The Hammer of the Scots Read Online Free PDF

saw him. I thought of little John …’
    ‘I have watched him constantly. I have seen that he eats what he should. My dear daughter, when he has been ill I have been at his bedside night and day.’
    The Queen took the Queen Mother’s hand and pressed it warmly. ‘I know well how much you love him.’
    ‘The dear, dear child. He has been the centre of my life since the King went.’
    ‘I know it. But he is too thin. Too frail. I could have wept when I saw him.’
    ‘I feared it. The journey to Dover tired him.’
    ‘Perhaps he should not have made it.’
    ‘I feared to leave him behind. I do not think it is good for him to be aware of his weakness. It worries him and he tries to keep up with others.’
    ‘Was it so with little John?’
    The Queen Mother nodded.
    ‘Oh, I could not bear it if …’
    The Queen Mother said, ‘We must do everything that we can without calling attention to his weakness. I have had wax images of him burned at the shrines.’
    ‘And no good came of it?’ asked the Queen.
    ‘Sometimes he seemed to be stronger for a few days and then he was ill again.’
    ‘Perhaps we should hire some poor widows to perform vigils for his health.’
    ‘I fear that would call attention to his state.’
    The Queen nodded. And the Queen Mother, all softness because the welfare of the family was in question, said gently, ‘Let us hope that now his mother is home he will grow out of his weakness. You know I had my anxious moments with Edward. I remember a time when we went to Beaulieu Abbey for the dedication of a church. He had a cough which worried me and during the ceremony he developed a fever. I insisted on keeping him at the Abbey and staying to nurse him. Oh what a pother there was! A woman sleeping in the Abbey! It was unheard of. It was offending the laws of God they said. I was ready to set aside the laws of God for my son I tell you. And stay I did and nurse him I did. I tell you this, my daughter, because you have only to look at Edward today. Can you ever believe that he was anything but a healthy child?’
    ‘You comfort me,’ said the Queen.
    ‘Let us hope that Henry will grow out of his delicacy as his father grew out of his.’
    ‘I intend to do everything possible to bring that about.’
    ‘You can depend on me to stand beside you.’
    The Queen felt drawn towards her mother-in-law. It was true that the latter was extravagant and she understood through Edward that she had been responsible for much of King Henry’s unpopularity; but she was a woman whose unswerving loyalty to her family never wavered.
    Whatever else she was, Eleanor of Provence gave the utmost devotion to her family.

    The royal party must not linger at Dover. They must make their way to London or the Londoners would be displeased. As Edward remarked to the Queen, he could not afford to be unpopular in the capital. He had seen what that had done to his parents. There was a little tightening of his lips and the Queen was proud and pleased that he was determined not to allow his mother to rule him. She had been a little afraid that this might be the case, for she had seen the power of that determined woman and she knew full well that a strong bond of affection existed between them. But no, Edward was not going to forget he was the King and he would be the sole ruler of his country.
    It was a joyful procession all along the route. Edward knew he must not pass too hurriedly. All his loyal subjects wished to see him and a great deal depended on first impressions. He must show them all – even the humblest – that he had their welfare at heart. At this time their loyalty was his and he must keep it so; he must remember that though he was the undoubted son and heir of the late King, the best of all claims to the throne came through the will of the people. That was a lesson he had learned through his father, whose example had taught him how a king should not behave towards his subjects. It seemed strange to him that loving