The Summer Queen

30

Antioch, March 1148

Alienor and Louis sailed into the port of Saint Symeon on a glittering morning in mid March. The breeze was soft, the sky clear blue and the sea rocked with a gentle swell. Alienor walked on to the harbour side, thanking God for their safe deliverance. It was impossible to believe that the voyage from the port of Antalya to Antioch, usually of three days’ duration, had taken almost three weeks, during which their vessels had been buffeted on rough seas and blown far off course. The Greek sailors had demanded an extortionate fee of four silver marks for each passenger they shipped. The alternative was a forty-day journey through rough and hostile terrain, which was what the bulk of the army had had to do despite being weakened by sickness and hunger.

Alienor had been nauseous throughout the sea journey, even during the times when the weather was calm. Marchisa had tended to her and said nothing, but her gaze was astute. Alienor knew that sooner or later she would have to confide in her. She could not keep her condition secret for much longer without help.

Antioch stood on the River Orontes, the city wall rising in massive crenellations up the sides of Mount Silipus. It was home to the Holy Saint Peter, first disciple of Jesus, and housed the church where the word ‘Christian’ had first been coined. That church still existed, built into a cavern in the mountainside, and was a place of reverence and pilgrimage. Louis was eager to worship there and tread in the footsteps of heaven’s gatekeeper.

Alienor’s own thoughts were more directed towards meeting her uncle and claiming his protection. Preparing to meet him, she dressed in a red silk dalmatic given to her by the Empress Irene. The loose-fitting gown was ornamented with precious gems, pearls and gold beads. Sapphires and rubies adorned her fingers and she covered her hair with a veil of Egyptian linen, so fine that it was like mist. Despite the rigours of the journey and her recent uncertain health, she was determined to greet her uncle with regal dignity.

She had last seen him when she was nine years old and had a vague memory of a tall young knight with deep blue eyes and hair the same dark golden hue as her own. Her stomach was queasy with anticipation and the knowledge that she was about to begin a new phase of her life, a phase that did not include Louis, although for the moment she would play her role as Queen of France.

They were greeted by a crowd of people singing hymns and scattering blossom petals before them in a pink and white cloud. Louis’s jaw tightened. ‘Let us hope that this place is not another Constantinople,’ he muttered with a curl of his lip.

‘Why should it be?’ She gave him a sharp look. ‘It is ruled by my father’s brother and his wife is your cousin.’

‘Because the ways of the East are tainted, and the fine flourishes only serve to conceal and gild their treachery,’ he said.

She stared at him. ‘You believe our own kin to be treacherous?’

‘Until I have been given good reason to think otherwise,’ he said grimly. ‘After all, I have encountered treachery and deceit close to home on more than one occasion.’

Alienor swallowed nausea. Just a little longer, she told herself, just a few days more and she would be free. ‘Antioch is not Constantinople. My uncle and his wife are of our lands even if they have made lives here, and we have come to help them – that was our original purpose.’

‘Not our only one,’ he said. ‘Our duty to God is the more important.’

Outside the palace, her uncle Raymond waited to greet them with his wife, Constance, who was kin to Louis. Many years in the Middle Eastern sun had bleached Raymond’s hair to the white-gold of ripe wheat, and his blue eyes were surrounded by deep creases from staring into harsh light. He was taller and broader than Louis, and had such a look of her father that she wanted to fling her arms around him and sob on his neck, but she restrained herself. Constance was slightly younger than Alienor, slender and dark-haired with light green eyes and fine features. She had a look of Louis around her nose and cheekbones, but there was something a little exotic about her too, as if the East had added its quality to her blood.

Their marriage had begun in scandal and subterfuge. At the age of twenty-two, Raymond had been invited to Antioch to become its ruler by marrying Alice, widow of the recently deceased Count Bohemond. But Alice was headstrong and not of the bloodline, whereas her nine-year-old daughter Constance was. Travelling in secret to avoid enemies, Raymond had arrived in Antioch, ostensibly to marry the mother, but had taken the daughter to wife instead, thereby thwarting Alice’s ambitions and setting himself up in dominance. Although under heavy threat from the Seljuks, he remained a powerful player in the game and was still only in his thirties.

