The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham (3 page)

She told me when she arrived at the white cliffs of Dover, she found Humphrey waiting to welcome her and escort her to his brother's court. He had brought Jacqueline a fine thoroughbred palfrey for the ride to London, which they reached at an early hour on the following day. She told me the king had received her most graciously, as a grand princess, former dauphiness of Vienne and one who might have been the queen of France.

I was able to explore the duke’s London residence in his absence and knew from the library he was much more than a soldier. The walls were lined with the finest collection of books I had ever seen. Many of the duke’s books were beautifully written on fine vellum with many illuminated letters and bound in gold tooled leather. I marvelled at the French translations of classical Greek volumes next to early illustrated manuscripts and collections of the work of most of the modern poets. There were piles of books on his table and it was clear he was making a study of them. My mother, who was also my tutor, would have loved to see the duke’s books if she had still been alive.

The duke was also a lover of music, as he retained a talented group of minstrels in his household and they would play for us in the evenings. I was surprised when I spoke to the musicians and found they were well educated scholars, fluent in several languages. Some had travelled to London from Italy and Spain and spoke highly of the duke, apparently more like companions of his household than simply the minstrels I had taken them for. As with all his servants, they seemed to hold the duke in great esteem and were proud to be in his service.

Most of all, I could see he had enormous wealth, as the furnishings were all of the finest quality, with ornaments of silver and gold. The walls of his mansion were covered with richly carved wooden panels. Rich tapestries were displayed in every room, with the whole wall of the banqueting hall covered by a dazzling depiction of the battle of Agincourt. The mansion had wonderful views of the busy river, with its own jetty where the duke had a fine golden barge, and there were extensive parks and gardens on all sides. I later found that the duke had many homes, including castles at Pembroke and Devizes and manor houses in Kent and St Albans.

We had been staying in his mansion for barely a week when the servants told us the duke had sent a messenger to say he was returning home. The countess was greatly concerned to look her best and I could tell she saw him as more than simply her host in London. Jacqueline confided to me she considered Humphrey would make an eminently suitable husband and she intended to marry him. I asked if it was true she was already married but she waved her hand in the air and said she would have it annulled by the pope.

People have accused me of using witchcraft to secure Duke Humphrey’s affection, that I seduced him through political ambition and even that I was paid by his enemies to come between him and the countess. As with most things, there is a simple explanation. I fell for him as soon as I saw him. I would not say he was particularly handsome. He was ten years older than me and tired from the long ride from Dover. He had the thin, clean shaven face of the House of Lancaster and was wearing ordinary riding clothes. Yet as he stepped into the room I sensed his power and intelligence. His keen eyes took in every detail of what I was wearing. He listened attentively to every word I said. I knew we would become lovers.

Looking back I can see how Jacqueline’s deeply superstitious beliefs influenced me and might have brought about my downfall. She once told me how she had visited the capital city of Mons in splendour after inheriting her father’s title. The people turned out in great numbers, cheering and celebrating, but at the height of the festivities the most severe hailstorm had deluged the city. The countess looked serious as she described how the sky grew black and the wind howled through the city, with hail so heavy it killed many cattle and ruined the harvest. The people of Mons had claimed it was of ill omen to Jacqueline, who had met misfortune beyond her years.

Jacqueline told me the sudden death of her father had been seen as a bad portent but when her husband also fell ill with a strange fever and died, the superstitious people of Hainault had said it was a sure sign there was a curse on the family. Jacqueline told me her mother suspected a servant, bribed by the Armagnacs, had found some way to poison him but I could tell from the haunted look on Jacqueline’s face she still believed she was cursed.

Her next arranged marriage to the Duke of Brabant had led to three years of abject misery and she told me how she had many times wished him dead. This darker side to Jacqueline’s stories emerged as I began to become her confidante. I could soon see why she had sought sanctuary in England and learned the truth of this through the letters which she sent to her mother. As there was a real risk of letters to France falling into the wrong hands, she taught me to write them for her in this special code, based on the old dialect known only to her family.

My father’s plan to bring me to court as the lady of Countess Jacqueline proved better judgement than even he had hoped. Soon after I first met him, the Duke of Gloucester was sent back to Dover by the king to prepare his next campaign, procuring a fleet of ships to carry a thousand men to war in France. The king sailed with him to Calais as soon as the men were ready, so the countess was invited to join the queen at her confinement in Windsor Castle. Queen Catherine had only been crowned in February but was already expecting the next heir to the throne. We were all the same age and, as the daughter of King Charles of France, the queen was Jacqueline’s sister-in-law through her first ill-fated marriage. They had many interests in common and quickly became close friends.

