Besides, he’s not all bad. He can be good company and is very generous. He also warms my bed at night.’ She smiled mischievously. ‘He’s very good at that too.’
So, as I had always suspected, beneath that saintly facade, hot blood did run in my sister’s veins.
‘Who are the young people you have brought with you?’ she asked.
‘They are interesting. I am going to present them to both of you when Malcolm has faced up to what you and I know is inevitable.’
It did not take long for Malcolm to compose himself sufficiently for me to talk to him, especially after his senior lords and allies told him that they had no stomach for a fight with Robert and his Norman cavalry. His Council of War had not gone well and he had retreated to the battlements of his tower to ponder his dilemma.
Darkness was settling over the hillsides to the east of his royal burgh as I clambered through the trapdoor to the top of the tower.
‘They won’t fight.’
‘They are very wise, you should listen to them.’
‘I am their Lord, they should listen to me.’
‘I’m sure they hold you in the greatest esteem, but without their support you can’t put more than 1,000 men in the field. Even if you had their warbands, you would be no match for Robert. They know that — and I’m sure you do. It’s just that you don’t want to accept it.’
‘You play a clever game, Edgar. Do you also tell Robert what he “knows” and what he “won’t accept”?’
‘Sometimes, but he and I have also become friends. I have not been disloyal to you or to him. I sent you information to your advantage when Robert rebelled against his father. You took advantage of that to try to reassert your claims in the Borders. When he and his father became reconciled, my loyalties became compromised. I explained my dilemma to Robert, and he accepted it. Now I am explaining it to you.’
‘And you expect me to accept it?’
‘Yes.’
‘You speak like a papal legate — full of fine words and crafty thinking. But I’m suspicious of men who won’t settle their differences on the battlefield. Words are easier said than deeds done.’
‘Robert is not a man to avoid a fight. Believe me, he would like nothing better than to defeat you in battle, take your head back to London and claim a vast new kingdom. But the Normans know they are not yet ready to try to impose their rule this far north. So, the compromise you should consider is for you to guarantee stability on the border so that they can continue to consolidate their power in England and allow you to have peace in Scotland — at least, for the time being.’
‘On the understanding that it is only a matter of time before the Normans bring a vast army here to take my domain.’
‘You’re right, it is only a matter of time, but I don’t think it will happen in William’s reign. He is getting weaker and his neighbours are getting stronger, especially Philip of France. So, you have time to make Scotland stronger. Take it! Build your alliances with the Norse in the Highlands and Islands, and with the Danes. Make preparations so that your sons have a better chance to resist when the onslaught comes.’
Malcolm pondered for some time, pacing up and down.
‘I am relieved that Duncan is well and that the Normans treat him with respect.’
‘He is indeed well. He is kept close to the King, but he is well cared for and flourishes, perhaps a little too well. I didn’t mention this to Margaret, but I hear that many a fair maiden at the court of Rouen has fond memories of the boy’s Scottish vigour.’
‘Good boy!’ Malcolm smiled for the first time. ‘I’m glad he’s sowing his wild Scottish oats. I wouldn’t expect anything else from a Canmore.’ Growing serious once more, he said, ‘I suppose you are right. Perhaps Duncan will have a better chance of dealing with the Normans — at least, he’ll know them well. Perhaps your fine words are wise words.’
‘Scotland could prosper for a long time yet. If William splits his legacy between Robert and Rufus, sooner or later they will fight and the Norman Empire will be severely weakened.’
‘So, I must bow to the Normans once more?’
‘Yes, but it will be the action of a wise king, not a weak one.’
Malcolm reflected for a while. Although he dreaded the prospect and the humiliation of it, he knew what he had to do.
‘Will you make the arrangements?’
‘I suggest Abernethy Tower again. Robert will like that; it will make him look good in his father’s eyes.’
So, eight years after Malcolm’s first submission to the Normans at Abernethy Tower, the ceremony was repeated. Once more, Malcolm, King of the Scots, placed his hand on Bede’s mighty Bible and swore his fealty to William, King of England and Duke of Normandy.
Robert was gentler with Malcolm than his father had been, and the two men showed one another a mutual respect.
As Robert prepared his army to march south, we returned to Dunfermline so that I could say goodbye to my sister and to Scotland yet again. It was also an opportunity to introduce my brothers-in-arms formally to Malcolm and Margaret.
After the courtesies, during which Adela and Sweyn behaved impeccably — just like the young courtiers they had become — the four of us sat at the King’s high table for dinner and enjoyed a typical Scottish banquet, heavy on meat and game and even heavier on mead, beer and wine.
Although it was not apparent from their behaviour, I thought about how Adela and Sweyn must be feeling, seated within a few feet of a king at his high table. They had become part of the lesser gentry of Aquitaine — nonetheless, their life had been lived a long way from the tables of kings.
After the banquet, I sat with Malcolm and Margaret to discuss the future and tell them of my fears for the Celtic peoples of Britain.
‘The Welsh princes are already in awe of the Normans. They have few natural defences and the Norman lords are building huge castles everywhere. William Fitz Osbern, Earl of Hereford, has taken Chepstow and Monmouth; Hugh of Avranches, Earl of Chester, is in control as far as Denbigh; and Roger Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, has pushed deep into the heartland of the Welsh tribes along the Vale of Powys. Scotland’s time will come and, in due course, Ireland will also face the Norman threat. For the moment, they are lucky; they have the great Western Sea to protect them, but it won’t keep them safe for ever.’
As always, Margaret’s thoughts were for me rather than the affairs of kings and their realms.
‘Your advice to Malcolm to count our blessings and prepare for the future is much appreciated, but what will you do now?’
‘Well, I have my small band and we’ve sworn allegiance to one another. We may stay with Robert, or go in search of adventures of our own.’
Malcolm laughed out loud.
‘You are wise in the affairs of others, but a fool to yourself. Your “band” is one knight of good birth, a boy who has the beard of an old crone and a girl who thinks she’s a man!’
‘Malcolm, please don’t be unkind to Edgar,’ Margaret remonstrated. ‘We owe him a lot, don’t forget that.’
‘I think our debts balance in the pan now! But I still maintain it’s ridiculous for a royal prince to have a retinue of three — two of whom should not even be in the same room as him.’
Malcolm’s boorish comments were beginning to irk me.
‘Please don’t goad me; their origins are way behind them. They are exceptional people who have been brought up in very special circumstances and fully deserve my allegiance.’
Whether Malcolm agreed with her or not, I felt that Margaret spoke for both of them as the evening drew to a close.
‘Go with our prayers and blessing. God’s speed, until we meet again.’
It was painful to think that I had to leave Margaret yet again. She had such strength and had managed to make a life — indeed, to find happiness — in a place not of her choosing and with a man she had resisted for a long time. She had been the anchor in my life as a boy and in many ways her inspiration still guided me.
I took comfort from the fact that Malcolm’s new treaty with the Normans should keep her and Scotland safe for the time being, but I remained concerned that, sooner or later, Malcolm’s temperament, coupled with the
