ASilverMirror (46 page)

Barbara was appalled by the dark flush that rose up Aliva’s
throat when she spoke, but she leaned forward and patted her friend’s hands.
“Papa must have forbidden him because he did not want to seem to send a
deputy.”

“Do you really think so?” Aliva’s eyes flashed up, then down
again.

“I do,” Barbara said, “but you must not think about Roger,
love. You have your duty and he has his. For his sake and that of some innocent
girl, I must hope that he does not think about you. Papa will soon choose a
wife for him.”

“Not soon!” Aliva exclaimed. “He is only twenty, and I think
your father will wait until the situation in the country is more settled. Oh,
Barby, so many people are angry at Leicester. They say he wants to eat up
everyone’s land. The castellans of Richmond and Montgomery and Shrewsbury and
others, too, never came to yield up their castles as they were bidden. And Hugh
was furious when he heard that the king’s clerk, the one who went to take back
the land Derby had seized from Peter de Montfort, was taken prisoner himself,
and the land is still in the hands of Derby’s man. Hugh is not only angry, he
is afraid. Why should he be afraid if his friend Leicester is so all powerful?
No, no. Your father will not choose a girl for Roger yet.”

“Love…” Barbara pleaded, but Aliva looked away.

“I will tell you everything I hear,” she repeated
stubbornly, “and give you free leave to repeat it to anyone you think can make
use of it.”

That was how Barbara learned that Leicester had given his
sons permission to reschedule the tournament he had canceled at Dunstable in
February to be held on April 20 at Northampton. Despenser had argued with Peter
de Montfort about the wisdom of that decision—ignoring the presence of his meek
and silent wife—and thus Barbara learned that Leicester intended to bring
Edward west with the army if Gloucester did not come to the tourney.

Barbara knew Gloucester would wish to accept the challenge
of the younger Montforts, partly out of a desire to fight them and partly in
the hope of using the disorder, which always seemed to accompany tourneys, to
free Edward. But the countryside around Northampton was loyal to Leicester, and
Barbara feared that the prince would be caught and returned to his gaoler even
if he did escape. In the west, Edward’s own allies were more numerous than
Leicester’s and escape might mean real freedom. Gloucester must be warned to
stay away from the tourney at Northampton so that Edward would be moved west,
nearer his friends.

The news Aliva had passed was important enough that Barbara
had to repress an impulse to rush off to Westminster palace and ask to see her
husband. To do so would have shrieked aloud that she had something of great
importance to tell him. Alphonse had leave from his service to Edward to visit
his wife two nights each week, so only a dire emergency could require that she
ask he be excused from service.

Fortunately Barbara only had to wait one day or she might
have burst with impatience. She even waited until their belated evening meal
had been laid out for them and Chacier and Clotilde had left Gloucester’s own
bedchamber, which Thomas had invited them to use. The lines of tension that for
two weeks had added years to Alphonse’s eyes and mouth disappeared when Barbara
told him her news.

“We have it,” he said softly, heaving an enormous sigh. “We
have a chance to free Edward. This is worth sending a letter to Gloucester.”

Barbara glanced longingly at her slice of pasty and cup of
wine. She was hungry and wanted to eat before she wrote, since the letter could
not go until morning, but she got her writing desk without protest. She addressed
the letter to Isabella Bigod, Norfolk’s wife, at Strigul, but Lewin, who would
carry it, was ordered to take it to Gloucester at St. Briavels. If disaster
befell Lewin and the letter was delivered to Isabella, she would probably burn
it without reading it because it was from Barbara, whom she abhorred. Also, the
letter, though dictated by Alphonse, was in Barbara’s hand and written as if
Isabella had demanded it.

