The Queen's Favourites aka Courting Her Highness (v5) by Jean Plaidy Read Free Book Online Page A

they would have would belong to the Churchills and the Godolphins.
    Abigail stood up to press her hands to her aching back. How exciting to play a part in moulding affairs of state. What fun to be at the Court, to make decisions!
    How she would enjoy that!
    She laughed at herself. She was imagining herself a Godolphin or a Churchill. As if such opportunities would ever come her way!

    There were more visits from the Godolphins, and Francis and Henrietta seemed as though they would fall in with their parents’ wishes for they clearly enjoyed each other’s company.
    Henrietta’s seventeenth birthday came and although the Earl of Marlborough wished his daughter to wait a little, his wife was impatient and Abigail was sure that soon she would have her way.
    Then an event occurred which was clearly the first step towards the change in the Marlboroughs’ fortunes.
    The King had evidently decided that much as he distrusted Marlborough it was better to have him on his side than against him, and while he was skulking in semi-banishment William could not be sure what mischief he would stir up. He knew of the rapprochement between the Marlborough and Godolphin families; he would therefore feel happier with Marlborough at Court in some post which he valued.
    The Duke of Gloucester was now nine years old and it was necessary to establish him in a household of his own. Anne would readily agree to Marlborough’s being appointed her son’s Governor, so this seemed the obvious solution.
    William sent for Marlborough and when the Earl had kissed his hand he said: “The Princess Anne would welcome your appointment to the household of the Duke of Gloucester and I myself believe that none could do the job better.”
    William was indeed in a gracious mood for he went on: “Teach him to be what you are and my nephew will never want accomplishments.”
    Perhaps there was an ambiguity in the remark; but John Churchill was not going to question it. He assured the King that he would accept the post with pleasure and would perform it to the best of his abilities.
    When John told Sarah of the good news, she was delighted.
    “This is the end of our misfortunes,” she declared. “Even the Dutchman sees that we cannot be ignored for ever.”
    And it seemed that she was right, for following on John’s appointment to the governorship William sent for him once more and told him that he should be restored to his old rank in the Army; nor was that all; he was to rejoin the Privy Council.
    Sarah was delighted. “Now,” she said, “with you back at Court and Henrietta soon to marry Francis Godolphin we really can begin to get to work.”

    The Princess Anne reclining on her couch, to rest her swollen legs, listened with pleasure to Sarah’s account of Marlborough’s restored glory.
    “Nothing could delight me more, dear Mrs. Freeman,” she said. “Pray pass the dish.”
    Sarah held the sweetmeats before her royal mistress.
    “I do declare that these are not so sweet as those we had yesterday. Do taste, Mrs. Freeman, and tell me if I am wrong.”
    Sarah nibbled impatiently. “They taste the same to me, Mrs. Morley. I was thinking of the Duke of Gloucester.”
    Anne’s attention was immediately turned from the sweetmeats for her son was the delight of her heart and she would rather talk of him than of anything else on earth, even food.
    “What of my boy, dear Mrs. Freeman?”
    “He is now growing up. Nine years old. But to tell the truth, Mrs. Morley, I should think him much older.”
    “I do believe there is not a brighter boy in the kingdom. Such intelligence and with it the kindest heart. Do you know, dear Mrs. Freeman, yesterday at my toilet he used an oath which I did not much like and I asked him sharply where he had learned it. It was from one of his attendants I am certain. That tutor of his—Pratt … or perhaps Lewis Jenkins. He knew that I was angry with whoever had taught him such a word and he thought a while … but only a