Her eyes lingered for a moment upon the baron sitting to Chester’s right. Like Randolph, he was young and of small stature. But Robert Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, had nothing to prove, for he’d been one of her son’s closest companions in the Holy Land, and only Richard and André de Chauvigny had won greater fame for their crusading exploits. She’d had difficulty convincing him that he could best serve Richard by defending his domains, for he’d been as eager as André to set out for Germany. While he seemed composed now, there was a smoldering intensity about his calm that she found endearing, for she, too, yearned to rage and fume and curse the despicable, shameless men who’d dared to imprison her son.
Once all of the men were seated, they opened the council with a prayer, entreating the Almighty to keep the king safe and return him soon to his own realm. The Archbishop of Rouen then rose to his feet. “I regret to report that we have had no further news of our lord king, neither of his whereabouts nor his welfare. I can tell you, though, what we’ve learned of the Count of Mortain’s actions. He apparently heard of the king’s captivity about the same time that we did, for he soon sailed from Wales. Landing at Barfleur, he sought out William Fitz Ralph, the seneschal of Normandy, and other Norman lords.” He glanced toward the Earl of Leicester. “You were present at that meeting, my lord. Will you tell the council what you told the queen and me?”
The young earl rose, nodding first to Eleanor and then the archbishop. “Count John claimed that King Richard is dead and demanded that we acknowledge John as the rightful heir to the English throne. We refused, of course, and he became very irate, warning us that he would not protect us against the French king unless we did as he bade.” Leicester did not sound as if he’d been intimidated by John’s threats, but Eleanor knew not all men would be as intrepid. Many would be loath to antagonize one who was likely to become their king if Richard died or remained a prisoner.
“We know,” the archbishop resumed, “that Count John then rode straight for the court of the French king in Paris. He and Philippe apparently made some sort of pact. We have not yet learned the details of their Devil’s deal, but we can safely assume that it will be to the detriment of our king.”
Eleanor did not rise, but she raised a hand to draw attention to herself. “I have heard from my daughter, the Queen of Sicily,” she said, pitching her voice so that all in the hall could hear. “She wrote that the Bishop of Salisbury was in Rome when word reached the Holy See of the king’s plight. Bishop Hubert left for Germany at once. The Bishop of Bath was also in Rome and he paid a visit to my daughter and my son’s queen, assuring them that he would leave straightaway for the imperial court to speak on the king’s behalf. His mother is Heinrich’s cousin and he seemed to think his kinship would gain him the emperor’s ear.” She knew she’d not been able to keep the skepticism from her voice, but she had little faith in Savaric Fitz Geldwin, another of those self-seekers with agendas of their own.
Godfrey de Lucy, Bishop of Winchester, was the next to speak. “Madame, my lord archbishop. Has there been any word from the Holy Father?”
Gautier de Coutances seemed to sigh. “No, my lord bishop, not yet.”
The silence that followed his terse reply was fraught with all that none dared say. After a few moments, the archbishop began to speak of the need to defend Richard’s kingdom in his absence. It was agreed that oaths of fidelity to Richard would be demanded throughout the realm and measures taken to protect the ports. They moved on then to the question of the king’s ransom, although the discussion was tentative since they could not be sure a ransom would be demanded. Finally, they chose two men to travel to Germany and find their king, the abbots of the Cistercian abbeys of Boxley and Robertsbridge.
Eleanor did not know either man, but they seemed honored rather than daunted by the Herculean task that they had been given, and she took heart from that. It was heartening, too, to feel the outrage in the hall. She did not doubt that public opinion throughout Christendom would be on Richard’s side, possibly even in France and Germany. Nor did she doubt that public opinion meant absolutely nothing to Heinrich von Hohenstaufen.