For better or worse, Saint-Valery had said, my position within the Pengraic household would draw me into the dealings of court. Now, on the eve of marriage to Pengraic, I was at the heart of it, and wishing I was anywhere but here.
‘’Tis most uncourtly of you, my Lord Henry, to treat Mistress Maeb with such ungraciousness,’ Pengraic said, his tone mild. ‘If you wish to land a blow on me, then land it honourably, my lord. Do not use the body of an innocent woman to shield yourself.’
‘My apologies, Mistress Maeb,’ Henry said. ‘What must I do to make amends?’
‘This castle is still wrapped in grief, my lord,’ I said. ‘All of us are easily wounded. Be a gentle lord, if you might.’
‘Your reprimand is received, mistress, and taken to heart. I have treated you poorly. You must have witnessed such horrors during the time of the plague.’
‘Indeed, my lord. It was truly dreadful.’
‘Yet you managed to escape the plague?’
‘No, my lord. It gripped me, too, but somehow I survived.’
‘Then you are truly remarkable, mistress! I am sure your betrothed hopes you pass your strength to your children. Tell me of Lord Stephen’s death and that of the other children. Did you witness those?’
Sweet Jesu, where was he going with this? ‘I did, my lord.’
‘The burning must have torn at your heart, as it must continue to tear at my Lord Pengraic’s.’
‘They did not —’ I stopped, appalled.
‘They did not burn?’
Everything about the prince now focused intently on me: his eyes, his manner, his body.
His questions.
Pengraic made to say something, but Henry held up a hand, silencing him.
‘Mistress Maeb,’ Henry said, ‘I can understand that maybe one among them may have died of heart failure before the flames consumed him or her, but all of them? That speaks for the weakness of the Pengraic heart, surely, or of, how may I put this courteously, some intercession to ensure they died more peacefully?’
He knew. He knew.
Henry was staring at me, his eyes intense, his tongue hovering about his lips, as if he knew his prey was trapped.
‘The plague as it found its way into Pengraic, was a variant form,’ Owain said, from further down the table.
My heart pounded so violently I could barely hear him.
‘Many of its victims died before they could burn,’ Owain continued. ‘How fortunate for them,’ Henry said softly, his eyes still riveted on me. I could not look at him, but was staring at my hands clasped white-knuckled in my lap.
He had likely seen those, too. ‘What part did you have in those deaths, Maeb?’ Henry said, softly. ‘I —’
‘Enough, Henry!’ Pengraic said. ‘I say again, why torment Maeb when your issue is with me?’
Henry’s eyes still had not moved from me. ‘Because I think I have found a delicious morsel to take back to court with me,’ he whispered, so low I do not think Pengraic could hear him.
But I did. I did.
Henry leaned back, waving a hand as if all this talk were nothing. ‘My father is displeased, Pengraic. He wants to know when you return to his side. He has uses for you, yet you are not there to achieve them.’
‘Edmond well knew my reason for riding back to Pengraic,’ the earl said. ‘I cannot think he has forgot it so quickly. I will return once the castle and the lands surrounding it are secured. I have yet to hear news of Madog and while the garrison here remains under-manned, I will not move. The Welsh upstart remains a threat. Do you want Welsh rebels flooding into England? If not, then may I suggest I serve Edmond’s best interests by remaining here to secure his western door.’
‘You serve your best interests,’ Summersete muttered. ‘In this instance,’ Pengraic snapped, ‘both my and the king’s interests marry.’
‘Speaking of which,’ Henry said, ‘Summersete and I might as well stay for the marriage mass. You surely cannot be thinking of tarrying over the matter?’
If Pengraic was thinking anything even remotely similar to what I was, he’d be planning the marriage mass for tomorrow morning, if it meant he’d be rid of these two.
‘Within the week, I think,’ Pengraic said, ‘now that Maeb makes good recovery from her illness.’
‘That is well,’ Henry said, picking up his napkin and dabbing at his lips. ‘I am sure you can organise entertainments enough for us in the meantime. Now, I have had enough of this feast, even though it turned out even more pleasurable than I anticipated.’
He glanced at me as he said this last, and I knew he had not forgot his ‘delicious morsel’.
Henry stood up, and with that, the feast was over.
Sir Gilbert Ghent escorted the Earl of Summersete to the northern keep, where Summersete would be quartered, but Pengraic led myself, the prince and Evelyn back up the stairwell into the solar. Here, the prince said his goodnights pleasantly enough, and disappeared into the privy chamber, which Pengraic had given over to him. Pengraic nodded to Evelyn that she should go through to the chamber we shared in the female dormitory, then Pengraic pulled me aside for a quiet word.
‘My lord,’ I said, desperate to forestall what I assumed would be angry words. ‘I am sorry for what I said before Henry. I did not think. And now …’
‘Now he has something he thinks he might use against me,’ Pengraic said. ‘Be wary of him, Maeb. He will not use this yet, but should we return to court, expect a dark rumour to surface sooner or later, when Henry thinks to wound me.’
‘I am sorry, my lord.’
He gave a little shrug. ‘If not that, then he would have found something else with which to bark at my heels. Tell me, have you given confession to Owain?’
I nodded.
‘Then all you need say is that your conscience is clear. Maeb,’ he looked back toward the door to the privy chamber, checking it was shut, ‘there is something else you need to be most wary of. Did you understand the thrust of Henry’s remarks about needing an heir?’
‘Edmond distrusts your power, and the power of this castle and the lands it commands. He would not hesitate to seize it if he could. I am sure Edmond would prefer not to see you sire an heir.’
‘Very good, Maeb. Your perception pleases me, although I think it is more Henry’s ambition than Edmond’s we need to fear. Henry is the danger, not his father — Henry is using his father as a front for his own purposes. You think perhaps that I am in danger, but Henry and his factors will not move against me so openly. Not yet. The danger is against you.’
‘My lord?’
‘Maeb, Henry will waste no opportunity to ensure that there might be every doubt about the paternity of any child you conceived within the next few weeks. It would be in his best interests that there be doubt.’
It took me a long moment to realise what he meant. I think I must have gone very pale, because Pengraic took my arm, as if to steady me.
‘I will be putting a guard outside the door to your sleeping chamber,’ Pengraic said. ‘A senior man, one who will not be intimidated by Henry and against whom Henry would be reluctant to draw sword.’
‘My lord, he would not dare … surely?’
‘Aye, he would dare. During the day, if you are not in your chamber, Maeb, then you walk escorted. Do not be lax in this regard. You must be wary.’
I nodded, unable to speak for fear. ‘Send word to me if you wish to walk abroad, and I will send an escort if I cannot come myself.’
Again I nodded.
Pengraic’s voice softened. ‘You did well tonight, Maeb. That table was littered with teeth.’
‘And I was bit. Hard. My lord, again I apologise for creating suspicion in Henry’s mind. It has left you vulnerable.’
‘Henry is a dangerous man, but he does not know what he truly faces if he thinks to tilt his ambitions my way.’
‘He does not seem his father’s son.’
‘Edmond can be a dangerous man, too, Maeb. Do not forget that. And … Maeb? Thank you for this purse. I do greatly value it.’
He smiled, surprising me with its apparent warmth, then escorted me to my chamber. As he said goodnight, d’Avranches appeared, nodding to me as he took up a position just down from my door.
‘Your safety for the night,’ Pengraic said.
As I turned to enter my chamber, the earl stopped me with a light touch to my arm.
‘Maeb … I like the way you have dressed your hair today. Wear it that way more often.’
Then, with a small bow, he was gone.