Chapter 8

The Queens Presence.

Warwick was crowded to overflowing when we arrived. The streets were crowded with vendors selling all sorts of wares, and street entertainers, with dancing bears and various other street entertainments. The price of fresh food had increased enormously and local traders and hostelries were doing well Their were plenty of women, and young girls selling themselves and taking advantage of the additional soldiers forming part of the Queens escort.

We had great difficulty in finding accommodation, as the inns were full and at one point we thought of travelling to nearby Kenilworth, but one of our grooms found that a small hotel just outside the city had vacancies, as their party of guests had left that very morning and soon we took the whole hotel at an extravagant price for my travelling entourage.

The following morning I together with Mistress Emily carrying gifts for her Majesty made our way to the castle, but getting admission would not be easy I asked for an audience with the Queens favourite the Earl of Essex, having been advised that as the Queens favourite it could sped up our audience with her majesty. With my message I provided a packet of expensive jewellery as a token of my appreciation. The process worked well and within a few moments we were ushered into his presence.

He greeted me enthusiastically "Greetings my Lord Amesworth at last we meet. I have heard much about you in the past weeks, and it seems that with your success you have made many enemies, some of whom have the Queens ear. Her Majesty is not well pleased with you, having cancelled your proposed betrothal to Lady Anne-Marie Archer, who incidently has recently lost her father."

I confirmed that he had been in poor health when I had last had news of him.

"Oh by the way my Lord. I have just received a missive, to be handed to you on your arrival. I gather it is from the Lady Helen Hammond. I will leave it with you my Lord while I make enquiries as to when her Majesty may be available to give you audience."

I sat breaking the seal and read the note, basically it told me that much as she loved me, she could not go ahead with our betrothal, as it would be such a large betrayal of her close friend Anne-Marie, especially with the loss of her father. She begged me to reconsider my betrothal to Anne-Marie, pointing out that she was assured thatshe had had amended her previous frivolous ways and was now a very virtuous lady. She hoped in that way we could still maintain our very special close friendship with one another."

I was devastated, and sat there in shock as I re-read the letter two or three times, Then the Earl of Essex returned and advised me that Her Majesty would grant me audience in three hours time after her morning constitutional.

Later I was admitted at the appointed time to Her Majesty's presence. I was shocked at her aged appearance, she had aged considerably from the pictures I had previously seen of her. I bowed as I tried desperately to gather my wits.

"Ah my Lord Amesworth at last we meet. I have heard much about thee from various sources." Just at that moment two servants came in carrying the boxes of gold and jewels which Emily had selected as a gift to Her Majesty.

I said "Your Majesty may I present you with a selection of valuables, that I felt that you may well appreciate, as a token of my loyalty to your Majesty. She stopped speaking as she left her chair to examine the contents of the boxes and I could see that she was well pleased with my gifts. Eventually she returned to her throne and I could see that she had a suspicion of tears in her eyes as she thanked me.

"Nevertheless my Lord I have heard many tales of the way in which you are foreclosing on several estates, for debts owed to your late parent. I also hear that you have treated Hon Anne-Marie badly by not going through with your betrothal."

"I agree your Majesty, but we suffered a bad nasty tempered disruption which spoiled the happiness of the event and spoilt the mood. My proposed fiancé was angry and so I asked that we cancel the evening until a later more appropriate date."