That outraged not only Leopold but all of the Austrians in the chamber. It also roused Heinrich from his private reverie, and he gave his brother a cold stare. Conrad had earned a well-deserved reputation at the imperial court for being truculent and difficult to deal with. He was not an utter fool, though, and the one person he never crossed was his older brother. He at once subsided, even mumbling a grudging apology when Leopold demanded it.
Heinrich shoved his chair back, saying, “We are done here for now.” The others at once rose, made their obeisances, and began to file out. As he looked over his shoulder, Hadmar saw that Heinrich had kept his seat, signaling for his marshal, Heinz von Kalden, and his seneschal, Markward von Annweiler, to remain. Shutting the door upon this confidential colloquy, Hadmar felt a prickling of unease, but the sight of Heinrich and his most trusted ministeriales often invoked that sensation. The unholy trinity, he called them, although that was an indiscretion he confided to no one, not even his wife. With another speculative glance at that closed door, he hurried to catch up with his still-irate duke.
WILLIAM DE ST MèRE-EGLISE was growing more and more nervous as the hours dragged by. Richard had been summoned to a meeting with the emperor and the Austrian duke, and he’d taken advantage of his improved status to insist that the Bishop of Salisbury accompany him. William had been left behind to pace and fret. They knew Heinrich would still attach conditions to Richard’s release, but William felt confident that they would not be as outrageous as those demanded of Richard upon his Palm Sunday meeting with the emperor. The waiting was not easy, however.
When Hubert Walter finally returned, William began to pelt him with questions even before he’d closed the door. The bishop held up his hand as if to ward them off. “I will tell you all, I promise. But let me sit down first. I’d sooner bargain with the Devil’s own than that lot.”
William hastened over with a wine cup. “It was only to be expected that the emperor would be in a foul mood after the king’s triumphant acquittal Monday.”
“We did not see the emperor. He sent the bishops of Speyer and Bath to speak for him, although Leopold was there, and looking none too happy about it.”
“The Bishop of Bath? Since when did he become the emperor’s puppet?”
“He insisted he was the ideal choice, being blood-kin to the emperor and yet loyal to the king. But I doubt their kinship means much to Heinrich, and Savaric’s loyalty is primarily to himself.” Hubert took a swallow of wine and then another, realizing for the first time just how fatigued he was. “Are you ready to hear what they are seeking now? The emperor still wants that one hundred thousand silver marks, but this time around, it is being disguised as a ‘fee’ to reward Heinrich for brokering a peace between Richard and the French king.”
William’s jaw dropped. “He has no more chance of doing that than he does of earning sainthood!”
“I know, and so does he. That is why he has agreed that if he fails to reconcile the two kings, nothing will be owed to him.”
William sat down on a nearby stool to consider this. “So . . . they are trying to save face now.”
Hubert nodded, pleased the other man was so quick to comprehend. “That seems to be their primary concern, although they do want some tangible concessions, too. For Heinrich, that means Richard will provide him with fifty galleys and two hundred knights for a year’s service.”
“He is no longer demanding that Richard accompany him in person when he invades Sicily, then?”
“No, that was not even mentioned. Heinrich is proving to be a pragmatist, fortunately. He seems willing to settle for getting some military assistance in his war against Tancred whilst posing as the king’s new friend, one led astray by those false, deceitful French. As for Duke Leopold, his price is the freedom of his kinsman and Richard’s niece as a bride for his son. He was actually more obstinate than the emperor’s spokesmen, most likely because he can see who is going to be the scapegoat when all the dust settles. But even he is not being utterly unreasonable. Richard said flatly that under no circumstances would he return Anna to her father, calling Isaac a lunatic and worse. So Leopold then came up with an alternative plan, that Richard’s niece wed his eldest son and Anna wed the younger lad. Which is not a bad compromise when you think about it.”
William nodded thoughtfully. “He’ll need something substantive to point to when his duchy is laid under Interdict, something to show his unhappy vassals, and I suppose a royal marriage will have to do. What of the hostages?”
“They are being much more reasonable on that, too. Instead of two hundred, they are now willing to settle for sixty highborn hostages sent to the imperial court and seven sent to Vienna.”
“And the king? How did Richard react to these more modest demands?”
Hubert smiled wryly. “After his rather spectacular vindication in the Imperial Diet, he does not think any demands at all should be made upon him.”