Thanks to Jacqueline’s good word for me I also soon became part of the queen’s inner circle at Windsor. It was difficult for me at first, as although my mother had taught me French she had barely prepared me for the rich sophistication of Queen Catherine’s court. I learned to listen though, and observe. The complex intrigues of the queen’s court fascinated me and it proved to be an excellent preparation for what was to come later. Most exciting of all was to be so close to the centre of power and wealth in the land. I longed to see the duke once more and felt a strange frisson of anticipation and excitement at the thought of his return.

There was a moment in November at Windsor I remember clearly. I was alone with the countess in her apartment, helping her to write another of her coded letters to the Dowager Margaret in France. She surprised me with her frank description of our situation, clearly placing much trust in my discretion and her certainty the letter would never be read by anyone other than her mother. She was telling her mother Humphrey was as good as betrothed to her and if the queen and the baby were not to survive the impending birth, he would become King of England, France and Holland, with her as his queen.

I must confess I was happy she was wrong, as I had grown to like Queen Catherine. The new heir to the throne, a strong and healthy boy, was born safely in the first week of December. By then the king and Duke Humphrey were embattled with their campaign in France and unable to return. An exhausted messenger eventually returned with the news that the king was engaged in the siege of Meaux, north of Paris.

Despite the freezing winter rains, the king was determined to defeat Jean de Gast, the Bastard de Vaurus, who had been capturing travellers on their way to Paris and hanging them in the market-place if a ransom wasn’t paid. King Henry
V
’s reputation in France depended on his success, so he had resolved to take the fortress of Meaux whatever the cost. The king commanded the queen to bring the new prince to France once she was well enough. We had a joyous Christmas at Windsor and the countess was invited to be godmother to the new prince, holding him at the font as he was christened Henry, after his father and grandfather, next in the line of kings of England.

In the spring of 1422 the queen felt ready to make the long journey to France with her infant son and was to be escorted by John, Duke of Bedford, who had been acting as regent. This meant Duke Humphrey was commanded to replace his elder brother as the new Regent and Lord Protector in King Henry V
’s continued absence. I returned to Humphrey’s London mansion by the Thames with the countess and was waiting there to welcome him on his arrival.

I was now truly close to the heart of power, as Humphrey was king in all but name, the most important person in the land. The countess now openly sought his attention and made no secret of her intention to marry him. She asked me to arrange a banquet fit for a king to celebrate his new appointment and safe return from the war in France. My time at the queen’s court at Windsor Castle had been well spent, as I had attended many royal banquets and had no difficulty in fulfilling the wishes of the countess. I also had the advantage of having gained some insight into Duke Humphrey’s tastes in music and the arts.

The king’s own trumpeters played a rousing royal fanfare to herald the entry of the duke with the countess on his arm. The food was the finest ever seen in London, with every type of wild bird and venison from the king’s royal parks. At the beginning of each course minstrels and jugglers entertained the diners and for the highlight of the banquet I had arranged players to put on a pageant. They performed the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, with expensive costumes and a golden crown for Duke Humphrey, who played the part of King Arthur of Camelot.

Countess Jacqueline chose for herself the role of the young Queen Guinevere but had little to do other than sit at King Arthur’s side and remain silent. I chose to play Lady Bertilak, the flirtatious and intelligent young wife who tempts the chivalrous knight Sir Gawain. As required by the play, in each of my three seduction scenes I changed my costumes, from the elegant dress of a modest lady in the first, to voluptuous and revealing at the end. The effect was not wasted on the duke, and I watched his eyes as I recited my lines of courtly love.

As a finale, I arranged for the duke’s talented minstrels to play his favourite songs, with dancing and music to end the evening. Much fine wine was drunk and the duke clearly enjoyed himself, joining in the rousing chorus and congratulating Countess Jacqueline on her success. She had never looked happier and had shown good judgement by her plan, as from that moment on it was clear they would marry.

Many years later I confessed to him she had almost no part in the arrangements, and that I had secretly managed to include amongst the specially invited guests my father and his new wife, as well as my sister and two brothers, who really had no place at court. I also took the opportunity to have the queen’s own seamstress make me a gown of rare Persian silk edged with gold. Humphrey had admitted Jacqueline had taken credit for every detail of the banquet, but he had hardly been able to take his eyes off me the entire evening. That was, he said, the moment he fell in love with me.