CHAPTER XI
Several days after Norman of Torn's visit to the castle of Leicester,a young knight appeared before the Earl's gates demanding admittance tohave speech with Simon de Montfort. The Earl received him, and as theyoung man entered his presence, Simon de Montfort, sprang to his feet inastonishment.
"My Lord Prince," he cried. "What do ye here, and alone?"
The young man smiled.
"I be no prince, My Lord," he said, "though some have said that I favorthe King's son. I be Roger de Conde, whom it may have pleased yourgracious daughter to mention. I have come to pay homage to Bertrade deMontfort."
"Ah," said De Montfort, rising to greet the young knight cordially, "anyou be that Roger de Conde who rescued my daughter from the fellows ofPeter of Colfax, the arms of the De Montforts are open to you.
"Bertrade has had your name upon her tongue many times since her return.She will be glad indeed to receive you, as is her father. She has toldus of your valiant espousal of her cause, and the thanks of her brothersand mother await you, Roger de Conde.
"She also told us of your strange likeness to Prince Edward, but until Isaw you, I could not believe two men could be born of different mothersand yet be so identical. Come, we will seek out my daughter and hermother."
De Montfort led the young man to a small chamber where they were greetedby Princess Eleanor, his wife, and by Bertrade de Montfort. The girl wasfrankly glad to see him once more and laughingly chide him because hehad allowed another to usurp his prerogative and rescue her from Peterof Colfax.
"And to think," she cried, "that it should have been Norman of Torn whofulfilled your duties for you. But he did not capture Sir Peter's head,my friend; that is still at large to be brought to me upon a goldendish."
"I have not forgotten, Lady Bertrade," said Roger de Conde. "Peter ofColfax will return."
The girl glanced at him quickly.
"The very words of the Outlaw of Torn," she said. "How many men be ye,Roger de Conde? With raised visor, you could pass in the King's courtfor the King's son; and in manner, and form, and swordsmanship, and yourvisor lowered, you might easily be hanged for Norman of Torn."
"And which would it please ye most that I be?" he laughed.
"Neither," she answered, "I be satisfied with my friend, Roger deConde."
"So ye like not the Devil of Torn?" he asked.
"He has done me a great service, and I be under monstrous obligationsto him, but he be, nathless, the Outlaw of Torn and I the daughter of anearl and a king's sister."
"A most unbridgeable gulf indeed," commented Roger de Conde, drily. "Noteven gratitude could lead a king's niece to receive Norman of Torn on afooting of equality."
"He has my friendship, always," said the girl, "but I doubt me if Normanof Torn be the man to impose upon it."
"One can never tell," said Roger de Conde, "what manner of fool a manmay be. When a man's head be filled with a pretty face, what room bethere for reason?"
"Soon thou wilt be a courtier, if thou keep long at this turning ofpretty compliments," said the girl coldly; "and I like not courtiers,nor their empty, hypocritical chatter."
The man laughed.
"If I turned a compliment, I did not know it," he said. "What I think, Isay. It may not be a courtly speech or it may. I know nothing of courtsand care less, but be it man or maid to whom I speak, I say what is inmy mind or I say nothing. I did not, in so many words, say that you arebeautiful, but I think it nevertheless, and ye cannot be angry withmy poor eyes if they deceive me into believing that no fairer womanbreathes the air of England. Nor can you chide my sinful brain that itgladly believes what mine eyes tell it. No, you may not be angry so longas I do not tell you all this."
Bertrade de Montfort did not know how to answer so ridiculous asophistry; and, truth to tell, she was more than pleased to hear fromthe lips of Roger de Conde what bored her on the tongues of other men.
De Conde was the guest of the Earl of Leicester for several days, andbefore his visit was terminated, the young man had so won his way intothe good graces of the family that they were loath to see him leave.
Although denied the society of such as these throughout his entire life,yet it seemed that he fell as naturally into the ways of their kind asthough he had always been among them. His starved soul, groping throughthe darkness of the empty past, yearned toward the feasting and thelight of friendship, and urged him to turn his back upon the old life,and remain ever with these people, for Simon de Montfort had offered theyoung man a position of trust and honor in his retinue.
"Why refused you the offer of my father?" said Bertrade to him as hewas come to bid her farewell. "Simon de Montfort is as great a man inEngland as the King himself, and your future were assured did you attachyour self to his person. But what am I saying! Did Roger de Conde notwish to be elsewhere, he had accepted and, as he did not accept, it isproof positive that he does not wish to bide among the De Montforts."
"I would give my soul to the devil," said Norman of Torn, "would it buyme the right to remain ever at the feet of Bertrade Montfort."
He raised her hand to his lips in farewell as he started to speak,but something--was it an almost imperceptible pressure of her littlefingers, a quickening of her breath or a swaying of her body towardhim?--caused him to pause and raise his eyes to hers.
For an instant they stood thus, the eyes of the man sinking deep intothe eyes of the maid, and then hers closed and with a little sigh thatwas half gasp, she swayed toward him, and the Devil of Torn folded theKing's niece in his mighty arms and his lips placed the seal of a greatlove upon those that were upturned to him.
The touch of those pure lips brought the man to himself.
