‘Nay, you’ll recover.’

‘Is that a command?’

‘You should take it as such.’

‘You always wanted to command us all. But you cannot command Death, brother.’

‘You talk nonsense. You will recover.’

‘I think not. So you rule England now as well as Normandy which was to have been mine.’

‘I paid you for it, remember?’

‘I remember your promise to pay me a pension. I don’t recall receiving much of it.’

‘There are many calls on a king’s purse.’

‘I know, I know. And it is of no moment now.’

‘You had Brittany. You got that by my good graces.’

‘For which I must be grateful. Were not the dogs grateful for the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table?’

‘They were indeed, but I was never a rich man, brother, and you never a dog.’

‘Not with England and Normandy and … what else is it, brother? I’ll swear now it will be Brittany.’

‘Geoffrey, let us be friends.’

Geoffrey smiled and held out his hand. ‘It is always good to be friends with a dying man. Fear not that I should ever seek to haunt you with reproaches, brother. I was always proud to be your brother. You were our mother’s favourite. She loved you. You must have had very special qualities to be loved by her.’ He smiled. ‘Do you remember how she hated our father?’

Henry bowed his head.

‘And he is dead now. And I shall soon follow him. You will go on and on to greater glory, Henry. It was good of you to come to my deathbed. Or did you come for Brittany?’

Henry looked at his brother with sorrowing eyes. He was thinking of how they had played together in their youth; but he was also thinking of Brittany. How could he help it? The Dukes of Normandy had always laid covetous eyes on it. He could bring up the matter when he saw Louis.

He did not talk of these matters to Geoffrey. He tried to soothe him. He talked a little of their boyhood but the continual conflict between their parents had not made that a very happy time.

On a hot July day Geoffrey died. Looking down at the still face of his brother Henry could not believe that he was gone. He felt tears in his eyes and wished that they had been better friends.

But almost immediately came news that Conan of Brittany, the son of the displaced Duke, was marching towards Nantes.

Henry immediately set about gathering together his forces. He left his army to stand against any invaders and went on to Paris where he was determined to get Louis’s agreement that he should hold Brittany.

Louis received Henry with all the honours possible. His Queen joined with him. Constance was anxious to see the man whom Louis’s first wife had married. She found him bold, a little coarse in some ways, but a man of great strength and she saw at once that he was in complete contrast to Louis.

Unlike Thomas Becket, Henry entered Paris without a great show of magnificence. He had left the best of his army behind to hold Brittany, in any case, and as he was the King of England and Duke of Normandy, ruler over a greater territory than the King of France, he had no need to proclaim what was obvious.

The two men took their measure. It was six years ago that Eleanor had shown her preference by marrying Henry. Louis had recovered from the humiliation now and had a new Queen; as for Henry his passion for Eleanor was fast dying and any cause for resentment against each other seemed to have dwindled away.

They would never be close friends. They were two different types. Louis had arranged special church services which he thought would please his guest. Henry would have preferred to see more of how the people lived, how they reacted to the laws of their land; he would have liked to meet some of the beautiful women of France. But he had come on a mission and it was imperative that he conclude it with satisfaction. The conferences began. Louis would support Henry in Brittany; he would give the baby Marguerite as her dowry the much disputed Vexin, which was on the borders of Normandy and the Ile de France. This was the buffer state between those two and possession of it meant a certain security for Normandy.

It was a very satisfactory meeting and when Henry left Paris he brought with him the baby Marguerite whom he would take to England to be brought up as his daughter.

Even more satisfactory was the fact that when Conan of Brittany saw the forces of the Duke of Normandy and King of England he changed his mind about standing out against him, and he decided that he must try to make peace. Henry shrewdly agreed to do so and even compromised by making Conan Duke of Brittany, providing he recognised himself as a vassal of the Duke of Normandy and King of England. This Conan agreed to; and at the public ceremony swore that he would serve Henry with his life.

