The Passionate Enemies (36 page)

But she waved an imperious hand.

‘Take the prisoner away,' she said.

Robert came to Matilda, his expression subdued.

‘He has gone, our captive?' asked Matilda.

‘He is on his way to Bristol with an armed guard.'

‘I am glad of it.'

‘Was it necessary to put him in chains?'

‘Necessary! Our enemy! The usurper! I should have had his legs strapped under the belly of an ass and let the people come out to jeer at him as he passed.'

‘He is our cousin, Matilda.'

‘He is the man who swore on oath to support me and who took the crown instead.'

‘'Twas so, but there were men to swear that your father named him as heir on his deathbed.'

‘Lies,' snapped Matilda. ‘All lies. And I bid you be silent on that subject, brother, or I shall suspect you of traitorous thoughts.'

‘Could you do that in view of the manner in which I have served you?'

‘Nay, Robert, you are a good brother, but I am determined to have my way. I shall let all know how I deal with traitors.'

‘Perhaps a little generosity would not come amiss.'

‘You have seen where a little generosity brought Stephen.'

‘He was indeed over-generous to you.'

‘The fool was indeed and look where it has brought him. Do not fret for him, brother, or I might well dislike your feelings of generosity towards our enemy.'

Robert was uneasy. She was not Queen yet and her arrogance was becoming unbearable.

He said: ‘Your first step now will be to go to Winchester and there take possession of the royal crown and treasury. When you have them we should then make our way to London for the crowning at Westminster.'

‘This I know well,' she said sharply. ‘And we shall set out for Winchester without delay.'

‘We have to remember that Winchester is in the hands of its powerful Bishop, who happens to be Stephen's brother.'

‘I spoke to Henry of Blois on our journey from Arundel. Like the fool he was, Stephen sent his brother to escort me. I think I shall know how to handle Henry.'

‘He is a man of great power. We must not forget that.'

‘I shall subdue him,' she answered.

Robert was growing more and more uneasy. Matilda had always been overbearing but her manner had changed since the capture of Stephen. She seemed determined to remind everyone with each gesture she made and every word she spoke that she was the Queen. But a queen was not a queen until she had been crowned at Westminster and he must remind her, as tactfully as he could, that she had not yet attained that goal.

Bishop Henry in his stronghold of Winchester was aware that Matilda was marching on the town. He was in a quandary. He had long decided that Stephen was not strong enough to hold the crown and he had implied this during his journey from Arundel with Matilda. At the same time Stephen was his brother and he was well aware of the arrogant nature of his cousin Matilda.

He was not prepared to defend Winchester against Matilda and Robert of Gloucester; on the other hand he was not going to hand over Winchester to her without some show of reluctance.

He called a meeting of the members of the clergy who served under him for the purpose of discussing the matter with them.

‘Stephen is my brother,' he said. ‘I feel the brotherly bond between us urging me to act in one way while my conscience dictates another. My first loyalty is to the Church rather than to the Crown, and yet it appears to me to be a most unseemly act to yield to my brother's enemies while he still lives.'

His fellow-churchmen assured him that they understood his desire to serve the Church and they were sure he would do so even to the exclusion of any family feeling he might have for a man who had, it must be admitted, shown himself to be unworthy to rule.

He believed that his best plan was to parley with the Empress outside the city and if he could convince himself that it was in the interests of the Church and the country to place the city of Winchester in her keeping, this he would do.

Matilda, having realized the power of the Bishop, agreed to meet him in a field outside the city and on the chosen spot at the end of March, a month after the battle, the meeting took place.

It was dull and dark; heavy clouds obscured the wintry scene and the rain was falling intermittently.

She rode out some little distance from her escort and the Bishop rode forward from his.

He bowed to her. She thought: He is a shrewder man than his brother though not so attractive. This man would never make my heart-beats quicken.

‘Well, Sir Bishop,' she said, ‘what have you to say? I had thought you would have had the bells ringing to welcome your Queen, and not ask her to parley without the city walls in a windy field.'

He said: ‘My brother is your prisoner. Forget not that he is my brother.'

Ay, she thought, and my lover; and still I put him in a dungeon with chains about his hands and feet.

‘Your brother,' she said, ‘who has proved himself unfit to rule.'

The Bishop admitted: ‘He has shown some weakness.'

‘Rest assured, lord Bishop, that I shall show none. I shall be
as my father and grandfather before me and men will tremble at my name as they did at theirs.'

‘I would have to be assured that the Church would suffer in no way.'

‘Why should I wish to subdue the Church?'

‘There are monarchs who believe it is their right to subdue all about them.'

‘And what would you ask for the Church?'

‘That I should control matters of chief account in it. That the Church should not be subservient to the State. The bestowal of bishoprics and abbacies should be in my control.'

‘And if I said yes to this?'

‘Then I would open the City of Winchester to you and welcome you there. I would receive you as the lady of England and when you are crowned as the Queen, I would escort you into the city with monks and nuns. I would do this myself so that all would know that I supported your claim to the throne.'

She disliked being dictated to, but her brother had assured her of the importance of Henry of Winchester. Moreover he was Stephen's brother: it was due to Henry that Stephen had been able to proclaim himself King.

To be escorted into Winchester by him would be a triumph. She laughed to herself as she thought of Stephen in his wretched cell hearing the news of his brother's treachery.

She would see that such items of news reached the wretched prisoner. They would make his misery more complete.

‘I agree to your conditions, Henry of Winchester,' she said.

And so the Empress Matilda entered the City of Winchester.

Matilda held the crown in her hand. Some had called it a glittering bauble. It might well be that but it was the symbol of power. She placed it on her head and felt ennobled – regal, in truth a queen.

