THE STORY OF LADY NEVILLE.
[Sidenote: Intrigues.]
[Sidenote: A romantic story.]
In reading the history of the English monarchy in these early times,
you will often hear of the _court intrigues_ which mingled with, and
sometimes greatly complicated, the movement of public affairs.
Margaret of Anjou found herself, on her arrival in England, involved
in many such intrigues. Indeed, she was admirably qualified, by her
sagacity and quickness of apprehension, and by the great ascendency
which these and other qualities which she possessed gave her over the
minds of all about her, to take a very active and successful part in
the management of manoeuvrings of all sorts. The nature of these court
intrigues is very well illustrated by the narration which the most
celebrated of Margaret's biographers gives of one in which he says
that Margaret herself became involved while on her way from France to
England. The story seems much more like romance than like reality.
Indeed, it doubtless is a romance, but it nevertheless illustrates
well the manner in which the private passions and personal and family
quarrels of the great became involved with, and sometimes entirely
controlled, the most important events in the national history, and
therefore it will not be amiss to relate it.
[Sidenote: Lady Neville.]
[Sidenote: First interview.]
[Sidenote: Dauphiness.]
The first connection which Queen Margaret, as we are henceforth to
call her, had with the affair of Lady Neville, took place at
Abbeville, a town in France not very far from Calais, when the queen
was advancing toward the sea-coast on her way to England. While she
was at Abbeville, there suddenly appeared a young and beautiful lady
who asked an audience of Margaret, announcing herself simply as one of
the ladies who had been attached to the service of the dauphiness, who
was the wife of the oldest son of the king,[5] and who had recently
died. She was admitted. She remained in private conversation with
Margaret two hours, and when this mysterious interview was concluded
she was introduced to the other ladies of Margaret's court as Miss
Sanders, an English lady who had been attached to the court of the
dauphiness, but who now, since the death of her mistress, wished to
return to England in Margaret's train. Margaret informed the other
ladies that she had received her into her household, and gave
directions that she should be treated with the utmost consideration.
[Footnote 5: See map. The oldest son of the King of France
and the heir to the crown is styled the Dauphin. His rank and
position corresponds with that of the Prince of Wales in
England.]
[Sidenote: Curiosity of the ladies.]
[Sidenote: The stranger's reserve.]
The other ladies were very curious to solve the mystery of this case,
but they could not obtain any clew to it. The stranger was very
reserved, mingled very little with her new companions, and evinced a
constant desire to avoid observation. There was something, however, in
her beauty, and in the expression of deep and constant grief which her
countenance wore, which made her an object of great interest to all
the household of the queen, but they could not learn any particulars
of her history. The facts, however, were these.
[Sidenote: Her story.]
Her real name was Anne Neville. She was the daughter of Richard
Neville, Earl of Salisbury, one of the leading and most
highly-connected noblemen in England. When she was about fifteen years
old she was married to a relative of the family. The marriage,
however, proved a very unhappy one. Her husband was very jealous of
her. From her subsequent conduct it would seem probable that he might
have had good reason to be so. At any rate, he was extremely jealous;
and as he was of a harsh and cruel temper, he made his young wife
very miserable by the exactions and privations which he enforced upon
her, and by the violent invectives with which he continually assailed
her.
[Sidenote: Her unhappy marriage.]
The incessant anxiety and suffering which these troubles occasioned
soon began to prey upon the lady's health, and, at length, her father,
observing that she was growing pale and thin, began to inquire into
the cause. He soon learned what a dreadful life his daughter was
leading. Like most of the other great nobles of those days, he was a
man of violent character, and he immediately determined on rescuing
his daughter from her husband's power, for he considered her husband
as the party chiefly, if not wholly, to blame.
[Sidenote: Her marriage dissolved.]
[Sidenote: Pretext.]
[Sidenote: Her marriage annulled.]
He ascertained, or pretended to ascertain, that there had been some
informalities connected with the marriage. His daughter was distantly
related to her husband, and there were certain steps which it was
necessary to take in such cases to obtain a dispensation from the
Church, in order to render such marriage legal. These steps he now
alleged had not been properly taken, and he immediately instituted
proceedings to have the marriage annulled. Whether there was really
any sufficient ground for such annulling, or whether he obtained the
decree through influences which his high position enabled him to bring
to bear upon the court, I do not know. He, however, succeeded in his
purpose. The marriage was annulled, and his daughter returned home;
and, in order to obliterate as far as possible all traces of the
unhappy union into which she had been drawn, she dropped the name
which she had received from her husband and resumed again her own
maiden name.
