Lady of the English (35 page)

“Henry, come here. It is time for me to go.”

He left his game and crossed the room, following the path of the light, until he stood in front of her, looking up solemnly.

His eyes were grey, but flashed with green in their depths like Geoffrey’s.

“Attend to your lessons and do as your father tells you,” she said. “I need you to be big and brave and grown up.”

Henry gave a stout nod. “Can I come to England soon too?”

“As soon as you are old enough. One day you will be king there, and it will be very important for you to know the place and the people.” She stooped to his level and smoothed his vibrant hair. “Look after your brothers. I will write to you often and your father will tell me of your progress.” She kissed him on both cheeks and stood up, her pride swelling to almost unbearable proportions because Henry was not crying or making a fuss. Even in the small boy, she could see the king he might one day become—but only if she gave him that chance.

She went to make her farewells to his brothers. Today, they were all present to bid her farewell, but usually little Geoffrey was with his tutors in Anjou. It had been a conscious decision not to keep the children together; that way there was more chance of survival if there was sickness or foul play. Thus Geoffrey was a solemn stranger and the farewell kiss she gave to him was tinged with sadness that she did not know him. Her third son, at only three years old, was not really sure what was happening and accepted her hug with a grimace and a wriggle.

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Matilda knew if she let emotion in, she would weep and grieve, and she made herself as hard as stone. She had learned as a child herself that life was a series of partings governed above all else by duty.

She turned to her husband, who was watching her with an enigmatic look in his eyes. She half expected him to mock, but he said quietly, “You are an empress and a true queen. Only you can do what has to be done. Now is your opportunity to prove yourself.” He took her hands in his and gave her a formal kiss of peace on both cheeks, as she had done to their sons. And then his grip tightened and he claimed her mouth in a lingering, hard intimacy. As the salute ended, he said with a strained smile, “I will miss you.”

“I wish I could say the same,” she retorted, more disturbed than she cared to admit, not least because she could see he was guarding against emotion too, “but I will hold you in my prayers.”

Geoffrey snorted. “As you should. You might not want me, beloved wife, but you do need me to conduct your affairs in Normandy and raise our sons. I will hold you in mine also.”

Drawing herself together, Matilda went down to the courtyard and allowed Alexander de Bohun to assist her into the saddle. When she picked up the reins, it seemed as if she were picking up her destiny too. She gazed at her children in final farewell, her eyes lingering on Henry, then she faced forward and although her heart was aching, did not look back.

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Thirty-two

Arundel, September 1139

T he autumn tide was running fast onshore and surging up the estuary of the river Arun as Matilda’s fleet navigated the channel at full flood. She gazed at the approaching shore, land of her birth, ignoring the sting from the hard, salty wind. It had been eight years since she had last set foot here.

Then her father had been alive and men had knelt at her feet and sworn to uphold her as future queen of England. Now she came to claim her crown from them.

She looked round as her brother Robert joined her. “Soon enough the warning beacons will be lit, and Stephen will know I am here,” she said.

“Already he is too late.” Robert gave a confident smile.

“There is nothing he can do.”

Matilda compressed her lips, feeling queasy. She told herself it was seasickness, but in truth she felt she was being dragged into the deep by riptides of doubt. Supposing Stephen was waiting for them close by? He had his spies, after all, even as they had theirs. Supposing Adeliza had been unable to prevail on her husband to open Arundel’s gates for them? What if William D’Albini forbade them to land the troops, horses, and equipment they had brought from Normandy?

The river Arun wound and looped inland like one of LadyofEnglish.indd 276

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Adeliza’s silver hair ribbons. Although autumn was advancing, the grass was still green and the fields were full of grazing sheep.

In other circumstances, Matilda would have taken interest and pleasure in the journey, but for the moment she was too tense and impatient.

