Lionheart A Novel - By Sharon Kay Penman Page 0,79

a son? He does not know about Berengaria, after all.”

“No, Tancred preferred a flesh-and-blood heir for his girl. So I had to provide one for him.”

“But Johnny already has a wife. You told me you’d permitted him to wed the Gloucester heiress.”

“I did. Since they’d not been granted a dispensation for their marriage—they are cousins—I suppose it might have been possible to have it annulled. But I was not about to pay the Pope’s price for a favor like that. Fortunately I had another prospect, this one happily free of any marital entanglements—my little nephew Arthur.”

“Good Heavens, Richard!” Joanna was shocked that he seemed so casual about the succession to the English Crown, switching heirs as if it were of no greater matter than switching saddles. But then she realized why; he did not expect either John or Arthur to succeed him. And God willing, Berengaria would give him a son; she fervently hoped so. What of Johnny, though? How would he take this?

“I was very fond of Johnny once,” she said. “We were the two youngest, together at Fontevrault Abbey, and it was only natural that we’d form a bond. Granted, I have not seen him since I was ten and he was nine, so I know naught about the man he’s become. But you indicated that he sees himself and not Arthur as your heir. Will he not be very disappointed when he hears of this treaty with Tancred?”

“I suppose,” he said and shrugged. “But I never formally named him as my heir. He must have realized that it is likely I’d wed and sire a son of my own and, if not, that is his misfortune, not mine. I have already dispatched Hugh de Bardolf to England; he sailed this morning. With luck, he’ll bring the news to my justiciar, Longchamp, ere Johnny gets wind of it. If you’re right and Johnny does take it badly, Longchamp will make sure that he does no more than sulk.”

Joanna hoped that would be so. “I am glad that you’ve come to terms with Tancred, Richard. As dearly as I love Constance, I would not have wanted to see Heinrich ruling over Sicily. From what I’ve heard of the man, he is one to nurse a grievance to the grave. I do not know about Johnny, but I am sure you’ve made an enemy of Heinrich. He is going to be utterly enraged when he learns that Tancred’s kingship has been formally recognized by England. With this treaty, you may have earned his undying enmity.”

“I would hope so!” he said and laughed, sounding so carefree and confident that she could not help laughing with him.

WHEN PHILIPPE LEARNED that Tancred had agreed to pay Richard forty thousand ounces of gold, he was infuriated and claimed half of that amount as his share. Richard was no less infuriated by this demand, pointing out that Joanna’s dower could not possibly be considered spoils of war. The French king remained adamant, though, and Richard eventually and very grudgingly agreed to give Philippe a third, for he feared that the French might desert the crusade if he did not. After they’d patched up this latest dispute, they settled down to pass the winter in Messina and to await the return of favorable winds in the spring. But unbeknownst to Philippe, Richard was also awaiting the arrival of his mother and betrothed.

CHAPTER 11

OCTOBER 1190

Pamplona, Navarre

Pamplona was an ancient city, founded by the Roman general Pompey. Located on the pilgrim road to the holy shrine of San Juan Compostela, it was the Navarrese city best known to the world beyond the Pyrenees, and at one time Navarre had even been called the Kingdom of Pamplona. But Sancho de Jimenez spent little time there, for it was an Episcopal city, and his relationship with its bishop was a tense one. So the impending arrival of the English queen posed a dilemma for him. He’d have preferred to entertain her at Tudela, yet it seemed very inhospitable to expect her to travel another sixty miles after such a long journey; even his palace at Olite was still almost thirty miles farther south. He’d been building a residence in Pamplona, but it was not completed. He’d finally decided that Eleanor’s comfort mattered more than his reluctance to request a favor from a man he disliked. The bishop was quite willing to play host to his king and his royal guest, relishing an opportunity to have Sancho in his debt and