[Sidenote: She becomes free.]
She now began soon to appear at court, where she almost immediately
attracted great attention. On account of the peculiar circumstances in
which she was placed, she enjoyed all the privileges of a widow,
combined with the attractiveness and the charms of a lovely girl.
Almost every body was ready to fall in love with her.
[Sidenote: Her admirers.]
Among her other admirers was the Duke of Somerset. He was a man of
high rank and of great accomplishments, but he was married, and he
could not, therefore, innocently make her the object of his love. He
was not, however, deterred by this consideration, and he soon
succeeded in making a strong impression upon Lady Neville's heart.
They soon contrived means of meeting each other in private,
resorting to all sorts of manoeuvres and inventions to aid them in
keeping their guilty attachment to each other from the knowledge of
those around them.
[Sidenote: The Duke of Gloucester.]
In the mean while, the Duke of Gloucester himself, who was now,
however, considerably advanced in life, lost his wife, she dying about
this time, and he almost immediately conceived the idea of making Lady
Neville her successor. He thought it not proper to say any thing to
Lady Neville herself on this subject until some little time should
have elapsed, but he spoke to her father, the Earl of Salisbury, who
readily approved of the plan. Gloucester was at this time prime
minister of England, and the lady whom he should choose for his wife
would be elevated by her marriage to the highest pinnacle of grandeur.
Of course, the importance and influence of her father also, and of all
the members of her family, would be greatly increased by so splendid
an alliance.
[Sidenote: Splendid prospect.]
So it was agreed that the match should be made, but the arrangement
was to be kept secret, not only from the public, but from the intended
bride herself, until a suitable time should have elapsed for the
widower to recover from the grief which the death of his former wife
was supposed to have occasioned him.
[Sidenote: Gloucester's declaration.]
At length, when the proper time for mourning had expired, Gloucester
made his declaration of love. Lady Neville listened to it, thinking
all the time what Somerset would say when she came to communicate the
news to him. She did communicate it to him on the first opportunity.
[Sidenote: Perplexity of Lady Neville.]
Great was the distress and the perplexity which the lovers felt while
consulting together and determining what was to be done in such an
emergency. They could not endure the thought of a separation. They
could not be married to each other, for Somerset was married already.
For Lady Neville to remain single all her life in order to be at
liberty to indulge a guilty passion was an idea not to be entertained.
They knew, too, that their present relations to each other could not
long be continued. A thousand circumstances might happen at any time
to interrupt or to terminate it, and it could not be long, in any
event, before it must come to an end. So it was agreed between them
that Lady Neville should accede to the great minister's proposal and
become his wife. In the mean time, until the period should arrive for
the consummation of the marriage, they were to renew and redouble
their intimacy with each other, taking, however, every possible
precaution to conceal their movements from the eyes of others.
So the duke's offer was accepted, and it was soon made known to all
the court that Lady Neville was his affianced bride.
[Sidenote: The duke becomes uneasy.]
Thus far Lady Neville had treated the duke with great reserve in her
accidental intercourse with him at the reunions of the court, but now,
since he was her accepted lover, he thought he might reasonably expect
a greater degree of cordiality in her demeanor toward him. But he
found no change. She continued as formal and reserved as ever.
Moreover, when he went to visit her, which he did sometimes several
times a day, she was very often not at home--much too often, he
thought. He went to the place where her domestics said she had gone in
such cases, but she was very seldom to be found. He soon came to the
conclusion that there was some strange mystery involved in the affair,
and he determined to adopt effectual measures for unraveling it.
[Sidenote: His spies.]
So he employed certain trusty persons who were in his service to watch
and see where Lady Neville went, and how she passed her time during
these unaccountable absences from home. For many days this watch was
continued, but no discoveries were made. The spies reported that they
could not keep upon the lady's track. In spite of their best exertions
she would contrive to elude them, and for several hours every day they
lost sight of her altogether. They saw enough, however, to satisfy
them that there was something wrong going on. What it was, however,
they could not discover, so shrewd and complete were the precautions
which Somerset and Lady Neville had taken to prevent detection.
[Sidenote: Discoveries.]
[Sidenote: The duke's perplexity.]
[Sidenote: His mode of reasoning.]
