by M. M. Blake
CHAPTER I.
THE SUZERAIN'S 'NAY.'
It was towards the close of the year of our Lord 1073. As we nowreckon, it would have been some way into 1074, but in those old timesthey began their twelve-month on March 25th. So, notwithstanding thatthe daffy-down-dillies were pushing their grey-green blades through thesoftening earth, and that the partridges had chosen their mates for theseason, it was the end of 1073, and just before Easter.
The fair Emma Fitzosbern, sister and ward of Roger, Earl of Hereford, ayoung damsel of splendid beauty, in whose honour the chivalricchampions of Normandy and Bretagne were busy cracking each other'sheads, according to the fashion of the times, had followed the exampleof the partridges, and promised her hand in marriage.
The mate she had chosen was splendid and brave, and, after the king,was equalled in power and wealth but by two other men in all England.Ralph de Guader or Wader had received the earldom of Norfolk andSuffolk, and the post of Constable of Norwich Castle, from theConqueror, in return for his services at Hastings and his prowess inbeating back the Danes from the eastern coast.
His father and grandfather had held lands in England, and he claimedEnglish blood when it suited his purpose, being the only Englishman whobore the rank of earl, save Waltheof Siwardsson, Earl of Huntingdon,Northampton, and Northumberland; but, to his shame be it spoken, he wasalso the only Englishman against whom it could be told that he foughton William's side at Hastings.
He had been deprived of the lands of his father, Ralph the Staller, thechronicles record not wherefore, but it might well be that the house ofGodwin, when they wrought on King Eadward the Confessor, of saintedmemory, to drive his Norman favourites from the land, included Ralphamongst them on account of his Breton mother, whose influence,doubtless, inclined the lad to love the folks from over the sea, andwho would have taught him to speak French and demean himself in Frenchways, and, that so, a very bitter and personal feud lay between him andHarold Godwinsson.
He had retired to his mother's estates of Guader and Montfort, inBretagne, and had returned thence with a proud following of Bretonknights and fighting men, under William of Normandy's banner, makingthe Norman invasion his opportunity to win back his lands at thesword's point, and to gain other broad acres with them.
In 1073, he, and the man whose brother-in-law he wished to become,young Roger Fitzosbern, Earl of Hereford, and Earl Waltheof,nephew-in-law to the king, were the three most powerful nobles in thecountry. Their estates almost met across England, and, united together,they might have done much as they wished with the kingdom. TheConqueror by no means desired their closer alliance, as we shall see.
But to Ralph de Guader and Roger of Hereford nothing seemed morereasonable and in every way satisfactory than the union of their housesby marriage. The former especially was wildly eager to cement theirfriendship by this solid bond, for the very good reason that he wasdeeply in love with the beautiful and high-spirited Emma, and hadcarried her favour in tilt and tourney with such determination andfury, that champions were shy of accepting his challenge when he tookhis place in the lists.
A slight hindrance had marred the progress of the _fiancailles_.William, the Conqueror of England, was also Duke of Normandy, and hisrestless vassals across the straits were apt to get weary of hiscontinued absence in his new kingdom. Robert of Flanders, his ancientenemy, in battle with whom Emma's father, the famous WilliamFitzosbern, whom Holingshed calls the king's _coosine_, had lost hislife, was always ready to foment any little disputes that might ariseamongst them, and King Philip of France had now joined the troublesomeFrisian hand and glove. So William thought it wise to go in person toNormandy, to keep guard over the movements of the twain.
Of course the marriage could not take place until the king's consentwas obtained, and messengers had been despatched to Normandy by the twoearls, praying his consent.
Their return was more than due, and was awaited with some anxiety, asLent was so near at hand, during which, according to the Roman Church,no marriage could take place. However, travelling in those days wasvery different to what it is in ours. The Channel could not be crossedin all weathers and all winds, and it was supposed that unfavourablebreezes detained the messengers. Not for a moment was there any doubtthat the answer, when it did come, would be in the affirmative.Permission had been asked merely as a matter of form.
Meanwhile, every effort was made to entertain the guests at HerefordCastle, and to prevent the time of their prolonged sojourn from hangingheavy on their hands.
In Domesday Book there figures a certain Adelina, a female juggler, ashaving received lands in the county of Hants, having previously enjoyedfee and salary from one Roger, a Norman earl.
The talents of this lady were in requisition, and, a heavy downpour ofrain and sleet having rendered outdoor sports unpleasant, a largecompany of knights and ladies were watching her agile movements andingenious deceptions; shouts and ripples of laughter testifying totheir appreciation of her cleverness.