By the time they moored at the wharf near the castle mound, the silver of the river had become sunset gold and a party was waiting to greet them. Matilda stiffened as she saw the soldiers lining the bank, spears held at the upright and shields bearing the Albini rampant lion on a red background. Beside her, Robert came to attention. As the mooring ropes snaked out to the bollards, a bellowed command from the shore sent the men to their knees as one in a clatter of mail and weaponry. Matilda saw Adeliza, and her new husband kneeling at the front, and her heart leaped with relief. The first barrier was down; they had an uncontested landing.

The moment she disembarked, Matilda went straight to Adeliza, raised her to her feet, and tearfully embraced her. “I am in your debt,” she said against her ear. “Thank you for keeping the faith.”

“Nothing would have stopped me,” Adeliza said fiercely.

“You are kin, and I have missed you so much, and been so worried for you.”

Will D’Albini turned from greeting Robert and knelt again to Matilda. “Empress,” he said. “Be welcome at Arundel.”

Matilda gazed down at his broad shoulders and glossy dark curls. She knew little of this man personally beyond the detail that he had given his oath to Stephen. Yet his honour was unquestioned and she was certain that while she was under his roof, he would protect her with his life. But beyond these walls and the etiquette of the kinship bond, it was a different matter, and she suspected he was already wondering how soon he could be rid of her and Robert.

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ttt

The chamber appointed to Matilda was comfortably luxurious, furnished with embroidered cushions on the seats and benches, fine wall hangings, rich textiles, and clean, clear light from beeswax candles and oil lamps. A subtle scent of incense filled the air and there was even fine pale glass in the windows.

Adeliza might no longer be queen of England, but she still surrounded herself with regal trappings and an atmosphere of tranquil grace.

Matilda walked around the room, familiarising herself, and then paused by the painted cradle that a maid had brought in.

A swaddled baby lay on a soft lambskin cover, its face pale rose-pink, its lips making small smacking sounds as it slept. Matilda felt a pang at the sight of such innocence. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

she said, smiling at Adeliza. “I am so pleased for you. I know how much you grieved for your childlessness when you were married to my father.”

Adeliza’s own smile was full of tender pride. “I was in doubt about leaving Wilton, but God answered my prayers and showed me it was the right decision. I have such cause to bless His bounty.”

“And your husband?” Matilda’s voice held a note of caution.

Adeliza’s complexion grew rosy. “I am content,” she said.

“Married to your father I was queen and Lady of the English, but Will has given me what I could not have—and he loves me.” She looked at Matilda. “He has opened our gates to you on the understanding that you are visiting as my kin, and that somehow a peaceful settlement can be negotiated from this.

While you are under our roof as a guest who is stepdaughter to his wife, he will succour and defend you, but do not expect more. Even this was a great step for him to take and I had to fight very hard to persuade him. That he admitted you at all is as much a miracle as that baby lying in the cradle.”

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“Then how do I make men such as your husband change their minds?”

“I am not sure you can,” Adeliza replied.

Matilda went to the window and touched the panes of pale green glass with their wavy stretch marks, and gazed at the luminous tinge reflected on her skin. “Stephen stole my throne, and no one tried to stop him—save Baldwin de Redvers.

Now others are thinking twice about following Stephen, but only because they dislike the politics of his court and that they must play underdog to other men. They will come to me to punish Stephen, not because they honour me and the oath they swore and then cast away like latrine rags. They will come because they think to have greater influence at my court and that I will give them the rewards Stephen will not. After all, I am a woman and can be more easily manipulated—no?” She grimaced. “I can use such men, but I can never trust them.”

“Some will honour you,” Adeliza said. “You spoke of Baldwin de Redvers. There is your brother Reynald too. He will stand firm. You can look also to Wallingford for aid that will not waver.”

Matilda turned round, her heart quickening, and met Adeliza’s quiet stare. Her stepmother said, “I have seen little of Brian FitzCount since your father’s funeral, but you have in him a loyal servant unto death.”

