and Philippa the laundress rose
in the world so rapidly that they had no equal in influence at court.
After the death of Dona Violante, the Catanese became the intimate friend
of Dona Sandra, Robert's second wife, whom we introduced to our readers
at the beginning of this narrative. Charles, her foster son, loved her as
a mother, and she was the confidante of his two wives in turn, especially
of the second wife, Marie of Valois. And as the quondam laundress had in
the end learned all the manners and customs of the court, she was chosen
at the birth of Joan and her sister to be governess and mistress over the
young girls, and at this juncture Raymond was created major-domo.
Finally, Marie of Valois on her deathbed commended the two young
princesses to her care, begging her to look on them as her own-daughters.
Thus Philippa the Catanese, honoured in future as foster mother of the
heiress to the throne of Naples, had power to nominate her husband grand
seneschal, one of the seven most important offices in the kingdom, and to
obtain knighthood for her sons. Raymond of Cabane was buried like a king
in a marble tomb in the church of the Holy Sacrament, and there was
speedily joined by two of his sons. The third, Robert, a youth of
extraordinary strength and beauty, gave up an ecclesiastical career, and
was himself made major-domo, his two sisters being married to the Count
of Merlizzi and the Count of Morcone respectively. This was now the
state of affairs, and the influence of the grand seneschal's widow seemed
for ever established, when an unexpected event suddenly occurred, causing
such injury as might well suffice to upset the edifice of her fortunes
that had been raised stone by stone patiently and slowly: this edifice
was now undermined and threatened to fall in a single day. It was the
sudden apparition of Friar Robert, who followed to the court of Rome his
young pupil, who from infancy had been Joan's destined husband, which
thus shattered all the designs of the Catanese and seriously menaced her
future. The monk had not been slow to understand that so long as she
remained at the court, Andre would be no more than the slave, possibly
even the victim, of his wife. Thus all Friar Robert's thoughts were
obstinately concentrated on a single end, that of getting rid of the
Catanese or neutralising her influence. The prince's tutor and the
governess of the heiress had but to exchange one glance, icy,
penetrating, pl