pausing on the staircase while I turned these things over in my mind, and, having settled at last what my course of action was to be, my spirits suddenly rose to such a pitch that I felt it necessary to work them off by indulging in a slide down the bannisters (at home I very seldom went down-stairs in any other way, unless there was a chance of meeting Lady Mountfort, or Father Freeling); but, since my Court life began, opportunities did not come as often as I could have wished. However, here was an excellent one! For once in a way not a soul was in sight, above or below, so up I vaulted, and shot down to the first landing-place like lightning. But oh! what were my feelings, when, just as I started on my second journey, the Queen herself suddenly emerged from a passage, and advanced towards the foot of the stairs! One desperate attempt I made to stop myself, but only succeeded in giving my pace such an impetus, that I barely escaped charging straight into Her Majesty's arms. It seemed to me that I certainly was the very unluckiest person in Christendom. Just at this particular time, when it was so especially important to me to be in the Queen's good graces, who but I could have contrived to offend her twice in the same evening? I glanced nervously at her face, which showed plainly enough that she was extremely angry. As for me, I felt for a moment as if I had quite as much cause for anger as she had. Why need she have appeared just at that minute, and just in that particular place, too, where no one could possibly expect to meet her? A Queen, in my opinion, had no right to wander about in the region of the back-stairs, and take her pages by surprise when they were having a little harmless enjoyment. So, what with my confusion and vexation, by way of mending matters, I forgot to utter a word of apology, and stood stock-still before her, conscious of torn and crumpled ruffles, that the bow of my cravat was behind instead of before, and that there was a slit of appalling length in my claret-coloured velvet sleeve.

'"Well, sir, have you nothing to say for yourself?" was Her Majesty's exclamation, after the first pause of indignant surprise. "Perhaps you expect me to ask pardon for intruding upon your Lordship's privacy?"

'"I crave your Majesty's pardon with all my heart," I stammered out, as awkwardly as if I had been a horse-boy or a cow-herd, instead of a young courtier.

"I was only--that is--I never----" But Her Majesty cut me short with what I thought a perfectly withering smile, and a sharp "Enough, enough! Was ever such a bear before in the guise of a lady's page? You may go, sir; and I beg that this may be the last I see of you to-night. To-morrow that escapade of yours in the chapel must be inquired into; and I warn you that Father Niccolo shall not be insulted with impunity while my word has any weight in the Palace." And she swept past me with a look in her face which I knew quite well, and which always seemed completely to shut one's lips. When I saw the corners of her mouth drawn down, and that particular flash in her eyes, I felt that all poor Lady Dalrymple's hopes of my intercession had been in vain. Through my own fault I had lost every chance of gaining my suit. I stared after the Queen despairingly. She was going up the staircase, perhaps to Lady Sarah's room! I remembered my resolution of only five minutes ago. Now was the time to speak if I was to speak at all Yes, now or never! It would be useless, of course--of that I felt hardly a doubt; but it would be cowardly to give up without an effort, so that effort must be made. The next moment I was at the top of the staircase, pouring out my whole story to the astonished Queen, who stood perfectly breathless with bewilderment at my extraordinary, not to say daring behaviour. I told her everything from beginning to end without stopping, for fear she should dismiss me before hearing the whole--everything, that is, relating to my own affairs. I said as little as could be helped about Hal Verney, and nothing at all about Lady Sarah's proposal. There was no need to bring that in, and I did not want to accuse her unnecessarily. It was not till I had finished that I ventured to look up anxiously into the Queen's face. I was curious, and yet somewhat afraid, to see the effect which my unwonted proceedings would produce. Her mouth was not drawn down now--that was certainly a relief. I drew a long breath, and waited with beating heart and burning cheeks for her answer. When she did speak at length, it was not as she had spoken a few minutes before--not in the sharp icy tone that I had more than half expected to hear.

'"Come into my cabinet, child; this is not the place to discuss such matters in. I must hear this tale of yours over again, a little more clearly."