Matilda felt warmth rise in her cheeks and turned again to the window, seeking a cool draught. She had to guard her heart from all blows. She dare not let Brian inside because he would break it from within. “I should be downstairs with Robert,”

she said abruptly.

“No,” Adeliza said firmly. “There is time for all that in a while. It has been so long since I have seen you and soon you will be fully occupied with the business you have come about. We have so much catching up to do. I want to know 279

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about your sons and everything you have been doing. Just for a moment, let everything be as it was before. I will send one of my women to prepare you a warm footbath. I refuse to let you play the warrior queen for this moment with me.”

Matilda gave a strained smile. “As you wish, ‘Mother.’ I will not deny you.”

“Indeed not, for then you would gain a reputation for being contrary,” Adeliza said with a mischievous twinkle.

The curve of Matilda’s mouth grew less strained. “We couldn’t have that, could we?” she replied as she joined Adeliza at the hearth.

ttt

Will felt a pang of trepidation as he watched Robert’s troops and their supplies march into Arundel. This was not the baggage of a friendly visitor on a diplomatic mission, but the spearhead of an invasion. But what else had he expected—that they miss the opportunity and come with nothing?

Robert turned to him. “We are grateful for your succour,”

he said. “It will not be forgotten. We will repay you in full measure when we are in a position to do so.”

Will gripped his belt either side of the buckle. “I have taken you under my roof out of love for my wife and obligation to her kin. I do it so that negotiations may be opened to discuss a lasting peace. I am not your enemy, as I know some members of the court are, but my fealty is to Stephen. I guarantee your safety under my roof because of the kinship tie, but I must tell the king you are my guests. In truth, it is safe for neither of us if you remain here.”

Robert nodded curtly. “That is understood, but we are still indebted to you for this landing and for your hospitality. I will not abuse or outstay my welcome, be assured. Only let me rest here and organise my men and I will be on my way to Bristol as soon as I may.”

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A feeling of sweet relief ran through Will. “And the empress?”

“Let her stay for a few days more with your lady wife. She is under your protection, and since she is visiting her stepmother, the king has no legal grounds for objection, and it is no detriment to you. I know she has missed Adeliza’s company.”

Will suppressed a grimace. He would have been greatly pleased to see the empress depart as soon as possible, and he was less sanguine than Robert about the damage her presence might to do. “So be it,” he said.

Having shown Robert to his quarters to refresh himself after the journey, Will returned to the courtyard. He felt like a grain caught between two millstones. He was Stephen’s vassal, but was giving houseroom to Stephen’s enemies, including the commander of Matilda’s troops. He knew he should be playing the host with Robert, and that Adeliza would be annoyed with him for shirking that duty, but he could not in good conscience be the welcoming host. He told the groom to saddle up his horse, and rode out to check the fields, the river, the roads, fixing them in his mind’s eye as they were, because it seemed to him that everything was going to change and that he was about to lose things that were very precious to him.

ttt

Two days later, at dawn, Robert left Arundel. A wet sea mist was rolling off the coast and cloaking the land. Watching the low grey clouds swallow him up as he rode out of the castle, Matilda thought that it was almost as if he had disappeared into another world.

She had not accompanied him. She knew Stephen dared not harm her while she was under Adeliza’s roof, and was determined to exercise her right to visit her kin. She had expected a warmer welcome from her stepmother and her new husband. She had thought they might offer military 281

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aid or at least promise moral support, but William D’Albini had made it clear that she was welcome as a domestic guest, nothing more.

“I cannot make Will change his mind,” Adeliza said as they sat before the brazier in Matilda’s chamber when Robert had gone. “He is sworn to Stephen and I am bound as his wife to obey him. I will do what I can for you, but Will has a sticking point beyond which he will not go, not even for me. I would not have you think I love Stephen. He has taken so many things not rightfully his. He only consented to this match between me and Will because he wanted one of his own men in control of Arundel. He wants to render me powerless—or his wife does.”