So she kept her young suitor at her side, first behaving like an affianced bride, then drawing back in an assumption of maidenly modesty which was ridiculous in a woman of her age whose reputation, in spite of her unmarried state, was not without tarnish; she had made for her a jewelled ornament in the shape of a frog on which she bestowed much tenderness; she lowered her sandy lashes over her too-shrewd eyes, now eager, now reluctant, while she waited for the moment when it would be opportune to send her suitor back where he belonged.

At length, sighing deeply and assuring the Duke of Anjou that a Queen’s heart was not her own to give away, she told him that since the Protestants of England and the Catholic Guisards of France did not wish for the marriage—and as her aim was to keep peace between quarrelsome people—reluctantly, oh, most reluctantly, she must let her dear little frog go. She made him a loan of money for his campaign in Flanders. bade him a fond farewell, and sent him across the Channel in the company of Leicester.

Those two Queens, Catherine and Elizabeth—the two most forceful personalities of their age—knew then that the French-English marriage would never take place. Catherine was angry. The English woman had fooled her. But the two Queens continued to exchange friendly letters, with distrust and hatred for each other in their hearts.


* * *

Trouble came, and it blew with the winds from Béarn. For what else could one hope, Catherine asked herself, from that storm-centre—Queen Margot?

Margot was in fact reconciled to life in her new kingdom. This was partly due to that most satisfactory of lovers, the Count of Turenne. As he was the chief minister of the kingdom, and the King’s first counsellor, there were political schemes in plenty in which Margot might share. She had had many a skirmish with Navarre’s mistress, Mademoiselle de Rebours, a most unattractive creature, according to Margot. The thin, sickly woman was not of the kind to retain the position of King’s mistress for long, and since she had made it her pleasure to proclaim herself an enemy of the Queen, Margot did not intend that she should. During brief lulls in her love-making with Turenne, they discussed together the deposition of this frail girl who had the King’s ear at the moment.

Turenne brought to Margot’s notice a young girl who was not yet fifteen—a delightful, simple creature—Françoise, the daughter of Pierre de Montmorency, the Marquis of Thury and Baron de Fosseux. She lived with her father at Nérac, and Turenne had noticed her during her childhood. He felt that such a girl would be irresistible to the King—young, fresh, charming and healthy. She would provide such a change from Mademoiselle de Rebours, and surely the King must be growing tired of that one’s vapours!

‘When we go to Nérac,’ said Margot, ‘we must bring the little Fosseuse to his notice.’

Opportunity favoured them. When the court left Pau for Nérac, Mademoiselle de Rebours was too ill to accompany it. Navarre left her with tears and protestations of fidelity, but at Nérac the little Fosseuse was waiting for him, and, face to face with such charm and youthful innocence, it was not difficult for Henry of Navarre to forget those vows of fidelity which he had made so many times before and to so many different women. Within a few days he declared himself the slave of his new playmate.

Margot and Turenne sighed with relief. Fosseuse was a sweet child who knew that she owed her advancement to the Queen and the Queen’s lover. She was wise enough to suspect that if she wished to keep her high place it would be as well to keep also in the good graces of those two; and this she did to the complete satisfaction of all concerned.

At this time, Margot wrote in her memoirs: ‘Our court is so fine and pleasant that we do not envy that of France. My husband is attended by as fine a troupe of lords and gentlemen, folks as seemly and gallant as I ever met at court; and there is nothing to regret in them expect that they are Huguenots. But of that diversity of religion one hears no one speak. The King and his sister go on one side to the preaching, and my retinue to Mass in a chapel which is in the park; after which we all meet and walk together in the very fine gardens with their long paths, edged with laurels and cypresses, or in the park which I have caused to be laid out, along paths stretching for three thousand paces beside the river; and the rest of the day we spend in all sorts of seemly pastimes, the ball usually taking place in the afternoon and evening.’

Some of the Huguenots were not so content. Their Queen, they murmured, had brought vices to their court. She had grafted on to the pure tree the fruit of Babylon.

Margot shrugged, elegant shoulders. She was happy; she was on moderately good terms with her husband; she had found a means of having her own way with him through La Fosseuse; her mild sister-in-law, Catherine, gave her little trouble; Mademoiselle de Rebours had completely lost her power; and Monsieur de Turenne continued to please.

This paradise was invaded by couriers from Paris. Her brother’s hatred had followed Margot to Nérac.

Neither side was very pleased with the peace which the Queen Mother had taken such pains to bring about. The king of France suspected his, sister of being an evil influence at the court of Nérac; he was now wishing that he had never allowed her to join her husband, and was seeking means of having her brought back. His couriers, therefore, brought letters to Navarre telling him that evil stories were circulating in France concerning the Queen of Navarre; in these were related the scandalous behaviour of that lady, who was, it was said, now deep in amorous intrigue with the Count of Turenne; it was hinted that these two not only made immoral love, but dangerous plots.

When Navarre read these documents, he laughed. He was less satisfied than the King of France with the peace which had been made. He was ready, therefore, to allow hostilities to break out once more in the hope that a new peace might be made.

He called Margot and Turenne to him and, assuming an air of mock-horror, he showed them the slander which the King of France had written of them.

