The Copper Sign (69 page)

Thibault nodded with satisfaction and remained sitting for a while.

“The idiot doesn’t even suspect what’s really happening!” he chuckled. He himself would personally see to it that the old king was not disappointed. Even if Henry II had crowned his eldest son years ago, he still expected obedience from his offspring just as before. They didn’t want to be under his thumb any longer, however, and were fighting to gain power and influence themselves. The old king had to prevent a second rebellion by his sons at all costs. For this reason, he depended now on the loyalty of the men he had taken in years ago at the court of his eldest son. Now, with the Marshal out of reach they had to use their influence with young Henry in order to lead him back onto the right path.

Thibault grimaced mischievously. Sometimes it was better not to be up in front but to manipulate the strings from behind!

Young Henry had not completely obeyed his father, and thus, shortly after his eldest son’s departure for Limoges, the king set out in pursuit with a small company of troops. Before he could reach the gates of the city, however, arrows started raining down on him and his party. The old king was injured and withdrew, setting up an encampment nearby.

Thomas de Coulonces advised young Henry to go to him to ask for forgiveness and to assert that the citizens of Limoges had not recognized the king.

Geoffrey was horrified that his brother was expected to grovel before his father, but Thomas de Coulonces warned young Henry not to go to battle against both Richard and his father at the same time.

The Young King, therefore, paid a visit to his father, but the discussions were unsatisfactory. With regard to the controversy surrounding Richard, father and son could not come to any agreement. Thus, young Henry withdrew again to Limoges Castle and once more gathered his advisers around him. An animated debate broke out as to how to proceed and where the necessary financial support would come from. The Young King asked each one to speak in the presence of all.

“Yqueboeuf, you shall begin!” he said to Adam and nodded amiably at him.

Adam d’Yqueboeuf was clearly aware of the honor of being asked to speak first. He coughed slightly, straightened up, and took a few steps in the direction of his young master.

“My king, by your leave, Richard must be shown what happens when he refuses to recognize you. But this is not the right time to get involved in a clash of arms with your father. If you do give in after all, the king will appreciate it.”

“Adam, you know I have deep respect for you,” Thibault replied, “but I cannot agree! If Henry gives in, then Richard will have won. The only reason he dared to rebel,” he said, turning directly to young Henry, “is that he thought his father would be indecisive. You mustn’t lose face, or it won’t be just your brothers who will openly defy you! You promised Poitou they would be free and subject only to you, and if you abandon them now, you will never again be able to count on their support.”

A general murmur of approval went through the room. Only Geoffrey, who was also a brother of the Young King and felt attacked by Thibault’s speech, gave him a threatening look.

“Thibault de Tournai is right, my king—you must stay the course you are already on, to the end. But to win the war you must bring the Marshal back,” an older knight spoke up.

“You are for ordering William to return to the court? You, of all people?” the Young King asked in astonishment. “William never forgave you for the death of his uncle!” Henry raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“I know, Your Grace. William hates us Lusignans, but he loves you, just as I do. You cannot do without his military advice. No one is more skillful at leading soldiers than he is, or has better control over them. They love him; he is their idol! Only he can lead them to victory.”

Young Henry nodded respectfully and then turned to Baudouin. “Béthune! Probably everyone here knows you would be delighted if the Marshal came back, but how do you feel about a war with my father?”

“My king!” Baudouin bowed deeply. “I would lie if I said I was not in favor of the Marshal’s return. But what matters here is not how much I am attached to him but how indispensible he is as your adviser. Everything would be much simpler if you could ask him,” Baudouin said, bowing again.

Young Henry frowned. Baudouin had cleverly avoided answering the question. He turned to the other side. “Coulonces?”

Thomas de Coulonces looked at Adam d’Yqueboeuf and then back to his lord. “I must agree with Yqueboeuf, my king. You don’t have the same resources as your father does. It is a great risk. Even the Marshal is just a man and cannot guarantee a victory. One way or the other, you will someday be the only king of the realm. I see no point in angering your father now more than necessary. I think Richard has provoked you more than once because he knows he can sow discord in that way. You should yield and not allow your brother this victory!”

