The Bastard King (19 page)

He could not dally in Flanders. He must return to Normandy to make arrangements for his marriage.

His mother was waiting for him in the castle of Rouen when he returned. She was down in the courtyard even before he dismounted.

‘I have suffered such anxieties,' she told him. ‘I was convinced it was a trap. As soon as you left I wanted to send Herlwin after you to bid you return and not enter Lille without troops. But he said you would have none of that.'

‘He was right and your fears were groundless. Mother, you remember how it was when you came to my father. So it is now for me. Matilda has promised to marry me.'

‘Then it was true . . . indeed true.'

‘She is so beautiful, Mother, and of a spirit that inspires me.'

‘I trust there is no treachery.'

‘I'd swear not from Matilda. She is the wife for me. None other would satisfy me.'

‘She was gracious to you?'

‘She loves me, Mother, even as I love her.'

‘But it is such a short time ago that you trampled her in the mud. Can she love you after that?'

‘Because of it, it seems.'

‘It is incredible.'

‘That is what is so exciting about Matilda. One can never be sure what she will do.'

Arlette looked worried but William was so exultant, so unusually gay that she allowed herself to be persuaded that all was well.

‘Now, there is much to do. I shall inform my people that I am about to marry and then we shall go ahead with our preparations.'

He was merry in the castle that night. Everyone was talking about the change in the Duke and saying that they had been thinking for a year or more that it was time he married.

A few days later the mood changed.

That harbinger of evil, Archbishop Mauger, arrived at the castle and sought an immediate audience with the Duke.

William received him not very willingly. His uncle had always repelled him.

‘You have come to talk about my proposed marriage I doubt not,' said William.

Mauger inclined his head in assent. ‘This marriage cannot take place,' he said.

‘Not take place! Are you mad? I have affianced myself to Matilda of Flanders and she has pledged herself to me.'

‘The Pope will not permit it.'

‘And why not indeed?'

‘You are cousins.'

‘Nonsense!'

‘Six times removed, it is true, but the Pope considers the relationship too close.'

‘You may tell the Pope to think again.'

‘It is no use, my lord. The Pope will not agree to the marriage.'

‘Then perforce he must disagree. Six times removed! A distant ancestor of Matilda's was a Norman and married into Flanders, and therefore we are too close to marry! I will not listen to such nonsense.'

‘I have the Pope's answer here.'

‘Then you may send it back to him and tell him I'll have none of it.'

‘My lord, would you suffer excommunication?'

‘Yes,' shouted William.

‘And eternal damnation.'

‘Yes . . . for Matilda.'

‘You are losing your temper, my lord, as you did so often in the schoolroom.'

‘I lose my temper with fools and scoundrels,' said William significantly.

‘You cannot go against the decision of His Holiness.'

‘I can go against all those who oppose my wishes,' growled William.

‘My lord!'

‘Leave me,' said William.

Mauger went out, a slight smile lifting one corner of his mouth.

Why do I tolerate that man? William asked himself. Did I not always know that he was my enemy? He is a sorcerer who delights in conjuring up mischief. He is clever, learned and my Archbishop, but I have always hated him. And what is the meaning of this?

He thought he knew. The King of France did not wish for the marriage. He had always wanted to take back Normandy. He resented that all those years ago Rollo had demanded the land and received it. He wanted to be the King of France who restored Normandy to the French crown. And if William married into Flanders the rich and powerful Baldwin would certainly become his ally.

The Pope was on the side of the King of France and William's enemies. For this reason they sought to stop the marriage through this absurd suggestion of consanguinity.

And Matilda? Matilda would doubtless have heard of the Pope's decision. He was afraid. He did not know her well enough to assess her reaction. Quickly she had decided she would have him for her husband. Could she as quickly decide against it? One thing he had learned about Matilda. The decision would lie with her, not with her father.

He must see her without delay. He set out for Lille.

She was delighted to see him.

She embraced him. How exciting she was, how unexpected. No coy looks from under golden lashes, no reluctance. That was not Matilda's way.

‘I could not wait to inform your father of my arrival,' he said.

‘Nay. It is enough that you have come.'

‘I have had disquieting news from the Pope.'

‘The old fool!' said Matilda. ‘He is saying that we are cousins. Six times removed! Have you ever heard such nonsense?'

‘I feared you might not see it as such.'

‘You feared! And I thought I was to marry a man who knew no fear!'

‘The only fear he knows is that he might lose you.'

‘Come, my lord, you know full well what you would do if I showed signs of taking heed of this fool's pronouncement.'

‘Carry you off by force.'

‘It is what I would expect of you.'

‘So we go ahead with our marriage plans even though this may mean excommunication for us both?'

‘Even so, my lord.'

‘You are the most wonderful woman in the world.'

‘Remember that only the most wonderful man in the world is worthy of me.'

William rode back to Rouen.

‘To the devil with the Pope,' he said to his mother. ‘To the devil with the King of France. To the devil with Mauger and all my enemies. What care I for them when I have Matilda?'

The Pope's threat of excommunication was recognized for what it was by the Duke's enemies.

To have made the very distant connection of Matilda and William the reason for it was seen as the insubstantial pretext it was. What it did mean was that William's enemies were men of influence and that these men did not wish to see his position strengthened by alliance with Flanders.

It was the signal for revolt throughout Normandy. William
must perforce, if he were going to keep a firm grip on his ducal crown, indulge in lengthy conflicts. Instead of marriage there must be battle and months had to be spent besieging the castles of those who rose against him.

His ancestors had scattered their illegitimate offspring rather liberally throughout the Duchy and the opinion of the descendants of these men was if one bastard could wear the ducal crown why not another?