She performed at one end of the great banqueting-hall, and was clad ina scarlet dress made Eastern fashion, having a gold-broidered jacket ofthe shape we are accustomed to call Zouave, with loose trousers, andslippers turned up at the toes; she wore a turban upon her head, frombeneath which her long black hair streamed unconfined to her waist,around which she wore a girdle of snake-skins; her bare arms werecovered with bangles, and in her hand she held a wand on which achild's skull took the place of the Punch's head which adorns the staffof a Polichinello.
She had for assistants two brown-skinned, almond-eyed, white-toothedboys, evidently of Moorish origin, and active as the leopards, whoseskins they wore, had been when alive in their native jungle; and thebowls, spheres, and other appliances she used were marked withcabalistic signs in the Arabian alphabet. Evidently, whether or no shewas herself of Moorish blood, she had learned her trade from thejugglers of the East, whose skill therein still surpasses all others.
In those days the dark-skinned races were identified with Antichrist,and the entertainment therefore afforded that flavour of the forbiddenwhich seems so necessary to the enjoyment of some folks. A gibberingmonkey, which perched on her shoulder, and performed strange antics ather bidding, alternately with wild freaks of mischief of its owninvention, added to the air of _diablerie_ which made the exhibitionattractive.
The young Earl of Hereford, his countess, and their two little sons,were foremost among the spectators, the earl laughing heartily at thetricks of his favourite, and rewarding her skill with praise and_largesse_ when any special feat called forth the applause of theguests.
Tall and commanding in figure, his face, clean-shaven after the Normanfashion, was both proud and weak, the features handsome, clear-cut,aquiline, but the chin receding too greatly to betoken a strongcharacter. His dress was of the richest, his tunic of tawny samite,sewn thickly with gems, and his long cloak lined with costly furs, hisearl's coronet on his brow.
Beside him sat his beautiful sister, in whose honour all the guestswere assembled;--like him, yet showing, in spite of all feminine graceand softness, signs of that strength of will in which he was deficient.Her features, like his, were clear-cut and aquiline, but the full roundchin stood out boldly from the white, flawless throat, unadorned by anynecklace save the delicate crease which Nature had marked on it, andwhich some folks call Venus' necklace. Her auburn hair was simplybraided in two long plaits, and hung below her waist, and was bound bya fillet of goldsmiths' work. Her arched brows were almost black, andthe dark-blue eyes beneath them were full of gentleness and fire. Hertightly-fitting green kirtle was rounded at the base of the slenderneck and edged with drawn lawn, and showed the graceful contour of heryoung figure; and her embroidered skirt, which had been 'looted' by hernoble father from the house of some rich Saxon in his Hastingscampaign, bore witness to the artistic powers of the Saxon ladies, andalso to their industry, for its subtly blended hues had taken years oflabour to produce, and such skill as was possessed only by the women oftheir nation.
Standing near her, with his hand upon her chair, was the hero of theoccasion. Ralph de Guader's Breton mother had Southern blood in herveins, and he had inherited from her a swart complexion, coal-blackhair which curled crisply on his well-formed head, and the hawk noseand pointed chin which is common in Brittany now, though the Bretons ofthat day had for the most part the characteristics of the red-haired,blue-eyed Celts, who had left Wales but a short time before. From hisEnglish father he had inherited a pair of keen grey eyes, hawk-like asthe nose between them, and deep set under cavernous brows, black, andsomewhat given to frowning.
His figure was firmly knit, broad-shouldered, but not very tall, andhis apparel was as brave as that of his brother earl, his tunic beingof ivory silk edged with sable and wrought with gold thread, and thebaldric blazed with jewels which supported his _misericorde_, or daggerof mercy,--a weapon always worn by a Norman noble, and serving to puthis wounded enemies out of misery--whence its name,--to protect himfrom treachery, and to carve his meat and that of the lady he 'took in'to dinner withal.
The deft Adelina had swallowed swords, and made snakes dance to herpiping, and produced intact bracelets which had seemed to be utterlycrushed to powder before the spectators' eyes, and had danced herselfwith marvellous agility and grace, and, in short, had performed manyfeats which have been rivalled before and since by jugglers ancient andmodern, when a young baron stood forth and said to Earl Roger,--
'I have heard, my lord, that yonder Paynim witch hath shrewd skill toread the stars. I prithee, command her that she may tell the fates ofthose who list to know what shall befall them.'
Then Adelina turned round swiftly, so that the gibbering monkey, whichsat on her shoulder, sprang down with a screech.
'I prithee, Sir Earl,' she cried, 'give me no such order, for thespirits I summon have a knack of telling the truth, and there are fatesin store for some folks they would ill brook to hear. "Enough for theday is the evil thereof."'
'Nay, take not to quoting Scripture, witch; it hath an awkward soundfrom thy graceless lips,' returned the earl banteringly. ''Tis aleft-handed compliment to pay to the valour of any noble gentlemanhere, that he should shrink to know the worst the devil can do to him.Summon thy spirits! I wager we will face them.'