‘Welcome,’ Raymond said, his voice deep and mellifluous. He spoke the French of the north as he greeted Louis with the kiss of peace and embraced him, but he did not kneel. Then he turned to Alienor and his gaze filled with warmth and compassion. ‘Niece,’ he said in the lenga romana. ‘My brother’s child.’

When he kissed her cheek, she clung to him, feeling like a shipwrecked sailor being thrown a rope by the master of a seaworthy boat. ‘You look so much like my father,’ she said, a quiver in her voice.

Raymond smiled, revealing large white teeth. ‘I hope that is a flattering comparison. We are so glad to see you and welcome your aid. I hope you will find Antioch pleasing.’

‘I feel as if I have come home,’ Alienor said, her throat tight with emotion. She turned to Raymond’s young consort, and embraced her too. A perfume of incense hung around Constance, smoky and spicy at the same time. Louis’s jaw was tight with tension, but he was not hostile, just wary.

‘The bulk of my army is taking the overland route and will be here in a little less than two weeks,’ he said. ‘We will be glad of your succour until then.’

Raymond raised his brows. ‘You are welcome to stay for as long as the campaign requires,’ he replied. ‘I had heard that your troops were on their way overland. You have found to your cost that the Greeks charge extortionately for their services.’

‘Indeed, I have found to my cost that trust and loyalty are rarer than Tyrian purple and the horn of the unicorn,’ Louis replied grimly. ‘And that everything has its price, and it is always more than it is worth.’

‘That is so,’ Raymond replied. ‘Welcome to Outremer.’

For the first time in months, Alienor was able to truly relax and feel safe. Raymond reminded her so much of her father, but a version that was larger than life and filled with vitality and exuberance. He was secure in his manhood and he occupied his space effortlessly. He casually tousled the heads of his children as he introduced them. Baldwin his heir, four years old and shining gold like his father, and two dark-haired enchanting daughters, Maria, who was two, and Philippa, a babe in arms. Alienor felt a pang as she looked at Maria and thought of her own daughter of that name. She would be running about now and learning to say ‘Mama’ to other people – to Petronella and the women of the court. It was a world away – another life, and one to which she did not intend returning. There was another child to consider also, its life a tiny flickering secret within her womb.

The palace at Antioch was not as large or as opulent as that of Constantinople, but still gracious and filled with riches beyond anything that the courts of France possessed. The floors were dressed with iridescent tiles and mosaics. Marble fountains plashed in flower-scented courtyards and the courtiers wore silk just as they did in Constantinople. Alienor and her ladies were afforded a set of chambers with cool marble floors and high latticed windows to sift the breeze. Although the outward trappings were similar to Constantinople, the ambience was very different. She could feel her power here, and it was the power of Aquitaine, not France. She had presence and influence. As Duchess of Aquitaine and the niece of the Prince of Antioch, she was treated with respect and reverence. Her ideas and her abilities were valued, and the way she chose to dress and comport herself was regarded as normal and the right thing to do. It was in such contrast to her treatment at home and on the journey that it made her throat ache.

Indeed, Antioch felt close to Aquitaine in many more ways because her uncle had imbued his palace with that land’s energy and traditions. The court’s official language was the lenga romana, and the culture and music was all of the southern lands. Alienor and Raymond had memories to exchange – he of the times before she had been born, when he had been a child growing up with her father, and she of the years after he had gone.

‘I would love to see Poitiers again before I die,’ Raymond said, ‘but my life is here now and I know I shall never go back.’ He squeezed her hand in his and kissed her cheek. ‘You must do it for me, niece. Govern wisely and well.’

Alienor looked down at his broad, capable hand over hers and drew a deep breath. ‘I want to annul my marriage with Louis,’ she said. ‘I loved my father dearly, but he did me no favours when he made the match.’

Raymond’s expression grew very still. ‘That is a serious undertaking. Does Louis know your intent?’

She shook her head, feeling tense. What if Raymond took Louis’s part and refused to help her? ‘Not yet. I wanted to be in a safe place before I broached the subject with him.’

‘Why do you desire an annulment?’ He fixed her with an intent stare. ‘What makes the match untenable?’