One of these was William Busac, whose grandfather had been Richard the Fearless and because of the connection was in possession of a fine castle and lands. He led a revolt which resulted in a siege of his castle and this kept William occupied for months when he would have preferred to make arrangements for his marriage. Much as he longed to make Matilda his wife he could not do this if, by neglecting to protect his possessions, he had become a Duke without lands.

To add to his difficulties, the Pope had threatened to excommunicate Baldwin if he allowed his daughter to marry the Duke of Normandy.

Even Matilda could not persuade her father to allow the marriage to be celebrated with the threat of excommunication hanging over him. She might storm and rage but all he would do was shake his head sadly.

‘We must find a way out of this,' he said. ‘But we must wait . . . wait until we have.'

Matilda fumed, but in any case she knew that William was fiercely engaged in defending his dukedom, and all she could do was wait. Strangely enough she found consolation in her needlework. It soothed her to work her stitches depicting the scenes from her life.

She was at her work one day, her ears strained for arrivals because she always hoped that William would come unexpectedly, when there was a shout from below and hurrying down the stone stairs to the hall she saw that a party of travellers had arrived.

To her amazement there was Judith with her husband Tostig and an older man of commanding appearance.

Matilda called to her father and they ran down to the courtyard.

Judith threw herself sobbing into her father's arms.

‘There there, my love,' said Baldwin. ‘There has been trouble, has there not, and you and Tostig have come to me for refuge? You did right to come home, my love.'

‘Father, we had perforce to flee. This is my father-in-law, the Earl of Godwin.'

Matilda studied this man, whose name was well known throughout the whole of Flanders. The Earl of Godwin, son of a cowherd who had become a kingmaker, and who, she had heard, was King of England in all but name.

‘Welcome,' said Baldwin, and he took them into the palace.

Chambers were prepared; the scullions were set to prepare meat. The visitors must be refreshed before they told their story.

Matilda was excited. She was exhilarated by drama and such was her nature that she preferred even tragic happenings, no matter what they might involve, to the boring routine of the day. Chafing as she was against the delay of her marriage, she thrilled to the story her sister had to unfold.

There was one fact which she stored away in her mind. William had said to her: ‘It may well be, Matilda, that I shall make you not only Duchess of Normandy but also Queen of England!'

Queen of England! Ever since she had thought a great deal about that. She imagined Brihtric's thoughts when he realized that the woman he had insulted was his Queen. Beware, little Saxon, she said to herself. I shall not forget that day if you do.

The fact that she now laughed to scorn that girl who had thought she could marry the feeble Saxon and delighted in the fact that her affianced husband was a mighty man who would have been debarred from her had Brihtric accepted her proposal and her father indulged her wishes in it, did not make her forget the humiliation he had caused her; and the thought of being his Queen gave a delightful satisfaction.

Why should William not be King of England? He was
connected with the family through Emma of Normandy, and Edward the Confessor was fond of him and had made this suggestion.

Matilda knew who would stand in the way: this man Godwin.

And here he was at the Court of Flanders. Life was exciting even though the rebels and his dukedom and the Pope were keeping her and William apart.

She learned as everyone in the palace did that Godwin had quarrelled with Edward and that his cause was just – as told by Godwin. But she believed that in women's gossip it might be easier to get at the root of the matter.

She said it should be her task to care for her sister and they would go to the sewing room and find solace, as they always had, in their tapestry.

She dismissed their women; they would sort out their skeins themselves and she would tell Judith about the forces which were keeping her and William apart and Judith would tell her about affairs in England.

Tostig was a good husband, but inclined to be wild.

‘I liked him,' said Matilda. ‘Nor would you want a dullard for a husband, Judith. My Lord Godwin must have been a fine man when he was younger.'

‘He is said to be the cleverest man in England.'

‘Not clever enough to stop himself being exiled by old Edward! Tell me about Edward, Judith. What a strange man! Is it true that he has never taken his wife to his bed?'

‘True indeed. He made a vow of celibacy.'

‘She is your sister-in-law, this Editha.'

‘Yes.'

‘And what manner of woman?'

‘Beautiful, learned and good.'

Matilda grimaced. ‘I would never allow a husband to treat me as Edward treats her.'

‘You would, perforce, if your husband were Edward. Now she is in disgrace and has been sent to a monastery.'

‘There she will learn to be as pious as her husband. William knew this Edward years ago when he was a boy.'

‘Yes, Edward was many years in Normandy. Therein lies the heart of the trouble. Edward is more Norman than English. The fashions have become Norman. They never wear the long Saxon cloaks now; it is always the short Norman mantle with the wide sleeves. They say that if you wish to ask a favour of Edward you must ask it in the Norman tongue. It is spoken at Court. It is the fashionable language.'

‘I thought King Edward did not care for fashion.'

‘Nor does he. He will have nothing finer than lambskin to line his coats. My father-in-law and Tostig line theirs with sable, beaver and fox. He said it is well for such people who are skilled in the artifices of the world to wear the skins of cunning animals but he is a plain and artless man.'

‘He is too pious to be a good king.'

‘The people think highly of his saintliness.'

‘Bah, Saxons!' said Matilda, thinking of Brihtric. ‘Now tell me of this quarrel between your father-in-law and the King.'

‘Although the King is admired for his saintliness there are many who deplore his preference for Normans. Why, Matilda, many of the high offices of the land are in Norman hands.'

‘Which does not please Father Godwin.'

‘It was my father-in-law who sent for Edward. His support made him King.'

‘And now there has been this quarrel.'

‘Of course many of the lords are jealous of my father-in-law. And because the King has no children he will have no son to follow him.'

‘Who will do that?' asked Matilda quietly.

‘Clearly it should be one of my father-in-law's sons.'

‘Tostig, for instance.'

‘Why not?'

‘So, my sister, you fancy yourself Queen of England?'

‘Tostig would be a good king, such as the country needs.'