The Young King frowned again. “Leave me to myself now, I will think about where we need to proceed from here.”

“My king, if you should want to bring William back, I know where he is!” Baudouin said softly, before turning to leave.

The Young King nodded gratefully. “Geoffrey, my brother, stay!” he exclaimed, as the Duke of Brittany was also about to leave.

“The Marshal, again and again the Marshal!” Adam d’Yqueboeuf groaned after they had left the room.

Thibault nodded in agreement.

“I don’t understand why you advise young Henry to take up arms.” Adam shook his head. “He will lose because he and his soldiers don’t have enough backbone without their beloved William!”

Thibault walked away without replying. Of course, Yqueboeuf was right, but Thibault had already succeeded in what he was trying to do—to make young Henry’s situation look worse…

Ellen was put in charge of sword making for the entire royal smithy. The smiths were not exactly enthused about having to obey a woman, even though her reputation had preceded her and the names Athanor and Runedur were on everyone’s lips. Ellenweore’s situation was not easy, and she had little desire to struggle once more for acceptance by men. As long as she was working at the forge, she forgot her troubles, but in the evening when she had time to think, she longed for the gentle hills of England and Isaac’s affection. She couldn’t understand why she was summoned to Limoges. The swordsmiths here did good work, and for simple soldiers there was no need for swords like Athanor. She couldn’t get over the idea that there was something more behind it. She would have liked to ask Baudouin, but he hadn’t been there for some time. She felt abandoned and incredibly lonely.

One gloomy day during Lent, Ellen was hurrying to the smithy. She had hardly slept the night before and had awakened much too late. Now she was in a hurry and a bit annoyed when someone stepped in front of her.

“You can’t escape me, my little songbird! It is your fate that our paths keep crossing,” Thibault whispered.

Ellen stood still and shuddered. A twinge in her midsection caused her to place her hand protectively on her round belly. She had known of Thibault’s presence in Limoges but had always tried to repress the vague fear that she could bump into him someday. Nevertheless, it was a shock to see him standing in front of her, smiling broadly.

“You have gotten older, but you are still beautiful!” Thibault said in a coarse voice, pushing her behind a wooden shed. Because of the loose clothing she wore, he seemed not to have noticed that she was pregnant.

Ellen turned around looking for help, but none of the people rushing by paid any attention to her.

“What a terrible shame! Your beloved William isn’t here!” Thibault’s eyes narrowed. “He’s not as beloved by the king as before, though, poor fellow!” he added scornfully. “I admit I have some part in that.” His eyes flashed. “I could never stand him! And once young Henry has lost the war with his father, William will never return to the court. The old king doesn’t like him.”

“Henry won’t lose!” Ellen contradicted him, taking a step forward.

“Oh, but he will!” Thibault pushed her back again. “I’ll see to that, believe me. And the old king will show how thankful he is!” He burst out laughing. “William has so many enemies here, it was easy to discredit him! Too many people stand to gain by his disappearance. Adam even thinks he may take William’s place someday and thinks I’ll help him do that. But he let himself be fooled by you, the idiot!”

Ellen’s head started to spin when she heard the name Adam. Had Thibault possibly ordered the sword using him as an intermediary? “I’m really impressed,” she said condescendingly in order to gain time.

“Oh, you should be! You should finally take me seriously and be afraid of me. But you’re just as stubborn as William and just as vain. Wasn’t that the reason you couldn’t wait for Yqueboeuf to pick up the sword? You positively had to take it to the king yourself so everyone could see you made it, isn’t that true? It cost me a damned fortune!”

“So you are the one who placed the order for the sword,” Ellen mumbled.

“Of course! I knew you would never forge one for me. On the other hand, I could be sure you would do almost anything to please the king. And now I see young Henry every day with his sword that actually belongs to me, and I’m just seething with anger. But I’ll get it back!” Thibault braced himself with his hand against the wall of the shed.