“As you commanded, madam,” Barbara wrote, “I will send such
news as I have regarding the Earl of Leicester’s intentions toward the Earl of
Gloucester. My husband tells me that there is no sign that any trap will be
laid for Gloucester during the tournament at Northampton. Alphonse thinks
Leicester means this tourney to be a peace offering, a replacement for the one
he canceled in February. Alphonse also thinks Gloucester will be able to make
peace with Leicester if he wishes to do so, and very likely Leicester will be
more careful of offending Gloucester in the future. However, Gloucester will
certainly be required to yield Bamburgh and to enforce the exile of the lords
Marcher. Alphonse has not spoken to Leicester himself, but Peter de Montfort
and Hugh le Despenser have both asked him what Gloucester desires and told him
at length why all of Edward’s property must be held by Leicester or a direct
deputy appointed by him and why the Marcher lords must go into exile. Alphonse
has also heard that even if Gloucester does not send an early answer, the whole
court will move to Northampton to await his coming to the tourney. Alphonse
says that if Gloucester does not come, Leicester will take it as an act of
defiance. Leicester will then send out summonses for the feudal hosts of
Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucester to assemble and will march west at once.
The better to rouse the country against Gloucester, Leicester will bring the
king and the prince west with him.”

The words were innocent, a simple recounting of news and
rumor, but even if Barbara’s device was suspected—many knew that Norfolk’s wife
would not ask her for anything or even deign to command her—and her letter was
seized and read by Leicester, what she said would seem a simple warning to
Gloucester. In a sense it was. Alphonse explained that he wished to let Gilbert
know that the door to reconciliation with Leicester was not yet shut. However,
the warning was really a mask for the news in the last line of the letter.

The closer the prince was to the holdings of the lords
Marcher, the better was the chance of keeping Edward free after his escape. And
the need to free Edward was very great. As long as Leicester had Edward and the
king in his power, he could make any order he gave seem legal. Thus, in the
king’s name he could raise a feudal host to attack Gloucester, whose own allies
would be forced into the “king’s” army by law and custom, virtually
guaranteeing that Gloucester would be defeated. However, if the prince was free
and could send out conflicting orders, saying that his father was under
duress—which most knew but could not prove—serious questions would be raised
about the legality of Leicester’s orders. Any who wished to avoid the conflict
could, ignore Leicester’s call to arms and later plead confusion between the
two royal orders for their inaction. Many, more daring, would take arms and
join Gloucester’s force to fight for Prince Edward, again with the excuse that
the prince’s writs had confused them.

“I suppose Leicester had to allow Edward to come to
Northampton,” Barbara said as she handed her little knife and the splintered
quill to Alphonse to have its point mended. She picked up her slice of pasty,
saying hastily before she bit into it, “The prince’s love for tourneys is
widely known.”

Alphonse chopped the splintered point from the quill,
glanced at her and then down again, “Well, if Edward is not present at the
tourney, all pretense that he has regained his freedom will be ended. Then
Leicester’s seizure of the prince’s lands would seem gross theft and that would
add to the growing resentment.” He handed back the quill, resharpened and
neatly split.

Holding the remaining piece of her pasty away from the
parchment, which she secured with her left elbow, Barbara dipped the quill in
the ink horn, wiped the excess ink off on the edge of the horn and added,
“Written this third day past the ides of March by Barbara d’Aix,
née
Bigod.” Then she handed the parchment to her husband and said, “But it seems
mad to me for Leicester to take Edward west.”

“Leicester has only poor choices.” Alphonse shrugged and was
quiet for a while as he read over the letter. “What a barbarous French you
write,” he remarked.

“Gloucester will understand it much better than what you
think is French,” Barbara snapped.

He laughed at her and handed the letter back to be folded
and sealed, saying thoughtfully as he watched her, “The whole point in this
mockery of liberating the prince is to pacify those who are horrified by seeing
Leicester swallow Edward’s property and power. Thus, the prince must seem to be
truly liberated. No one would believe Edward would remain behind of his own
will if the king really wished to fight Gloucester.”

“And if destroying Gloucester is not truly the king’s will,
those who lose nothing by a quarrel between Gloucester and Leicester will not
answer the summons to war.”

“That is just right, my love,” Alphonse replied. “And with
whom can Leicester leave Edward? He dare not seal him into Kenilworth again. He
needs all his sons and trustworthy allies if he cannot count on a good response
to the summoning. So Leicester must take Edward. He may have visions of the
prince managing to call together an army, even with the limited freedom he is
allowed, and attacking him from behind.”

“You were counting on this, were you not?”

“We were hoping for it, yes,” Alphonse replied. “From
Gloucester or Hereford or almost any of the western keeps, it is only a short
flight to the Welsh hills. But I think your duty must be considered done, dear
heart. Now you had better go back to St. Briavels.”

