Eleanor studied the emperor intently. If Heinrich was troubled that so many of his own vassals and kinsmen were pledging their loyalty to the English king, he showed no sign of it. It was true that their oaths were given with the proviso salva fidelitate imperatoris—saving the honor of the emperor. To Eleanor, this was conclusive evidence that the French–German axis forged by Heinrich’s father was well and truly dead, and as she watched her son accept the homage of his new liegemen, she felt a surge of fierce pride, marveling that Richard could have accomplished a feat like this whilst being held prisoner.
Richard’s first act as a free man was to entrust one of his vassals, Saut de Breuil, with an important mission. He was to travel to the Holy Land and assure Richard’s nephew Henri, the Count of Champagne, that he would return to fulfill his vow once he had avenged himself on his enemies and restored peace to his domains. In return for this service, Richard made Saut de Breuil a grant of lands worth forty pounds.
His second act was to summon the Bishop of Bath and request that he be one of the additional hostages demanded by the emperor. Savaric declared it would be his honor, for he was eager to convince the king that he’d played no part in Heinrich’s double cross. But it did not go as smoothly with the Bishop of Coventry’s brother. Robert de Nonant had not made himself inconspicuous as his companions had prudently done. To the contrary, he seemed to be courting attention, swaggering about the hall and infuriating Richard’s knights. Eventually, he caught Richard’s eye.
De Nonant took his time in responding to the king’s summons and gave Richard the briefest of bows in grudging acknowledgment of his rank. Richard regarded him in silence for several moments before saying coldly, “You are a fortunate man, Sir Robert. I am going to give you a chance to redeem yourself. I will forgive your treachery if you agree to be one of my hostages.”
That did not go over well with Richard’s men, who felt he deserved no clemency. But to the astonishment of all watching, Nonant showed no gratitude for his unexpected reprieve. “I will not be a hostage for you,” he said, staring at Richard defiantly. “The Count of Mortain is my liege lord, and my loyalty is pledged to him.”
Richard’s eyes glittered. “As you will.” Glancing around then, he beckoned to his cousin. “Arrest this man for treason.”
André smiled. “With great pleasure, my liege,” he said, and de Nonant was abruptly hustled from the hall by André’s knights, none too gently, as Richard’s men clapped and jeered and Longchamp watched with great satisfaction, hoping that the Bishop of Coventry would soon suffer the same fate.
CONSTANCE HAD SOUGHT Eleanor out to confide that Heinrich was not going to honor their request that Otto and Wilhelm be kept together. Otto was to remain at the imperial court, while Wilhelm would be one of Leopold’s seven hostages, accompanying the Austrian duke back to Vienna. Eleanor was grateful for the warning, for that enabled her to alert Otto, so her grandsons would not be taken by surprise. Richard had given his parrot to Wilhelm, much to his delight, and she hoped the unusual pet would help to console the little boy once he was separated from his brother. Otto accepted the news with his usual stoicism, and Baldwin de Bethune, who was also to be one of Leopold’s hostages, promised to keep an eye on the lad. Eleanor was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
After bidding farewell to the hostages and to Constance, who’d remained in the hall long after Heinrich had departed, Richard paused in the doorway to savor the moment, one in which he was no longer trailed by German guards. Glancing over his shoulder at Heinrich’s empress, he switched from French to the safer lenga romana. “I feel as if we are leaving one more hostage behind.” Looking back at Constance, Eleanor felt the same way.
The outer courtyard was thronged, for they had a huge retinue—Eleanor’s ladies, Richard’s knights, men-at-arms, the lords and bishops and abbots who’d accompanied the queen from England, and those in attendance upon the Archbishop of Cologne and the Duke of Brabant, who intended to escort Richard across Germany, none of them trusting in Heinrich’s safe conduct. Eleanor had tried to anticipate all of her son’s needs. She’d ruled out river travel because she was sure he’d want to be on horseback after his long confinement, engaging mounts for the men, horse litters for herself and her women, and for Richard, a spirited grey stallion that brought a delighted smile to his face. Although he’d been able to dress well in recent months, she’d still made sure to bring a wardrobe suitable for a king. And she assured him that English ships would be awaiting their arrival at Antwerp.