Henry had lacked his usual shrewdness. Full of deceits himself, he had judged Philip to be the same.

Philip, however, was in love. He was also trying to prove to Richard that he was making a mistake in trusting his father.

He immediately showed Henry’s letter to Richard.

Richard was furious. He cared passionately about Aquitaine. He had subdued it by the sword and had only allowed his mother to have it because he knew that she was his faithful ally and that in due course it would be entirely his. He would not give up Aquitaine.

He said: ‘By God’s eyes, Philip, I must defend what is mine.’

Philip nodded sagely.

Then he added wistfully: ‘It seems I must let you go.’

‘I must fortify my castles. I must be prepared against my father.’

Philip had to consider. He must either lose his friend or keep him very much against his will. He loved Richard and did not want to lose his regard. If he let him go, he would prove indeed the depth of his feeling.

He decided that he must make the sacrifice.

‘It grieves me deeply to see you go, Richard, but you are right when you say you must defend your castles against your father. At any time he could take them from you, for that is his intention. So I will not say good-bye but au revoir! Soon we will meet again. Perhaps when the time is ripe you and I will go on a crusade to the Holy Land.’

‘By God’s eyes,’ cried Richard, ‘little could please me more.’

Then he rode away to Aquitaine.


* * *

Richard had made his castles strong and was thinking of going off to the Holy Land in the company of Philip. He could think of nothing that would better suit his mood. To ride out with Philip beside him, two good friends bent on a righteous mission. Before he had left Philip they had talked of little but their adventures in the Holy Land.

‘Side by side,’ Philip had said. ‘That would give me greater pleasure than anything I have ever known.’

News reached him from Jerusalem. Heraclius had prepared the world for what was happening. Had he not begged King Henry to come to their aid? He had told them of the terrible disease which had overtaken King Baldwin and how the flesh had fallen from his bones and he was in such a sorry state that he could not live much longer.

Now he was dead; his nephew had succeeded him – a young boy who himself was but little more than an infant. Moreover the boy was not robust and he had quickly followed his uncle to the grave.

Saladin, the leader of the Infidels, a man of action who knew no fear, was as determined to drive the Christians out of the Holy Land as they were to preserve it. He was fierce and courageous; he gave no quarter and asked none. This man Saladin was fast becoming a legend and Christians trembled at his name.

Heraclius had foreseen this. He had come to plead to the King of England to save Jerusalem because Henry of England had the reputation of being a strong man.

They had been mistaken in his father, thought Richard. Henry was no longer a strong man; he was a feeble old one. It was not he who would be the saviour of the Holy Sepulchre.

But he had a son; and there was born in Richard then a great desire.

He went to Tours and there took the cross and swore that he would join a crusade and save the Holy Land.


* * *

Now that Richard was gone Philip was determined to bring Henry to terms. He knew that Henry had written to Richard and that Richard only half believed in his father’s treachery. Richard was after all Henry’s son and he could not entirely believe that his own father wished him ill. It seemed to him wrong that he should be in league with another against his own father, even though that other was Philip.

Philip was well aware of Richard’s character and his great aim now was to prove to him how treacherous his father was. So while Richard was putting his castles into a state of defence and swearing allegiance to the cross at Tours, he decided to take action.

Henry, who was lulled into a sense of security, believing that Richard had brought about a temporary peace with Philip, planned to return to England. He longed to escape to a certain amount of peace. He would go and be quiet with Alice for a while. She could nurse him, for he needed to be nursed; and there in the peace of one of his palaces he would grow stronger and ready for anything that Philip might be planning.

Christmas was not very festive. How could it be with the King’s security in jeopardy and his temper so uncertain for he was in sporadic pain? All the company looked forward to being in England where the King would feel more at peace. Alas, Philip had no intention of giving Henry an easy way out.

Let Henry go to England if he wished. Then Philip would invade Normandy and stand a very good chance of success with Henry out of the way. On the other hand, if Henry preferred to stay and fight, let him.

Henry sighed and knew that he could not make the longed for visit to England.

A message came from Philip. He pointed out that Henry had taken possession of Alice’s dowry but there had been no marriage. When was the marriage to take place? Either he must return the lands he had taken or Richard must marry Alice without delay.

It had begun again. The old question.

Oh, Alice, he thought, what am I going to do? The decision is getting nearer and nearer. Louis, why did you have to die and give me this son of yours to deal with?

They must meet at Gisors, which town Philip was demanding he return.

Was the time approaching when he would have to surrender Alice?


* * *

God was on his side. Or was it Thomas à Becket? In any case a way out was shown to him.

Before the conference at Gisors could be started the Archbishop of Tyre came riding into the city. He had heard that the Kings of France and England were there and he had sorry news for them.

Almost three months before, Jerusalem had fallen into Saladin’s hands. The little King was dead as they had already heard. His mother who had remarried had appointed her second husband King of Jerusalem. Now Saladin was in Jerusalem and he had taken possession of the Holy Cross.

Christians all over the world must be plunged into deepest mourning. King Guy was captured and the true Cross was in Saladin’s hands. All good Christians must rise and wrest the holy relics from the Infidels.

It was impossible, in the face of such an overwhelming calamity for the two Kings to discuss their differences. They seemed petty enough now … to all except Henry.

Philip, who had planned in any case to go on a crusade with Richard, knowing that Richard had already taken the cross, declared his intention immediately. And the Archbishop of Tyre in a moving ceremony presented him with the cross. There was nothing that Henry could do but take it also. He doubted though that he would ever carry out his vows. He could only regard this as a temporary way out of his difficulties. Their men followed them and so numerous were they that crosses of different colours had to be handed to the different nationalities – red for the French, white for the English and green for the Flemings.

Philip and Henry now conferred not as enemies but as allies and vowed together what they would do to enable them to set out on their crusade together. They would need time to prepare and they decided that it would take a year to get together the money they would need and to assemble their equipment. They planned to leave at the Easter of 1189.

They discussed together how the money could be raised and Henry suggested that each man who did not accompany them should give one-tenth of his possessions to the cause and those who did should set aside a tenth of theirs to provide themselves with what they would need.

This seemed fair enough and in great relief Henry set out for England.

He found Alice in a state of anxiety, for news had reached her that the King of France was determined on her marriage.

He embraced her with fervour. The very sight of her revived his youth.

‘What news, my lord?’ she asked anxiously.

‘All is well. God is with me. It is St Thomas I think, for it was like a miracle. Your brother is a hard man, Alice. He is so different from your father. He is sharp and sly and I think he is doing his best to destroy me.’

She shuddered.

‘Have no fear, sweetheart, I’ll be a match for him. He’s but a boy and I am a man of great experience. He was going to demand you for Richard, and then the Archbishop of Tyre appeared with the terrible news. How could we discuss our affairs then? There was only one thing for us to do and that was band together and go on our crusade.’

‘You will go on a crusade!’

‘It will come to nothing. Many times in my life has there been talk of crusades and never have I been on one yet. Nay. Something will happen, depend upon it, and I shall be prevented from going to Jerusalem. I have my duties here. I can see no virtue in leaving my own lands to disaster and rebellion maybe, while I go fighting to bring the Holy City back to Christendom. Now if I were a man without responsibilities … but I am not, Alice. So fear not. We are together and there is only one who could part us two.’

‘Who?’ she asked.

‘Death,’ he replied. She shivered and he said: ‘Now I have made you fret. Smile, Alice, smile for me. You do not know how I have longed to see you do that.’

So she smiled and they forgot all these alien forces which sought to part them, chief of them all Death.