Silently, Elf came and stood by her husband’s side. He looked down at her with a small smile.
The rider drew his great warhorse to a halt. "You are the lord of Ashlin manor?" he queried politely.
"I am. Ranulf de Glandeville is my name. How may I be of service to you, Sir Knight?"
The knight dismounted, and held out the hand of friendship to Ranulf, who accepted it. "I am Garrick Taliferro, and I have been sent by Duke Henry to speak with you, my lord."
"Duke Henry?" Ranulf was momentarily puzzled.
"The lord of Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Tourraine, and Aquitaine," Sir Garrick said quietly.
"Empress Matilda’s eldest son? I am King Stephen’s man, sir. I have always been, and will be until the king is no more," Ranulf replied.
"Sir Garrick," Elf interrupted. "You will be thirsty with your ride. Come, and let us bring you some wine. Rolph, take the knight’s horse, and see it is stabled properly, fed, and watered."
"This is my wife, the lady Eleanore," Ranulf said, "and she is correct. I have forgotten my manners. Come, sir. The manor is celebrating Mary’s Day as well as my wife’s natal day. Please join us, after which we will talk."
Sir Garrick was seated at the main trestle. A cup of wine was placed in his hand by Cedric himself, who had hurried into the house to bring out a decanter. A plate of food was set before the knight, who ate with gusto, quickly emptying the plate twice, and the goblet three times before he finally pushed himself away from the table, a smile of satisfaction upon his face. "Your hospitality is more than welcome," he told them, "and I thank you."
"You will remain the night with us, of course," Elf said.
"Gladly, lady."
"Will you tell us why you have come from Duke Henry?" Ranulf asked. "As I have said, I am King Stephen’s man."
"Duke Henry knows this, my lord. That is why I have been sent to you, and to many others like you. I am not here to suborn your loyalty to King Stephen. It is that very loyalty which attracts my master, the duke. Being so off the beaten track, you may not be aware of the events of recent months."
"I was wed to my wife last December first by the Bishop of Worcester, and in the king’s presence. Until then I was naught but a knight in the king’s service. We departed that same day to return to Ashlin, and have had no visitors at all since we arrived. What has happened? Is the king well?"
"King Stephen is well, and there is a truce now throughout all of the land. Duke Henry arrived in England in January."
"He crossed from Normandy in wintertime?" Ranulf was astounded. The channel in the best of weather was a rough passage, but in the depth of winter could be a raging tumult of a sea. The duke was either very brave, or a fortunate fool, Ranulf thought to himself.
"During his own lifetime King Stephen wishes to crown his eldest son, Eustace, as England’s king," Sir Garrick began. "As you know this is a custom practiced by the French kings. The Archbishop of Canterbury, however, on Pope Adrien’s command, refused. Prince Eustace is frankly as unpleasant a fellow as the Empress Matilda is an unpleasant lady."
"Yes," Ranulf said. "I have heard that he is nothing like either of his gentle parents."
"The church now attempts to mediate a solution to this long and dark crisis that has plagued England these many years. The church has suggested that King Stephen rule for his lifetime, but that when he dies, the crown go to Duke Henry, the empress’s eldest son." The knight paused, and took a swallow of his wine. "The king," he continued, "of course, resists this solution, but in the end he must come to accept it. Eustace is unfit to rule, and his young brother, William, has assured Duke Henry that he is content as Count of Bologne. William has no designs upon the English throne."
"But Duke Henry does," Ranulf said quietly.
"It is his by right, my lord," Sir Garrick replied. "My master wishes to know if you will support him over Prince Eustace once King Stephen is dead. Your manor, small as it may be, sits in a strategic area, near to the Welsh border." Sir Garrick gazed about him. "Are your walls new?"
"Nay," Ranulf responded. "We have simply strengthened them. Come, and I will show you, Sir Garrick."
The two men rose and walked toward the demesne.
Elf signaled to Willa and Ida. "Come," she said, "we must prepare the best bed space for this knight." The three women hurried into the house.
As they lay abed later, Elf asked her husband, "What will you do, Ranulf? Will you support Eustace or Duke Henry?"
"Duke Henry," her husband replied without hesitation.
"Why?"
"For several reasons, petite. Eustace, whom I have known all of his life, is a very unpleasant man lacking completely in his father’s charm or chivalry. I began my career when I was just seven at King Henry’s court. That king died when I was almost thirteen. I was Stephen of Blois’s page, whenever he was in England. He was his uncle, the king's, favorite. I learned to love him, although if the truth be known, he is not the best of kings, petite. He has charm, and he is a brave fighter, but he has not the other skills needed to be successful. Only the fact that the Empress Matilda is so arrogant, over-proud, and nasty a lady-coupled with the fact it suited the more powerful lords and barons to keep the country in chaos without a strong central government-has kept Stephen king in power. When he became king, I was made one of his squires, then knighted when I was sixteen. He was always kind to me, and generous as well. Had I been a boastful man, I should have been resented by those whose sons were of higher rank. My loyalty was always and openly to King Stephen. You understand why, don't you, Elf?"
She nodded.
He continued. "I knew his queen, the heiress of Eustace, the Count of Bologne, and his wife, Mary of Scotland, King Malcolm’s youngest child. She was called Matilda, and she loved King Stephen with all her heart as he loved her. There were three sons of the union. Baldwin, who died when he was nine. Eustace, and William, who is the Count of Bologne today. There were two daughters. The first died before she was two. The second, Mary, is unwed. Count William and his sister, Mary, are courteous and pleasant people. Eustace is violent, haughty, disdainful, and overbearing. Even his own wife, Constance of Toulouse, does not like him, and they have no children. She is the French king’s sister, and he hoped to regain Normandy through her. He did not, of course, for France didn't wish to engage the lords of Anjou over the matter. They had taken Normandy while Stephen and Matilda fought over England."
He paused, contemplative.
"I believe I understand, Ranulf, except perhaps for the particulars about Eustace."
"There is a slyness about him that troubles me, Elf. He is too quick-tempered. Frankly, petite, I do not trust him. While I love his father, I cannot support the son."
"But what do you know of Duke Henry?"
"Surprisingly, a great deal, for he has been considered Stephen’s rival for several years now since his mother gave up the fight. He is married to your namesake, Alienor, the great heiress of Aquitaine, whose marriage to King Louis VII was annulled on the basis of their consanguinity. She is ten years Duke Henry’s senior, but he is mad for her. His household is constantly on the move. He, himself, seems to need little sleep. It is said he can travel the day long and still remain up half the night drinking. His secretaries complain constantly of overwork. He exhausts everyone around him. He is educated and scholarly like his late grandfather, King Henry I. He loves hunting, feasting, and is said to enjoy the ladies prodigiously. He will be a young king, for he is but twenty, and wed only a year, but sired a son three months after his marriage to Alienor of Aquitaine. Some say she seduced him into marriage.