'And I followed her, quite trembling with pent-up eagerness, down-stairs (not this time on the balustrade), and into her own private cabinet. There my story had to be told again, interrupted very often by questions from the Queen, who seemed to listen with a great interest and attention when I repeated what Lady Dalrymple had told me about the troubles that my poor little wife had gone through, and the sickness and danger she was in at present. A really pained look came over her face, and her eyes filled with tears--somewhat to my amazement, I must say. That she was generous and warm-hearted, in spite of her pride and quick temper, and that she could sometimes do extremely kind things in a fit of impulse, I knew well enough; but that she should care so much for Frances' misfortunes as to cry over them, was more than I had dreamed of expecting, now especially, when I had just made her so angry. It was strange that she could feel so much pity for one person, and yet so little for all the rest of the miserable people who were suffering every day from having taken part in the Western Rebellion, some of whom were undergoing far more terrible punishments than the Taunton girls. Scores had been hung or beheaded, one or two even burned, and many shipped off as slaves to the colonies. I wondered whether she had felt as much distress for the Duke of Monmouth; whether she had tried at all to save him, or any of the unhappy prisoners whose friends were daily sending fruitless petitions to the Palace. If she could but have heard each one's story as she had heard mine, she never could have shown so much indifference to their fate. But all could not be saved, of course, whatever her wishes might be. Perhaps that was the reason why she appeared to be careless of all alike.

'In these speculations, however, I was soon interrupted by a tap on the shoulder from the Queen.

'"What are you knitting your brows about, child? Is it that you feel a husband's cares and responsibilities too much for you? Well, it is somewhat hard, I grant, for the troubles of married life to begin thus early. But never fear! I think I may promise to help you out of the present one. I will speak to the King to-night on behalf of this poor little wife of yours."

'How I thanked Her Majesty I really have not the smallest recollection. The boon that I feared was lost entirely, and all through my own folly, was actually gained after all; and I need not describe my relief and delight, which were all the greater for the difficulties I had gone through, and my hopelessness at last of winning it. How glad I felt now! How very, very glad that I had made and kept that resolution--hard as it was at the time--and had spoken out boldly and straightforwardly to the Queen! If I had kept silence, then I should most likely have found no other chance of speaking at all. Yes, I had done what was right, and that is the one deed which one never can regret. Not a very original remark, I am quite aware of that; but I never felt the truth of it so strongly in my life as then, and I have never forgotten it since.

'"Nay, you must not be too sure of my success," the Queen said, smiling, perhaps a little bitterly, as I tried to express my gratitude. "I will do my best; but remember, my power has a limit, though you look as though you scarce believed that. Ah, well!--now you may leave me. I will send a messenger to Lady Dalrymple, and bid her wait upon me early to-morrow morning. And, Algernon," she continued, as I knelt to kiss her hand before leaving the room, "you and your companions must make an apology for your rudeness to Father Niccolo, and the affair shall be passed over for this time, on condition that we hear no more of such crazy tricks for the future."

'It was all I could do to murmur out more thanks, and walk soberly out of Her Majesty's presence after this. And the first thing I did, when I found myself out of earshot, was to give vent to my feelings in a burst of whistling; after which I rushed off in search of Hal Verney, most anxious to make up the first quarrel we had ever had. He heard the news of how well my suit prospered with great satisfaction, though not, perhaps, with quite as much as if the cause had been carried by means of his own contrivance. However, I think he was somewhat consoled for the failure of that ingenious plan, when I told him that we had nothing to fear now on the score of Father Niccolo.

'What a long day that was to look back upon! It seemed as if a week had gone by since I was called in from the bowling-green to see Lady Dalrymple. For the first time in my life, I could not go to sleep directly my head was on the pillow, but lay awake, thinking of Frances in the Taunton jail, and wondering whether the order for release would, after all, come in time to save her.

'"My Lord Desmond, you are wanted in her Majesty's closet," said one of the Queen's officers-in-waiting, as he passed me in the ante-chamber the next morning.

