Lionheart A Novel - By Sharon Kay Penman Page 0,276

and the other men remembered that his was a double loss, as much personal as political, for Conrad had been wed to his stepdaughter.

Balian took several deep swallows before continuing. “You’d best brace yourselves, for you are not going to like what comes next. Beauvais and Hugh of Burgundy are claiming that ere he died, the second Assassin confessed that Conrad’s murder had been done at the behest of the English king.”

As Balian expected, that got an explosive reaction. They were all on their feet within seconds, bombarding him with infuriated denials, raging against the French accusations so loudly that he thought the men below in the hall could hear. He said nothing, for it seemed easier to let their fury burn itself out; he was too tired to engage in a shouting match. When they at last paused for breath, he said, “I did not say I believed it, Henri. As it happens, I do not. I cannot say I share your conviction that Richard would not be capable of such a crime. I grant you he’s much more likely to commit his own killings, but men do sometimes act in ways that we’d not expect. What they never do, however, is act against their own interest. Your English king is desperate to get back to his realm ere he loses it, desperate enough to embrace Conrad’s kingship. Not only does he not benefit by Conrad’s death, it is a disaster for him.”

They subsided, somewhat mollified, and Bertrand de Verdun then suggested Saladin as a far more likely candidate than Richard. Balian started to remind them that Saladin had no motive, either, for he had accepted Conrad’s peace terms just days ago, but he remembered in time that they were unaware of this. As soon as he’d learned that he was to be king, Conrad had sent an urgent message to Saladin, saying that he and Richard were no longer enemies and a full-scale war was inevitable now unless the sultan made peace, a threat Saladin had taken seriously. Balian had assumed Conrad meant to break the news upon his arrival at Ascalon. It would be greeted with great relief by the poulains and most likely by Richard, too, for the terms were similar to those he himself had offered Saladin, and a peace settlement would free him to return to defend his own kingdom. The common soldiers, those still burning with holy zeal to retake Jerusalem, would have felt betrayed, of course, but Conrad would not have lost any sleep over their anguish. This was the most bitter of Balian’s regrets, that they’d come so close to ending this accursed war on terms both sides could live with, only to see those hopes bleed to death along with Conrad.

He would have to tell Henri about Conrad’s secret dealings with Saladin of course, but not now. “Saladin had no reason to arrange Conrad’s murder,” he said, “for he knew Conrad preferred to settle the war over the bargaining table, not the battlefield.” When Otto de Trazegnies then offered up Guy de Lusignan as a plausible suspect, Balian could only marvel at how little these newcomers knew of his world. “Can you truly imagine Guy as the mastermind behind a conspiracy like this? He has not the brains, no more than Humphrey de Toron has the ballocks. Besides, your king has cleverly defanged the de Lusignan snakes by giving them Cyprus. Moreover, the Assassins are not routiers; their daggers are not for hire to the highest bidder.”

Balian hesitated and then decided it was best not to hold back, for they would have to know. “That is what the French are saying, though,” he admitted. “Not only are they blaming Richard for Conrad’s death, they are also alleging that he sent four Assassins to France to murder Philippe.” This set off another infuriated outburst, and again he waited until their indignation had run its course. “You’ve not heard all of it,” he warned. “Conrad’s body was not yet cold ere Beauvais and Burgundy demanded that Isabella yield Tyre to them, claiming it in the name of the French king.”

“Christ Almighty!” Henri stared at the other man in horror. “Are you saying that the French now control Tyre?”

“No, rest easy, they do not. Isabella told them that she was willing to turn Tyre over to Philippe—as soon as he returned from France to claim it.”

They stared at him in astonishment and Henri gave a shaken laugh. “Good for her!” After a moment