She could not tell from his words and his expression whether or not he was sympathetic. ‘Because it is not right for Aquitaine,’ she said. ‘Louis hems me in and belittles my abilities. He is no husband to me in any sense of the word.’ Her mouth twisted bitterly. ‘He might as well be married to Thierry de Galeran. The Templar has shared his tent throughout this campaign and sleeps in his chamber. Louis is swayed by the advice of men who have no love for me or for Aquitaine. And because you are of Aquitaine and keep a southern court, he will not love you either.’

Raymond leaned back in his chair. ‘An annulment would leave you vulnerable and open to predators.’

‘I know I would have to remarry, but I would be able to choose my own consort and not be forced by the dictates of others.’

He stroked his chin. ‘But your choice would be dictated by the needs of Aquitaine.’

‘And I shall make it carefully indeed.’

‘Do you have a choice in mind?’

Alienor closed her face. ‘Let that come later.’

‘You can trust me, you know that.’ His voice was as warm as sunlight.

She gave him a straight stare. ‘I have got out of the habit of trusting anyone.’

‘Well then, you are wise, because I am of the same mind myself.’ He patted her hand. ‘I need your husband’s support for the campaign against Aleppo, but when that matter is concluded, I will offer you what aid I can.’

Alienor’s caution did not completely dissipate, but she was relieved at his favourable, if qualified, reply. ‘And you will succour me here in Antioch?’

Raymond embraced her. ‘Your home is mine for as long as you have need, niece.’

It was late in the evening and most folk had retired to sleep, although the oil lamps in the palace corridors were still burning. Alienor had stayed a long time in her uncle’s chamber, catching up with the past and discussing future policy. Louis had his own apartments and had gone early to bed, pleading tiredness and a need to pray. Thus far she had managed to avoid him, only joining him for formal occasions and mealtimes, and had steeled herself to smile and put on a courtly façade for the duration.

As midnight approached, Alienor finally retired to her own chambers, escorted by her ladies and the protective presence of Geoffrey de Rancon and Saldebreuil de Sanzay. The latter bowed at her door and went off to check that all was well with the men. Alienor dismissed her women to their beds in the anteroom, all save Marchisa, and with her as chaperone bade Geoffrey enter her own chamber.

‘Wine, Marchisa,’ she said, ‘then you may go, but stay within call, and leave the door open a little.’

‘Madam.’ Marchisa performed the duty with quiet efficiency and left the room, skirts softly whispering on the tiles.

‘That will go some way to satisfying propriety,’ Alienor said, ‘but it still affords some privacy.’

Geoffrey raised his brows. ‘You are optimistic,’ he said, but sat down on the long couch beside her.

‘I fear nothing at my uncle’s court. He only has my wellbeing at heart.’ She watched him sip the wine – the flexion of his throat, the curl of his hair near his earlobe. He would be leaving with the dawn, returning to Aquitaine by the swiftest routes. He would be free and clear and she was glad, but her heart was aching. She set her hand over his. ‘I am with child,’ she said. ‘That moment in Constantinople …’

His gaze sharpened and filled with shock and anguish. ‘Dear God … why didn’t you say before?’

She could see him calculating the months, and put her forefinger to his lips. ‘Hush. There would have been no point in telling you sooner. What you did not know was protection for you.’

‘I was a purblind fool,’ he said grimly. ‘I should have had more control.’

‘Then so was I. We were both a part of it, as we are part of it now – and I am glad.’ Taking his hand, she placed it on the gentle curve of her belly. ‘I cannot regret this.’

‘But I am leaving.’ He swallowed. ‘I cannot let you face this alone.’

‘You can and you must.’

‘I don’t—’

‘No.’ She cut him off. ‘I need to accomplish this in my own way and it will not help to have you here. We might give something away and no one must ever know, for the sake of all of our lives.’ She drew a deep breath. ‘I intend to have my marriage with Louis annulled. I have already written to the Archbishop of Bordeaux to set matters in motion. My uncle will make me welcome here for as long as I choose to stay, and I shall do so until the child is born.’

‘Does your uncle know of your condition?’

She shook her head. ‘No, and he does not have to know either. There are places I can go when the time comes, and the child can be raised honourably in my household without anyone knowing but us. He or she will receive a fine education and career and never have to be bound by the constraints that have bound us.’

Geoffrey dug his hands through his hair. ‘What if Louis refuses to consent to an annulment?’