Ellen was trapped, and her heart raced.
I must remain calm
, she admonished herself.

As Thibault came closer and closer, she broke out in a sweat. “Baudouin!” she suddenly cried out.

Thibault turned around, curious.

Ellen used the moment to slip away, and ran toward Baudouin. She grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him away with her.

“You’re so pale. Is something wrong?” Baudouin asked.

Ellen looked around. Thibault had disappeared. “I absolutely must talk with you. Thibault…” she began, without knowing how she could explain it all to Baudouin.

“What about him?”

“He said he would see to it that the Young King will lose to his father.”

“So Thibault is in fact one of the traitors?” Baudouin hissed. “But how? Do you know what he is planning to do? And why?”

“He wants William out of the way, forever. I believe that’s the reason.”

“He’ll do all of that because of William?” Baudouin looked at Ellen in disbelief. “The two of them are not exactly the best of friends, but why would Thibault betray the king because of him?” Baudouin clearly had grave doubts.

“Well, actually, it’s because of me,” Ellen admitted hesitantly, looking aside in embarrassment.

“Wait…first it’s William’s fault, and now it’s yours?” Baudouin looked at her in amusement. Certainly there was something different about her, but there were many pretty women and Ellen was surely around thirty now, not as young as she used to be. Thibault could have any woman he wanted, as he had proved to them again and again.

“That goes way back to our time in Tancarville. Thibault is obsessed by the thought that I belong to him.” She looked at Baudouin intently. “He will stop at nothing…even having the goldsmith I wanted to marry slaughtered like a dog. He thinks he loves me, but actually he hates me. He was the one who sent Yqueboeuf to me to order the sword!”

“Are you sure?” Baudouin frowned.

“He told me himself!”

“And the plot against William?”

“He hates him. Destroying William would benefit him in several ways: influence, power, but above all revenge.”

“Perhaps Thibault has shown his loyalty to the old king in the same way!” Baudouin said, carrying the thought a bit further. “Just the same, I don’t understand him. Someday young Henry will receive his inheritance from his father.”

“But what will happen if the betrayal is not exposed, and Thibault makes himself indispensable? I’m sure he will stop at nothing—including further murders and intrigues—in order to ward off any suspicion. Please be careful. Everyone here knows how close you are to William. Didn’t you say that you are in touch with him from time to time?” Ellen reminded him.

“He better not dare to accuse me of anything!” Baudouin growled.

“I don’t think he will do that openly, he’s too devious for that, but he absolutely wants to have Runedur.”

“But that’s crazy!” Baudouin looked at her in astonishment.

Ellen nodded. “Thibault is crazy!”

“Would he create difficulties for the king because of a woman and a sword?” Baudouin tugged at his hair. “I can clearly imagine that Adam d’Yqueboeuf and Thomas de Coulonces might want to get rid of William, but they have certainly not entered into a pact with the old king. They are loyal subjects of his son and have both spoken out against going to war. Who knows if they have any suspicion what Thibault is up to? Good Lord, if only William were here! He always knows what to do.” Baudouin sighed deeply.

“You must convict Thibault of treason and bring William back!” Ellen avoided looking Baudouin directly in the face.

For days nothing happened. Ellen saw neither Baudouin nor Thibault, and it almost seemed as if she had imagined everything. Almost every day she went to the stable where Loki was kept and pampered the horse with a handful of lush grass or a bushel of clover.
Soon summer will be here
, she thought, and leaned her head against Loki’s neck. Plagued by homesickness, she closed her eyes and thought of St. Edmundsbury. She missed the familiarity of her own shop and her friends. Her child was kicking hard now, and she found the work of standing all day in the noise of the smithy more and more stressful. Isaac would have insisted she rest a bit from time to time. She missed him! Ellen felt her eyes beginning to tear. Gently she stroked the horse’s nostrils and passed the currycomb over Loki’s flanks, trying to suppress her thoughts of home.

Suddenly the stable door opened and a man slipped in. Loki snorted briefly at the strange scent, and the man looked around with a harried gaze.