While this was happening Henry received two messages from England.

His wife had given birth to another son. She had called him Geoffrey after the King’s dead brother and father.

Henry smiled ruefully. So there would be two Geoffreys in the nursery now. He could picture the elder one being known as Geoffrey the Bastard. That would be as Eleanor wanted it. Was that why she had chosen the same name for her own son?

The other piece of news was that Rosamund had also borne a son. She had called him William.

Henry was pleased. He longed to see his children and most of all he longed to see Rosamund.


Before Henry reached England he received news of another death, which was a little disconcerting. It was not that he cared greatly for the man who had died; but his passing was of some political significance for he was the son of King Stephen. Henry had reason to be grateful to this man, for had he been ambitious he might have laid claim to the throne which as the only surviving son of the late King would have seemed to some a reasonable thing to have done. William however was not ambitious; he had had no desire to build up an army and go to war against Henry Plantagenet. Moreover he was wise enough to realise that the people of England considered Henry the true heir and would have flocked to his support.

William had been very content to stand aside for Henry and become the Count of Boulogne, which title he inherited through his mother and there was no one who could say he had no right to this. Boulogne, however, through its connection with the Crown was a vassal state of England. Henry had been pleased with the state of affairs, for Boulogne under William, who was without ambition, had caused him no anxiety, but when William died, Henry realised that it would be necessary to take immediate action to keep Boulogne as it had been, a vassal of England and Normandy.

He had no desire to make war - which was never wise when the matter could be resolved in any other way. And there was another way. Stephen had also had a daughter, Mary, who early in her life had decided on a religious career and was now the Abbess of the Convent of Romsey.

Henry acted promptly. He commanded her to come to him without delay. The startled Abbess protested to the messenger who arrived at Romsey with the King’s command, but she was told that this was an order which it would be treason to disobey. She had visions of her convent being laid to waste, her nuns dispersed, for the King was ruthless enough to take such action, and as the daughter of the late King she was in a precarious position. She knew that William, her recently dead brother, had decided to get out of England for he had felt that it would be unwise for him to stay there as the only legitimate son of the late King when there was a new King on the throne.

Bewildered, the Abbess travelled to Normandy and there she was met by Henry who told her that he had a bridegroom for her and she was to prepare to marry without delay.

‘My lord,’ she cried aghast, ‘how can I marry? I have taken my religious vows. I am Abbess of Romsey.’

‘You were,’ said the King testily. ‘But you are no longer so.’

‘How can that be when I have taken my vows? None but the Pope would grant my dispensation.’

‘Leave that to me,’ said Henry.

‘I am afraid, my lord …’

‘Afraid,’ thundered Henry. ‘You’re to marry and that is my command.’

‘I do not understand. Who would wish to marry me?’

‘My cousin Matthew wishes to marry you, Madam, because I have said he should. He knows better than to disobey me.’

‘But … for what purpose? I am not of an age …’

‘You are of an age to obey your King. When you marry, Boulogne shall be yours and Matthew will be the new Count of Boulogne.’

Now it was clear. William had died and Henry feared some enemy might take Boulogne. It must be kept in the family.

She said: ‘I must appeal to the Pope.’

Henry narrowed his eyes and the colour flamed into his face.

‘Think not that I lack influence in that direction,’ he said.

He dismissed her and she went immediately to Thomas Becket, who had joined the King’s party.

When she told him what had happened he was horrified. The King, who had known what his attitude would be, had said nothing to him. But Thomas was not afraid of offending the King.

‘The Pope will stand beside you,’ Thomas comforted Mary. ‘You have taken your vows. They cannot be thrust aside as though they had never been taken just to suit the King’s ambitions.’

‘What must I do ?’ asked the bewildered Abbess.

‘You have told the King you will appeal to the Pope. You must do so without delay.’

‘Will you help me, my Lord Chancellor?’

‘I will despatch a message to the Pope without delay,’ said Thomas.