‘Hereward,’ I said, after Robert had finished relating this information to us. ‘This was his doing, wasn’t it?’
‘Who else could it be?’ he said with a shrug, before riding on to seek out his other vassals and pass on the news. He was there when the two marsh-dwellers had been brought in, having been summoned by the king to offer his counsel. I wondered if that was a sign that his reputation was once more on the rise, though it went against what Atselin had told me. At the very least the king no longer seemed to regard him with the same contempt as he had but a few days ago, and I hoped that was a sign of better fortune to follow.
‘You mentioned before that there is no love between your uncle and Hereward,’ I said to Godric once we were back in the saddle. ‘Why is that?’
The king had entrusted him for now to Robert’s care and protection, and so he rode with us, having finally been relieved of his bonds. None of us thought him likely to attempt an escape, not with so many pairs of eyes watching him. Besides, even though he seemed to be a more adept horseman than he was a fighter, I doubted he would be able to outpace us.
‘Isn’t it obvious, lord?’ Godric asked.
I shrugged. Perhaps it was obvious to him, but it wasn’t to me.
‘To begin with, as you know, it was Hereward who led the rebellion. When we arrived two months ago, however, he was made to surrender his leadership and give his oath to my uncle.’
‘He was made to give his oath? How?’
‘That was what my uncle demanded, in return for his support and the men that he’d brought. At that time, Hereward and his allies had gathered a sizeable army, but they saw that if they were to fight King Guillaume then they needed Morcar.’
‘And Hereward was content simply to bend his knee and let your uncle assume the leadership?’
Godric shook his head. ‘For days he refused even to meet him or speak to his envoys. Had his been the only decision that mattered, I think he might have turned us away.’
Perhaps he was less clever than I had supposed. ‘Are you telling me he was willing to deprive himself and the rebellion of twelve hundred men?’
Had he done so, then the course of this war might have been very different. One thing was certain: we would not still be here now.
‘He dreams of glory,’ Godric explained. ‘He hates your people for stealing his lands and those of his countrymen, for despoiling the kingdom. He wants his name to pass into legend as the man who won England back for its people.’
At that I laughed so hard I almost choked, and Pons and Serlo, riding ahead of me, both shot me bemused looks over their shoulders. ‘Is this true?’
‘So his retainers say. They claim that St ?thelthryth, whose remains are buried beneath the church at Elyg, appeared to him in a dream and charged him with protecting the Isle and with destroying King Guillaume.’
‘And he believes this?’
‘He seems to. He certainly thinks highly enough of himself. Every time I see him at Elyg he is parading himself like a king. He wraps himself in fine-spun cloaks trimmed with otter fur, and everywhere he goes he is accompanied by a retinue dozens strong.’
I shook my head in disbelief, although as ridiculous as it sounded, men had been known to convince themselves of far stranger things.
‘How did Morcar manage to persuade him to swear his allegiance, then?’ I asked.
‘He didn’t, lord.’
‘Then who did?’
‘It was Hereward’s own friends who convinced him. Siward Bearn, Bishop ?thelwine, Thurcytel and all the other thegns. Together they spoke to him and made him see that my uncle would make the better leader.’
That was no small feat, especially considering that it had been Hereward who had led this rebellion from the beginning. To hand it over to someone else’s command – and, worse, to have those he’d previously considered among his staunchest supporters conspire to wrest the leadership from him – must have seemed a tremendous insult.
‘Pride,’ I murmured. ‘That’s it, isn’t it?’
‘What, lord?’
‘That’s why he continues to burn a swathe through the marsh country. He’s proud. He wants his name to be known. Now that Morcar has taken his place, he feels he has to prove himself, and this is how he does it.’