"
Angered by this priestly insolence, Henry's answer had been an
impudently defiant acknowledgment of the truth of that allegation.
"Yes, by God!" he cried. "Yes--most certainly I want to have her
back, and I will have her back; no one shall hinder me, not even
God's viceregent on earth."
Having uttered those words, which he knew to have been carried to
the Queen, and to have wounded her perhaps more deeply than
anything that had yet happened in this affair, his conscience
left him, despite his fears, powerless now to thwart her even to
the extent of removing those pernicious familiars of hers of
whose plottings he had all but positive evidence.
And so the coronation was at last performed with proper pomp and
magnificence at St. Denis on Thursday, the 13th May. It had been
concerted that the festivities should last four days and conclude
on the Sunday with the Queen's public entry into Paris. On the
Monday the King was to set out to take command of his armies,
which were already marching upon the frontiers.
Thus Henry proposed, but the Queen--convinced by his own
admission of the real aim and object of the war, and driven by
outraged pride to hate the man who offered her this crowning
insult, and determined that at all costs it must be thwarted--had
lent an ear to Concini's purpose to avenge her, and was ready to
repay infidelity with infidelity.
Pages:
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157