Ahmer’s head came up sharply and then he wheeled and raced back toward the great hall, barking joyfully. Mariam rose and followed more slowly, sure that the dog had heard his mistress’s return. By the time she entered, Joanna and Berengaria were surrounded by the women of their household, all eager to hear the Pope’s news. Mariam needed only one glimpse of Berengaria to know Richard’s prospects had taken a turn for the better, for his wife’s face was glowing, her beautiful brown eyes filled with shimmering light. But Mariam could detect the shadows lurking behind Joanna’s smile, and Sir Stephen de Turnham’s smile was, at best, a polite grimace.
As Joanna’s eyes met Mariam’s, she slipped away from the others crowded around Berengaria, leaving it for Richard’s queen to break the news that he could soon be free. Emerging into the courtyard, Joanna blinked at the dazzling white brightness of the summer sun and then crossed to a bench in the shade of a silvery-grey olive tree, trailed by Mariam and Ahmer. Once Mariam was seated beside her, Joanna related what they’d been told of the pact Richard and Heinrich had made at Worms on June 25. Mariam listened without interruption, although she could not stifle a gasp at the mention of the staggering ransom demand. Waiting until Joanna had nothing more to reveal, she said quietly, “Those are very harsh terms, meant to break the man and bankrupt his country. Does Berengaria not realize that yet?”
“She is reacting now as Richard’s wife, not his queen, and she cannot be faulted for that.” Joanna sounded faintly defensive, for she was very protective of the younger woman. “For now, all this means to her is that she may soon be reunited with her husband. Let her have this moment, Mariam. There will be time enough to consider the consequences of this Devil’s deal once Richard is freed.” She paused and then added bleakly, “If he is freed.”
“Does the Pope think Heinrich will not honor the pact? He stands to gain a huge amount of money by it.”
“Assuming that the French king does not offer even more.” Joanna very much wanted to share her sister-in-law’s joy, to believe that Richard would soon be freed. But she’d have taken an Outremer scorpion as a pet rather than put her trust in the Holy Roman Emperor. And because she knew her brother far better than his bride did, she nursed a secret dread that she’d shared with no one, not even Mariam—the fear that his imprisonment was ravaging Richard’s pride and scarring his soul.
“Joanna . . . are you still sure that you ought to keep Queen Eleanor’s letter from Berengaria?”
“Of course I am sure, Mariam! When I think of all the nights that I’ve dreamed of Richard at Trifels, burning with fever, chained up like a felon . . . Why would I want to inflict such pain upon Berengaria? No, if Richard wants to tell her of his Trifels ordeal, he will. Until then, it comforts her to believe he is being treated with the respect due his rank, and I will not be the one to take that comfort away from her.”
Mariam could understand Joanna’s reasoning; nor did she blame Joanna for wanting to shelter Berengaria if she could. It was just that if Morgan had been the one kept in irons at Trifels, she’d have wanted to know, the pain notwithstanding. Once she might have argued further, but their falling-out over Morgan had tempered her usual candor, and she chose to change the subject. “Are you going to tell Anna that she is to wed the Duke of Austria’s son?”
“Berengaria and I discussed this on the way back from the papal palace, and we decided it is better to wait. I doubt that Richard wants to see that marriage come to pass and he might find a way to circumvent it once he is freed.”
Scorning consistency, Mariam agreed with Joanna about keeping the news from Anna. She was fond of the girl, but Anna was flighty and impulsive and it would be hard to predict her reaction. “Does the Holy Father know the identities of the hostages?”
“Not all of them, though he says they will be of high birth.” Joanna’s lip curled. “Because Heinrich has no honor, he assumes Richard would sacrifice the lives of his hostages as he himself would do, and so he is demanding those whom he sees as the most valuable pawns. Our nephews Otto and Wilhelm are on the list. The sons of some of Richard’s barons. Berengaria’s younger brother Fernando. Men close to Richard. Even prelates of the Church.”
“Has Pope Celestine heard anything about the men taken prisoner with Richard?”
Joanna shook her head reluctantly. Rallying then, she said with all the assurance she could muster, “I am sure they have been freed, though. Morgan is likely with Richard at Worms by now and making plans to return home.”
Mariam knew better; Morgan would not leave Germany until Richard did. “Do you think even your mother can raise such a vast sum of money?”
“I have no doubts whatsoever of that.” Joanna’s voice rang with conviction. “I have more good news, Mariam. The Pope has assumed responsibility for seeing that we get safely back to Richard’s domains. We are to be escorted to Pisa and then Genoa, where we’ll take ship for Marseille.” Despite the scorching heat, Joanna shivered at the thought of setting foot on shipboard again, even though she’d been assured they’d be hugging the coast.