The Duke of Gloucester was for a time much perplexed to know what to
do, whether openly to quarrel with Lady Neville and refuse to
consummate the marriage, or to banish his suspicions and take her for
his wife. His love for her finally triumphed, and he resolved to
proceed with the marriage. He had no positive evidence against her, he
said to himself, and then, besides, even if there were some secret
attachment on her part, to account for these mysterious appearances,
she might, after all, when once married to him, make him a faithful
and affectionate wife. Some lingering remains of a former affection
must often necessarily dwell, he thought, in the heart of a bride,
even when truly and honestly giving herself to the one on whom her
choice is finally made. Especially is this true in cases where the
lady is young, accomplished, and lovely, while her husband can only
offer wealth or high position instead of youth and personal
attractions as a means of winning her favor.
[Sidenote: The decision.]
So it was decided that the marriage should take place, and the day for
the wedding was appointed.
[Sidenote: Clandestine meeting of the lovers.]
[Sidenote: Village on the Thames.]
When the time for the wedding drew nigh, and the lovers found that the
period of their enjoyments was drawing to a close, they determined on
having a farewell interview with each other on the day before the
wedding, and in order to be safe from interruption, it was arranged
that they should spend the day together in a village on the banks of
the Thames, at some little distance from London.
When the day came, Lady Neville left her home to repair to the place
of rendezvous. She was followed by Gloucester's spies. She was
received at the village by Somerset. Somerset was, however, so
disguised that the spies did not know and could not discover who he
was. They were satisfied, however, from his demeanor toward Lady
Neville, that he was her lover, and they at once reported the facts to
Gloucester in London.
[Sidenote: Plans for her return.]
Gloucester was of course in a great rage. He swore terrible vengeance
against both Lady Neville herself and her lover, whoever he might be.
He at once armed a troop of his followers and rode off at the head of
them, guided by one of the spies, to the village of rendezvous. It was
dark before he arrived there. Some peasants of whom he made inquiry
informed him that a lady answering to the description which he gave
them had gone on board the boat to return to London some time before.
Gloucester immediately turned, and made all haste back to London
again, in hopes to reach the landing before the boat should arrive,
with a full determination to kill both the lady herself and her
paramour the moment they should touch the shore.
[Sidenote: Gloucester mistaken.]
He was mistaken, however, in supposing that the paramour, whoever he
might be, was with the lady. Somerset, in the excess of his
precaution, had returned to London by land, leaving Lady Neville to
return by herself in the boat with the other passengers; for the boat
was a sort of packet which plied regularly between the village and
London. He, however, had stationed trusty persons not far from the
landing in London, who were to receive Lady Neville on her arrival and
convey her home.
[Sidenote: The boat arrives.]
Gloucester arrived at the landing before the boat reached the shore.
It was, however, now so dark that he despaired of being able to
recognize the persons he was in pursuit of, especially under the
disguise which he did not doubt that they would wear. So, in the
recklessness of his rage, he resolved to kill every body in the boat,
and thus to make sure of his revenge.
[Sidenote: Assault upon the boat.]
Accordingly, the moment that the boat touched the shore, he and his
followers rushed on board, and a dreadful scene of consternation and
terror ensued. Gloucester himself made his way directly toward the
figure of a lady, whose air, and manner, and style of dress indicated,
so far as he could discern them in the darkness, that she was probably
the object of his fury. He plunged his dagger into her breast. She, in
an agony of terror, leaped into the river. She was buoyed up by her
dress, and floated down the stream.
[Sidenote: Boatmen murdered.]
In the mean time, the work of murder on board the boat went on. The
duke and his men continued stabbing and striking down all around them,
until the passengers and the boatmen were every one killed. The bodies
were then all thrown into the river, stones having been previously
tied to them to make them sink.
[Sidenote: Cries.]
The people in the houses of the neighborhood, on the banks of the
river, heard the cries, and raised their heads a moment from their
pillows, or paused as they were walking along the silent streets to
listen. But the cries were soon suppressed, for the massacre was the
work of a few moments only, and such sounds were far too common in
those days in the streets of London, and especially on the river, to
attract much regard.
[Sidenote: The boat sunk.]
The boat was of course covered with blood. The duke ordered his men to
take it out into the middle of the river and sink it, that being the
easiest and the quickest way of covering up all traces and proofs of
the crime.
[Sidenote: Gloucester.]
The writer who relates this story says that Gloucester's reason for
wishing to have his agency in this transaction concealed was not that
he feared any punishment, for the laws in those days were wholly
powerless to punish deeds of violence like this, committed by men of
Gloucester's rank and station. He only thought that if it were known
that he had murdered in this way so many innocent people, in order
merely to make sure of killing an object of his own private jealousy
and hate, it would injure his popularity!
