The Pillars Of The Earth Page 0,483

found Alfred trying to rape my sister-he had a knife in his hand-he almost killed me!"

"Calm down," Philip said. "Let's talk about this quietly, and try calmly to determine what the dangers are, if any. Why don't we all take a seat?"

Richard sat down, but he went on talking. "Dangers? There are no dangers. A sheriff can't imprison an earl for anything, even murder."

"He's going to try," Philip said. "He'll have men waiting outside the priory."

Richard made a dismissive gesture. "I can get past William's men blindfold. They're no problem. Jack can be waiting for me outside the town wall with a horse."

"And when you reach Earlscastle?" said Philip.

"Same thing. I can sneak past William's men. Or have my own men come out to meet me."

"That sounds satisfactory," said Philip. "And what then?"

"Then nothing," said Richard. "What can William do?"

"Well, he still has a royal writ that summons you to answer a charge of murder. He'll try to arrest you anytime you leave the castle."

"I'll go everywhere escorted."

"And when you hold court, in Shiring and other places?"

"Same thing."

"But will anyone abide by your decisions, knowing that you yourself are a fugitive from the law?"

"They'd better," Richard said darkly. "They should remember how William enforced his decisions when he was the earl."

"They may not be as frightened of you as they were of William. They may think you're not as bloodthirsty and evil. I hope they would be right."

"Don't count on it."

Aliena frowned. It was not like Philip to be so pessimistic-unless he had an ulterior motive. She suspected that he was laying the groundwork for some scheme he had up his sleeve. I'd bet money, she thought, that the quarry will come into this somehow.

"My main worry is the king," Philip was saying. "In refusing to answer the charge, you're defying the crown. A year ago I would have said go ahead and defy it. But now that the war is over, it won't be so easy for earls to do as they please."

Jack said: "It looks as if you'll have to answer the charge, Richard."

"He can't do that," Aliena said. "He's got no hope of justice."

"She's right," Philip said. "The case would be heard in the royal court. The facts are already known: Alfred tried to force himself upon Aliena, Richard came in, they fought, and Richard killed Alfred. Everything depends on the interpretation. And with William, a loyal supporter of King Stephen, making the complaint, and Richard being one of Duke Henry's greatest allies, the verdict will probably be guilty. Why did King Stephen sign the writ? Presumably because he's decided to take revenge on Richard for fighting against him. The death of Alfred provides him with a perfect excuse."

Aliena said: "We must appeal to Duke Henry to intervene."

It was Richard who looked dubious now. "I wouldn't like to rely on him. He's in Normandy. He might write a letter of protest, but what else could he do? Conceivably he could cross the channel with an army, but then he would be in breach of the peace pact, and I don't think he'd risk that for me."

Aliena felt miserable and frightened. "Oh, Richard, you're caught in a terrible web, and it's all because you saved me."

He gave her his most charming grin. "I'd do it again, too, Allie."

"I know." He meant it. For all his faults, he was brave. It seemed unfair that he should be confronted with such an intractable problem so soon after he succeeded to the earldom. As earl he was a disappointment to Aliena-a terrible disappointment-but he did not deserve this.

"Well, what a choice," he said. "I can stay here in the priory until Duke Henry becomes king, or hang for murder. I'd become a monk if you monks didn't eat so much fish."

"There might be another way out," said Philip.

Aliena looked at him eagerly. She had suspected that he was hatching a plot, and she would be grateful to him if he could resolve Richard's dilemma.

"You could do penance for the killing," Philip went on.

"Would it involve eating fish?" Richard said flippantly.

"I'm thinking about the Holy Land," Philip said.

They all went quiet. Palestine was ruled by the king of Jerusalem, Baldwin III, a Christian of French origin. It was constantly under attack by neighboring Muslim countries, especially Egypt to the south and Damascus to the east. To go there, a journey of six months or a year, and join the armies fighting to defend the Christian kingdom, was indeed the kind of penance