Bond of Blood (16 page)

"Our Radnor, our Radnor," he gasped when he was able to command his voice. "Do you think," he crowed, drawing himself upright by climbing up William of Gloucester who was laughing more quietly, "that he will veil her altogether, like a Saracen?"

Edwina, quickly gathering fresh garments for Leah and handing them to her, was more surprised by her daughter's behavior than by her son-by-marriage's; she had seen Radnor's reaction to infringement of his property right in Leah before. Edwina would have expected that the girl would shrink away from a man who had used her so hardly, but except for one startled glance at Cain's sudden movement, Leah gave no sign of fear. Her body lay with the relaxation of perfect trust against his, and, although she dressed in trembling haste, it was plain that it was only to please him and escape the examining eyes of the other men.

The sound of the heralds’ trumpets calling the first warning of a summons to arms finally broke up the group. Hereford dashed for the field with a yelp of dismay, and even Leicester quickened his usually deliberate pace. As the other men moved towards the stairwell, however, the Earl of Chester touched Radnor and drew him back.

"Take my arm, Radnor. It is as good an excuse as any to walk slowly together. I hope you are fed full enough now to think a little on some other matters."

"Yes, but speak low. In truth, I would be easier if we were without the walls. Here there are ears, many and long, and equally long tongues, I fear. But if the matter needs haste, you had better tell me now. We are so well entertained that there is little chance that we may be private unless we can lose ourselves at the hunt tomorrow."

"Well, the matter is important, but the hunt … You know, Radnor, I am inordinately fond of hunting."

Radnor set his teeth to bite back an acid retort. His marriage was not important enough to delay discussion, but a hunt was. It was also more important than state affairs, it seemed. Chester had continued speaking, however, and Radnor wrenched his attention away from his own thoughts to attend to him.

"My boy, I know your opinion on these matters, but I have more experience of statecraft than you do and I think that you must consider seriously a new method of going about things. Stephen of Blois is not an old man and is in good health. It may be many years before he dies, and if we are to wait so long for a better man to come to the throne—and the true line at that—the entire country may well be in ruins." Chester held up his hand to stop Cain from interjecting a remark. "I know, I know, you have given your oath and you will not break it. But how would it be if Stephen were to renounce the throne in favor of Henry?"

"Chester, we are talking treason. You know how unlikely such a thing is. Why should Stephen renounce the throne? Many men stand by him still. He has hopes even that he can force his son upon us. He would be mad to commit such an act and, since we are talking treason anyway, I may as well speak my mind, though he is stupid as a pigeon, he is not that mad."

"But if he were in such a position that it would be his life or the renunciation?"

"In God's name, Chester, hold your tongue! Forgive me, that is no way for me to speak to you, but I have your interest at heart when I say this. To threaten the life of the king is not only treason but a black sin."

"No, no. There need be no direct threat, but if he were in such a position that he must understand—"

"Chester, Stephen is a brave man. He has no fear for his life, and well you know it. You must remember how he carried himself when the Earl of Gloucester had him in close prison. He feared nothing, and then Eustace was but a child. Now Eustace is nearly a man. Do you think that he and Maud will sit idly by and let this happen? Queen Maud is worth ten of her husband and her son together. She saved him from death or permanent confinement once and may do so again or, if she cannot do that, she may well set Eustace on the throne. Where would be your profit then?"

"I have thought of that already. Eustace alone we may discount. Pembroke says—"

"Pembroke! You have not broached this matter to him, have you? You know he will run post-haste to the king with the tale. I will not hear a word more."

"Now, Radnor, I thought you would be less set against Pembroke now that you are his son-by-marriage. He is weak, but I believe he will be firm in this. He suggested that Shrewsbury's wife—"

"Joan!" Lord Radnor interrupted almost shouting with exasperation. "She is worse even than her husband who is a slimy toad,"

"Radnor, be quiet. If you interrupt me every moment I can tell you nothing. Do you think I am a child not to know that these men are not to be trusted? Both will do anything for the sake of their purses, however, and there is great profit to be had out of this, either from Queen Maud or from the establishment of a young boy as king. Moreover," Chester said with a sly smile, "there can be no profit in Pembroke's running to the king. All he could get out of that would be the reversion of my nephew Fitz Richard's lands. And you will not let him keep those. He knows it."

