Lord Liar Part 53

"Aye."

"The way he has been acting in recent months, G.o.dtic-- it was all a pose.

Part of an elaborate ruse.

"Twas not him-- 'twas but a part he was playing." "Why?"

There it was, the question she had been dreading.

"I... I cannot tell you, G.o.dric.

"Tis not my secret to tell."

"You had better tell me, sister, if you want me to believe in his goodness.

I must know the truth--all of it, do you hear? You can trust me, sister.

The secret will not leave my lips, but I must know. Why was it necessary for him to dress like a peac.o.c.k and act the languid lordling?" She saw the stubborn set of G.o.dtic's jaw. When he looked like that, heaven and earth could not change his mind.

She arose and quietly walked over to lift the tent flap. She went out into the cool dawn air, seeing that the sentries were still in place in front and behind the tent, but they were dozing.

They looked Norman, not English. Good--they would probably not understand her since she was speaking in English.

Most Normans did not deign to learn the conquered Englishman's tongue.

Even so, she dropped her voice to a whisper when she returned to G.o.dric's side and began to tell him about Ranulf's loyalty to Prince Henry.

"Bah, who knows if any one of these Normans is better than the other?" he said when she had finished.

"But what about you? Aren't you fighting on behalf of one of them?"

"Aye, and taking the king's silver for it," he said, a cynical gleam in his eye.

"But I do not believe Duke Robert would be good for England--he's too much the puppet of the Norman n.o.bles."

She nodded and told him of her impressions of the court at Rouen.

Then she contrasted Henry with Robert.

"I cannot say I am certain Henry would be a better king than Rufus, G.o.dtic, but I know Ranulf believes it."

"Well, if our king continues unwed, all Henry will have to do is wait. He's younger, and the way the king lives... " Twill be child's play for Henry to wrest the throne from Robert someday, a.s.suming Robert ever gets to the throne. "

She was thoughtful.

"Perhaps you're right. But, G.o.dtic, that what Turold is going to tell the king about Ranulf?

could he know? "

"I don't know ... unless mayhap that Norman wh.o.r.e told of it."

N-Norman wh.o.r.e spoke to Turold? Who was she? Do remember her name? "

"Desiderata. A fanciful name for a s.l.u.t, is it not?" he wi. "th a sardonic quirk to his brow.

"She'd been in , until recently, she claimed."

Aldyth said, lowering her head as a of door her. came from She have When for her she but she would return when she got over her anger. " Her shoulders sagged.

"Instead, she came here for revenge, it seems."

"They were lovers, Turold and Desiderata. I think the trollop thought he was going to wed her. But she's dead now," G.o.dtic told her flatly.

She listened, horrified, as G.o.dtic told her about Maud appearing suddenly in Pevensey and cutting Desiderata's throat.

"I gather your former tirewoman has gone mad as a rabid wolf and saw the Norman wench as a rival for Turold's affections,"

he added.

"So that's how Turold knows," she breathed.

"Oh, G.o.drie, he'll tell the king, and Rufus will order Ranulf executed!"

She shoved her clenched hands against her face in order to keep from screaming.

"G.o.drio, I must go to Turold and tell him I'll come back to him if only he will keep si- len t- ' ' He shook his head.

"It's too late for that. You forget, he's already mentioned treason in connection with Ranulf. And besides, Aldyth, did you not say you were Ranulf's wife?" She nodded, her eyes blurred with tears.

"Aye, we were married at Strood. I... I'm carrying his child, G.o.drio. We would have wed before, but the king... Ranulf would not hear of waiting, though, once he knew..." She began to sob with fresh terror.

"Do not fear, little sister," G.o.dfie said, tousling her short brown locks rea.s.suringly,

"I'll not let Ranulf make a widow of you."

"But what will you do?" she asked, studying the resolute face.

"Whatever I must."

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Someone was shaking her.

"My lady..." Urse was bending over her, his florid face solemn.

Her eyes flew open and she saw the king's physician anding beyond Urse. Was it possible that she had slept?

Had she actually fallen asleep when it was so important to nurse Ranulf?

The physician saw her eyes fly to Ranulf'S reclining form held a finger to his lips.