Elizabeth will marry whomever the king tells her to,” Lady Sybil said sternly.
Elizabeth patted her companion’s arm. But her eyes lifted once again to Richard.
9
C risten was in the pantry at Somerford making sure that the shelves had been scoured according to her standards when she felt Hugh’s distress. Without a word to the servants, who were anxiously watching her as she inspected their work, she turned and left, heading for the privacy of her bedroom.
Once she reached the solar she changed her mind, however, and instead of going into her own room she went into the one that belonged to Hugh. She crossed the floor, sat on the edge of his bed, and closed her eyes.
No words formed in her mind. She sensed no attempt on his part to communicate with her. She felt only this utter desolation. It filled her mind and her heart, and she knew that it was Hugh.
He could not be left alone.
She sat there on his bed, in his room, and tried to let him know that she was there. She tried to fill the pain and loneliness within her with comfort and love. After a while she felt she might have succeeded. The bleakness lightened. The sharp edge of pain dulled. She felt calm.
At last she was free to turn to the difficult task that lay ahead. However was she going to convince her father that she must go to Lincoln?
Cristen was still mulling over this problem when she joined Nigel for midday dinner in the great hall. They were halfway through the meat course when the door opened and a strange man dressed in a mail hauberk strode into the room. In the fist of his gloved right hand he carried a rolled parchment.
He wore no helmet, and Cristen recognized him as one of Earl Guy’s household knights.
The man advanced to stand before the head table, where he bowed to Nigel and announced, “Sir Nigel, I come from Lord Guy bearing a message for you. I am sorry to interrupt your dinner, but it is urgent.”
Nigel frowned and reached out his hand for the parchment. The knight stepped closer to the table and passed it up to the lord of Somerford.
Thanks to the proliferation of church and public schools, much of the English population could both read and write. There were exceptions, of course. The lowest of the low did not have the opportunity to learn, and the highest of the high did not feel the necessity. Nigel, who belonged to neither of these classes, unrolled the parchment that contained the message from his overlord, and read it through.
The friendly chatter that had filled the hall before the entrance of the knight from Chippenham had long since died away. The hall was silent. Every eye was on Nigel as he read.
He looked somber as he rerolled the parchment and turned his attention to Guy’s messenger.
“Do you know aught of this Cornish rebellion?” he asked. “I thought that Stephen’s man in Cornwall, William fitzRichard, was a loyal follower of the king.Stephen has certainly gifted him handsomely with land and castles.”
“Aye. Well, apparently fitzRichard has changed his allegiance. What happened was that the Earl of Gloucester proposed a marriage between his half brother, Reginald, and fitzRichard’s daughter. The prospect of being related through marriage to both the empress and Gloucester proved more attractive to fitzRichard than his loyalty to the king. So the marriage was accomplished, and fitzRichard turned all his lands over to his new son-in-law, who promptly declared for the empress.”
Nigel frowned. “Reginald is another one of the old king’s bastard sons, is he not?”
“Aye. And the empress has named him Earl of Cornwall.”
Nigel’s frown turned into a scowl. “Judas,” he said. “Was ever a king so beset with treachery as Stephen is?”
Cristen said to the Chippenham knight, “Will you not have a seat at one of the tables and take some refreshment?”
The knight glanced at Nigel, who waved his hand and said, “Go along, go along. You must be hungry after riding through the
Elizabeth patted her companion’s arm. But her eyes lifted once again to Richard.
9
C risten was in the pantry at Somerford making sure that the shelves had been scoured according to her standards when she felt Hugh’s distress. Without a word to the servants, who were anxiously watching her as she inspected their work, she turned and left, heading for the privacy of her bedroom.
Once she reached the solar she changed her mind, however, and instead of going into her own room she went into the one that belonged to Hugh. She crossed the floor, sat on the edge of his bed, and closed her eyes.
No words formed in her mind. She sensed no attempt on his part to communicate with her. She felt only this utter desolation. It filled her mind and her heart, and she knew that it was Hugh.
He could not be left alone.
She sat there on his bed, in his room, and tried to let him know that she was there. She tried to fill the pain and loneliness within her with comfort and love. After a while she felt she might have succeeded. The bleakness lightened. The sharp edge of pain dulled. She felt calm.
At last she was free to turn to the difficult task that lay ahead. However was she going to convince her father that she must go to Lincoln?
Cristen was still mulling over this problem when she joined Nigel for midday dinner in the great hall. They were halfway through the meat course when the door opened and a strange man dressed in a mail hauberk strode into the room. In the fist of his gloved right hand he carried a rolled parchment.
He wore no helmet, and Cristen recognized him as one of Earl Guy’s household knights.
The man advanced to stand before the head table, where he bowed to Nigel and announced, “Sir Nigel, I come from Lord Guy bearing a message for you. I am sorry to interrupt your dinner, but it is urgent.”
Nigel frowned and reached out his hand for the parchment. The knight stepped closer to the table and passed it up to the lord of Somerford.
Thanks to the proliferation of church and public schools, much of the English population could both read and write. There were exceptions, of course. The lowest of the low did not have the opportunity to learn, and the highest of the high did not feel the necessity. Nigel, who belonged to neither of these classes, unrolled the parchment that contained the message from his overlord, and read it through.
The friendly chatter that had filled the hall before the entrance of the knight from Chippenham had long since died away. The hall was silent. Every eye was on Nigel as he read.
He looked somber as he rerolled the parchment and turned his attention to Guy’s messenger.
“Do you know aught of this Cornish rebellion?” he asked. “I thought that Stephen’s man in Cornwall, William fitzRichard, was a loyal follower of the king.Stephen has certainly gifted him handsomely with land and castles.”
“Aye. Well, apparently fitzRichard has changed his allegiance. What happened was that the Earl of Gloucester proposed a marriage between his half brother, Reginald, and fitzRichard’s daughter. The prospect of being related through marriage to both the empress and Gloucester proved more attractive to fitzRichard than his loyalty to the king. So the marriage was accomplished, and fitzRichard turned all his lands over to his new son-in-law, who promptly declared for the empress.”
Nigel frowned. “Reginald is another one of the old king’s bastard sons, is he not?”
“Aye. And the empress has named him Earl of Cornwall.”
Nigel’s frown turned into a scowl. “Judas,” he said. “Was ever a king so beset with treachery as Stephen is?”
Cristen said to the Chippenham knight, “Will you not have a seat at one of the tables and take some refreshment?”
The knight glanced at Nigel, who waved his hand and said, “Go along, go along. You must be hungry after riding through the
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