'It was yet quite early; and though I had just been attending on Her Majesty at breakfast, she had made no allusion to her promise of the night before, except to favour me with a gracious nod and smile, which I thought looked encouraging.

'I suppose the gentleman saw me start and colour at his message, for he whispered to Roger Crosbie as I moved away, "What's in the wind now? Desmond looks as if some madcap prank were on his conscience. Has he got into trouble with the Queen, think you?"

'"Marry, no, I trust not!" I heard Roger say in a loud and horrified tone. "Why, I thought he told me we were out of that quandary! Sure he can't have tumbled into it again already!"

'I did not wait to reassure Roger, but rushed off with all speed to the painted cabinet, which room was an especial favourite of the Queen's, and generally went by the name of her "closet." She was not there when I went in; there was only a tall lady in black standing by the window whom I recognised this time without difficulty.

'"Well, Algernon," she said, coming to meet me with outstretched hands; "thank you a thousand times. You have gained your wife's liberty. God grant that it may not be too late to save her life!"

'The last words gave me rather a chill; for though the doubt had also occurred to me, I could not bear to think that she also had the same fears.

'"Then she is to be released, madam?" I asked, eagerly. "The King has really granted a pardon?"

'"Yes, a free pardon at the Queen's intercession. The whole of the fine is remitted, and I am going to bring her home. I start for Taunton in an hour. Poor heart," and she sighed, repeating half to herself, "if only I am not too late!"

'"Oh, pray, madam, do not say so," I cried earnestly. "You will not be too late,--indeed you will not! When once she is taken out of that horrible place, with you to nurse her too, she must get well. Oh, the sight of you will do her good directly, I am sure it will!"

"'I shall tell her what she owes to you," said Lady Dalrymple, taking my hands again, with tears in her kind, soft brown eyes.

'"I thank you again in her name, with all my heart. May I give your love to her, my dear?"

'I murmured with some difficulty a shy "Yes, if you please, madam." And then, as voices and footsteps were heard approaching the door, she drew me suddenly into her arms, and kissed me as if I had been one of Frances' brothers.

'"You are my son, you know, Algernon," she said, with a sort of half-apologetic smile. "God bless you, my dear boy, and keep both you and her!"

'Some of the Queen's ladies entered at that moment to summon Lady Dalrymple once more to their mistress's presence; and so I said farewell to my mother-in-law, and for the last time, though I little thought so then.

'Hal Verney, who, of course, had contrived to find out more of the matter than anybody else, informed me that Frances was not the only one to whom I had done good service by my petition. The Queen had inquired strictly into the matter of the Taunton maidens, and had been much displeased with several of her ladies for the lengths they had gone in it, and the hard-heartedness they had shown in the affair. Owing to her remonstrances, when she found out this, all the fines were decreased to about a third of what had been demanded at first; and one or two of the girls, whose parents were really poor, received, like Frances, a free pardon.

'I was very glad to hear this, for Agnes Blount's sake especially. She was at Newcourt when I went there for a short visit at Christmas; and from her I heard the whole story of the part which Madame St. Aubert's school had taken in Monmouth's insurrection, and the troubles which had befallen it in consequence. Agnes had been lately staying at Horsemandown, and she told me, as a great secret, that Lady Dalrymple wished very much that I should pay a visit there, but that Sir Harry, and more especially, Lady Mountfort, had resolutely refused to hear of it. Why, I could not wholly understand till afterwards; but I remember how desperately angry and disappointed I felt at the time.

'Well! you have heard all my Lady Desmond's adventures fully enough from her own mouth, so there is no need for me to say anything more about them. I will only tell you that she quite recovered from that terrible prison fever, though her sickness was a very long and serious one. Perhaps you may also like to know that Henrietta Sydney entirely escaped the infection. She stayed a long time at Horsemandown, helping Lady Dalrymple to nurse poor little Frances; and the friendship that began in Taunton jail was never interrupted to the end of both their lives.'