‘I entirely agree, madam,’ William said, bowing. He turned to a bewildered, agitated Henry. ‘My brother exercised his right to appoint his own man in his own diocese and the Archbishop’s representative refused him that right. He seized and imprisoned Aymer’s man, beat him and humiliated him. Aymer had no choice but to act. I do not know what happened in full, but I am sure the details have been blown out of proportion, as these things so often are.’
Alienor drew breath to do battle. ‘Do not believe all you are told, sire,’ she snapped. ‘Aymer is not yet old enough to be a bishop and is still under tuition. The Archbishop’s servant was beaten and abused too and made to walk down the road, gagged and bound like a common beggar. That is unconscionable. You are condoning a great wrong. The head of the Church of England is your appointed prelate, and all clergy must accept his authority. It is his prerogative to say, not that of some half-trained rake who happens to be your brother.’
Henry stared at her open-mouthed.
Flushed with rage, Alienor ploughed on. ‘If your brother had sought agreement for this appointment in the first place, none of this disgraceful quarrel would have happened. I will tell you what the trouble is, sire. It is too many fingers stirring up once clear water and polluting it. Those fingers should be cut off at their source before any more damage is done!’
Making an immense effort, William swallowed his anger and replied in a voice of reasoned neutrality, ‘I beg your leave, sire, to say that my brother has recognised jurisdiction over the living of St Thomas’s, and it is within his gift to appoint his own representative at that level without prior consultation. He had the right to do so, and that right was violated.’
‘But not to the detriment of the Church and the authority of the head of the Church!’ the Queen retorted.
‘You do not know the man my brother appointed, madam, so I fail to see how you could know such a thing.’
‘I will not be spoken to in such a wise!’ Alienor spluttered.
Henry leaned towards her. ‘Calm yourself, madam. This is indeed a sorry situation and I am hearing two different stories and being pressed in the middle. My judgement is that Aymer’s appointee should keep his place, but reparations should be made to the Archbishop and the damage done to his property and his man. Let amicable agreement be reached and let this be an end to unseemliness.’
Alienor was not mollified. ‘This goes against your own Archbishop of Canterbury!’ she hissed. ‘Your head is so turned by these brothers of yours that all sense has dribbled out of your ears. You side with them and let them get away with murder while they laugh behind their hands! Your authority is being slipped out from under you as if they have stolen your very cloak. The sooner you return to your senses the better, and to your true queen and partner whose opinions you have been neglecting in their favour!’
‘What do you think I do for you, madam?’ Henry demanded, shaking with rage and distress. ‘I could not do more! I am sick of it all. As I have said, let Eustace of Lenn be reprimanded and let Aymer make reparations, and that will be an end to it.’
Alienor struck the arm of her chair. ‘Why should Eustace of Lenn be reprimanded for loyalty to his lord the Archbishop? Why should Aymer go unpunished? You are a pawn in the hands of your Lusignan kin! I am starting to think that they are like lice on the back of a dog!’
William stiffened at Alienor’s vitriol.
Henry jerked to his feet, and looked at the Queen, his jaw wobbling with grief and rage. ‘Enough, madam! If you will not accept my authority then I have no recourse but to order you to leave. You shall depart the court and go to Winchester, to the seat of my brother’s bishopric, there to contemplate your loyalties.’ Then he rounded on William. ‘And you! You protest your innocence and defend what has happened, but this is part of a long string of events that always appear never to be your fault; yet somehow, at the bottom of it, you are always involved. I am cutting your funds and reining you in, because clearly I cannot trust you either! When I give you money, I do not expect you to spend it in fighting the Church and abetting quarrels with the Queen’s kin! What I give you, I give from my heart, and if you misuse it, then I might as well keep it. If you cannot respect a precious gift, then it is a vile disrespect to me.’
Alienor gave a satisfied sniff, but Henry whirled again. ‘And you, madam, will not meddle in my affairs! Send me your purse before you leave. We shall speak when you have had time to consider your actions. That is all I have to say, for you have both cut me to the bone and should be ashamed!’
Henry rose from his chair and stalked out. The Queen gave William a terrible glare before she too stormed from the room.
Horrified, Joanna stared at William as he sat on a bench in their chamber, his face in his hands, having just told her what had happened during his audience with Henry and the Queen. She wanted to scream and throw things at him but controlled her vexation by pretending they were in a public place. He was not entirely to blame, and on his own terms he had valiantly fought his corner, but in ways that backed him further up against the wall – and in consequence herself too, for she owed allegiance to all the parties concerned.
‘You must conciliate,’ she said, sitting beside him.
‘I do not see why.’ He raised his head. A muscle twitched in his cheek. ‘Aymer was not the one at fault, and the Queen has already defied the King recently in the choice of priests for a particular decision.’
‘Perhaps so, but we cannot afford to make enemies of either the King or the Queen. They are our family and our livelihood. Nor is it for you to speak for Aymer. Let him speak for himself. He has his own voice. Why should you take this upon your shoulders?’
William shook his head. ‘I had to defend our honour and Aymer wasn’t there … if you had heard …’ He cut himself off. ‘It is done,’ he said, ‘and even if I know I must conciliate, I cannot do it today.’
Joanna sighed heavily. ‘Words have been spoken by all that cannot be unsaid, but at least they are out in the open now instead of continuing to fester,’ she said, trying to think her way through the morass. ‘The King has not banished you from court so you will be able to show him you have taken his words to heart. I have to go to Aliza for her lying in but I will bid a respectful farewell to the King first and also the Queen, for I want neither of them as enemies.’
‘You are right of course,’ he said with reluctance. ‘In the meantime, we will need to find some things to sell that will not be missed, for I do not know how long the King intends to keep me without money. I have never seen him so angry.’
‘He has deprived the Queen too,’ Joanna said practically. ‘I do not believe it will be for too long.’
He gave her a contrite look. ‘I do not know what I could have done that would not have dishonoured me in one way or another. I am sorry.’
Joanna leaned her head against his arm. ‘It is what it is, and we will manage.’ She would stand with him against the world and the Queen if she had to, but she desperately prayed it would not come to that.
Joanna found the Queen packing to leave. Attendants were flinging items into baggage chests and sacks and removing jewels and silks from the wardrobe, while Alienor sat on the bed, angry tears streaming down her face.
‘Madam, I am sorry for all this,’ Joanna said, curtseying.
Many of the other chamber ladies ignored her. Some even turned their backs.
‘I am sorry too,’ Alienor snapped. ‘Sorry that I ever approved of my husband’s notion to marry you to William de Valence.’