Adelina's brown face turned yellow as parchment, her knees shooktogether for fear.
'I beg thee, spare me, Sir Earl!' she entreated in a low voice.
But her opposition only raised the earl's obstinacy, of which, likemost weak people, he had a large share, and he insisted.
So Adelina gave orders to her attendant sprites, who fetched her a bigbox, and a tripod with a metal mirror above it, and a brazier hung fromchains like a censer, and a skull, and a tame raven.
And out of the box she dragged a huge, sluggish snake. The creaturerolled and writhed upon the floor in a fashion that caused the ladiesto scream and the knights to lay hold of the hilts of their daggers;but after a while it rolled itself in a ring round the tripod, with itstail to its head, and so lay still.
'Whoever hath courage to step within my magic circle may learn thesecrets of the future!' cried the sorceress.
But the young baron who had been so eager to learn his fate did notrelish the conditions, and made no move.
Ralph de Guader, seeing his hesitation, stepped forward out of sheerbravado, without having any particular desire to know his fate, orbelief in Adelina's power to tell it, for he was happy, and all thefuture appeared to him steeped in rosy hues of hope.
'Oh, Ralph, deal not with the Evil One!' cried Emma, laying arestraining hand on his arm. 'Trust not that horrible beast, I praythee!'
Ralph gave some careless excuse, and Emma accepted it; for, to saytruth, her young head was full of fiery ambition, and her curiosity wasgreat to know what honours her splendid lover would win for her in thedays to come. William of Normandy had carved a throne with his swordfor Matilda of Flanders; who knew what Ralph de Guader's good blademight carve for her? Everything seemed possible in those days.
So the Earl of the East Angles stepped down from the dais to the end ofthe great hall, where the sorceress stood, and stepped across thespotted body of the snake into the charmed circle it enclosed, biddingAdelina summon her allies, be they fair or foul.
But not without remonstrance from the fortune-teller.
'Pause, De Guader and Montfort, Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk! Thy headis heaped with honours, and thy hands are full of fat manors, and--bestof all gifts!--the heart of the fairest lady in the hall is openlybestowed on thee! What more canst thou ask of the future? Take whatthou hast, and go barefoot to the chapel and thank the white Christ forHis bounty! Stay thy questioning, lest what thou hast shall be reftfrom thee!'
'A brave man defies fortune,' answered De Guader, tossing back his darkhead proudly.
'Then if the prophecy be not to thy liking,' returned Adelina, 'if thespirits foretell evil days, I pray thee blame not their mouthpiece.'Her agitation was extreme, which was not surprising, as the fiercenobles of those days were apt to deal harshly with the messengers ofunpleasing news.
She chanted a wild incantation, dancing round the tripod and the earl,and swung her censer to and fro till it gave forth strange fumes andclouds of smoke, by which her face and the earl's were veiled from thespectators. Now and again her turbaned head was seen through thevapours, her eyes intently fixed on her mirror, but none could tellwhat was passing.
Presently the earl returned to the dais with a somewhat white face.Emma's eyes were bent upon him with anxious inquiry.
'She has promised me that which I covet most, dear lady,' whispered DeGuader in answer to her look: 'my bridal with thee is to come tofulfilment. I am to pass my life with thee, and die with thee, near theblessed city of Jerusalem.'
'The Holy Virgin be praised!' answered Emma devoutly; 'and pardon theefor asking the future, if sin be in it.' Then, recognising theadmission she had made by acknowledging her joy in the prophecy, sheblushed and turned away from De Guader's happy eyes.
'Aha! sister of mine, it seems my sorceress has pleasured thee with herprophecies,' remarked Earl Roger. 'I will see if she can be equallygracious to me.'
'Thou hadst best brace thy nerves for a shock, man,' cried De Guaderafter him as he left the dais. 'Those spirits have verily a knack oftelling home truths without mincing matters.'
Adelina's agitation increased when she saw her master appearing as thenext candidate. She trembled from head to foot.
'I prithee spare me this, Roger Fitzosbern,' she said in a scarceaudible voice. But the earl insisted.
Then followed the same preliminaries as before,--the dance, and thechant, and the smoke-wreaths, then the whispered mysteries. But thistime sharp, angry interjections and round Norman oaths were mingledwith the murmurings of Adelina's voice, and all at once the unhappyfortune-teller threw up her bangled arms and fell backwards fainting,while the Earl of Hereford, with an angry stamp, broke out of thecharmed circle and rushed back to his seat.
Adelina's neophytes ran forward to the rescue, for her garments hadcaught fire from the censer, and all was bustle and confusion. The hugesnake lay calmly through it, however, for, to say truth, it wasstuffed, and worked with wires.
The Countess of Hereford sprang up to greet her lord, and the twolittle boys burst out a-wailing, sore frightened at their father'saltered face, while Emma also rose to greet her brother with terror inher eyes, trembling at the evidence he gave that evil had been foretoldhim.
