“It’s a wonder he didn’t fear Richard’s reprisal. I cannot imagine the king will take well to that.”
I looked at him. “It is a wonder,” I said back, slow and meaningful.
He drew a breath, looking ahead again. He let it out slow. “Do you know of any plans to that end?”
“Not yet,” I said. “Not so concretely.”
“You cannot win against Prince John if you do not win Isabel,” he told me.
I frowned. Were she that powerful? “Why?” I asked.
“Because if you don’t win her, you cannot win me. No matter what danger it might save her from, I won’t betray her friendship.”
My brows lifted.
“And without me, you won’t hold against him.”
I nodded. “Well, I thank you for your honesty, sir.”
He glanced round, his eyes catching to the north. I followed his gaze and saw a cloud of dust rising on the horizon. “Another noble has answered her call,” Essex said. “Allow me to lead you back.”
I nodded.
CHAPTER
Two others arrived. They were Hugh Bigod, the son of the slightly more elderly Earl of Suffolk, and, looking particularly frantic to ensure the safety of Eleanor’s ladies, Winchester. I watched as Eleanor greeted him and his eyes fell to Margaret the whole while. Margaret looked at him in the same warm way, but it were shy and unsure now. Since that man put his hands on her.
A storm rolled in on Winchester’s heels, and as much as I wanted to leave, I weren’t in a state to risk being ill by riding all night in the rain. Eleanor bid me to stay for dinner, and I obeyed.
Eleanor dismissed much of the pomp and circumstance that her guests should have observed. She called for a modest dinner with the abbot and her attendants and guests.
“How do your counties fare, Winchester?” Bigod asked him.
“Better than most, my lord. They have survived the tax without incident, but times are very difficult. We’ve opened the castle stores to help those who can’t find enough food,” Winchester said. He glanced at Margaret, and she smiled at him, proud of his efforts.
“You must guard yourself against abuse,” the abbot warned. “In these dark times it is easy for someone to take advantage of such generosity.”
Winchester shook his head. “Surely you’ll agree with me, Abbot, but as long as I have the ability to share such largesse, it is my duty to offer it to my tenants. Let them take advantage if they will; it is worth the chance to help those truly in need.”
The abbot nodded, but continued, “We must not, however, contribute to the delinquency of man. To tempt a weak-willed man is to abet his crimes.”
“With respect, there is no crime when it is about food, Abbot. Not in my mind—or my shires.”
“You would not persecute a thief for stealing bread?” Essex asked. “Or certainly not you—but your guards and knights and sheriffs in your stead?”
Winchester leaned back in his chair a little, looking at me. “No. It has been made apparent to me that if one of my tenants feels he must steal, I have failed him. Not that he is a criminal, a danger to us all, or an outlaw. He steals because there is an injustice in the system.”
“Sometimes,” I argued. “But some people just like to see things broken and destroyed.”
He nodded slow. “And I will see those men stopped, my lady Princess.” His eyes fell to my hand, and I snatched it off the table like he’d burned me.
“You said better than most,” Margaret asked, her voice quiet and shy. “Is England faring poorly?”
“Yes,” Essex said. “Port towns and those with heavy trade are surviving, but crops did not fare well this year. People are close to starving, and with this tax—well, many cities have had riots.”
I nodded. “I saw the riots in London. Worse, I saw how the people failed to resist in Silchester.”
Bigod looked worried. “My lady, you were unharmed?” he asked.
“She barely escaped London with her life,” Eleanor said. “And in Silchester, she helped the people.”
I shook my head at her. “I was no hero there, Eleanor. I dare say my knight and”—how to describe Allan?—“my companion were more help than I was.”
“There are more riots?” Bigod asked.
Essex nodded. “Yes. Our people seem to have gone rather mad,” he said.
“They aren’t mad,” I said. “They’re starving. They’re confused. And the nobles will not help them; Winchester’s behavior seems strange and out of place, and it is—but that is what the noble class is pledged to do. Nobles must protect their people and use their power, wealth, and influence to do so.”
“And unfortunately, much of this pain cannot be avoided if we are to bring Richard home,” Eleanor said.
“We will,” I told her.
“How should we proceed?” Winchester asked, drinking his wine. “With so many able lords at your disposal?”