The Shattered Rose Page 0,132

difficult." He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm sure you, my lord Bishop of Durham, took the document's validity on trust But Raymond of Lowick must have known he was party to a deliberate deception."

At this swift change of focus, Lowick turned pale. He stood. "With all due respect, sire, I maintain the validity of that document, and claim the right to prove it in battle."

Henry looked nothing so much as exasperated, and Galeran suspected it was true that he saw such court battles as a waste of good fighting men.

Galeran felt much the same way, and any desire he'd had to kill Lowick had drained away. The man had been used by Jehanne and duped by Flambard.

And he had spoken up to save Jehanne from harm.

FitzRoger stepped forward at this point to lean close to Henry and murmur in his ear. The king's expression changed again.

What now? Galeran wondered with a twist in his gut.

He wanted to leap up. Act. Do any crazy thing to end this sneaking through truth toward safety. Jehanne was probably safe from the worst punishment, and the Bishop of London had provided the compromise that would leave Donata with Galeran and Jehanne.

If their marriage could be preserved.

That marriage hung in the balance, however, if the king permitted an ordeal by sword. If Galeran died on Lowick's blade, God would have become substitute for all those dead witnesses and Jehanne would be Lowick's wife.

Galeran watched the king and his champion, wondering if they were arranging the details of a court battle. Then FitzRoger straightened and Henry's perceptive eyes scanned the people in front of him.

"Lord Galeran," he said, "would you not agree that an adulterous wife must be punished?"

Shocked by this turn, Galeran had to rearrange his mind before he could answer. "Sire, a lecherous one, perhaps. But not one briefly demented by grief."

"But as the Bishop of Durham says, repentance can be faked, as can madness, and it is often necessary to make a public example of sinners.

What if I were to command you to whip your wife, to show the world that such infidelity is not to be tolerated?"

Galeran stared at the king, who had had so many lovers. Many married.

Many of whom had borne him bastard children. As far as he knew, not one had been punished for her sin. "If it were your judgment, sire," he said slowly, "then I would have to obey."

He hoped Henry heard the message that by such a judgment he would lose a loyal subject He hoped FitzRoger had passed on his veiled warning the other day.

Henry showed no reaction, and turned to Lowick. "Sir Raymond, by your account you could lay claim to the right to punish the Lady Jehanne for her seduction of you, to the peril of your immortal soul. Would you claim such a right?"

Lowick flushed. "Nay, sire! I have no wish to see Jehanne hurt in any way.

When I left Heywood, I begged her to accompany me to a safe haven. I wanted to save her from just such a punishment. I have only ever wanted to protect her and my child."

And that, thought Galeran with surprise, was probably the truth, allowing for the fact that Lowick desperately wanted Heywood too.

Henry turned last to Flambard. "My lord bishop, what is your view of this?"

The bishop's eyes flickered uncertainly for a moment. "I gave judgment, my liege, and the Lady Jehanne deliberately evaded it."

"So you feel she deserves to be whipped for that evasion?"

Again Flambard's eyes searched the room as if seeking missing information. Galeran glanced at FitzRoger, wondering what news he had brought to start this new line of questions.

"Well, my lord bishop?" the king prompted.

"Yes, sire. Apart from her sin of adultery, the lady has demonstrated that she is willful and eaten by pride. She needs physical penance to help her see the error of her ways so that she may find salvation. If she could but be brought to submit herself to it."

Henry smiled. "But she has submitted to correction, and willingly. Hasn't she?"

"Willingly?" Flambard's alarmed query was drowned by Galeran's "What correction?"

His father threw out an arm to block him, and Raoul clamped a hand on his shoulder, so that with difficulty he was kept in his seat.

"Lord FitzRoger has something to report," said Henry.

The king's champion stepped forward. "By his majesty's orders, the Lady Jehanne, her cousin, her babe, and the babe's nurse were taken to St.

Hilda's convent here in the city. Since the lady