CHAPTER 1
The tall, straight back of Martin de Touraine was framed by the great arches of the Palace’s main doors. His departure was easing my tension dramatically, just not for long. Mark the Asker had heard it all, and started in as quickly as decency permitted, or before.
“My lord, what was that all about?”
I gazed around the vast interior of the Great Hall before speaking. I hadn’t as yet decided on the answer, so merely commented, “What indeed.”
There was no stopping Mark when anything of interest took place, and this was one of those events. “Doesn’t he know that you don’t handle criminal matters?”
“It is certain that he is fully aware of my situation. Martin is a highly intelligent individual, and a shrewd lawyer. Conversations like this aren’t done casually, or when he has doubts of any sort. I was specifically targeted.”
Mark’s mind wasn’t bad either, yet his puzzlement continued. “There is no cause to question what you say, and therefore he wasn’t wasting time. So what was he doing?”
I was coming up with an idea, and, inside my head, the thoughts seemed valid, so I tried something similar. “It is possible Touraine was trying out his legal arguments on a knowledgeable opponent in a risk free forum. He wanted me to catch flaws so that there won’t be any surprises awaiting him when the time comes.”
“That’s interesting. I didn’t credit you with any debating points, so are you saying his position is unassailable?”
“Not in the least. As you mentioned, criminal matters are not my strong point, and I dared not say anything that he could later pretend was an official Crown response. No matter what he was trying, my place was to be useless to him as diplomatically as possible.”
My questioner turned thoughtful. We had ample time, for there was no reason to believe the Chief Justiciars’ meeting with the King would end quickly. Clarendon was huge, with more individual rooms under one roof than I had ever encountered. When Henry was so disposed, there was no way an almost relevant person such as I could linger near his location and hope to catch a word or two.
Mark’s pressure was friendly, but it still kept me alert. “Could Touraine’s purpose simply have been to provoke you into a mistake that could be turned against the Throne?”
“I wouldn’t think so. He might have hoped to get lucky, but his words were more meditative then provocative. Another possibility was that he was trying to infiltrate some doubts into the opposition, spreading upwards from a key subordinate.”
The Asker had spent significant time in the King’s presence while in Europe, a privilege not accorded me. He promptly assessed the probability of the last thought growing to fruition. “No chance of that, my lord. Henry would meticulously describe how and where you must kiss the Royal arse, and his Deputy Justiciar would never be taken seriously again.”
I nodded sagely, and he continued.
“Getting back to his legal arguments that you so carefully avoided, how strong are they?” “They depend on an assumption that Canon law supersedes past practice and the everyday rules of our realm, an absurd concept in my opinion. Our side will never consent to that, and no English judge would either. His position is just fancy dress for the Archbishop’s doing what he pleases.”
Activity in the Great Hall was at a minimum this morning. Thomas of London and his bishops had not yet arrived, nor had most of the great magnates of England. The knights who were present, including my own, turned a deaf ear to Martin very quickly, so other than the usual servants, Mark and I were very much alone. One thing that could be said for my companion was that he kept the conversation lively.
“Lord William, I am troubled by another thing. This great assembly isn’t about the crimes of Kirkmen. It seems an odd time to raise the issue.”
I had to give the idea some thought. “That’s not necessarily so,” was my eventual reply. “It might even be why he is here early, days before Archbishop Thomas is due. The problem certainly isn’t going away, and you would expect him to be working on it in some fashion. As I think on it, raising a second subject before hand may be a way of starting their attack on the primary topic. Touraine might have been making a thrust at our defenses, if only to expose some vulnerability.”
It was the Asker’s turn to ponder, which eventually produced a smile. “He probably was trying all these things, and some others that escape us. I glad he went after you, my lord, there’s no way I could have done nearly as well. You really gave him nothing.”
It was my turn to beam. “Thank you. What you say of yourself is true for the present, but experience is really your only obstacle. Keep working diligently and you’ll justify the King’s trust.”
It was time I took a seat, choosing a place near my knights, and sending Orbi for beer. I owed them that much, even though I absolutely preferred Mark’s company. At my obvious direction, he took the place across from me at the long table of choice.
After we were settled in, and the first liquid swallowed, I began a little questioning of my own. “How does serving the Crown compare to your work for the Earl of Surrey?”
He shrugged. “Other than everything before being upside down, inside out, and backwards, there’s not much difference. Today I must struggle to keep up with the thoughts of those I meet, while two years ago I had to take care not to get too far ahead. The Earl had forgotten to assign a traveling Steward when leaving for Europe, and, uninvited, I took responsibility. Surrey was depending on me long before he remembered to learn my name.”
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