But he soon regained his calmness, and laughed as he saw the reflectionof his mood in their agonised faces.
'Pah! it is all nonsense!' he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. 'Ibelieve the witch must be in league with the devil to have so wroughton me.'
He looked round the hall, and gave another forced laugh.
'I am to lose all my lands, to be despoiled of my earldom, and die inprison, she says.'
The ladies exclaimed in horror, and the men laughed derisively; butEarl Ralph's jester, Grillonne,
whispered sagely to his neighbour,'Good nuncle! when they promised me a swishing at school, I made effortto keep it to myself. But I am a fool.'
No one seemed inclined to consult such a fortune-teller for his ownpart, and the Earl of Hereford ordered a Welsh minstrel, who had beensent him in compliment by one of the Welsh chiefs on the Marches, whomHereford had lately beaten and made terms with, to regale the companywith some of his ballads.
At this juncture a great shout was heard from the castle-yard, and amoment later a servitor announced the return of the messenger who hadbeen sent to the king; and, the Earl of Hereford bidding him enter, aknight and squire, travel-stained and showing signs of a hasty journey,advanced up the hall and bowed before the dais.
The knight dropped on his knee, and presented the earl with a missivetied with purple silk and sealed with the royal seal.
'How now, Sir Neel! how comest thou so tardily?' demanded the earl,taking the letter from the knight with eager hands and severing thesilk with his dagger.
'I was detained, my lord, at Rouen to wait the king's good pleasure.'
The faces of the two earls darkened, and Roger Fitzosbern tore open theking's missive.
Scarce reading it, he flung it to De Guader with a savage oath,stamping his foot upon the ground.
'William shall rue this insult!' he hissed between his shut teeth, hisface scarlet and convulsed with rage; 'and to my father's son.'
De Guader, not less moved, held the parchment with hands that so shookwith anger that the dangling seals clattered against each other. Hisbroad chest heaved, and his steel-grey eyes flashed fire as swordstrikes fire on helm.
Emma, with pale cheeks and wide eyes, turned from her brother to herlover, and the East Anglian earl, exercising a huge command overhimself, kept silence, and returned the letter to Roger Fitzosbern.
Hereford shook it in the air, clenching his fingers, while all theguests hung wonderingly on his actions.
Suddenly he tore the king's letter into fragments.
'Thus has William rent in sunder the ties that bound me to him!' heshouted furiously.
Osbern, Bishop of Exeter, the Earl of Hereford's uncle, who, though hehad refused the sanction of his presence to the performances ofAdelina, had entered the hall when the king's messenger arrived, madehis way through the noble crowd that surrounded his nephew.
'Hist, my Roger! Anger is short madness. Keep a hold over the unrulymember, lest words spoken in wrath be thy bane in time of peace. I knownot the contents of the missive that hath moved thee so greatly, but Iprithee be calm.'
'Calm!' cried Roger. 'Calm! De Guader, art thou calm?'
'Yes,' answered De Guader shortly, his breath breaking in quick pants,and a strange green light not pleasant to witness gleaming in his eyes,so that all who saw him felt that his calmness was more terrible thanRoger's fury.
'Then, by the rood! if thou art so calm,' retorted Hereford, 'tell myguests how they have been befooled. Tell my sister she has bestowed herhand on one who can resign it "calmly."'
'My son, my son,' remonstrated the bishop, 'thou art unjust to thynoble brother, whose stake in this matter is even greater than thine.'
'Nay, my brother he is forbid to be!' stormed Roger, with anotherterrific curse.
De Guader turned to the beautiful girl to whom he had come to bindhimself in solemn betrothal, and who, having accepted his wooing, hadmade no secret of her love.
His face was pallid almost as his ivory robe, his lips trembled as heheld out his hands to her, but for some moments he was dumb. When atlast he compelled speech, his voice was dull with pain and quiveringwith measureless indignation.
'My lady,' he said, holding one of her hands in each of his, but nottrusting himself to look in her face, 'I must bid thee farewell. I haveno right to remain longer in this castle. The king has forbidden ourmarriage. I had hoped to make thee my bride. Bride of my heart thouwilt always be!'
Before the startled, frightened girl could frame a reply, he hadstooped and kissed her, sprung from the dais, and was striding down thehall, with the many barons and bannerets, knights and squires, whoformed his _meinie_, following behind him.
The Countess of Hereford led her young sister-in-law from the hall;while the remainder of the noble company, feeling their presencesomewhat awkward, as guests at a betrothal which could not beconsummated, found excuses to depart, and gathered into clusters, eachlord summoning his following and the ladies of his household.
So that goodly company broke up in hurry and confusion and dismay, andthe insult the king had inflicted on his two powerful earls was thetalk of every mouth.
