Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill - Plaidy Jean - Страница 51

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He put out a hand to take the paper and as he did so the woman's left hand shot up; in the same second he saw the gleam of the knife and felt the dull thud in his chest.

There was a scream from the crowd. The King's attendants had seized the woman.

'Let me go,' she cried. 'I am the true Queen. The Crown is mine.'

The poor creature is mad, thought the King, and his eyes filled with tears.

'Treat her gently,' he commanded. 'I am unharmed. But tell me is my waistcoat cut?'

'Your Majesty ... you are feeling...'

'I am unhurt,' said the King. 'Take the poor creature away. Come, we have a levee waiting for us.'

The Queen with the Princesses and some of the ladies were sitting at their needlework. Miss Burney was present with Miss Planta and Gooley, and the three of them were taking it in turns to read.

The Queen listened while she watched the Princesses and hoped that they were taking advantage of having a novelist as a companion. She was a little disappointed in Miss Burney's reading. It seemed strange that one who could write so admirably should not be able to read equally so. But no, Planta and

Goolcy were really so much more audible than Miss Burney; but Miss Burney was very popular with the Princesses, particularly baby Amelia who had really taken to her; and as Amelia was the King's delight and the darling of the household, for the little girl could by an imperious demand lure His Majesty's mind from bothering State matters, Amelia's approval was of great importance.

The Princess Royal had filled the snuff box and Augusta had threaded the Queen's needle and handed it to her; and it was Miss Burncy's turn to read.

'Mary,' said the Queen, glancing severely at the youngest of her daughters present who had just dropped her thimble, 'pray do not fidget so, for Miss Burney has the misfortune of reading rather low at first.'

Fanny blushed and tried to speak more loudly and the Queen plied her needle, listening attentively, sewing and keeping her eyes on the company at the same time.

Suddenly there was a commotion outside the room and everyone was alert. They could hear one of the ladies shouting at the top of her voice and all recognized that voice as belonging to Madame la Fite, the Frenchwoman, one of whose duties was to read in French to the Queen and Princesses.

'I must see Her Majesty. It is necessaire. I tell you. It is ties important/

French phrases always crept into Madame la Fite's English when she was excited and quite clearly she was excited now.

'Gooley, pray go and see what is happening,' said the Queen.

Miss Goldsworthy rose at once, but before she could reach the door it was flung open and Madame la Fite came in; she ran to the Queen and threw herself at Her Majesty's feet.

'Oh, mon Dieu. Have you heard. What an horrcur.'

'Madame la Fite, pray calm yourself,' said the Queen. 'What is it? What have you heard?'

'Oh ... I cannot say. It is the King ... I cannot...'

A not unfamiliar sick fear gripped the Queen. In her imagination she had lived through scenes like this. He had done something which would make them say he was mad. So often he seemed to be clinging with all his might to his sanity and she always feared to hear that he had let go.

She heard herself saying very quietly: 'What has happened, Madame la Fite?'

She was aware of the round awestricken faces of her daughters. She would like to send them away, but it was too late now. If what she feared had happened, it was no use attempting to keep it from them; they would know sooner or later.

'He has been stabbed. Twice!' Madame la Fite threw up her hands in a dramatic gesture. 'Twice the assassin has struck. This is what I have heard.'

The Queen stood up. Odd that she should have felt relieved. Now she could take charge of the situation.

'I have no doubt that His Majesty is safe,' she said.

The news that His Majesty was safe was brought to the Queen almost immediately. He was quite unharmed. He had been attacked by a table knife which was quite blunt and had not even cut his waistcoat. His Majesty had behaved with the utmost calm and had gone on to his levee. He would be returning soon to Windsor.

Rumours were of course flying round, but there was no need to take any notice of them. The Queen could be assured that the King was safe.

In the streets the people were saying that the woman who had attempted to take his life was one of the maidservants from Carlton House who had lost her job because the King refused to pay the Prince of Wales's debts. Another rumour was that she loved the Prince and was determined to make the King pay for treating his son so badly. Others said that it was a general discontent with the King and the longing for a new one.

The woman, however, had been proved to be a lunatic, for she kept declaring that the Crown was hers.

When the King arrived at Windsor the Queen greeted him with obvious relief.

'It was nothing,' he said. 'The poor creature was mad. I told them to treat her with gentleness.'

The Queen nodded.

'Poor soul/ she said.

And the King solemnly echoed those words.

The news was brought to Grove House in its exaggerated form.

The King had been twice stabbed outside St. James's Palace. He was dying, but they were trying to make light of it.

'I must go to Windsor with all speed,' said the Prince of Wales.

His phaeton was brought and he drove it himself, and in record time arrived at Windsor.

There was a flutter in the Princesses' apartments at the Upper Lodge.

'George is here,' cried the Princess Royal, clasping her hands in an ecstasy of excitement.

'He's come because there has been an attempt on Papa's life,' replied Augusta.

'Perhaps,' said her sister, 'he's hoping it has proved fatal, because then he would be the master of us all.' Her eyes grew dreamy. 'I'll swear everything would be different then. George would let us mix in society. This dull life would be over.'

'Charlotte, how can you say such things!'

'I will say what is true, Augusta.'

'I'd like to do a portrait of George,' sighed Elizabeth. 'He would be a most interesting subject.'

'He's very good looking,' sighed Charlotte. 'And he does such exciting things. Oh, Miss Burney, wouldn't you like to put him into a novel?'

Miss Burney laughed. 'Well, one doesn't write novels about real people, Your Highness. I think it would be lese majestc or something like that.'

'Your Highness is embarrassing Miss Burney,' said Gooley reprovingly.

'Dear old Gooley, you're as bad as Papa and Mamma. I believe you approve of the way we're treated.'

'Now,' retorted Miss Gooley, 'we must obey His Majesty's orders and there's an end to it, as Your Highnesses all know well.'

Three-year-old Amelia had escaped from her nurses and run into the room. 'I am here. / am here.'

'Where you have no right to be,' said the Princess Royal affectionately reproving.

Amelia laughed and began running round the room. 'I'm a horse. I'm Papa's horse.'

There was the sound of carriage wheels in the courtyard, and all the Princesses ran to the window.

'He's going. He's going already. Oh, look. Is he not handsome?'

'He looks angry.'

'Oh dear, there must have been another quarrel.'

'But why ... why} He only came to see how Papa was.'

'To see if it would soon be his turn to wear the Crown.'

'Oh, he is wicked, our dear brother. Charlotte, move over, I can't see his shoe buckles.'

'Melia wants to see George.' The child turned imperiously to Fanny. 'Miss Burney lift me up. I want to sec George.'

Nothing loth, and wanting to see George as eagerly as Amelia did, Miss Burney lifted the youngest Princess into her arms and stood at the window watching an angry Prince drive off in his phaeton.

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