That same crown had once encircled Stephen's head. How she wished she could go to him and show him that she was wearing it now.

But she must be crowned, for until she was she could not be called Queen; and now that the crown was in her possession she must go to London with all speed. She would
brook no delay. She would know no peace until that crowning ceremony had been completed and she was proclaimed throughout the land as Queen of England.

Henry was trying to explain his actions to the assembly of churchmen.

It was not easy. Whatever he said he had deserted his brother at the time of his greatest need; and yet he must justify himself; he must carry the assembly with him and convince them that they must all swear fealty to Matilda.

He pointed out that they had all sworn allegiance to Matilda. Henry the King had insisted on that. So they had made their oaths. It was true that when Henry had died Matilda had been far away in a foreign country. She had made no attempt to come to England and claim the crown; and there had been men who had sworn that the King on his deathbed had named Stephen as his chosen heir, and they had been deluded by this. Matilda had delayed coming and so the crown had passed to Stephen.

‘It vexes me greatly to dwell on the manner of king my brother proved to be, but we are all aware that there is no longer justice in this land. No man is safe from the vicious attacks of those whose actions go unpunished. Anarchy has come back to the land such as had not been known since before the days of William the Conqueror. While I love my mortal brother and it gives me great grief to take cause against him, I esteem more highly the cause of my immortal Father. God has handed my brother to his enemies, for he has shown himself to be weak and they are strong; and I know now that God commands me to do His Will and to accept the Lady Matilda that this kingdom may not totter and fall without a ruler.'

There was a silence all about him. It was so hard to make out a good case for his actions. But it was true that anarchy prevailed in England; and this was due if not to Stephen's weak rule, to the civil war which was brought about by the rival claims to the throne.

‘It is a prerogative of the clergy to choose and consecrate a sovereign prince,' he finished. ‘God has chosen for us this lady of England and Normandy, the daughter of a king who was a
peacemaker, a glorious king, a rich king, a good king without peer in our time, and we promise her our faith and support.'

He paused. He looked anxiously at the faces about him. There was a moment's hesitation before the applause rang out. These members of the clergy realized that Matilda was here with an army which was growing in strength every day.

They were with him.

Winchester was now open to Matilda. Her next step was London and Coronation.

IN ARUNDEL CASTLE,
Adelicia anxiously watched the progress of events. She was pregnant. It seemed ironical that she who had been unable to give her first husband, the King, an heir when it had been so desirable should, in her second marriage, prove to be so fruitful. She had already borne two children – little Reyner being conceived very soon after William was born, and now she was expecting another child. She often thought how happy she and William could have been but for the fact that William must be in attendance on Stephen and that had come to mean that he must constantly be engaged in battle.

She was frequently reminded of that period when Matilda had been her guest at Arundel – not one of her inviting it was true – but it had been a trying time for surely her stepdaughter was the most imperious and demanding guest any hostess could have.

William had been afraid at that time that Stephen would ask them to keep her there, where she would have lived as a kind of honourable captive. His feelings had been mixed when Stephen had allowed her to leave for Bristol. He could not but be relieved to be rid of her, yet as he stood firmly beside Stephen he must marvel at the King's action in letting his rival
go free. It had proved to be a major error, for ever since there had been conflict throughout the country.

Adelicia was in a perpetual state of anxiety; every time a rider came to the castle she would fear what news he brought. She prayed daily that this terrible conflict would soon be over and that her husband would be restored to the domestic circle. How happy she could be then! How different was life with a man such as dear William after that with a King of England. Henry had never been unkind to her but he had never cared for her either. He had relied on her to a certain extent, particularly when darkness fell and his conscience troubled him. There had been an affection between them but how different was that from the tender devotion of William. How wonderful life would have been if she could have come from Louvaine as a girl to marry William and they could have lived in peace with their family. At least she must be grateful that she had finally found William; and she could only pray that he would come through these fearful wars in safety.

It was a chilly February morning when her women came to tell her that a party of horsemen was riding fast towards the castle. She rose and hurried down to the courtyard. To her intense joy the party was led by William. His garments were muddy and it was clear that he had ridden far but a great gladness swept over her, for he was not sick or wounded.

He leapt from his horse and embraced her.

She led him into the castle; she took off his boots and sent for water and unguents that she herself might bathe and anoint his stiff limbs.

She did not ask immediately for the news and she knew it was not good because he did not hasten to tell her.

But at last it came: ‘Stephen has been defeated at Lincoln. He is Matilda's prisoner.'

She closed her eyes and her first thought was: What will this mean to William? How would Matilda behave towards those who had been faithful to the King?

‘I hear that she has sent him in chains to Bristol,' went on William.

‘In chains!'

‘She is a vindictive woman.'

‘And yet . . .'

‘I know,' he answered. ‘There was a tenderness between them. What a terrible mistake he made when he allowed her to go free. Methinks it has cost him his crown.'

‘And if it has . . .'

William pressed her hand. ‘We shall see. We must wait for that.'

She turned away to hide her fear but he was beside her. ‘Adelicia, you must not worry. It is bad for the child. Come, I would see the boys. Tell me, is young William the rogue he was when I went away?'

William told her later: ‘We should have warning if she decided to act against me. I have good friends. And remember there are many in this country who believe Stephen to be the true King.'

‘There was the oath that was sworn to her. Henry made them swear. I remember so well his insistence.'

‘But forget not there were those who said he changed his mind on his deathbed. He had quarrelled with his daughter. Who would not quarrel with Matilda? And he had discovered that men would not follow her . . . not only because she is a woman but because she is an imperious and vindictive one.'