A Knight There Was
Page 27
What he could not, would not think of was Margery Watson. Of her betrayal. Or of their last meeting. Or of anything else to do with her.
I do not care.
He would embrace his future. Surely, war in France would soon break out again. If not, perhaps Italy. Or there was always a crusade upon which he could embark. His king or prince or someone would be in need of a stout sword arm and proven martial skills, both of which he possessed in abundance.
Life, Matthew assured himself, will be better than ever.
Now that he was forever free of Dame Margery Watson, wife to Simon Crull.
The End
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WITHIN A FOREST DARK
The Series Name Series
Book Three
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Along with nearly six thousand men at arms, Matthew Hart entered the white walled outskirts of Bordeaux as part of Edward the Black Prince's conquering army. Matthew's father, William, rode beside him. Ahead, among the pennon of St. George and countless other standards, Matthew spotted their lord, Prince Edward, flanked by John Chandos, his ever present advisor. The prince’s right hand was solemnly raised in acknowledgement of the cheers of the Bordelais, who thronged the narrow streets leading to the cathedral of St. Andre. Since his appointment as duke of Aquitaine, Edward of Woodstock had been a popular ruler, and was now returning from a successful campaign in which he had furthered the cause of Pedro the Cruel, the legitimate king of Castile. From balconies, voluptuous beauties showered petals onto their returning heroes. Others ran forward to kiss them and thrust flowers into their hands.
A particularly persistent maid clung to Matthew's stirrup, and he swept her up to plant a kiss on her lips.
Matthew caught his father's eye. William Hart, earl of Cumbria, grinned in response for he was enjoying himself as much as his son. Friendly faces and the adulation of pretty women went far to ease the unpleasantness of war.
"A year away does not seem to have diminished our popularity," Matthew observed. Though often a contrary, independent lot, the Gascon people were friendly as stray pups to their English rulers. Gascon wine, exported by the millions of liters to England, was exempt from taxes, thus greatly enriching local coffers. As duke of Aquitaine, a title dating back to the illustrious days of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Prince Edward also ruled his subjects with an easy hand, though many of the nobles, fearful of their feudal rights, were far more quarrelsome than ordinary citizens.
William successfully dodged a woman bent on wrestling him from his saddle. "Christ’s Cross!" he laughed, shaking his head. "We were safer on the plains of Najera than facing such enthusiasm!"
The current campaign, which had begun in October of 1366, had taken the English over the Pyrenees. They had crossed the rugged Pass of Roncesvalles in the dead of winter. A treacherous tapestry of snow had covered the mountains, which also contained deep gorges and brutal winds capable of whipping up blinding snow. Beyond had been Navarre, an ungodly bleak country.
Near the town of Najera, the English had finally encountered their enemy, Henry of Trastamare, heading an army of thirty thousand. Prince Edward had sworn to champion Trastamare's rival, Pedro the Cruel—a diabolical man who had murdered Trastamare's mother. Though the Black Prince was personally repelled by him, Don Pedro was a lawful king, as well as the son of a king. If Trastamare's usurpation remained unrectified, Prince Edward believed the security of all rightful rulers would be jeopardized. Therefore, he had no choice but to champion the tyrant.
Edward and his troops had faced the greatly superior Spanish force and triumphed—just as they had in 1356 against the French at the fabled Battle of Poitiers. Used to fighting the undisciplined Moors, Henry Trastamare's men had been unnerved by the English, who would neither yield nor flee. Though the largely peasant force had used their slingshots to deadly effect, they had ultimately panicked. The English and their Black Prince had seemed to the Castilians not real flesh and blood, but creatures out of myth, like their el Cid.
Few desired to lose their lives to a legend.
The gilt spire of St. Andre glittered like an enormous topaz. Matthew wiped rivulets of sweat from his forehead. Even though it was September, the heat blasted him with the force of a blacksmith's bellows. The white buildings with their red roofs shimmered before his eyes, as did the garish greens, crimsons, and yellows of Bordeaux's abundant foliage. Trapped inside his armor, Matt felt like a scalded lobster. Saints be praised he'd not been knocked low by the epidemics which had debilitated so many, or he'd not have the strength to complete the ride. Dysentery, along with malaria, had greatly dissipated the English ranks throughout the campaign's final stages.
Prince Edward had been among those bothered by the sickness, but Matthew was certain he'd been more stricken by the treachery of Don Pedro, who had proven an unreliable friend, just as Edward and his advisors had feared. Though Prince Edward had regained Pedro the Cruel his throne, Don Pedro had reneged on his promise to pay certain lands and treasure, as well as three million gold florins to Edward's army. In response the Black Prince had allowed his soldiers to extract their wages from the countryside, but the pickings had proven desultory.
"I understand the sword," Prince Edward had lamented at the time. "Victory belongs to him who is strongest and most skilled. In war I can look my enemy in the eye, and victory or defeat will be clean and immediate. But this political intrigue mystifies me. 'Tis for clerks and prelates and Spaniards and devious Frenchmen who exercise naught but their minds."
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Mary Ellen Johnson's writing career began with her passion for Medieval England. Her first novel, The Lion and the Leopard, has recently been re-worked and is available on Kindle as The Cherry Fair. The Landlord's Black-Eyed Daughter, a historical novel based on the Alfred Noyes poem, "The Highwayman," was published under the pseudonym, Mary Ellen Dennis.
In 1992, Mary Ellen's life took a 20 year detour when she became involved in a local murder. Later she championed the fifteen-year-old, Jacob Ind, who killed his abusive parents and chronicled that event in The Murder of Jacob (Kindle). Mary Ellen remains the Executive Director of The Pendulum Foundation, a non-profit that serves kids serving life in prison. In that position, she and the issue of juvenile life without parole have been featured in Rolling Stone, on PBS Frontline (When Kids Get Life), the 2013 documentary, Lost for Life, and on countless radio, TV and print outlets.
As Mary Ellen's goal of sentencing reform nears its successful completion, she has returned her attention to her first love, novel writing. In addition to The Cherry Fair, a loosely based sequel, War of a Long Season, will be published in 2014. She is researching her next project, a psychological thriller, that she'll write with her friend, Jacob Ind. (Still incarcerated, hopefully soon freed.) Their collaboration will draw on Jacob's knowledge of prison, its culture and its characters, as well as Mary Ellen's inside knowledge of the political and justice system. And, since her favorite film is Body Heat, expect steamy noir with lots of twists and turns!