Propped up on his elbow, Geoffrey grinned, saying his wife had been very grateful, and Hal regarded him in surprise, for that sly smile was easy enough to interpret. So the demure, dignified Constance was a hell-cat in bed! Who would ever have guessed it? Flipping the wineskin to Geoffrey, he said, “So…you’ve had no luck in getting Papa to hand over Richmond or Nantes?”
“No,” Geoffrey said tersely, but then made an effort to sound more positive. “At least he has given me a free hand in governing the rest of Brittany.”
Hal was looking at him pensively, no longer smiling. “I wonder,” he said, “if you and Richard realize how lucky you both are.”
Geoffrey was in no mood for one of Hal’s self-pitying rants. “Need I remind you that a king takes precedence over a duke-even a king in waiting?”
“Yes, but would either of you truly trade places with me? I think not. Anyway, that was not what I meant. You are lucky because the two of you are not as emotionally entangled with Papa as I am. It is easier for you.”
Geoffrey sat upright on the bed. “What do you mean?”
“Give me the wineskin back and I’ll tell you.” Making a deft one-handed catch, Hal took a swig before saying, “Let’s suppose that another Great Flood engulfs the world on the morrow, and the Almighty selects Richard to be the new Noah, only He tells Richard to fill his ark with family, not creatures of the earth. What would Richard do?”
“How would I know?”
“You know. The only person Richard loves is Maman. He’d take her onboard and leave the rest of us to drown.”
“I’ll grant you that,” Geoffrey said, after a moment’s reflection, “though he might also take Joanna. But what of me? Are you saying my ark would be empty, too, except for Maman?”
“No, you’d take us all along. Well, not Richard; he’d better hope he could swim. But you’d warn the rest of us of the coming Flood. We’d only have so many chances, though, to catch the ark. If one of us had used up his chances, you’d sail off without a backward glance. I cannot say for certes when you left Papa stranded on the shore, but most likely it happened last year when he kept control of Nantes and the Honour of Richmond.”
Hal had not often surprised Geoffrey, but he’d done so now. He’d not thought Hal was that insightful. Looking at his brother through new eyes, he said, “And who would occupy your ark, Hal? Would you find room for Papa?”
Hal shrugged and then sighed. “It depends on the day. That is why I say you and Richard are the lucky ones.”
Geoffrey was finding this conversation intriguing, but he wasn’t sure it was wise to venture into such uncharted terrain. He’d never before talked openly about his own ambivalent feelings for their father. “As interesting as this is, Hal, I doubt that you sought me out to talk of arks. What really brought you here?”
“You’re right. I do have something in mind. One reason I took so long to reach Puy-St-Front was that I was meeting with some of Richard’s rebellious barons. On St Martial’s feast day, I was in Limoges, where the viscount and the people welcomed me warmly and then-”
“Save your breath, Brother. I am not interested in another rebellion against Papa. I did that once before, and it did not turn out so well.”
“I agree with you, Geoff. Papa is not the target. Richard is.”
Geoffrey rose, crossed the chamber, and slid the bolt into place. Coming back to the bed, he stood looking down at his brother. “What have you gotten yourself into now, Hal?”
“Over the past few years, I’ve come to know quite a few of the Poitevin lords. If truth be told, they’ve sought me out. Richard has done the impossible-gotten that lot of mules and malcontents to unite in a common cause. They grudgingly respect his battle skills, but when he tried to change local laws of inheritance, that was too much for them to swallow. They do not want him as their duke, have promised to transfer their allegiance to me if I am willing to help them overthrow him. I thought you might be interested in joining us.”
“What would I gain by that?”
“Apart from the great satisfaction in seeing Richard brought down?” Hal’s grin was so contagious that Geoffrey could not help returning it. “I’d make it worth your while, Geoff. One of these days I will actually become king, for not even Papa can live forever, and when I do, I’ll hand over Richmond and Nantes to you straightaway.”
“Mayhap you would, but Papa could live another twenty years. Who’s to say that I cannot coax him into dealing with me fairly whilst he is still alive? He has never refused me outright, keeps saying that he’ll give them to me in time.”
“If you still believe in Papa’s good faith, you probably believe in mermaids and dragons, too. I am willing to offer more than future gains. Once I am in control of Aquitaine, I’ll no longer be dependent upon Papa’s whims, his meager acts of charity. There will be lucrative wardships and marriages at my disposal, and who better to share them with than my brother? And Poitou is a land of many castles, a number of which are located close to the borders of Brittany. What would make more sense than to turn some of these castles over to you?”
“I will not deny it is a tempting offer,” Geoffrey said slowly, “for I do not fancy having Richard as my neighbor, constantly watching Brittany with hungry eyes. But it is a risky proposal, too. Are you so sure we could bring Richard down?”
“His delusions of grandeur notwithstanding, Richard is not Caesar or Charlemagne. Nor would we lack for allies. Virtually all of the barons of Aquitaine would come in with us, even the wily de Lusignans. They see this as a matter of their survival. And we could expect aid from my brother-in-law, too. After all that Papa had done for him, I was hesitant about broaching the subject with Philippe. I need not have worried, though. Indeed, I was surprised how willing he was to join us.”
That did not surprise Geoffrey at all. “So you are saying you’d have the backing of all the lords of Aquitaine, and the backing, too, of the French king. Are you not forgetting someone?”
“I do not think so. The Count of Toulouse would never be able to resist an opportunity like this, and mayhap even the-”
“What about our father?”
“What about him? We would be striking at Richard, not him.”
“And you think he’d stand aside, do nothing as Richard went down?”
“Why not? I know full well he loves me better than Richard. Papa might even be relieved to be rid of him. You cannot tell me that a man as full of ungodly suspicions as our father does not worry about Brother Richard’s trustworthiness. Surely he knows how much Richard resents him for keeping Maman captive all these years.” Hal got to his feet, too, reached out and put his hand on Geoffrey’s arm. “So…what say you?”
“I will think about it.”
“You can give me no better answer than that?”
“As I said, I will think about it. But this you must bear in mind, Hal. This cannot be a halfhearted effort. There can be no eleventh-hour regrets. If you are serious about this, you must commit to it…and you must prepare for all possible consequences. In other words, you cannot take it for granted that Papa would not rush to Richard’s rescue. If you do this, you must be willing to fight Papa, too, if it comes to that.”
Hal had no such misgivings, sure that if their father were forced to choose between him and Richard, he’d be the chosen one. He did not want to lose Geoffrey, though, by pushing too hard, too soon. Geoffrey would be an invaluable ally, for he had a cool head, was quick-witted, and could dip into the royal coffers of Brittany to hire the routiers they would need. “Fair enough,” he said. “Think about it. Just do not wait too long. Opportunities like this do not come along that often.”
Geoffrey knew he was right. The trouble was that opportunities and pitfalls could not always be easily or clearly distinguished, one from the other. He would talk to Constance, he decided, although he already knew what she would say, for they were very much alike, born gamblers willing to take great risks if the rewards were equally great. And the rewards Hal was offering were very great, indeed.
The Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria was standing with her brothers on the battlements of Chinon Castle, where she discovered that they were right: the view was indeed breathtaking. Below them lay the narrow, crooked streets and blue slate roofs of the village, and beyond was the silvery expanse of the River Vienne, shimmering against a deep blue September sky.
