The last thing Richard had been expecting was an almost-apology. It was a telling moment, though, revealing that the Austrian duke believed himself to be a man of honor, bound by a code of ethics that compelled him to acknowledge his mistakes, however distasteful he found that admission. “And what of my men?”
“They have been moved to more comfortable quarters. And a doctor has tended to the boy’s injuries.”
Richard would have choked before he’d say “Thank you.” He settled for, “I am gladdened to hear that.”
Leopold shifted position, glancing toward a coffer as if he meant to sit, then changed his mind. “My wife, the Duchess Helena, has accompanied me to Dürnstein, as have my sons, my brother, my nephew, and several clerics, including my cousin, the Archbishop of Salzburg, and the Bishop of Gurk. Sir Hadmar has planned a feast for this afternoon in honor of our arrival.”
Richard did not understand why Leopold was telling him this, so he said nothing, watching as Leopold began to move restlessly about the chamber, picking up and discarding items at random. “Several of them have expressed a desire to meet you,” the duke said, after yet another prolonged silence.
Richard stared at him, incredulous. “You are asking me to dine with you?”
A slight flush had begun to warm Leopold’s face and throat. “No, that would be . . . awkward.”
“I daresay it would. Since you have men guarding me with drawn swords day and night, I rather doubt I’d be trusted with a knife. Though I suppose you could assign a servant to cut my meat?”
Leopold ignored the sarcasm and continued doggedly on. “After the meal, my chief minstrel, Reinmar von Hagenau, will entertain us. I thought you might join us then.” He paused, swinging back to face Richard. “I realize I cannot compel you, that the choice is yours. If you do accept the invitation, I would hope that we could agree to be . . .” He paused again, searching for the right word.
“Civil?” Richard suggested helpfully, his eyes gleaming. “By that, I assume you’d prefer that we avoid controversial topics like Cyprus, the Holy Land, and Hell.”
Leopold was looking grim by now. “Clearly this was a mistake,” he said, and started toward the door.
“I accept,” Richard said, stopping the duke in his tracks.
“You do?” He sounded more suspicious than pleased, and Richard had to bite back a smile.
“Well, I happen to be free this afternoon. . . .”
Leopold studied the other man intently. “Very well, then. Sir Hadmar will escort you to the great hall after Sext has rung.”
“I am looking forward to it more than I can say,” Richard murmured, delighted to see the sudden unease in his gaoler’s eyes. This was going to be a very tense afternoon for Duke Leopold; at least he hoped so. After the duke departed, Richard startled his guards by laughing aloud. This was a God-given opportunity and he meant to make the most of it. Isolation was a danger. The more contacts he could have with the outside world, the better, especially if those contacts included princes of the Church.
THE DUCHESS HELENA LOOKED to be a year or two younger than her husband, who was Richard’s age—thirty-five. The daughter and sister of Hungarian kings, she was the only one besides Leopold who spoke any French, flavored with an appealing Hungarian accent. But language was not an obstacle, for most of the men were able to converse in Latin and a youthful archdeacon was able to translate into German for the women. Eufemia, Hadmar’s wife, was considerably younger than her husband, and their two sons made only a brief appearance, considered too young to join the festivities. Friedrich and Leo were there, though, and when Richard acted as if this was their first meeting, Leo shot a barbed look at his brother and said Saint Friedrich’s guilty conscience had caused him to confess all to their father. Friedrich scowled at Leo and muttered something in German under his breath that did not sound flattering to Richard. Their brotherly spat reminded him of his own squabbles with Geoffrey, for at that age neither had missed any opportunities to harass the other. Yet he sensed that Leo and Friedrich were allies as often as they were rivals, and that had not been true with Geoffrey or Hal. For whatever reasons—which had never interested him in his youth but which he sometimes pondered as an adult—the Angevin House had always taken Cain and Abel as role models.