‘He will see that it is in his best interests.’

‘And if he does not?’

Her voice filled with steely determination. ‘I shall persuade him.’

‘Might he think the child is his?’

Alienor exhaled a bitter laugh. ‘It would be a miracle. He hasn’t been near my bed since we left France.’ She met his gaze without looking away. ‘I am not sorry that this has happened,’ she said forcefully. ‘I may not have chosen such a route, but I am glad.’

He was not reassured. ‘There is more at stake now than there has ever been, yet you want to send me away where I am powerless to do anything.’

She pushed his hair back from his brow in a tender, intimate gesture. ‘I know it is difficult, but it is the safest path for us and our child – trust me.’

He groaned and wrapped his arms around her. ‘I do trust you. It is myself I find wanting.’

‘Do not,’ she said. ‘I will not hear you say that.’ She sealed his mouth with a kiss when he inhaled to protest, and instead took his breath into her own body, and imagined it travelling down to her womb, giving their child life and sustenance.

It was deep in the night when Geoffrey finally left Alienor’s chamber, his footfall stealthy as he crossed the anteroom. Alienor accompanied him, and Marchisa walked before them, shading a small oil lamp in her hand. The other women slept behind their gauze curtains. At the door, Alienor bade Marchisa go to bed. The maid curtseyed and silently withdrew.

Beyond the doorway, lit by stars and a large crescent moon, the fountain glistened with dark rills of water. ‘God speed your journey and make your way fair and good,’ Alienor whispered. ‘I will pray for you every moment.’

He brushed her face with his hand. ‘As I will pray for you and our child.’ His throat worked. ‘I would have stayed …’

‘I know you would, but someone would put a knife in your back even here in Antioch. You are better gone from this, and there is much work to do in Aquitaine when you return. While both of us are in this world we shall always be together.’

They had kissed their farewell within her chamber, but now he took her hand and lifted it. She felt the soft brush of his lips on her skin. And then he drew back, bowed and walked away. Alienor watched until he was out of sight and then closed her eyes, letting him go.

She was turning to retire when Raymond stepped out of the shadows soft-footed as the cheetah he kept for the hunt and which slept in his chamber. ‘Ah, niece,’ he said. ‘You are fortunate there was only me to witness that tender farewell. What would others construe from so fond a parting?’

Alienor drew herself up and concealed her fear by meeting his gaze full on. ‘I do not think “fortunate” is the right word, Uncle, but since you used it, I take it you are not going to expose us?’

Raymond sat down on a bench facing the fountain and gestured Alienor to join him. ‘He is leaving tomorrow, is he not?’ he said.

‘You do not know how difficult my life is with Louis,’ she said with quiet intensity.

‘A veritable monk,’ Raymond said. ‘With all a monk’s proclivities and vices, no?’ He spread his arms across the back of the bench and crossed his legs.

‘You might say that. My only value to him is because of Aquitaine. For the rest he treats me as a necessary but worthless appendage. And I have long since ceased to have any respect for him.’

‘And this other man, de Rancon?’

Her uncle’s tone was mild but she was not deceived. ‘I would have married him, not Louis, if I had been given the choice.’

‘Would you indeed?’ Raymond looked thoughtful, his posture that of a great indolent lion. ‘But not such a good choice for Aquitaine. Would the people follow him? Would they account him Duke? Louis may have proved to be a fool, but your father’s policy was sound at the time. De Rancon would not be a wise choice to make even if you were free; I strongly counsel you against it.’

Alienor swallowed her anger, and a frisson of alarm. She could only be thankful again that she was sending Geoffrey back to Aquitaine. She liked her uncle, but she had no illusions. He was ruthless, because only a ruthless man could survive in this environment. ‘I am not foolish,’ she said. ‘I see further than I did at thirteen years old. My decision will be the best one for Aquitaine.’

‘Some might consider Louis expendable,’ Raymond said after a moment.

Alienor looked down at her hands. ‘That is up to them, but he is an anointed king, and I believe they would only create more difficulties by solving the one.’

‘Indeed,’ Raymond replied and smoothly continued as if he had not just broached the matter of having Louis removed: ‘I have still to gain your husband’s measure in terms of how far he can be persuaded on matters of policy and whether he will agree to a campaign against Aleppo.’

