us at every turn. He said he will not return to Acre because he does not trust you. Far worse, he refused to turn the hostages over to us. He said he would agree only if he would get half of the True Cross when we recovered it.”
For a rare moment, Richard and Hugh were in total accord, both men infuriated by Conrad’s effrontery. “And how are we supposed to recover the True Cross without his accursed hostages?” Richard raged. “But if that is how he wants it, so be it. I will go to Tyre myself, see if he is quite so brave face-to-face.”
“My lord, I would advise against that,” the bishop said hastily. “Saladin would be only too happy to see us fighting amongst ourselves. The French king led us into this labyrinth, so let the French lead us out. I think the Duke of Burgundy ought to be the one to go to Tyre and confront Conrad. You are the commander of the French forces now,” he said, turning his steady gaze upon Hugh. “Are you going to allow the marquis to put the war at risk?”
Hugh’s jaw jutted out. “I’ll go,” he said, and then looked toward Richard, in grudging acknowledgment of the English king’s authority now that Philippe had left Outremer.
“Very well. See if you can talk some sense into him. But if he still balks, give him this message from me,” Richard said, spacing his words out like gravestones. “Tell him that if I have to come to Tyre to collect the hostages, he’ll regret it till the end of his earthly days.”
AUGUST 11 was the day when Salah al-Dīn was to turn over the True Cross, the 1,600 Christian prisoners, and the first installment of the two hundred thousand dinars. Joanna and Berengaria had ambivalent feelings about this momentous occasion. They rejoiced, of course, in the return of the Cross, in infidel hands since the Battle of Ḥaṭṭīn, and they were glad that so many men would regain their freedom. But the day’s events would also bring them one step closer to the resumption of the war, and the women were dreading what was to come—being left isolated at Acre, not knowing from one day to the next if Richard still lived.
There was to be a celebratory feast after the exchange had been made, and they’d borrowed Henri’s cook to handle the elaborate menu. But as the hours passed without word, both women began to feel uneasy, sensing that something had gone wrong. Their premonitions were soon confirmed. Richard returned to the citadel in a fury, the men with him just as angry. He was in no mood for a meal or for explanations, saying tersely that Saladin had refused to honor the agreed-upon terms before disappearing into the solar for what was obviously a council of war. Berengaria and Joanna hastily looked around the hall for someone who could tell them what had happened and would also be willing to discuss military matters with women. They finally decided upon Humphrey de Toron, and he soon found himself out in the courtyard as the sun blazed its farewell arc toward the western horizon.
Berengaria let him escort her to a marble bench, but Joanna couldn’t wait. “Richard said you were to interpret for the Saracen envoys, Lord Humphrey, so you must have been in the midst of it all. Was Saladin there? What went amiss?”
“We knew Saladin would not attend, but we’d expected his brother, al-’A-dil, to speak for him. He did not come either, though, which was a pity, for we might have been able to reason with him. As it was, the message Saladin sent was an uncompromising one. He sought to impose new conditions ere he’d fulfill his part of the bargain. He wanted us to free the Acre garrison now instead of waiting until the final two payments were made. King Richard refused.”
“What else could he do? The Duke of Burgundy has not returned from Tyre with the hostages yet. Do you think Saladin knew this?”
“I am sure he did, Lady Joanna. Both sides have more spies than a dog has fleas. He offered to provide more hostages if the garrison were freed now, but wanted hostages from us if we insisted upon holding on to the garrison, saying he needed proof that we would indeed free them once all the ransom was paid. Your brother refused this, too. He reminded the sultan that Acre had surrendered to the Christian