The White Duchess - The White Queen

Middleham Castle, Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England, Summer 1456

Warwick, after taking his family back to his estates in the north, leaves for Calais towards the end of the spring and Jacquetta writes to me happily a short time later that her husband is now home with her. I am as happy for her as I am worried for my family. Us Yorks stay anxious as ever as Warwick takes control of Calais and Salisbury hurries to consolidate the Neville lands in the North. This leads to direct problems with the Percy family who becomes closely associated with Margaret of Anjou.

"They must do something Edward! They must form a compromise!" I tell my husband when he informs me of this.

He sighs. "You do not understand Eliza, bad blood lingers on both sides. The Percy and Egremont families attacked my cousin Thomas on his wedding day. I'm afraid some insults are hard to forget."

"You need not forget," I insist, getting more exasperated with each word. "What your uncle Salisbury doesn't understand is that by continuing this feud with the Percys we alienate the very people who should be our biggest supporters: noblemen who have seen their manors, honor, and lands taken away and who want them returned."

But it seems as though my pleas fall on deaf ears.

Edward promises Warwick to visit his wife and children while he is commanding Calais, so we set out for his residence, Middleham Castle, as summer dawns on us. I'm not happy about having to return to living at other peoples firesides, but I feel bad for the Countess of Warwick, who is heavily pregnant with her 4th child and all alone. As Edward persuades me, it does not feel right to leave her alone to manage her husbands lands and care for her girls.

And so we say goodbye to Edward's family and head up north. When we reach Yorkshire, the county that Edward's father derives his title form, I find it quite odd. The people up north, and this is the farthest north in England I've ever been, have a rather peculiar accent that I find hard to decipher.

I am astounded when I first hear it. We are greeted by the people of Wensleydale and the first person in line to greet me is the mayor's daughter who says, "God bless theur ma'am 'n t' thy babby lass an' orl."

I blink a little, trying to keep the smile I have on my face as Edward laughs and tells me, "She gives her best wishes to you and the baby."

"Oh!" I say. "Thank you," I tell the little girl who grins in delight.

"Mistress Chaucer!" I call out and the older lady appears next to me with Lizzie and I take her from her arms and kneel down to the little girl and ask, "Would you like to meet her?"

"Aye," the girl comes closer and holds out her finger. Lizzie immediately grabs it as the little girl says, "Ah'm 'onored ta meet theur Princess 'n thy daughta Princess Elizabeth."

I look to Edward for translation as he says, "She is very happy to meet the Princess Elizabeth and the Princess Eliza."

I giggle a little, "I'm afraid we're not Princesses sweetheart, but I'm flattered you think so."

The little girls shrugs a little, her smile not even faltering as she says, "T' fowk 'eear seh theur are 'n theur certainly skeg 'n act as gracious as 'un."

"She thinks your graciousness makes you look and act like one," Edward translate.

I look at the little and say, "Thank you child."

I stand up and walk next to Edward as he walks up to other local government officials. After we have greeted four dozen people, Edward having translated most of their remarks to me, I am escorted to a litter while Edward jumps onto his horse.

My young daughter, who is in my arms, smiles up at me as I said, "Princess Lizzie? Maybe we'll marry you well and you'll be a princess then."

My daughter grabs my finger and squeals as if to say she likes that idea. I gently rock her back saying, "Perhaps someday."