‘His desire is all for Jerusalem,’ she said. ‘I doubt he will heed you, because you are my uncle and of Aquitaine. You have seen how it is between us. He will not listen to me, and neither will those around him, although his brother may be more open to reason.’

‘Ah, Robert. And he too has ambitions, I think.’

‘He would be King of France, but he is cautious. He may agree with your policies, but do not expect him to support you unless it suits his purpose.’

Raymond drummed his fingers on the back of the bench. ‘The men of Aquitaine? They would stay?’

‘You are my father’s brother, they would follow you – I think you know that. Certainly they would stay with me rather than follow Louis.’

He nodded purposefully and stood up. ‘Time I retired,’ he said. ‘There is much to consider. I shall speak with Louis on the matter of Aleppo … and if I cannot bring him to agree, then we shall have to think of a different way around the dilemma.’

She rose too and he tenderly kissed her brow. ‘All will be well, I promise you.’

Alienor’s throat tightened. ‘My father always kissed me and told me the same thing – but it wasn’t true.’

Raymond gave a mordant smile. ‘We were both speaking of the future, my dear, not the present.’

A noise in the darkness to their left made them turn swiftly, but there was nothing to see, and when they listened they could only hear the splash of the fountain and the soft chirring of crickets. ‘There are many cats abroad at night,’ Raymond said with a curled lip, ‘all with their ears pricked and their eyes shining like mirrors. Go now, quickly.’

Her heart hammering, Alienor stepped inside her chamber. Marchisa was waiting to light her back to her room, and Gisela was sitting up on her pallet with the gauze curtain drawn back and her eyes wide. ‘Madam?’

‘Go back to sleep,’ Alienor said, her voice quiet but terse.

‘Madam.’ Gisela’s curtain swished back down.

Alienor stretched out on her own bed. Marchisa left quietly, having placed the lamp in a chain holder. The flame softly flickered, creating reflections and patterns on the marble floor, the fire drawing in the direction of the faint breeze from the lancet windows high above the bed. She lay awake for a long time, her hand on her womb, and watched the flow of the light over the floor and walls until the lamp guttered and went out.

Louis found Raymond of Antioch disturbing and irritating in equal measure. His height, strength and golden presence made Louis feel that he had to puff out his own chest and try to match him; yet his best always seemed inadequate.

‘We should strike at Aleppo,’ Raymond said firmly. ‘That is the greatest threat to Antioch now that Edessa has fallen to the Turk. If we can take it, then we will have stability for years to come.’

‘I am not convinced it is a good idea,’ Louis said. ‘Edessa is already lost. Aleppo may be important to you, but we must listen to what the King of Jerusalem and his barons have to say. I say it would be better to concentrate on Damascus.’ He shot Raymond a challenging look, and was gratified and also a little afraid to see the flash of temper in the Prince’s blue eyes.

‘That would be folly,’ Raymond snapped. ‘It would be much simpler and more sensible to take Aleppo first and then deal with Damascus.’

‘From your point of view, yes, but that may not be the opinion of Jerusalem.’ Louis looked over his shoulder at Thierry de Galeran and his uncle William de Montferrat, who both nodded agreement.

‘We are like a row of pins. Knock one down and it will crash into another and then another. Edessa has already fallen and Antioch is the next pin in that sequence. If I fall, then Tripoli follows, and then the precious Kingdom of Jerusalem. And all for the want of a decisive strike now.’

Louis eyed Raymond’s clenched fist and took a perverse pleasure in saying, ‘So you say, but I well know the situation and wish to take other counsel.’

Raymond raised his eyebrows. ‘Indeed, sire? Then in knowing, you must have great insight, since you do not dwell here.’

‘Sometimes it takes someone with a longer view.’ Louis leaned back, aping the indolent pose Raymond often assumed. ‘My intent is to ride down to Jerusalem and fulfil my pilgrimage. Once that is accomplished, I shall consider the battlefield again.’

‘Some of us do not have that choice,’ Raymond said with asperity. ‘You came to help, but I see now you have no intention of doing so.’

Louis gave him a steely look. ‘I shall do what I consider best, not what you would have me do to suit yourself.’

