The messenger was still arguing the case with the lady when Isabella arrived at the castle gates with her train. A volley of arrows greeted the party, and killed six of the royal escort. The queen was obliged to seek other shelter for the night, but she was excessively angry, and complained bitterly to the king of the treatment she had received, begging him to avenge the insolence of Lady Badlesmere for daring to exclude her from her own castle. Badlesmere himself was foolish enough to send a most insulting letter to the queen in reply to the complaints that had been addressed to him concerning his wife's conduct, declaring that he heartily approved of what she had done. As this baron had held the high position of steward of the royal household before he was placed in charge of Leeds Castle, it is probable that the queen had done something to make him her enemy. Neither her Uncle Lancaster nor any of his associates seemed inclined to side with Isabella, so she determined to be revenged on them all, and would not rest until her husband promised to besiege the castle. {195}A large force was soon gathered together before the walls, but Lady Badlesmere felt certain that, with the stock of provisions she had laid in, she could resist any attack, besides she expected all the barons to side with her. But she soon found out her mistake, and in a few days the Castle of Leeds was obliged to surrender, and eleven of its defenders, including Badlesmere, were hanged just outside the gate. Lady Badlesmere was sent to the Tower of London as a state prisoner. [Illustration: 0199] {196}Isabella now did all in her power to influence the king against the barons, instead of working to restore peace, as she once did. So he fought against them in person, and Lancaster was seized in the battle. He was sentenced by the king with the least possible delay, and beheaded a few hours later. The queen knew nothing about her uncle's sentence until too late, otherwise, it is to be hoped, she would have endeavored to save him. She was living in the Tower at the time, and it was there that her youngest child, the Lady Joanna, was born. Roger Mortimer had been captured while fighting against the king, and imprisoned in the Tower under sentence of death; but he managed in some unaccountable manner to see Isabella, and get her interested in him. Her influence was all-powerful at that period, so, to the astonishment of everybody, she made Edward change Mortimer's sentence of death to imprisonment for life, though he had really commenced the civil war by a fierce attack on the lands of the Despencers. These men now hated the queen more than ever for assisting their enemy.