Act 2, Scene 1 Summary

This scene is set in Henry's bedchamber. Alais sits by the fire, adding spices to a pot of hot wine and singing a Christmas carol. Eleanor comes in, Alais tells her Henry's not there, and Eleanor says they can talk behind his back, briefly recounting what happened in Philip's bedroom. When Alais asks whether she ever really loved Henry, particularly before Rosamund came into his life, Eleanor says that was a very long time ago and makes jokes about Rosamund's appearance. This leads Alais to comment that Eleanor must still hate Rosamund even now, but Eleanor says her hatred was a long time ago, too, and that she only hated Rosamund because she took her place at Henry's side. Alais talks about how Eleanor looks at Henry and sees cities and coastline and taxes while she only sees Henry the man...