Raymond swallowed and Louis could almost see him grinding his teeth. It made him want to smile. He could play the game and beat this man whom he had disliked and distrusted on sight.

‘Sire, I hope you will reconsider,’ Raymond said stiffly. ‘Perhaps we should talk again on another occasion when you have had opportunity to reflect.’

Louis dipped his head. ‘I shall think on the matter, but I doubt I shall change my mind.’

Raymond left quietly, but the atmosphere around him was tense with suppressed rage. Louis was wary, but content. It gave him a sense of power and achievement to know he could defeat Raymond just by refusing. And after all, the opinion of Jerusalem was what really mattered.

His brother Robert cleared his throat and folded his arms. ‘I think we should help him to take Aleppo,’ he said. ‘We need to look at the future when we are gone from here. He does have a point.’

Louis scowled. ‘I will not have my hand forced. I do not trust him. He is little better than a Greek and a bad influence. He courts people with fine words and gilded trappings, but it is all false. A snail may produce the colour purple from its shell, but it still leaves a trail of slime.’ Louis affected an imperious air. ‘I shall go to Jerusalem. The honour of Christ stands far above the needs and conceits of this man.’

Alienor waited until she was certain Louis was alone in his chamber. Having spent an hour at his prayers, he was composing messages to Abbé Suger using a stylus and a waxed tablet before retiring to bed.

‘I must speak with you,’ she said.

Louis gave her a supercilious look. ‘Can you spare the time away from your precious uncle to do so?’

She gave a sigh of annoyance. ‘He is my closest living kin on my father’s side. We have much to talk about.’

‘I am sure you do,’ he sneered.

Alienor wanted to slap him. ‘He is right about Aleppo. You said you would help him, so why are you refusing now? Do you not see how important it is?’

‘Warfare is men’s business and you should not meddle.’ Louis gave a dismissive wave of his right hand. ‘If he has sent you to plead on his behalf, then his cause is worthless. I only take advice from men I trust, and certainly not from you.’

‘You insult him, and you insult me.’

‘I insult no one; I speak as I find.’ He flashed her an angry look. ‘You both have your agendas and I will not be a pawn.’

‘You are already a pawn,’ she said scornfully. ‘The men of your own faction play their power games with you, but you are so much in their thrall that you do not see it, or perhaps you do not want to see it.’

‘I am my own man,’ he snapped.

‘And on your own. How much of a man are you, Louis? How much of a king? I have seen precious little of either in you.’

‘Enough!’ He cast down the stylus with a metallic clatter.

Alienor made a throwing gesture that rippled her long silk sleeve. ‘If you go to Jerusalem, you go alone. I am staying in Antioch.’

‘You are the Queen of France and by God you will go where I go.’

‘I will not.’ She stood tall. ‘It is finished between us, Louis. I want our marriage annulled.’

A look of astonishment crossed his face, swiftly followed by fury. ‘Your uncle has put you up to this, hasn’t he?’

‘He has no need to. I am the one broaching the subject. Our marriage is consanguineous – something we both know and have ignored, but clearly God has not looked on our match with favour. Better we part now than drag it like a corpse behind us for the rest of our lives.’

‘Is this what you and your uncle have been talking about at all hours of the night?’ Louis demanded. ‘By Christ, you are unfaithful and unchaste.’

‘Then why keep me when I am so unsuitable?’ she spat. ‘Why stay wed to a wife you neither trust nor desire? You would be free to beget a son on someone else if you set me aside. Your barons and clerics would no longer have cause to make their petty complaints about me. This is a practical time to agree an annulment. You can hand me into the keeping of my uncle and it will be an honourable exchange – the more so since his wife is your own second cousin.’ She saw the glint of uncertainty in his eyes and pressed home her point. ‘Do you really wish to continue with this travesty of a marriage? If so, you have given no sign of it since we set out from Saint-Denis.’

He looked away. ‘I took a vow not to sully myself, you know that.’

‘Sully? Does that not say it all?’ Her anger burned very close to white heat but somehow she held it down.

‘I will have to consult with my advisers,’ he said.

‘You mean seek their permission?’ Alienor scoffed. ‘Do you have to do everything by order of Abbé Suger and that codless Templar? Does Thierry de Galeran rule your mind as well as your bedchamber? You say you are your own man? Well, prove it.’

