Her next step was to try to rescue her husband, for which purpose she hurried on to London. But she was met at St. Alban's by Warwick's forces leading the king in their train. A furious battle ensued, but Margaret's stout northern soldiers were too much for the Londoners, and when night came all the Yorkists fled, leaving the king behind. One of his attendants hastened to the queen's quarters to inform her that her lord was near, whereupon she flew to embrace him. Accompanied by the Prince of Wales and some of the northern lords, they went to the Abbey church of St. Albans to return thanks to God for the king's deliverance. They were received by the abbot and monks, who prepared apartments for them in the abbey, where they remained for a while. {308}But Margaret's better feelings were all changed by the hard experience she had had, and in her desire for further vengeance she made so many mistakes that she turned the good-will of the Londoners towards her into hatred, and they refused to let her enter the city. So she removed with her troops towards the northern counties, her husband and son accompanying her. Then Edward of York entered London in triumph. He was received by the citizens as their deliverer, and proclaimed king by the voice of the people under the title of Edward IV. This was considered the death-blow to the house of Lancaster, but not by the persistent Margaret, who in the course of a few days rallied an army of sixty thousand men. Her generals, Somerset and Clifford, persuaded her to stay with her husband and son, while they engaged Edward and the Earl of Warwick, first at Ferrybridge and then at Towton. A heavy snow-storm that fell in the faces of the Lancastrians so blinded them that their arrows did not take effect, while those of their enemy covered the field with forty thousand of their dead. Margaret fled to Scotland, and Edward IV. forbade all his subjects under pain of death to hold any sort of communication with her or her husband; yet there were many faithful hearts ready to sacrifice life and fortune to the heroine of the Red Rose. She and Louis XI., then on the throne of France, were first cousins, and had been brought up together. To him she now turned for aid, but he received her coldly when she threw herself at his feet, merely offering her a sum of money providing she would give him Calais if she could not return it within a year. The people of England objected to this, and thought that as Calais was not hers to give she had committed treason in making the promise. After five months' absence she returned to England with {309}two thousand volunteers, obtained more assistance from the Scotch, and got possession of several important fortresses.