"I will let him keep them sooner than be dragged into any plot against the king," Radnor snarled.

"You are in a rage, but I know you. Besides, your part in it will be very simple. We have had what passes for peace on the Marches for several years. Pembroke has planted a few seeds here and there on Fitz Richard's land to grow into a small flower of rebellion."

Radnor turned pale. "You could not be so mad! Godfather, you could not!"

"Why not? You will hasten to the borders to keep them quiet. I will raise an army to aid my godson and tell Stephen that if he comes with me to quell the Welsh, the Marcher lords will grow to love him better than they do now. Look you, Cain, you have nothing to do but hold your tongue and do your duty in keeping the peace in Wales as you have ever done. Once I have Stephen in Wales, who knows what may happen? It might not be necessary to hold him treasonably. A Welsh arrow … a dark night …"

Cain faced Chester, taking his wrists. "Godfather, you must not do this. You do not know the Welsh as I do. A small flower of rebellion does not remain small among them. Oh God, I looked for a month or two of peace with my wife. Now I must fly to fight in Wales."

"The more fool you if you do it too soon. I tell you, Radnor, that even if you put down the rebellion it will not stop my plan. Pembroke, Shrewsbury, Hereford, and I will all swear that the tribes are still restless, which will doubtless be true even if you have beaten them into submission, and Stephen will merely think you do not want him to come to Wales and be more eager for it if you gainsay us."

"At least do not drag Hereford into this," Radnor cried in an anguished voice. "He is so fine and young. He does not understand. Oh, God, they are coming to see what has become of us. I must speak further with you, but not here or now. Tomorrow—"

"Tomorrow I hunt," Chester replied with sudden coldness, and his face set with a weak man's stubbornness. "If you cannot see how good a chance this is, there is no sense talking longer."

"What black looks, Lord Radnor. I hope my daughter did nothing to displease you." Pembroke's eyes were hard and speculative as they slid from one face to another. Beside him Shrewsbury snickered.

Whatever Chester did, Radnor would make no admission that he knew anything about the plot being hatched. Clear of it himself, he might still be able to save the others from their own folly. "I hear from my lord Chester that he is much slighted and mistrusted. The peace between him and the king was of my father's making. I would not have urged my godfather to such an act if I had not thought it for the best for him as well as for others. Now I hear that he is ill-treated. Why should I not look black?"

"Come," Pembroke said, "this is no day for such matters. The food for breaking our fast is set out. But if we do not make haste, the call to arms will come and we will have no time to eat before the opening jousts."

They moved down into the hall, Radnor stopping just beyond the doorway to wash his face and hands in a basin held by a servant. He started to walk to the long tables where white bread, wine, and early fruit were laid out for a morning repast when he was hailed by Leah's excited voice from a window embrasure.

"My lord, oh, my lord, come and look."

"Coming." Cain took a cup of wine and a large piece of bread and went to her, his eyes abstracted with worry.

"Look at the pennons! Look how the armor shines. Oh look, Cain, look at the men with trumpets at the ends of the field. What are they doing? Look. Tell me!" Leah tugged at Cain's sleeve in her excitement and the wine slopped over his hand.

"Be careful, you little goose," he snapped, and Leah recoiled, the animation dying out of her face.

Cain was instantly contrite. It was not the poor child's fault that he was harassed by irresponsible men who further complicated an already bitter political situation. It was a shame to spoil her pleasure.

"Nay, I did not mean that,” he said, smiling slightly. “I am troubled by matters of state, Leah. What is it that you wish to know?"

"Indeed, my lord, I will not trouble you with my questions. You have greater affairs to attend to."

"Not today, Leah. I have attended enough to things which only sour my stomach and anger me. Today is yours."

