The Duke's Pawn

Chapter 6: A Night Well Used

Calais, the same evening.

Seated at his writing cabinet, in the solar, Richard was deciphering the parchment. Alienor had retired to their chambers for a well deserved bath, after a light dinner of roasted goose and vegetables. He had ordered for the table to be set in front of the fireplace, so that she would be comfortable and warm despite her damp clothes.

He could have offered her to change beforehand, but he had guessed that the humidity would have sunk through her luggage, and that most of her dresses would need to dry before she could wear them. He had given her one of his robes to use while she was getting ready for bed; she might be his wife, but tonight she was also his most valued guest, and he would ensure that she was treated as such.

Conversing with her had been a great pleasure; she was aware of the political situation and had a fast mind. He truly enjoyed bouncing ideas off her and listening to her point of view. Of course he would never be able to share all his secrets with her, but it had been years since he had discussed so freely with anybody. No other than his King and the Duke knew of his real position until today. For everyone else he was, as per his official cover, one of the many clerks of the Exchequer.

She had him worried though, upon telling him of her adventures in Paris. Her contact had been very foolish, addressing her and her only publicly. He should have been mingling around with other patrons, making their encounter less obvious, especially when he was conscious of being followed. Now she might be compromised, although she assured him that the man had no proof. Letting him live might have been a mistake, even if he understood her reasons. There was nothing to be done about it now; time would tell.

She would have to return to Paris in a couple of months, officially on her way to her sister who was expecting her first born. He would need to find a safer manner for her to receive the message, or the spy's suspicions would be confirmed, bringing her to her doom. A terrible thought crossed his mind; what if she was carrying his child by then? Would he still let her put herself at risk?

Leaning his elbows on the foldable panel, he lowered his head in his hands. He had feared from the start, when King Edward had summoned him, that he wouldn't like what he would hear. The King had been too cheerful; Richard was well aware that his master loathed him for remaining in office and spying on him three years ago, when Henri VI had him overthrown and running to Burgundy for asylum. No matter how much he explained that he was sworn to serve faithfully whoever was on the throne of England, Lancaster or York, Edward never forgave him.

And that day had proved it again.

"My beloved brother of Burgundy has sent us a very interesting missive, suggesting a solution to our little French issue. We could use a woman traveling through Paris, between her family and her husband. I find the idea excellent, and even have a husband in mind: you, my friend. It is about time you got married, or I won't be able to protect you much longer from the scrutiny of the church. Who knows what they could dig up, should they try... I am fairly certain that a few men would be happy to testify that you have attempted to push them into the sin of sodomy. What is worse, I wonder, the execution itself, or having your private parts cut off and burnt in front of you before?"

Richard had managed to keep an indifferent face, using all his willpower. His mistake had been to approach a young man at court, the heir of a powerful Baron of the North, supporter of the house of Lancaster. The new courtier had been showing undeniable interest in him, and Richard had seized the opportunity to get leverage on the father through the son, securing his allegiance to the King. He had led the man to believe that the attraction was mutual, and then threatened to denounce him if he didn't convince his father to give full support to King Edward. Unfortunately, the youngster was smitten, and had been following him around, declaring his undying love less than discreetly and causing detrimental rumours to blossom. He was arrested, of course, and released into the King's custody, which had achieved the initial goal. Were his father to as much as whisper a word against Edward, the son would be delivered into the heavy hands of the Church, and put to death. So everything ended up to his master's advantage, leaving Richard's reputation as collateral damage.