Lady of Hay

With a gesture he dismissed her. Then as she curtsied and turned toward the door he called out. “By the way, my lady. I have no doubt you have heard that following the papal interdict I am confiscating all church property for the use of the crown. I understand there are substantial properties waiting for me in Hereford. Episcopal properties.”

Matilda swallowed, nervously holding her breath.

“You must admit, my lady”-his voice was as smooth as a cat’s purr-“that I have grounds for scenting treachery within the de Braose family. Very good grounds.”

When William returned to the Hay from his meeting with the king three days later, it seemed that all had gone well. He strode into the hall, where most of the household were gathered for the noonday meal. At his side were two of the king’s officers.

Matilda laid down her napkin and rose to her feet, anxiously scanning her husband’s face for signs of worry or anger. He met her eyes and then glanced down, swallowing nervously.

“Father, what happened? What did the king say?” Will was around the table and off the dais in a moment, confronting his father. There was silence in the great hall. At the high table all eyes were fixed on William and at the lower tables where other members of his household ate; men and women alike waited with bated breath for their lord to speak. The only sound came from the fires, where logs hissed and crackled between the great iron dogs and from behind the serving screens at the back of the hall, where a hastily suppressed giggle rang out in the silence.

“We have reached an agreement.” William spoke at last. Matilda saw him swallow again and she felt a tremor of unease. Silently they waited for him to go on.

“The king has agreed that I can spread the payments of my debts over several years,” he continued, and then, as if conscious for the first time of the watching eyes from the depths of the hall, he stepped onto the dais, lowering his voice. “The king has requested one or two guarantees that I will pay.” He glanced over his shoulder at the waiting officers and then turned back, refusing to meet Matilda’s gaze. Full of misgivings, she slowly seated herself once more, forcing herself to stay calm.

“What guarantee does the king demand, William?” She reached slowly for her goblet, keeping her voice slow and steady with an effort.

“I have agreed that he take all my Welsh lands and castles into the royal holding, just until I pay. He has already sent constables to take them over-all but Hay, which he said was more yours.” He frowned. “And then…” Once more he looked at the floor, his voice trailing away uncertainly as a gasp of horror went around the high table.

“ And , William?” Matilda could feel Reginald beside her holding his breath. She put her hand gently over his on the table. Before them the plate of meat congealed in a pool of cooling fat.

“And I agreed that we should give him hostages, Moll. Many, many other families have been asked to do the same. It’s not just us.” He hesitated. “He wants Will, and our two grandsons, little John, and Isobel’s son, baby Ralph-”

“ No! ” Will sprang to face his father, his face white with fury. “You would dare to hand babes over to the king! Ralph is only three days old, for God’s sake! How did the king know Isobel had come here from Wigmore? How did he know Ralph even existed?” He turned and glared accusingly at his mother, but William interrupted.

“No, Will, not your mother. I told him. I had to offer more surety. He would not give me the time to pay otherwise. I had to have time. I thought he was going to arrest me.” His eyes were fixed at last on his wife’s face.

Slowly she stood up. So John had been mocking her all along, lying when he said he would demand no one of importance to her. After pushing back her chair, she walked behind the others seated at the table and came around to the edge of the dais. Her eyes were hard as she turned to the king’s officers standing side by side below the step. “If the king requires hostages he shall have them,” she stated flatly. “I will give myself if necessary, but I would deliver none- none of my sons to the king, you can tell him that. If he asks why, remind him of his promise to me and tell him that perhaps he should think of the honorable way he treated his brother’s child, his own nephew Arthur, then he will know why I would not trust him with my sons!”

“Matilda!” William broke in, scandalized. “You mustn’t mention that. It is not supposed to be known! I swore to keep it a secret!”

Matilda turned her blazing eyes on her husband. “I think it is as well that the king should know that his people realize what has been going on. I wouldn’t trust him with any of my family. He let me believe he would ask for no hostages of importance and then he does this.”

William hastily stepped from the dais. He put his hand on the shoulder of one of the king’s officers. “Tell the king I’m sorry. Tell him I’m still ready to make good.” He hesitated. “But without hostages. I’ll go before his court and whichever barons he chooses…Make no mention of anything my wife said. Please. She was overwrought.”

The king was told, however, word for word, what Matilda had said.

He reacted with an outbreak of unprecedented fury, followed by the issue of orders that William and Matilda and their entire family should be arrested without delay. Appalled, Matilda listened to the breathless, garbled warnings as she stood with Earl Ferrers in the bailey at Hay as a messenger from Hereford flung himself off his lathered horse at her feet, gesticulating wildly behind him, tripping over his words in his haste.

Matilda went cold with terror as she understood at last that the king was sending men to arrest them. “You must leave,” she said to the young earl urgently. “Leave quickly. This is our quarrel. You’re not involved and there’s no need for you to get on the wrong side of the king.”

Ferrers had gone quite pale. He scrambled hastily onto the horse that his esquire had brought him ready for a hawking trip, and sat for a moment looking down at Matilda. “If there’s anything I can do, I will. You know that.”

“I know.” She smiled tautly. “Now ride quickly. I want those gates closed.”

She watched with a frown as the young man galloped out, not pausing even to summon his attendants, save for the astonished esquire who had time only to throw himself across his own unsaddled gelding and pelt after his young master. Then slowly-too slowly, it seemed to Matilda-the great gates swung to behind him. With a hammering heart she beckoned the messenger and sent to find her husband.

“What shall we do?” William looked from one to the other of his sons. “It’s all your fault, you stupid woman.” He turned on Matilda. “Why could you not have kept your mouth shut? Now the king will never forgive us! We are all doomed. It is the end.”

“She did right, Father.” Reginald’s was the only calm voice among them. “You should not have allowed the king to demand our children. If you had failed to pay, he might have-” Seeing Mattie’s face as she held little John in her arms, he broke off abruptly. The whole family was congregated around the fire in the solar. Will stood behind his wife, his hands gently on her shoulders. Only Isobel was missing, still in bed after the birth of her baby. No one had told her that her little Ralph had been demanded as hostage.

“There’s nothing left for it but to fight him.” Reginald spoke again. “You’ve nothing to lose, Father, and a lot to gain if you win. That way you could demand exemption from the debt altogether, or at least time to pay on your own terms.”

“No, Reginald!” Adam de Porter’s quiet voice cut him short. “You must not fight the king. Your father must demand a fair hearing and I think your mother should ask the king’s pardon for her rash remark. You must all throw yourselves on the king’s mercy. To fight him would be treason.”

It was Matilda’s turn to be furious. She faced him. “Never. Never will we throw ourselves on John’s mercy, nor appeal to his honor. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word.”

“Reginald is right, you know, Father.” Will spoke at last. “We should fight. Things have gone too far now. You reclaim your rights and territories and repay the debt as and when you can and then the king will have no more complaint against you. And Mother must never apologize to the king. That would be unthinkable.” His eyes strayed to his mother’s face and for a moment they held one another’s gaze. Matilda looked away first.

There was a knock outside. The door opened before anyone answered and Stephen the steward appeared, a worried frown on his lined face. “The king’s men are at the gates, my lord, demanding entry. They have warrants.”

“They are not to come in.” William slammed his fist on the table. “Pour some slops on their heads if they dare