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audience with the King with the rest of us maybe having to show up once,
briefly, so His Majesty can get a look at us."
Jim propped himself up on one elbow to stare down into her face.
"Make it longer? Why? What do you mean?"
"Ah, that's better," said Angie, lying happily still at last in her nest.
"Well, you've got to understand it was Joan who came up with the idea, then
did the real job of talking Geronde into going along with it. She's a very
clever woman, Jim averyclever woman!"
Jim snorted. "All right. But what's this idea you were talking about?"
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"The idea of you having an audience with the King, of course. Well, as usual,
she first had to talk Edward young Edward around to it, and she did that
before he left. Since you can't let him bring this Verweather fellow here,
he's been fretting about how to get Joan into Tiverton with him, without
sending old Edward into one of his rages. You know "
"I know," said Jim. "The famous Plantagenet temperament and all that. It
happens I must know a dozen knights that're just as temperamental, or worse,
but they're not royal, so nobody makes a big thing of it. But the idea?"
"I'm getting to it. Before young Edward left, she pointed out to him that the
King had never met you, in spite of giving us Malencontri to hold directly in
fief from him, and the coat of arms he gave you, and letting us have dear
little Robert as your ward "
"It's all because of those half-witted ballad singers," growled Jim.
"Well, old Edward's a king and used to being at stage center& Anyway the
point is, he actually was impressed with what you did, and since then he's
heard other stories about you, Brian, and Dafydd. Joan pointed out to young
Edward that Tiverton Castle may have the best service in the world and be safe
from the plague, but it's still a far cry from the King's Court in the Tower
of London, with intrigues, duels, fresh noble visitors with good-looking young
daughters and ladies-in-waiting coming and going, and Cumberland talking to
him all the time. At Tiverton the King's only got his servants, and nothing to
do but eat, sleep, drink, and sign the few papers sent to him byCumberland .
In short, he's probably bored to death, and that's one of the reasons he'd be
more ready to make it up with young Edward himself."
"We've had jugglers and dancers and what-all in the way of entertainers
showing up here for the celebration of the wedding. I suppose we could send
some of them to him."
"Much better than that. You remember he was quite the warrior when he was
young. There was the sea battle of Sluys and for that matter,
hischevaucheintoNormandy not too long ago, that ended with the victory atCrecy
."
"What is this?" demanded Jim. His right elbow was beginning to ache from
bearing all the weight of his upper body. "The water torture of deliberately
withheld information? What was her bright idea?"
"That instead of just summoning you which would only be good for an interview
or two and me, because of course it was perfectly reasonable for you to assume
your lady-wife would accompany you young Edward could bring Brian and Dafydd,
with Geronde and Danielle, and he could have the whole team there and hear
firsthand stories from all the men who were in it."
"Good God! Right now?"
"Right now," said Angie, "or rather, as soon as young Edward gets back and we
hear how his father liked the idea and, of course, there's the side benefit
that, since it would be awkward for you to empty Malencontri of gentlemen and
ladies, leaving a Countess of Plantagenet blood all alone there maybe Joan
could come, too. She said old Edward knew her very well and always liked her.
I believe her people always like her, and as a girl she had lots of
opportunity to cultivate the goodwill of the King."
"But how about Geronde? Don't tell me she was happy with a plan that could
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put her wedding off indefinitely a plan Joan just went ahead with on her own
without asking her?"
"She wasn't at first," said Angie. "But Joan I told you she was clever had
her excuse set up ahead of time. She admitted it was a scheme to get her into
Tiverton with young Edward, but pointed out to Geronde that everybody won with
this, if it worked and the King liked them all. Brian's got a terrific
reputation as a winner of tournaments, but he's never been in a real war. The
result is that when war captains are talked about, he isn't even mentioned."
"He was just a little too young for Crecy," said Jim, "and he didn't have the
connections to get taken on as a squire by any knight of reputation they were
already loaded with squires from noble houses. There's a reason Chandos,
Audley, and the rest are all about the same age. You can't make a name as a
war captain if there's no war going on when you're the right age to shine in
them anyway, how's this going to help Brian?"
"Why," she said, "if the King meets Brian and takes a liking to him and I
don't know how he can fail it'd give Brian status at court. Then, if he and
Geronde ever want a favor from the King, like we got the wardship of Robert,
his chances are good. I think Brian knows more about weapons and their use
than anyone else the King's seen in a long time and remember, Chandos himself
called Brian one of the best swords of the kingdom. It's a chance for her
husband Geronde can't pass up."
"I see."
"I don't need to point out," she went on, "that it wouldn't hurt you either
to make a personal friend of the King and I can't imagine that not happening
when he gets to know you."
"Even if it does," said Jim he realized that he felt deadly tired, more tired
than he could ever remember feeling, "if Cumberland can turn him against his
own son, his oldest son, the heir to his throne, Cumberland can turn him
against any liking he develops for me. But in any case I don't want him to
like me too much. I'm only one promotion from full Magickian, and I've decided
to become active in their Collegiate and try to push myself up to a position
where I can help steer them on a different course than the one they're on "
"You didn't tell me that!" said Angie.
"I'll tell you about it just as soon as we have some time to ourselves.
There's no choice in magic or magicks, however you want to pronounce it. It
was talking in the dark to Merlin in Lyonesse that made me finally see that.
If you stand still, you're done for in the long run. You've got to keep going,
and know where you're going but never mind all that now. The point is, I don't
want to get tangled up with the Collegiateandthe King's court, with all its
plots and rivalries."
"Just as soon as you can tell me more about that, you'll do it?"
"The first minute, but for now we're in our own small piece of space this
Solar. Let's forget plagues, and Princes, and Kings and magick and this whole
impossible, medieval world. I've got to get some sleep!"
He dropped down from his aching elbow and buried his face in his pillow. He
heard Angie say something indistinct, something he could not quite make
out but he was already plunging deep, deep into slumber.
He woke with a start. It was daylight, though it seemed to him that only a
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second before he had heard Angie's last, incomprehensible words.
He looked around and she was nowhere to be seen. The Solar was ablaze with
sunlight, he had slept hours beyond his usual waking time. He raised his
voice it was an effort.
"Ho! Servant here!" he managed to get out of his dry throat.
The door opened a crack. Ellen Cinders, the Room Mistress, put her long,
sharp-boned face in.
"Can you make tea?" he demanded.
"I can, please you, m'lord!" said Ellen. "My lady showed me how, some years [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]