The queen's man : a medieval mystery (35 page)

"And until you could be sure that I'd not make a botch of it," Justin suggested and Eleanor laughed.

"Yes, that, too. With so much at stake, I needed to know that I could rely upon you. Fortunately, my instincts were right. But then I've always had good judgment where men are concerned." Her lips curved and she added wryly, "Except for husbands, of course!"

Drifting clouds hid the moon and when Justin led Copper from the stables out into the Tower bailey, it was like plunging into a black, silent sea. Swinging up into the saddle, he was almost at the Land Gate when several horsemen rode in. Raising his lantern as they passed by, Justin was jolted to come face to face with Durand de Curzon.

Durand was astride a big-boned black stallion, an ill-tempered beast to judge by the flattened ears and white-rimmed eyes. Spurring the horse forward, he swerved into Justin's path. Justin hastily reined in. Fortunately, his chestnut was of an equable temperament and not easily spooked. He did not doubt that Durand's action had been deliberate, a warning to stay out of his way. The queen's tame wolf was going to make a provoking ally, if not a downright dangerous one.

Justin exhaled a deep breath, wondering what he'd gotten himself into, for in that moment, the future seemed as dark and murky as this moonless spring night. But he glanced up then, saw the lights still burning brightly in the queen's windows, like a shining beacon midst the blackness of the bailey.

"Come on, Copper," he said. "The Devil with Durand and John, too." Leaving the Tower behind, he rode for Gracechurch Street, for home. And each time he looked back, he could still see the glow from Queen Eleanor's chambers, high above the sleeping city.

AUTHORS NOTE

My Author's Notes usually begin with a declaration of sorts, an assurance to my readers that all of the improbable events in the book actually did happen. What with solar eclipses and brides kidnapped on the high seas by pirates in the pay of the English king and assassins with poisoned daggers, it is easy to see why a skeptical reader might wonder if I'd gone hopelessly Hollywood. So I've come to view an Author's Note as an essential ingredient in my historical recipes, particularly when dining with Plantagenets. This Author's Note is something of a departure, therefore, as the mystery plot came from my head, not from history.

The Archbishop of Rouen truly did obtain a copy of the letter sent by the Holy Roman Emperor to the French king, and secretly dispatched it to Queen Eleanor. But while the letters—and Richard's plight—were real, the goldsmith's role was not.

Justin's father, Aubrey de Quincy, is a fictional creation; so is his bishopric. Chester lay in the diocese of Coventry and Lich-

Author's Note

field, and although the title Bishop of Chester was used during the Middle Ages, it was an unofficial usage. The Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and Chester in 1193 was Aubrey's nemesis and John's devious ally, Hugh de Nonant.

I used the term coroner in the novel, but I was being somewhat premature, as the office of coroner was not established until September, 1194. Prior to that date, the coroner's duties were usually performed by the county justiciar and Serjeants or bailiffs.

Some readers might be surprised by the interrogation scene of Gilbert the Fleming, for the very words medieval dungeons conjure up lurid images of horror chambers and bloodstained stone walls. But such gruesome instruments of persuasion as the rack were of a later age. Judicial torture was not widely practiced in the twelfth century and was never as common in England as it was on the Continent. Interestingly, it came into greater use after the Church Lateran Council of 1215 prohibited the Trial by Ordeal. Some legal historians have also found a connection between the abolition of the Trial by Ordeal and the rise of the trial jury. But since The Queen's Man takes place in 1193, Gilbert the Fleming was fortunate enough to be spared any close encounters with the rack or the Devil's daughter.

S.K.P. April 1996

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In writing The Queen's Man, my first mystery, I was venturing into unfamiliar fictional territory, and I strayed off the road from time to time. Fortunately, I did not lack for guides. My parents, as always. Jill and John Da vies, my English interpreters. Valerie Ptak LaMont, who is truly the book's godmother. Marian Wood, who has been my editor at Henry Holt and Company for fifteen memorable years. My agents, Molly Friedrich and Sheri Holman of the Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency and Mic Cheetham of the Mic Cheetham Literary Agency, for offering encouragement, moral support, and several first-rate road maps. Susan Watt, my editor at Michael Joseph, Ltd, for helping me to teach Justin how to match wits with Plantagenets, prostitutes, and assorted evildoers. And lastly, Dr. Lyla Perez, the Atlantic County, New Jersey, Medical Examiner, for generously sharing her time and expertise, enabling me to describe Pepper Clem's waterlogged body in accurate, if grisly, detail.

The Queen's Man

Sharon Kay Penman

A Reader's Quide

A Conversation with Sharon Kay Penman Q: Why did you choose The Queen's Man as the title of this book?

A: I usually agonize over the titles of my books but this one came very easily because the connection between Queen Eleanor and Justin de Quincy is so strong. In the beginning of the story de Quinc \ is

a man with no identity—the bastard son of a bishop. By the end oi the tale he has found a place for himself in Eleanor's world as her operative—in other words, as the Queen's man. The title also has the benefit of attracting anyone with an interest in the Middle Ages. Somehow it just seemed to fit.

Q: The Queen's Man is not the first time that Eleanor of Aquitaine has played a prominent role in one of your novels. What is it about her that appeals to you?

A: Eleanor has always fascinated me because she was always someone who lived by her own rules. What she accomplished was truly amazing when you consider the fact that she was a woman of the twelfth century. By age fifteen she was the Queen of France. By age thirty-two she was the Queen of England. She paid a price for her success—spending sixteen years in prison when her marriage to Henry failed—but she was a survivor, and by reaching the then vast age of eighty-two, she outlived all of her enemies!

