Lady of the English - By Elizabeth Chadwick Page 0,109

it does not end because he is dead. I do not expect you to understand, but it is about the ties of women. Matilda is like a jewel in my crown—part of what made and still makes me a queen. Would you deny me that?” 269

LadyofEnglish.indd 269

6/9/11 5:35 PM

Elizabeth Chadwick

“You would have me risk all for the ‘friendship of women’?” he asked on a rising note. “Are you mad? What do you think Stephen will say when he is doing his best to keep her and Robert of Gloucester out of the country?” She raised her chin. “What do you think my first husband, Henry the King, would say if he knew I had refused to admit his daughter to the castle he gave me when I became his queen and Matilda’s stepmother? That bond is sacred.” She moderated her voice. “I am not fomenting war or rebellion, but I want to see Matilda and talk to her, and perhaps talk sense into her.

We can act as mediators. Stephen trusts you, and Matilda is my daughter and my friend.” She curved her body round his so that she could press a kiss to the frown between his eyebrows, and then another on his set lips.

“I do not know what to say.” Will’s tone was bleak. He had either to believe that Adeliza was being naive and ruled by her womb, or that she was playing the game of politics with an agenda of her own, and neither option was palatable. He could refuse her, but there was some truth in what she said. There had been many time over the past few years when he thought Henry must be turning in his grave and this was one of them.

What Henry would have made of him marrying Adeliza in the first place, he preferred not to contemplate.

“She will find a way to come to England whether we refuse her or not,” Adeliza pointed out. “I ask this as a boon of your love for me…I have asked little enough until now.”

“It is more than a boon,” he muttered. “I do want to please you, and I love you dearly, but I must consider the consequences. Do you think Stephen will stand by and not act if I do agree?”

“But I am within my lawful rights to welcome her.” Abruptly, he put her from his knee and stood up. “I need to think about this, because I have to keep everyone safe.” 270

LadyofEnglish.indd 270

6/9/11 5:35 PM

Lady of the English

He dug his hands through his hair, rumpling the curls she had just untangled. “If I do agree, then the moment she arrives at Arundel, I will send to the king and tell him she is here, because it is my own duty and obligation to do so. I will have no subterfuge and no secrets.”

“No, my lord.” Adeliza swept him a deep curtsey and bowed her head. She knew she had won, but it left a sour taste in her mouth. She was playing a role, to influence a man who was no actor and she felt as if she were cheating him. She knew that when Matilda came, there would be repercussions. But what else could she do? Will owed his fealty to Stephen, and she owed her wifely duty to Will, but beyond those oaths, older loyalties and vows had their claim, sworn on the finials of a royal crown, and they were the greater.

271

LadyofEnglish.indd 271

6/9/11 5:35 PM

Thirty-one

Domfront, Normandy, September 1139

M atilda drew a deep breath as she rose from her knees before the devotional in her chamber and blew out the candles in their enamelled stands. Then she instructed her servants to set about dismantling and packing the items she needed for her imminent journey. Within the hour she was setting out for England to make a play for the crown that was hers by right.

Going to the table near the bare bed frame, she picked up the letters she had earlier been reading and tucked them away in a satchel to peruse again later. There was one from the constable at Bristol, assuring her that all was in readiness for when she and Robert chose to arrive. Another was from Adeliza at Arundel, with the all-important confirmation that she was welcome as kin should she choose to visit. And then there was Brian’s letter, assuring her of his support at Wallingford—to the death if necessary. His words were like a strong steel rod down her backbone, stiffening her resolve.