Part 7 (1/2)
”But once in ten years, your n.o.ble Majesty.”
”When last?”
”But yesterday a week, your universal Majesty.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. ”Who was the criminal, what the occasion?”
”The criminal was one Buonespoir, the occasion our coming hither to wait upon the Queen of England and our Lady of Normandy, for such is your well-born Majesty to your loyal Jersiais.” And thereupon he plunged into an impeachment of De Carteret of St. Ouen's, and stumbled through a blunt, broken story of the wrongs and the sorrows of Michel and Angele and the doings of Buonespoir in their behalf.
Elizabeth frowned and interrupted him. ”I have heard of this Buonespoir, monsieur, through others than the Seigneur of St.
Ouen's. He is an unlikely squire of dames. There's a hill in my kingdom has long bided his coming. Where waits the rascal now?”
”In the antechapel, your Majesty.”
”By the rood!” said Elizabeth, in sudden amazement. ”In my antechapel, forsooth!”
She looked beyond the doorway and saw the great, red-topped figure of Buonespoir, his good-natured, fearless face, his shock of hair, his clear blue eye--he was not thirty feet away.
”He comes to crave pardon for his rank offences, your benignant Majesty,” said Lempriere.
The humor of the thing rushed upon the Queen. Never before were two such nave folk at court. There was not a hair of duplicity in the heads of the two, and she judged them well in her mind.
”I will see you stand together--you and your henchman,” she said to Rozel, and moved on to the antechapel, the court following. Standing still just inside the doorway, she motioned Buonespoir to come near.
The pirate, unconfused, undismayed, with his wide, blue, asking eyes, came forward and dropped upon his knees. Elizabeth motioned Lempriere to stand a little apart.
Thereupon she set a few questions to Buonespoir, whose replies, truthfully given, showed that he had no real estimate of his crimes, and was indifferent to what might be their penalties. He had no moral sense on the one hand, on the other, no fear.
Suddenly she turned to Lempriere again. ”You came, then, to speak for this Michel de la Foret, the exile--?”
”And for the demoiselle Angele Aubert, who loves him, your Majesty.”
”I sent for this gentleman exile a fortnight ago--” She turned towards Leicester inquiringly.
”I have the papers here, your Majesty,” said Leicester, and gave a packet over.
”And where have you De la Foret?” said Elizabeth.
”In durance, your Majesty.”
”When came he hither?”
”Three days gone,” answered Leicester, a little gloomily, for there was acerbity in Elizabeth's voice.
Elizabeth seemed about to speak, then dropped her eyes upon the papers and glanced hastily at their contents.
”You will have this Michel de la Foret brought to my presence as fast as horse can bring him, my lord,” she said to Leicester. ”This rascal of the sea--Buonespoir--you will have safe bestowed till I recall his existence again,” she said to a captain of men-at-arms; ”and you, Monsieur of Rozel, since you are my butler, will get you to my diningroom and do your duty--the office is not all perquisites,” she added, smoothly. She was about to move on when a thought seemed to strike her, and she added, ”This mademoiselle and her father whom you brought hither--where are they?”
”They are even within the palace grounds, your imperial Majesty,”