streets of the city. Pure hatred was the most accurate description: the good folk of Capua saw the Normans, any Normans, as the power that helped keep them under the thumb and rapacity of the Wolf. There would be no aid from that quarter, which meant the walls of the city, the first line of defence, could not be manned.
‘We bring messages from the Lord of Aversa,’ William called to the sentinels by the gate.
‘He has heard then?’
‘Who has not?’ Drogo replied.
‘When is he coming?’ asked another, a fellow William recognised as one who had left Rainulf’s service.
‘As soon as he is ready,’ Drogo replied.
‘And before any damned emperor,’ William added, before crossing himself by habit. He was still his father’s son.
That got a sort of hollow cheer from the fighting men who could hear, leaving William to wonder what they had been told. Did they have any real notion of what they faced? If they did, would they desert Pandulf?
‘No, they took an oath facing God,’ said Drogo, when William voiced that possibility. ‘They will keep it, as would we.’
They took their horses to the stables and gave instructions they should be fed and watered, then went in search of the Court Chamberlain.
‘William and Drogo de Hauteville to see Prince Pandulf on a matter of great urgency, bearing the greetings of the Lord of Aversa.’
Previously the man’s response would have been haughty; there was none of that now, he practically ran into the audience chamber, shouting who had arrived and on whose behalf. The brothers did not wait, they marched in behind him, to find the Wolf surrounded both by fighting men and courtiers, all of whom seemed intent on giving him advice.
‘My good friends,’ he cried when he espied them, coming towards them arms outstretched.
William went down on one knee. Drogo followed, whispering, ‘What are you doing?’
‘Trust me,’ William replied, just before Pandulf’s hand touched his arm.
‘Arise, arise, you have no need to kneel to me.’
Odd, the thought came, how you always ignored me when I came with Rainulf. Upright, William looked the Wolf right in the eye. ‘I wish you to have no doubt of the depth of respect in which we hold you, Prince Pandulf, and so does our liege lord.’
‘Good. Rainulf sent you to me in my hour of need.’
‘To assure you he is making ready to come to Capua with every lance at his disposal.’
‘Will it be enough?’ Pandulf asked, his face creased with concern.
‘It is to discuss this that we have been sent to speak with you.’
Pandulf could not help himself; a look of deep suspicion crossed his face, before he wiped it off and replaced it with his worried smile.
‘I think we need to speak with you alone, sire.’
‘Yes, yes,’ Pandulf cried, waving his arms at those who had previously surrounded him. ‘Leave us, I must hear what the Lord of Aversa has to say.’
William waited until the room was cleared before speaking. ‘He would have come himself, sire, but he must make all ready.’
‘Tell me of his thinking.’
‘He wishes first, sire, to know the size of the enemy we must face.’
‘Not great,’ Pandulf replied, his eyes suddenly bright with optimism, until he realised with all the activity of repair going on, such a response did not make sense. ‘Large, enough to besiege this place, but, with Rainulf at my side, I think one we can defeat.’
‘It is the emperor?’ Drogo asked.
‘Yes. False words have been placed in his ear. Lies have been told. I am sure when he sees the truth we will have nothing to fear.’
‘You have sent an embassy?’
Pandulf looked at William and, if it was only his eyes that seemed to want to kill him, that was enough. ‘Not yet.’
‘Good,’ William replied.
‘What?’
William smiled at Pandulf’s confused expression. ‘Rainulf is of the opinion that Conrad should be approached jointly, that you and he should present yourselves to the emperor together.’
‘To do what?’
‘To set right what lies he has been told, to seek to deflect him from coming any further south.’
‘What makes Rainulf think he will listen?’
‘Sire, he will listen if you are penitent.’ That was not an emotion pleasing to Pandulf, and try as he might he could not disguise it. ‘Whatever rights you think you hold, sire, you must give up the lands of the Abbey of Montecassino.’
His reply was almost like a man with a wound. ‘Give them up?’
‘That must be what has made him act as he has. No imperial host comes south of Rome without purpose.’
‘Give them up?’ he said again.
‘As well as Abbot Theodore. I assume he is still alive?’
‘I do not know.’
That was very like Pandulf: once someone was put in his dungeons, he had no interest in them at all.
‘Then, sire, I would suggest we need to find out. I think also the Archbishop of Capua should be freed to return to his Episcopal Palace. You must do something to appease the wrath of the emperor, so he will listen, and that would also placate your citizenry.’
It took the Wolf a while, as being placatory was not in his nature, but eventually he acceded.
‘Let us hope Abbot Theodore is up to a journey.’ Pandulf was nodding, but that stopped as William added his next notion, making it sound as though it had just occurred. ‘Perhaps Rainulf is wrong, perhaps it would be better if you accompanied the Abbot Theodore, took him to Conrad as a gesture of peace.’
William could almost see his mind working: there was no way Pandulf was going to put himself in the hands of Conrad, with Rainulf or the abbot at his side, given he knew what he had done and how it was perceived. He would be searching for an alternative, which was what William wanted.
‘My mind is troubled, William.’
‘How so, sire?’
The Wolf began to move around, his arms being used to emphasise his thinking as he posed a stream of rhetorical questions. ‘Regarding what we do not know. Do we have knowledge of the lies Conrad has been fed? No. Do we know the size of his host? No. Do we have any notion of what he intends? No. Of what will satisfy him? No. These things need to be known before I can even think of an embassy. I’m sure Rainulf would say the same.’
‘Would such knowledge alter what you will do, sire?’ asked Drogo, William being grateful his brother had intervened; he was getting sick of doing all the asking.
‘Oh, yes,’ Pandulf said, his voice silky. ‘If we knew how large was his army, we could plan how to confront it, Rainulf and I. If we knew Conrad’s intentions, we would have some notion of how to deflect him. I think it would be better to know these things before Rainulf and I even think of discussing terms.’
‘Terms?’
‘Certain offers will have to be made.’
‘You speak of things of which I know nothing, sire.’
‘I have it,’ cried Pandulf. ‘Conrad, because of these falsehoods laid against me, would be a hard man to deal with directly. He must be brought to think on them first, to see that there are untruths. And, might I say, it would be to the advantage of Rainulf and me to be invited under truce to commune with him. To just arrive, before he has had an opportunity to ponder, might see us seized and given no chance to plead for the justice we deserve.’
Pandulf turned to face them, beaming like a man from whom a great burden has been lifted.
‘The solution is to send emissaries first, to find out that which we need to know and also to extract a safe conduct. And who could be better placed to undertake this than you?’