Louis gave her a look filled with distaste. ‘I am God’s man first, and it is His will I do.’

‘Then ask Him.’

‘Let me be,’ Louis said through clenched teeth. ‘I will give you an answer when I am ready.’

‘Do as you will, but know this: I am not going with you. My choice is made and I am staying here in Antioch.’

As she left the chamber, Thierry de Galeran was waiting to go in and from the look on his face had plainly been eavesdropping. He wore a soft silk robe embroidered with small silver crosses, and over the top, incongruously, his scarred leather swordbelt. Alienor gave him a glare filled with loathing. ‘It is for the best,’ she said. ‘Tell him that while you are both at your prayers.’

Thierry returned her look before sweeping a supercilious bow and entering the chamber.

Slumped in his chair, Louis glanced up as Thierry closed the door. ‘You heard?’ He pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘Some of it, sire,’ Thierry said cautiously.

‘She wants to dissolve the marriage on the grounds of consanguinity and stay here when we leave.’ Louis lowered his hand and looked up. ‘I am half inclined to grant her wish.’

Thierry frowned and hitched his belt. ‘I advise you not to be hasty, sire. If you agree, it will damage your prestige. People will say you cannot keep your wife and that another man has taken her away, albeit that the man is her uncle. It would mean that the men of Aquitaine would look to Antioch for leadership, not France. You are Aquitaine’s overlord in law, but if the Queen repudiates you, your position will be difficult.’

‘She is a thorn in my side.’ Louis’s expression contorted. ‘And all the more painful because I still remember the beauty of the rose.’

‘Many beautiful things are sent by the Devil to do us harm,’ Thierry said. ‘Look at the beauty of a viper’s gleaming skin, but know that it has a deadly bite. And did not the serpent entice Eve into tasting the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and did she not then persuade Adam to eat of it?’

‘I will write to Suger,’ Louis said with a sigh. ‘He will advise me, but you are right. In the meantime she should not remain in Antioch.’

‘I do not think you should bring your army into Antioch. Rather let them join us further on.’

Louis’s gaze sharpened. ‘What are you saying?’

‘Sire, I have heard disquieting rumours.’

‘What kind of rumours?’

Thierry screwed up his face as if he had been drinking vinegar. ‘I believe that the lord of Antioch plots against you.’

‘Think or know?’ Louis’s breathing quickened and panic tightened his chest.

‘I have seen the Prince trying to drive a wedge between our people. He speaks fair words in your brother’s ear, and I believe he is plotting with the Queen too.’ Thierry’s tone dripped with revulsion. ‘I suspect Raymond and the Queen have been inappropriate together. I have seen them sitting as close as lovers, alone without attendants when everyone else is asleep.’ His voice slurred a little on excess saliva. ‘I have seen them embracing. She has behaved inappropriately with other men too. Geoffrey de Rancon was in her chambers until long after midnight on the night before he left Antioch, and my spies report that they parted tenderly. It makes me wonder if what happened to the vanguard on Mount Cadmos was purely an accident.’

Louis stared at him in horror. ‘By Christ and Saint Denis, are you sure of this?’

‘Sire, I would not have spoken if I did not have grave doubts. I say we should leave Antioch the moment our army comes within reach and ride immediately for Jerusalem, bringing the Queen with us. With her at your side, her uncle will not dare to move against us, and where she goes, the men of Aquitaine will follow like drones.’

Louis swallowed. ‘What do you advise?’

‘That we make plans to leave by stealth the moment we know our troops are close. We shall need to move swiftly and only tell the people we trust. Raymond cannot stop you riding away, nor can he prevent you from taking your own wife. You must remove her from his influence and keep her at your side where she will have no opportunity to plot and scheme.’

Louis felt sick. He could not encompass the enormity of what he was being told. He did not want to believe it, and yet Thierry was his eyes and his ears and could nose out plots like a rat discovering a piece of rancid cheese. He had had a sense of danger for a long time now, and it did not surprise him, but he did feel very afraid.

‘Let me deal with it, sire,’ Thierry said smoothly. ‘I shall make sure that the Queen is ready to leave when the moment comes.’

Louis nodded, relief flowing through him. ‘You always know what to do for the best,’ he said.