The two lovers were prepared to defend themselves, but they soon realized that there was no need to do that. Navarre, showing quite clearly that he believed all the French King had said, asked mockingly: ‘How can a man allow such things to be said of his virtuous wife? This is an insult which can only be answered with the sword.’

Turenne agreed with the King that the terms of peace were not satisfactory; and Margot agreed with her lover. In a very short time there was again war between Huguenots and Catholics—a war which the people of France, who had few illusions as to its real cause, ironically named LaGuerre des Amoureux.

In Paris, Catherine watched events with increasing gloom, for during that war Navarre proved himself to be a fighter who would have to be reckoned with in the future. One by one towns fell before him; it soon became apparent that he could win this Lovers’ War. It was doubly gratifying, in view of this, to note that he had not left his follies behind him. He was so enamoured of that silly child, the little Fosseuse—barely in her mid-teens—that on the brink of victory he would leave the field because the desire to be with her was urgent and immediate, and of greater importance to him than victory over the armies of the King of France. Again and again he lost his chances, merely by throwing them away. For one thing, he declared Nérac neutral; and to this the Catholic party had agreed, providing Navarre should not return to it while the war was in progress; but Fosseuse was at the Château of Nérac, and when Navarre desired his mistress, nothing else was of any importance at all. On one occasion when it was discovered that Navarre had broken his word and was actually in the castle, cannon shots were fired into it. Margot was furious at her husband’s folly, but Navarre only laughed. This was fair play, he insisted, and he was ready to take the consequences. He was with his beloved Fosseuse: he was ready to risk his castle for that satisfaction. Only the great skill of his soldiers under his leadership saved the castle on that occasion.

From this it was easy to see that Navarre, although a brave man and a commander of genius, was yet completely the thrall of his own sensuality. Catherine fervently hoped that he would continue to be so bound; the weaknesses of others added greatly to her own strength, and it was gratifying to contemplate that, but for this foible of the King of Navarre, the war might have had disastrous effects on the King of France. As it was, hostilities dragged on for nearly a year and might have gone on longer had not Anjou suggested that through his friendship for his brother-in-law of Navarre he might be able to make the peace. Anjou was still obsessed by his dream of a French Empire, which he planned to bring about through a war in Flanders. It seemed to him absurd that Frenchmen should fight Frenchmen when they might fight foreigners to the glory of France. He set out for Nérac, where he was received with much affection by Margot and friendship by Navarre.

The Paix de Fleix was duly signed, but no one had much faith in these peace treaties now. There had been too many of them. They were flimsy, creaking bridges that linked one war with another.

Having arrived at Nérac, Anjou did not seem in any hurry to leave it. He declared himself to be enchanted with the place, but it soon became apparent that it was not the place which enchanted him so much as one of the ladies living there. Anjou seemed as determined to pursue trouble as Margot was; the lady he chose to honour with his devotion was none other than La Fosseuse, the King’s mistress.

This naturally proved very enlivening for the court. There was a return of that rivalry, that horseplay which the brothers-in-law had enjoyed in connexion with Madame de Sauves some years before. They both indulged in practical jokes on each other, and as before, these grew so wild that they bordered on the dangerous.

It was Margot who put a stop to this. She called her brother to her one day and talked to him with great earnestness. ‘Dearest brother,’ she said, ‘I know you love me.’

Anjou kissed her tenderly. He was very susceptible to flattery and admiration, and Margot had seen to it that he received these in great measure from her.

‘I would,’ she continued, ‘that your love for me was of such magnitude that it transcended that which you bear for all others.’

‘Dearest and most beautiful sister, why should you wish for what is already yours? There is no one whom I adore and admire as I do my own beautiful sister.’

‘La Fosseuse?’ she asked.

He laughed. ‘Dear Margot, that is indeed love . . . but a passing love. But for you, my love is eternal.’

She embraced him, lavishing caresses upon him. ‘That delights me. Now I know that you will listen to my advice. You are wasting your time here, dearest brother. You are a great general. In your hands lies the glory of France. You should seek an Empire, not a woman.’

Margot enjoyed playing on his susceptibilities; she made him see himself as the empire-builder, the future King of France, the greatest King that France had ever had. And so well did she do this that, not long after that conversation, he was taking a regretful leave of Fosseuse; duty called him, he explained; he was a man with a mission.

He left Nérac and eventually arrived in Flanders, where he collected an army and entered Cambrai; but as usual he had planned without caution, and Philip of Spain had not been idle. In a few months Anjou found himself in a precarious position, faced by the might of Spain and without money to continue the campaign. Defeated, he went to England, begged Elizabeth for a loan which she granted, and returned to make war in Flanders.

But his departure from Nérac meant only temporary peace for those of that court.

La Fosseuse had become enceinte. This irritated Margot for two reasons; first that the King’s mistress could produce a child while his wife could not; secondly, the meek little girl changed with pregnancy and did not remain meek; she was no longer content to take orders from the Queen. Moreover, Mademoiselle de Rebours, disgruntled at having lost the King’s favour and blaming Margot for this, seized upon every opportunity for spreading scandal about both the Queen and La Fosseuse.

If it became known throughout the country that a daughter of the great House of Montmorency was about to bear the King’s bastard, there would be—particularly in certain Huguenot quarters—a great deal of shocked dissatisfaction. In view of this, Margot decided to take matters into her own hands, as she said, for the good of all concerned.