THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
that he was a woman. Miles did not say a word to her, since she asked no questions, and went to the
palace. When he came to Bertha, it was near evening. The other ladies asked the maid whom she
had brought there, and she answered: “This is a good young woman who often visited Bertha when
Lanfroy and Ulric kept her in confinement, while Charles was banished.” When he had entered,
Bertha embraced him and said: “Welcome, dear sister. Praised by God that I can remedy your
poverty and repay you for the services you did me while I was without my brother and kept in
prison.” Then she took him by the hand and led him to her chamber, dismissing all the others
except the woman who had carried the letter, whom she swore to secrecy.
That night Miles slept in her bed and they used each other carnally, giving and receiving great
pleasure all night, in tight embraces and countless loving kisses. They continued in this manner for
almost a year, so that no one suspected. Since this was the case, she was six months pregnant by the
beginning of the next year.
It happened that while Charles was holding a great feast and summoned her to come to the banquet,
she pretended to be ill. Charles sent two expert physicians to her, and they at once saw that she was
pregnant. They were extremely troubled and baffled by the discovery, and to look into it more
clearly, remained suspended for two days. Since they could not agree about what to do, they kept
the matter hidden. In the end they decided to tell King Charles about it, and so they did.
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When King Charles heard the doctors say that Bertha was pregnant, he was greatly troubled and
sighed, filled with shame. He went to see his sister, drew her secretly apart and threatened her with
death. She threw herself on her knees at his feet and implored his mercy. Charles wanted to know
by whom she was pregnant, though he knew all too well. When he heard it from her mouth, he