The only thing that ever made Jeanne really sorry for her naughty tricks
was when Madame de Silly talked to her about her mother, whom the child
loved deeply, though she saw her so seldom. To grow up like her was
Jeanne's great wish, even when she was quite a baby; and as her mother
loved the king, her uncle, so much, why, of course, she must love him
too. Every now and then Francis I. sent for her to the palace of St.
Germain, to play with her cousins, Princess Madeleine, who was
afterwards to be queen of Scotland, and Marguérite, the future duchess
of Savoy. The two little princesses were both delicate, and could not
ride and jump and run like Jeanne, who was besides the prettiest of the
three, so she was petted and spoilt and flattered by all, and when she
went back to Lonray, she gave herself all sorts of airs, till you would
have thought she was not made of flesh and blood at all, or just a child
like the rest.
By-and-by Jeanne's father, King Henry of Navarre, grew tired of dangling
about the French Court, where nobody took much notice of him, and
proposed going for a time to live in his own kingdom in the south of
France. Marguérite was herself weary of tournaments and pageants and
constant banquets, and pined for leisure to read books, and to write
poetry. So she gladly gave her consent, and wished to take Jeanne with
her, that they might get to know one another. But to this Francis would
not agree. He knew—or guessed—that the Emperor Charles V., King of
Spain, desired to bring about a marriage between his son Philip, prince
of the Asturias, and the heiress of Navarre, and such a marriage would
mean that the King of Spain would also be lord of a great part of
France. If Jeanne even approached the frontier who could say what might
happen? Therefore, to the grief of her mother and the great wrath of her
father, she was to remain in France as the ward of the king. However, to
make things as pleasant as he could, Francis announced his desire to
betrothe the princess to his second son, Henry, Duke of Orleans, a boy
of twelve, even then showing signs of the silent and melancholy
character which distinguished him in later years.
[Illustration: THE OUBLIETTES]
The prospect of this alliance delighted both the king and queen of
Navarre, but in spite of it Marguérite refused to allow Jeanne to live
at the Court and be brought up with her cousins. After much talk, it was
arranged that the gloomy castle of Plessis-les-Tours should be her
residence, and here she was to dwell in state under the care of Madame
de Silly, with a bishop, two chaplains, and a poet, to look after her
education, and some other children, probably the daughters of great
nobles, for her to play with.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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