"Ah, Bertrade, my Bertrade," he cried, "what is this thing that I havedone! Forgive me, and let the greatness and the purity of my love foryou plead in extenuation of my act."
She looked up into his face in surprise, and then placing her strongwhite hands upon his shoulders, she whispered:
"See, Roger, I am not angry. It is not wrong that we love; tell me it isnot, Roger."
"You must not say that you love me, Bertrade. I am a coward, a cravenpoltroon; but, God, how I love you."
"But," said the girl, "I do love--"
"Stop," he cried, "not yet, not yet. Do not say it till I come again.You know nothing of me, you do not know even who I be; but when next Icome, I promise that ye shall know as much of me as I myself know, andthen, Bertrade, my Bertrade, if you can then say, 'I love you' no poweron earth, or in heaven above, or hell below shall keep you from beingmine!"
"I will wait, Roger, for I believe in you and trust you. I do notunderstand, but I know that you must have some good reason, thoughit all seems very strange to me. If I, a De Montfort, am willing toacknowledge my love for any man, there can be no reason why I shouldnot do so, unless," and she started at the sudden thought, wide-eyed andpaling, "unless there be another woman, a--a--wife?"
"There is no other woman, Bertrade," said Norman of Torn. "I haveno wife; nor within the limits of my memory have my lips ever beforetouched the lips of another, for I do not remember my mother."
She sighed a happy little sigh of relief, and laughing lightly, said:
"It is some old woman's bugaboo that you are haling out of a dark cornerof your imagination to frighten yourself with. I do not fear, since Iknow that you must be all good. There be no line of vice or deceptionupon your face and you are very brave. So brave and noble a man, Roger,has a heart of pure gold."
"Don't," he said, bitterly. "I cannot endure it. Wait until I come againand then, oh my flower of all England, if you have it in your heartto speak as you are speaking now, the sun of my happiness will be atzenith. Then, but not before, shall I speak to the Earl, thy father.Farewell, Bertrade, in a few days I return."
"If you would speak to the Earl on such a subject, you insolent youngpuppy, you may save your breath," thundered an angry voice, and Simon deMontfort strode, scowling, into the room.
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sp; The girl paled, but not from fear of her father, for the fighting bloodof the De Montforts was as strong in her as in her sire. She facedhim with as brave and resolute a face as did the young man, who turnedslowly, fixing De Montfort with level gaze.
"I heard enough of your words as I was passing through the corridor,"continued the latter, "to readily guess what had gone before. So itis for this that you have wormed your sneaking way into my home? Andthought you that Simon de Montfort would throw his daughter at the headof the first passing rogue? Who be ye, but a nameless rascal? For aughtwe know, some low born lackey. Get ye hence, and be only thankful that Ido not aid you with the toe of my boot where it would do the most good."
"Stop!" cried the girl. "Stop, father, hast forgot that but for Rogerde Conde ye might have seen your daughter a corpse ere now, or, worse,herself befouled and dishonored?"
"I do not forget," replied the Earl, "and it is because I remember thatmy sword remains in its scabbard. The fellow has been amply repaid bythe friendship of De Montfort, but now this act of perfidy has wipedclean the score. An' you would go in peace, sirrah, go quickly, ere Ilose my temper."
"There has been some misunderstanding on your part, My Lord," spokeNorman of Torn, quietly and without apparent anger or excitement. "Yourdaughter has not told me that she loves me, nor did I contemplate askingyou for her hand. When next I come, first shall I see her and if shewill have me, My Lord, I shall come to you to tell you that I shall wedher. Norm--Roger de Conde asks permission of no man to do what he woulddo."
Simon de Montfort was fairly bursting with rage but he managed tocontrol himself to say,
"My daughter weds whom I select, and even now I have practically closednegotiations for her betrothal to Prince Philip, nephew of King Louisof France. And as for you, sir, I would as lief see her the wife of theOutlaw of Torn. He, at least, has wealth and power, and a name that beknown outside his own armor. But enough of this; get you gone, nor letme see your face again within the walls of Leicester's castle."
"You are right, My Lord, it were foolish and idle for us to bequarreling with words," said the outlaw. "Farewell, My Lady. I shallreturn as I promised, and your word shall be law." And with a profoundbow to De Montfort, Norman of Torn left the apartment, and in a fewminutes was riding through the courtyard of the castle toward the mainportals.
As he passed beneath a window in the castle wall, a voice called tohim from above, and drawing in his horse, he looked up into the eyes ofBertrade de Montfort.
"Take this, Roger de Conde," she whispered, dropping a tiny parcel tohim, "and wear it ever, for my sake. We may never meet again, for theEarl my father, is a mighty man, not easily turned from his decisions;therefore I shall say to you, Roger de Conde, what you forbid my saying.I love you, and be ye prince or scullion, you may have me, if you canfind the means to take me."
"Wait, my lady, until I return, then shall you decide, and if ye beof the same mind as today, never fear but that I shall take ye. Again,farewell." And with a brave smile that hid a sad heart, Norman of Tornpassed out of the castle yard.
When he undid the parcel which Bertrade had tossed to him, he found thatit contained a beautifully wrought ring set with a single opal.
The Outlaw of Torn raised the little circlet to his lips, and thenslipped it upon the third finger of his left hand.
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