As he said the words, however, he knew he would have to find time for some serious planning with Philip. A painful contraction in the region of his heart gave him warning of what that visit would cost him, and he pulled his mind back to the far pleasanter task of contemplating his wife.

Leah had turned back to the window. Her spirits were dampened and she was silent while her husband began to eat. He was looking over her head now, stirred in spite of himself by the martial proceedings. It was a thin field, mostly made up of younger men, knights errant and squires, for the great magnates were saving themselves for Stephen's great tourney later that month. It was just as well that, as bridegroom, he was excluded from fighting; it would have been like stealing from a child to take the prize from those boys, and Radnor had no need of tourney prizes either to add to his wealth or to prove his valor. Nonetheless, the feel of the twelve-foot lance in hand—well, there was the king's tourney to look forward to. Radnor laughed silently at himself as he realized that part, at least, of his desire to get on to the field was an urge to show off his fighting form to the girl beside him. It was really very amusing because the feeling persisted even though he knew perfectly well that she would comprehend no more about what he was doing than a pet dog.

"Will we watch from here, my lord?" Leah's voice was flat and cautious.

Her husband smiled down at her, relaxed now that he had literally stated his intention of idleness. "No, we are the guests of honor. We will watch from the very center of those benches they have set up—the lodges—where the shocks will take place directly before us."

"Oh, how exciting." Color was back in Leah's cheeks and vivacity in her voice under the influence of Cain's smile. "How is it decided who will fight against whom?"

"It depends on the type of tourney. At a small one like this it is often a matter of individual challenge and arrangement. For the initial jousts, those men who wish tell the heralds their names and conditions and say they will take all comers. Then those who desire to fight them arrange through the heralds. In the king's tourney, there is a king's champion appointed—me—and he must fight all who challenge him."

"You! Ah, yes, you told us before. But why?"

Radnor's mouth grew hard. "I do not know, but no doubt I will learn."

Leah was enormously proud of the fact that her husband had been chosen to be the king's champion out of all the warriors of the kingdom, but since he did not seem overly pleased by it she held her tongue on that subject. "Look, look!" she cried next. "Why are they forming in large parties? Have we missed something? Can we go now?" The girl was dancing with impatience and her quick movements jogged Radnor's arm again. Most of the rest of his wine spilled on the floor. This time he laughed aloud. Apparently he was not to break his fast today.

"Yes, yes," he said, mimicking Leah's excited tone. "If you will only give me leave to put down this wine I have not drunk and swallow a bit of bread. Calm yourself, do. We have missed nothing. The men are gathering to choose sides for the melee. Do you see that there is a red banner at one end and a blue at the other? The reds will fight against the blues, thereby eliminating county or other more personal designations so that there will be less chance of hard feelings between the sides. When each side has about an equal number of men, they will come together and fight, just as in a war, only without killing each other, or trying to kill each other, I hope."

"But you spoke before of the jousts—"

"Yes, well those come first. Sometimes when there are many men to joust, the melee is fought on the following day, but here there is no need." He laughed. "Very well, come then, you wish to see, not to be told."

Just before they reached their seats, Hereford stopped them.

"I say, Radnor, I am going to joust. Keep an eye on my form, will you?"

Cain nodded. "You can certainly use the practice. Remember what I am always telling you about carrying your shield too low. You expose your head too much. And do not count so much on your quickness and your wit. There are others with quick eyes and hands also."

"I have cause enough to know." Hereford laughed. "How many times have you laid me in the dirt for all my dodging?"

"Ay, but I lay you down gently. Others may not love you so well. Leah, you have met Lord Hereford, of course, but let him take your hand again. He is one of my closest friends."

Leah curtsied, smiling. "Now I will have someone I really know to wish success for. The best of good fortune go with you, my lord."

Cain swallowed an unreasonable jealousy as Hereford kissed Leah's hand lingeringly before he left them. "I hope the boy does not get hurt," he said irritably. "He is no famous jouster, although with a sword in his hand there are few who can match him."