[Sidenote: Escape of Lady Neville.]
In the mean time, Lady Neville, for it was really Lady Neville whom
Gloucester had stabbed, and who had leaped into the river, floated
on down the stream, borne up by her dress, which was made, according
to the fashion of the times, in a manner to give it great buoyancy in
the water, by means of the hoops with which the sleeves of the robe
were distended, and also from the form of the head-dress, which was
very large and light, and well adapted to serve as a float to keep the
head from sinking.
[Illustration: Female Costume in the Time of Henry VI.]
[Sidenote: Under the bridge.]
[Sidenote: Rescued.]
She floated on in this manner down the river until she had passed
London Bridge, being carried through by the current under one of the
arches. On emerging from the bridge, she came to the part of the river
where the ships and other vessels bound down the river were moored. It
happened that among other vessels lying at anchor in the stream was
one bound to Normandy. The captain of this vessel had been on shore,
but he was now coming off in his boat to go on board again. As the
captain was looking out over the water by the light of a lantern which
he held in his hand, to discern the way to his vessel, he saw
something floating at a short distance from him which resembled the
dress of a woman. He urged the boat forward in that direction. He
succeeded, with great difficulty, after arriving at the spot, in
getting the now almost lifeless form of Lady Neville on board his
boat, and then rowed on as fast as possible to the vessel.
[Sidenote: Received on board a vessel.]
[Sidenote: Her determination.]
Here every thing was done which the case required to restore the
drowning lady to life. She soon recovered her senses, and looked about
her wild with excitement and terror. She had the presence of mind,
however, not to say a word that could betray her secret, though her
dress, and her air and manner, convinced the captain that she was no
ordinary personage. The wound was examined and found not to be
serious. She had been protected by some portions of her dress which
had turned the poniard aside. When she found that the immediate danger
had passed she became more composed, and began to inquire in regard to
the persons and scenes around her. When she found that the vessel
which had received her was bound to Normandy, she determined to escape
to that country; so she contrived means to induce the captain to
conceal her on board until the time should arrive for setting sail,
and then to take her with him down the river and across the Channel.
[Sidenote: She is received by the dauphiness.]
On her arrival in France she repaired at once to the court of the
dauphiness, who, being an English princess, was predisposed to take
compassion upon her and to receive her kindly. She remained at this
court, as we have seen, under the assumed name of Miss Sanders, until
the death of the dauphiness. She was thus suddenly deprived of her
protector in France, but almost at the same time the marriage of
Margaret of Anjou seemed to open to her the means of returning to
England.
So long as the Duke of Gloucester lived and retained his power, she
knew very well that she could not return in safety to the English
court; but she thought that Margaret's going to England would probably
be the precursor of Gloucester's downfall.
[Sidenote: Political intrigues.]
"_She_ must hate him," said she to herself, "almost as much as I do,
for he has opposed her marriage from the beginning, and has done all
in his power to prevent it. Margaret will never be satisfied until she
has deposed him from his power and put some friend of hers in his
place. I can help her in this work, if she will receive me under her
protection and allow me to accompany her to England."
[Sidenote: Lady Neville and Margaret.]
So she proceeded to Abbeville to intercept the queen on her way to the
coast, as we have already seen. At the long and secret interview which
she had with her there she related to Margaret the story of her
connection with Somerset and with Gloucester, and of her almost
miraculous escape from death at Gloucester's hands. She now wished for
revenge; and if Queen Margaret would receive her into her service and
take her to England, she would concert measures with Somerset, her
lover, which would greatly aid Margaret in the plans which she might
form for effecting the downfall of Gloucester.
[Sidenote: Lady Neville returns.]
[Sidenote: Mystery.]
Margaret at once and very gladly acceded to this request, and took
Lady Neville with her to England. She treated her with great
consideration and honor; but still Lady Neville maintained a strict
reserve in all her intercourse with the other ladies of the court,
and kept herself in great seclusion, especially after the arrival of
the bridal party in England. Her pretext for this was her deep
affliction at the loss of her friend and patroness the Dauphiness of
France. But the other ladies of the court were not wholly satisfied
with this explanation. They were fully convinced that there was more
in the case than met the view, especially when they found that on the
arrival of the party in England the stranger seemed to take special
pains to avoid meeting the Duke of Gloucester. They exerted all their
powers of watchfulness and scrutiny to unravel the mystery, but in
vain.