The Prince of Darkness by Jean Plaidy Page A

her, thinking her too young to understand. But although she was young she could always store up these comments and brood over them later and ask naïve questions which very often gave her the answer she needed.
    Isabella liked to know what was going on.
    According to her father, Richard was an arrogant overlord, and a king who left his kingdom to go to another land to fight – even in a holy cause – was not a good one and a bad king was not a good duke. Therefore, Aquitaine was ill-governed and the Count of Angoulême was not going to swear allegiance to such a man. He preferred to do so to the King of France.
    Of course the Countess was in agreement with her husband. She was always ready to lean towards what was French, which was natural enough since that was the country of her birth.
    There was always a great deal of talk about the Lusignans, an important family who lived in Poitou which bordered onthe Angoumois. At one time this family had been bitter enemies of the dukes of Normandy but they were great crusaders, and in the Holy Land they had come into contact with Richard Cœur de Lion. In a common interest, the enmity had disappeared and during the Holy War Guy de Lusignan and Richard Cœur de Lion had become such close friends that Richard had supported Guy’s claim to the crown of Jerusalem – when it should be regained – against the King of France who had supported Conrad de Montferrat. Guy and Richard had fought side by side, and as a result their friendship had strengthened and this had extended to the whole family. Thus the Lusignans of Angoulême were supporting a different side from their close neighbour in the perennial quarrel between the kings of France and England. There was another reason for rivalry and disagreement between them. Both families coveted the rich territory know as La Marche which lay to the east of the Angoumois.
    Richard had been secretly pleased that the desire to possess La Marche kept those two powerful families suspicious of each other and therefore turned their thoughts from planning forays into neighbouring Anjou.
    When Richard had died, Hugh de Lusignan, the eldest son of the House, had with great temerity managed to capture Queen Eleanor while she was out riding one day and with even greater daring had declared to her his intentions of keeping her prisoner until she gave him La Marche.
    With Richard dead and all her tact and skill needed to put John on the throne, Eleanor had given way and had bought her freedom for the surrender of La Marche.
    The Count of Angoulême was angry that Hugh de Lusignan had that which he had coveted; he had to be placatedand the Lusignans had had the clever notion that the best way of settling their differences was by a marriage contract.
    Hugh was in his twenties – a young man of pride and strength, worthy to be the head of his house. The Count of Angoulême had a daughter. She was not yet twelve years old, it was true, but her lack of years could soon be remedied. With every passing week she grew nearer to maturity and it was only a matter of waiting a year or so before she would be ready for matrimony.
    Isabella knew there was something afoot. Members of the Lusignan family rode over and at their head was Hugh. Isabella watching from a window saw him arrive and when he looked up, she smiled at him. He stood there, legs apart, watching her for a few seconds, and she was excited because she knew that he was thinking – as almost everyone else did – how pretty she was.
    Her mother came to her room and dismissed the servants.
    ‘I have something to say to you, Isabella,’ she said. ‘Now listen carefully. Some very important gentlemen are visiting us. You will meet them and I want you to be very charming to them.’
    ‘Why?’ asked Isabella.
    ‘There is a very special reason.’
    ‘What reason?’
    ‘You will know all in good time.’
    ‘But if I am to be especially nice to them I want to know now.’
    ‘You are too young to