A Ladder of Swords: A Tale of Love, Laughter and Tears — John Shaqi
A Ladder of Swords: A Tale of Love, Laughter and TearsParker, Gilbert
History
A Ladder of Swords: A Tale of Love, Laughter and Tears
Parker, Gilbert
Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction; Huguenots -- Fiction; Jersey (Channel Islands) -- Fiction
The humor of the thing rushed upon the Queen. Never before were two
such naïve folk at court. There was not a hair of duplicity in the
heads of the two, and she judged them well in her mind.
“I will see you stand together--you and your henchman,” she said to
Rozel, and moved on to the antechapel, the court following. Standing
still just inside the doorway, she motioned Buonespoir to come near.
The pirate, unconfused, undismayed, with his wide, blue, asking eyes,
came forward and dropped upon his knees. Elizabeth motioned Lemprière
to stand a little apart.
Thereupon she set a few questions to Buonespoir, whose replies,
truthfully given, showed that he had no real estimate of his crimes,
and was indifferent to what might be their penalties. He had no moral
sense on the one hand, on the other, no fear.
Suddenly she turned to Lemprière again. “You came, then, to speak for
this Michel de la Forêt, the exile--?”
“And for the demoiselle Angèle Aubert, who loves him, your Majesty.”
“I sent for this gentleman exile a fortnight ago--” She turned
towards Leicester inquiringly.
“I have the papers here, your Majesty,” said Leicester, and gave a
packet over.
“And where have you De la Forêt?” said Elizabeth.
“In durance, your Majesty.”
“When came he hither?”
“Three days gone,” answered Leicester, a little gloomily, for there
was acerbity in Elizabeth’s voice.
Elizabeth seemed about to speak, then dropped her eyes upon the
papers and glanced hastily at their contents.
“You will have this Michel de la Forêt brought to my presence as fast
as horse can bring him, my lord,” she said to Leicester. “This rascal
of the sea--Buonespoir--you will have safe bestowed till I recall his
existence again,” she said to a captain of men-at-arms; “and you,
Monsieur of Rozel, since you are my butler, will get you to my
diningroom and do your duty--the office is not all perquisites,” she
added, smoothly. She was about to move on when a thought seemed to
strike her, and she added, “This mademoiselle and her father whom you
brought hither--where are they?”
“They are even within the palace grounds, your imperial Majesty,”
answered Lemprière.
“You will summon them when I bid you,” she said to the seigneur; “and
you shall see that they have comforts and housing as befits their
station,” she added to the Lord Chamberlain.
So did Elizabeth, out of a whimsical humor, set the highest in the
land to attend upon unknown, unconsidered exiles.
VIII
Five minutes later Lemprière of Rozel, as butler to the Queen, saw a
sight of which he told to his dying day. When, after varied troubles
hereafter set down, he went back to Jersey, he made a speech before
the royal court, in which he told what chanced while Elizabeth was at
chapel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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