“No.” Barbara answered before she knew why, only realizing
after she spoke that she had not felt the tightening in her gut that marked the
thought,
is he tiring of me
?

Alphonse smiled slightly. “I do not wish to be parted from
you either, but Simon and Guy will be in Northampton. We have been fortunate
that they were both busy bringing Edward’s orders to submit to the keeps he
yielded to Leicester, but they must be in Northampton if they are the
challengers in the tourney. I will not be able to protect you because I will
truly be a prisoner with the prince while we wait for Gloucester. You cannot
lodge alone. It would be dangerous.”

Barbara had hardly heard him. She was taken up with surprise
at her lack of fear. Jealous, yes, that nasty pricking was there, but she felt
no real fear of loss. She watched her husband, leaning back and swirling the
remains of the wine in his cup as he spoke. He was at ease, he was content, he
did not need to measure every word he said. He might be drawn by a well-shaped
body, lovelier features, a purer skin, but it was to her fireside he would return
with his troubles and his laughter. She smiled.

“Do you want Guy to abduct you?” Alphonse asked with sudden
sharpness.

Startled, Barbara shook her head vehemently. “I like the
idea of encountering Guy and his drunken armed band even less than you do, but
I
must
follow the court. Aliva le Despenser and I are together almost
every day, so her husband would know I was gone, and Leicester would hear from
him. Would my absence not imply I had been waiting for this news and had gone
to tell…someone?”

“If you leave at once, before any announcement of the
tourney is made—”

“No, that might get Aliva in trouble. If Hugh remembers she
was there when he was talking about the tourney with Peter, he will beat her
for betraying him.”

“What a stupid man!” Alphonse exclaimed, his full lips
curving down with disgust. “That is only a path to a worse betrayal.” Then he
shook his head. “But no business of mine, which is to convince my wife, in a
different way, that she is more precious to me even than the escape of the prince
and I had rather see that enterprise fail than hear she had been insulted by
Guy de Montfort.”

But Barbara had sat up suddenly, grinning from ear to ear.
“I have thought of the perfect solution. I will seek shelter with Aliva and
complain to Hugh le Despenser that Guy annoys me. He will not dare allow me to
be affronted while I am his guest, and might even whisper a word in Leicester’s
ear.”

“Are you sure?” Alphonse rose and took her chin in his hand,
tilting her face up and kissing her. “I mean it when I say I would rather take
the chance of sharpening Leicester’s suspicion than of endangering you.”

“Hugh might refuse to have me as a guest,” she admitted. “I
will let you know as soon as the move to Northampton is announced. I will send
you a note.” She put the writing desk aside and got up. “Yes, that will solve
all the problems. If Aliva cannot offer me lodging, I can say I cannot stay
alone in so crowded and dangerous a town. That will be my excuse, and yours,
too, for my going. I will, of course, go to St. Briavels, but I cannot say that
to Aliva. Now, where
can
I say I will wait for you?”

“I do not know the country,” Alphonse said, “but it should
be somewhere that implies you do not know that Leicester intends to travel
west.”

“St. Albans,” Barbara said at once. “It is on the road from
London to Northampton, so I will seem to expect you to come back, and it is a
large, very rich abbey where guests may have every luxury.”

Alphonse pulled her against him. “I cannot think how I lived
without you for so many years. I do not wish to do without you even for a few
weeks. So smile prettily at Despenser and keep your eyes and voice down.
Perhaps you can cozen him into forgetting what you really are so he will be
willing to invite you.”

Barbara had no need for any pretense, however. By the end of
the week, news of the court’s move to Northampton was on everyone’s lips. It
was safe, when Barbara dined with Aliva and her husband, for her to broach the
topic of her desire to accompany Alphonse and to confess her fear of Guy de
Montfort. Hugh invited her to stay with them almost before the words were out
of her mouth, and Aliva looked startled but very happy. Later, however, she
began to look less and less happy and finally suggested they ride into London
to buy a length of cloth. When they were safely alone by the mercer’s counter,
Aliva having sent the shopkeeper to fetch another bolt, she warned Barbara that
Hugh had made the offer because he wanted to be able to watch Alphonse.