Q: This story is a bit of a departure for you in that it's your first historical mystery. How does writing such a story differ from writing straight historical fiction?

A: I had to use much more discipline in writing the mystery. My historical novels are usually eight or nine hundred pages long so there's plenty of time to develop character and plot, and to make frequent digressions. A mystery presents a bit of a challenge because it needs to develop at a much faster pace. In writing a mystery you also have to play fair with your readers by leaving clues for them to pick up so they can solve the crime.

Q: One reviewer has said, "Penman writes about the medieval world and its people with vigor, compassion, and clarity." What appeals to you about the medieval world?

The Queens Man

A: I find the whole era incredibly interesting. It was raw, vital, and larger than life in so many ways. Emotions seemed much closer to the surface than they are today. It also offers everything from a novelist's standpoint. There's high drama, tragedy, and constant betrayal going on—all very exciting stuff. And the time period offers a marvelous window to explore the position of women in society, or how children or the poor were treated—issues that still resonate in our society today. I guess there's a small part of me that hopes putting a mirror up to the Middle Ages will cast some reflection on our times as well. I don't think human nature has changed over the centuries. The trappings and beliefs of humanity are different but the core of human nature has stayed the same. What I try to do is give my readers a little jolt of recognition so that even though they're reading about something that happened in the twelfth century, they can still identify with the emotions of the people involved.

Q: Where do the facts end and the fiction begin with this story?

A: Justin de Quincy, and most of the characters surrounding him, are fictitious. Richard the Lionheart was captured by his enemies while returning home from the crusades. The Archbishop of Rouen truly did obtain a copy of the letter sent by the Holy Roman Emperor to the French king, and secretly dispatched it to Queen Eleanor. But while the letters—and Richard's plight—were real, the goldsmith's role was not.

Q: What do you think will surprise readers of this book the most?

A: I have been told by people who have read it that there are several twists at the end that surprised them. In terms of the overall story I guess that will depend on how knowledgeable they are about the Middle Ages to begin with. Some people might also be surprised to learn that England was bilingual at the time—with many people speaking both English and French.

Q: How did you go about conducting your research for The Queen's Man?

A: I tend to do a lot of on-site research and visit the places I write

A Reader's Guide

about. In this case, 1 spent a lot of time in Winchester, where mu< h of the action in The Queen's Man takes place. This gives me .1 sense

0! time and place when I actually sit down and si an writing. As tar as general information is concerned, 1 do a considerable amount oi research at Penn State, which has an extensive medieval history collection.

Q: How do you strike a balance that allows characters to deliver dialogue true to the time period in which they live without mak* ing their words so antiquated that it's hard for today's readers to understand what the characters are saying?

A: That's the most challenging hurdle that any historical novelist faces. Some writers take an approach in which they do not attempt to make the dialogue even the slightest bit medieval. At the other end o{ the spectrum is the ghastly parody of medieval speech in which the author throws in a significant number of terms like "gad-zooks" and "varlet." Neither of these methods works for me. I try to keep the language relatively simple while using terms that sound medieval and give a flavor to the speech. I also try not to jar the reader with words that sound out of place or that might break the mood.

Q: Has your work as a lawyer influenced your writing?

A: The one thing I really enjoyed about the law was doing research. I loved going to the law library to look for the perfect case. What I do as a writer is an extension of that.

Q: After completing your first novel many years ago, the only copy was stolen from your car. How did you recover from that?

A: It was very difficult. Although I tried, I was unable to write again for almost six years. It was as if the well had gone dry. But I continued researching throughout this barren stretch because I knew I w r ould write again some day. I had finished law school and was already practicing law when the words started to come again. This time they didn't stop.

Q: Do you find writing easy or hard?

The Queen's Man

A: Writing is rarely effortless. There's a famous quote about the writing process: "Writing is easy, you just sit down at a typewriter and open up a vein." Most of the time, when I sit down to write, it feels like an opening-a-vein type of day. Occasionally, if I'm really caught up in it, the words do seem to flow, but that's the exception rather than the rule.

Q: Do you have a writing routine?

A: I do one chapter at a time. First I get a mental "script" firmly planted in my mind. Then, when I sit down at the computer, I think of myself as a director saying, "Lights, camera, action!" At that point I it's just a question of getting it out of my head and onto paper. The one thing I do not do is set specific hours. Some writers work every day from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon, come hell or high water. So far I haven't had to do that.

Q: Do you revise as you write?

A: Some writers will do three, four, or five drafts of a book. That doesn't work for me. I stay with a chapter until I'm satisfied with it and then I move on to the next chapter. I revise it as I'm working on it, but once I decide it's done, I leave it as is.

Q: What would you tell an aspiring writer today about the frustra* tion of where to start?

A: I would tell them that perseverance is the most important quality a writer can have. It's so hard for writers to get published and a lot of it is just dumb luck. I know some very talented writers who have not been able to get a foothold in publishing—not because they have a lack of ability but because they haven't been at the right place at the right time. My best advice to aspiring writers is don't be discouraged about first rejections. Just hang in there. It's also incredibly important for a writer to have an agent. Of course the catch-22 is that it's often harder to find an agent than it is to find a publisher.

Q: The Queen's Man is the first in a trilogy of books featuring Justin de Quincy. What's next for de Quincy?

A Reader's Guide

A: The next book will be called ( )rue\ as the ( have. Basically I pic k up where The Queen's Man leaves off, with virtually the same cast oi