insisted upon seeking aid from Lord John. The Lady Emma agreed to let her son send a man to Paris, but she said it would do no good. After thinking about it for another day, she announced that there was only one man who might be able to help, and she ordered me to ride for the Earl of Chester’s castle at St James de Beuvron. She said all knew he and the Duchess Constance had no fondness for each other, but he was still her lawful husband, still Duke of Brittany and that had to count for something. The fact that he was on this side of the Channel and not back in Cheshire, well, that most likely played a part in her thinking, too. St James de Beuvron is a lot closer than Paris!”
“Emma’s been accused of many things,” Durand observed, “but no one has ever called her a fool. There’ll be no living with her after this, de Quincy. Not only was it a clever idea, but she actually coaxed Chester into agreeing to it!”
That amazed Justin, too. He did not know the Earl of Chester that well. They’d worked together that past summer to recover the portion of King Richard’s ransom that had gone missing in Wales, and he’d been favorably impressed by the man. But he’d never have expected Chester to be the one to throw him a lifeline. He was about to ask Morgan to tell them more when the kitchen doors swung open and the earl himself strolled in.
“The Lady Emma insisted that every stitch you were wearing be burned, but she is sending in some garments for you to wear, courtesy of the lord of the manor. Raoul is providing you with swords, too, even if he does not know it yet. But he can well afford it.”
Justin was unable to restrain his curiosity any longer. “Where is Lord Raoul, my lord earl?”
“Fortunately for you, Constance wanted to give her cousin a noble funeral. She and Raoul and the rest of her court are at Mont St Michel, burying the Lady Arzhela. That gave me the opportunity I needed. I knew the garrison would not dare deny me entry in my wife’s absence. If any of them harbored suspicions, the presence of the Lady Emma and the Lady Claudine assuaged them, and we were made welcome. Once my men were admitted, it was easy enough to overcome the garrison and take control. We’ll free them when we leave, and if Raoul de Fougeres or my lady wife have any complaints, they can take them up with me.”
Justin was regarding Chester with something approaching awe. “You make it sound so simple, my lord earl. I shall never forget what you have done here this day. I doubt that I can ever repay you, but it will be an honor to try.”
Chester nodded graciously, then glanced over at Durand, so pointedly that Durand hastily expressed his own thanks. “De Quincy is too polite to ask,” he continued audaciously, “but I am not. Why did you agree to help us, my lord?”
The earl could easily have taken offense. But Durand’s luck held, for Chester prided himself on his own forthrightness and was confident enough to appreciate it in others. “Just as the ingredients in a rissole vary according to the tastes of the cook, so did our little alliance contain its share of differing motives. The lovely Lady Claudine seems to fancy Justin. The Lady Emma appears to be trying to curry favor with the queen. As for your man Morgan, you’ll have to let him speak for himself; I have no idea what is motivating him. But for myself, I’ve come to respect Justin de Quincy. He proved his worth in Wales last summer, is too good a man to rot in a Breton gaol.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Justin said, startled. Durand’s smile was more skeptical.
“It could not hurt, either,” he said cynically, “to do a good deed for the man who might be England’s next king.”
“Durand, can you never control that loose tongue of yours?” Justin growled, but the Earl of Chester looked wryly amused.
“He is right, de Quincy. Unless King Richard sires a son, it is inevitable that men will look to John as his heir. I know you to be the queen’s man, body and soul. You’d never act against her interests. So if you are involved in this, it can only be because the queen wants it so-reason enough for me to offer my assistance.”
Chester helped himself to a portion of roast chicken. “Are you two up to riding? It would probably be wiser to return to my castle at St James rather than tarry the night here. I doubt that Lord Raoul will be pleased by my abuse of his hospitality. Nor will my lady wife,” he added, with a sudden, malicious grin that revealed he had another motive for interceding. He could not resist this God-given chance to make mischief for Constance.
CHAPTER 17
February 1194
ST JAMES DE BEUVRON, BRITTANY
Watching a new life come into the world was the perfect restorative after living so intimately with death for twelve days. The foal’s first steps were wobbly, like those of a sailor stranded on dry land. Its legs seemed too long for its little body, and Justin marveled that this tottering baby would one day run a hole in the wind.
“He’s a handsome lad,” the Earl of Chester said, sounding more like a proud father than a master. “I think he’ll be a good one.”
Justin thought so, too. “A pity Morgan was not here to see the birth. He has a way with horses like no man I’ve ever known.”
“Has he come back from the Mont yet?” When Justin shook his head, Chester gave him a contemplative look. “Spying on Lord Raoul and my lady wife, is he? Why do I think there is more involved in his mission than that?”
“Most likely because there is,” Justin conceded. He should have known Chester’s sharp eye would not miss much. He hadn’t been trying to keep anything from the earl, but reticence was a natural habit with him. “We were held in the porter’s lodge for two nights,” he explained, “and whilst I was there, I hid a letter under a coffer. Morgan thought he’d be able to retrieve it without arousing suspicion.”
“I can guess what this letter said. Lucky you thought of that. You’d not have wanted to be found with a letter proclaiming you to be Queen Eleanor’s man-not in my wife’s court-and they would have been sure to search you right thoroughly ere they threw you into that Breton dungeon.”
“They did that,” Justin said, grimacing at the memory.
“They took all of your money, too, of course. A shame, for you’ll never see a sou of it again.”
Justin ducked his head to hide a smile, amused that the earl offered only sympathy. Back in Cheshire, he’d had a reputation for being frugal, not an admired trait in a man of such high rank. “The Lady Emma has agreed to lend us what money we need, or rather, she says her son will, contingent upon being paid back by Lord John when we reach Paris.”
“Repayment from John? That I’d truly like to see,” Chester said with a chuckle.
Justin grinned, for he agreed with Chester. Guy de Laval had a better chance of sprouting wings than he did of collecting any money from John, and Emma, of all women, would know that. But the more costly she made her son’s foray into conspiracy, the less likely he was to repeat it.
Justin was relieved, although not surprised, when Chester asked no further questions. The earl had a finely developed sense of what he needed to know and what he did not when dealing with royal intrigues, and seemed content knowing only that Justin and Emma had been attempting to expose a Breton plot against John. Justin wasn’t sure how much Emma had confided in Chester to gain his assistance, but he felt confident that her son’s involvement would not be among the secrets she’d shared.
A shout from outside drew their attention away from the mare and her nursing newborn, and they emerged from the stables in time to see Morgan dismounting in the bailey. At the sight of Justin, he broke into a wide grin. “I’ve got it,” he announced. “It was almost too easy, not a challenge at all.” Handing over the queen’s letter, he said, “And I am bringing back some interesting news, too. Yesterday Lord Raoul got an urgent message from his castle garrison and the whole lot of them went galloping off, including your lady duchess, my lord of Chester!”
“I’ll be expecting company, then, in a few days,” Chester predicted placidly. “I expect you’ll be gone by that time, though. Where to-back to Paris?”
Justin nodded. “But first we must go to Genets, where two of our men are being held. The Bretons turned them over to the local provost, and since he answers to King Richard, not Duchess Constance, I hope that we can persuade him to free them.”
“Even after a summer amongst the Welsh, you remain remarkably trusting, Justin.” Chester’s tone was dry, but his black eyes held a gleam of amusement. “The queen’s letter would serve you better if the provost did not
