“God keep her so,” Robert said, and went awaydown the tables to fill other people's goblets.
Frevisse said softly, “He does.” Shetook the goblet before the abbot's hand reached it, to drink deeplyenough both to satisfy her thirst and leave him waiting for anotherserver to satisfy his own. There were ways of being rude thatwere far more polite than his.
But her thoughts stayed with Robert. Three years and he still remembered a love he had known barelythree days, had never had any real hope of even then, and had neverseen since. Was it truly love with him? Or only thelonging after Love that settles for the lesser thing, fixing theheart on something of the World because to fix the heart on theThing Invisible that was the core and creation of Love in its fullreality took more courage than many wanted to give to theirlives.
Frevisse's own choice had been made beforeshe was Robert's age, and she still barely had an answer forherself, let be anyone else.
She became aware of disturbance down thehall, heads turning toward rising voices and servers drawing backfrom one part of the tables.
“Now, pray, what is this bother?” the abbotsaid in distaste.
“Sir Clement Sharpe,” Frevisse said, seeingthe center of the trouble.
“Ah, yes. Of course,” the abbot agreed,unsurprised, and reached for the new plate just set down beforethem laden with minced meat shaped like pears and gilded with eggyolk touched in one place with cherry juice to heighten theillusion, with a fragment of almond for a stem. Frevisseignored the plate to watch Sir Clement, on his feet shouting at theman on the far side of Lady Anne, also on his feet and shoutingback at him. The general noise of the hall was too great forFrevisse to understand what they said; but Lady Anne was cowereddown between them, while their near neighbors were crowding awayalong the benches from whatever was going to happen. ExceptGuy, who, behind Sir Clement, was rising to his own feet andreaching out to his uncle's shoulder.
Realization of what was happening had spreadthrough the entire great hall now. Conversations died into ahush just as Guy gripped Sir Clement's shoulder from behind and SirClement turned on him, knocking his hand away and shouting, “Keepyour hand off me, you murderous young whelp!”
Then Sire Philip was there, gesturing Guyback while interposing himself between Sir Clement and the otherguest. Aware of how many were straining to hear him, he spokelow, first to Sir Clement and then to the other man. Guy hadsubsided onto the bench again; Frevisse saw him and Lady Anneexchange looks and Guy shake his head, all unseen by Sir Clementwho was now arguing with Sire Philip.
Or beginning to, because as Sir Clementleaned his face into the priest's, his voice rising again, SirePhilip made a small but definite gesture past him toward the hightable in forcible reminder of where they were and who waswatching.
Frevisse doubted Sir Clement neededreminding; again he gave her the impression of a man exactly awareof what he was doing, and enjoying it. But Sire Philip'sgesture gave him excuse to straighten, swing around and make aflourishing, apologetic bow to everyone at the high table, andanother to the widow and Bishop Beaufort in particular. Thenhe caught up the goblet from between himself and Lady Anne, held ithigh, and declared in a voice that carried end to end of the greathall, “But if I'm wrong in this matter, may God strike me downwithin the hour!”
As dramatically as he had bowed to the hightable, he downed what was in the goblet in a single toss, set itdown with a defining clunk on the tablecloth, looked all around ateveryone, and sat down abruptly, straight-backed with pride andenjoyment of every eye on him.
“He's always doing that,” the abbot observedfor Frevisse's ear alone. Through the hall a broken murmurwas passing, people bending to explain something briefly to one oranother, and then voices rose again in ordinary talk.
But Frevisse, still shocked to the heart bySir Clement's words, turned to the abbot. “What did yousay?”
Cutting into his illusion pear, the abbotsaid, “He's always doing that. Swearing he's right and mayGod strike him down within the hour if he's not. Some day Godmay oblige him, and he'll be quite surprised.”
A server set a dish of minted peas in frontof them. The abbot lost interest in her again.
Robert returned to pour more wine. “Don't look so horrified, Dame Frevisse. Almost anyone who'sbeen around Sir Clement more than half a day has heard him saythat.”
“But it's blasphemy, daring God thatway! And to do it so casually-”
“But it's dangerous only if he's wrong, andSir Clement never believes he's wrong.”
“What of the poor girl, caught in the middleof all that? How long until she comes of age and is rid ofhim?”
“Lady Anne is as vulnerable as a hedgehog,”Robert said without malice. “All soft eyes and gentle waysand a thousand spines. Whichever of them marries her, hewon't have as lovely a time of it as he thinks he will.”
He was moving away as he said it, and gonetoo far for Frevisse to ask who besides Guy wanted to marry thelady. But it was hardly a difficult guess. The angrymoments outside the chapel had revealed Lady Anne's relationshipwith Guy; and by his fury it would be no surprise if Sir Clementwere interested in marriage with her, too. Of course he hadthe upper hand in the matter because while she was his ward hecontrolled her marriage. He could not, by law, force her tomarry against her will, but the law also provided severe penaltiesfor her if she refused a reasonable match he made for her. And there were subtler ways than the law to make her life a helland bring her to his will, if he chose to take it that far.
Frevisse took a deep draught of thewine. Her head was surely tightening itself into a headache,and there was at least another hour left to this feast. Sheregarded her illusion pear and the dish of peas with distaste; shewas used to far simpler food at St. Frideswide's, and had alreadyeaten more meat than would usually come her way in a week. Later her stomach would certainly have something to say about therich assault she had made on it.
There was another commotion from where SirClement sat, and people were again drawing rapidly away from him,this time Guy and Lady Anne among them, so that very suddenly SirClement was alone, still seated but bent forward toward the tablewith both hands clutching at its edge as red-faced with effort hestrangled for breath.
“Well!” said the abbot. “Perhaps God'sgrown as tired of him as the rest of us have and decided to judgehim after all.”
Chapter Eight
After the first moment of shock, the hallseethed into chaos, with some shouting, a few screams, and muchexclaiming. People rose to their feet, some trying to pullfarther away from Sir Clement, others crowding toward him. Afew climbed onto benches, craning for a chance to see, andfragments of prayers rose among the exclamations, inquiries, andfrenzied chatter. Sir Clement was blocked from Frevisse'sview, but like the abbot she kept her seat, knowing futility whenshe saw it; even with the added height the dais gave to the hightable, she would see nothing if she stood. There was nothingshe could do at this distance and no way to get through the turmoilto Sir Clement. But she crossed herself and began a ferventprayer for him, because he was clearly in God's hand now and forhim especially that must be a terrifying place. Very rarelywas God's judgment seen so clearly, swift and sure, in thisworld. With that fear on her, she added a prayer ofacceptance of his will, because God forbid she contradict him inhis judgment, lest in another way she be as guilty as SirClement.
Beside her, she noticed, the abbot wasdeep into passionate prayer of his own.
Down the hall some sort of order was beingforced. People shifted back so that a few men – mostlyservants, but Sire Philip among them – could help Sir Clement tohis feet and away from the table. He was bent far over, stillstrangling for breath, his fists pressed hard against hischest. Crying “Make way!” the men holding him up half led,half carried him from the hall. A momentary silence followedthem, but when they were gone the babble of wonder and alarm beganto rise again.