Lord Liar Part 54

"Do not fear, Lady Aldyth, he He is sleeping and will continue to do so if we are that he does. I spoke with your brother ear morn-- he watched over your lord husband while You were exhausted, he said--and no wonder."

at his patient.

"I have seen his wound, my red at the edges, it appears to be well. I believe he will make a full recovery." Our Lord and his Mother," Aldyth said deto that, but no doubt your devoted care made the cauterizing, of course,"

the physician a wink. Then his face turned serious again.

its . has me to in yon with his a.s.sembled n.o.bles to hear Ranulf's accuser. and you, of course. "

She was unable to believe it was so late, but when she opened the tent flap, the sun was indeed high in the sky. Its brilliance seemed redoubled, as if to make up for the day before.

"But... Ranulf..." she murmured, looking back at her slumbering husband.

"Would the king hear testimony against a man without his being there to defend himself?" The physician looked uncomfortable.

"My lady, I know little of this matter, but I understand the time was set for noon.

Undoubtedly if what his grace hears disturbs him, he will wait to hear Ranulf's side. before pa.s.sing sentence. " Behind her, Urse began an angry muttering, but she paid no heed.

"Before pa.s.sing sentence..." she echoed, her heart thudding against her breast.

"Sir, I understand. I will be there as quickly as I can suitably array myself." The physician bowed and left them.

"My lady, I will go to the king. I will make him see that he must wait,"

Urse said.

She held up a peremptory hand.

"No Urse, I must do it. Now step outside while I change," she said finally, and the giant obeyed.

She flew to the basin and splashed some water onto her face. Sometime during the evening, G.o.dric had brought her belongings, and now she pulled out the mulberry-colored gown she had worn at her wedding. As she slipped it over her head and laced the side fastenings, then arranged the veil to hide her shorn locks, she hoped that she would appear Lord Ranulf's virtuous wife.

Where was G.o.dtic? What had his cryptic promise at dawn meant, that he would do whatever he must? Perhaps he had gone to try to persuade his former friend to change his res' timony, or better yet, to disappear altogether before the hearing began.

"Twould do no good, she thought sadly. Turold would not change his mind.

Well, 'twas up to her. Was there a way she could save his life--without putting her soul in eternal jeopardy by lying?

When she left the tent, Urse fell in step beside her.

"You should stay with your master," she told him.

Urse's face was stubbornly set.

"He will sleep," he told her.

"But he would want me to stand by you."

"Aldyth of Sherborne, we are pleased to see you dressed as a woman today,"

King William Rufus said with a wry twist of his mouth. Using a camp chair as an informal throne, he was flanked by his loyal n.o.bles and the rchbishop of Canterbury. All of them stared at her curl' "Yes, your grace," she said meekly, her eyes downcast. "We are here to give ear to the charges made by one , an English freedman who says he is your husband, against Lord Ranulf of Kingsclere, with shall we say, in close a.s.sociation?" He of laughter, which the n.o.bles at his side him echeed politely.

hidden by the thick summer greenery, high in of where the king sat. He was careful away his presence. He had been lucky advance where the hearing was to take place, to be able to take up his position before an- glad to see Lord Ranulf's squire stand beside Aldyth. had been unable to catch Turold alone, r farmer had been careful to surround himself G.o.dtic had already realized the useless to dissuade Turold from testifying, however. permanent solution in mind, and if it meant sacrificing himself to save Lord Ranulf and Aldyth, then that was just atonement for his failings toward his sister.

He was no great archer, preferring to take his chances in hand-to-hand fighting with his scramasax, but he had an Englishman's competence at bringing down game for the table. Turold would be a stationary target, and at this distance G.o.dfie could scarcely miss. He would see what Turold was going to say and be ready to put an arrow through his heart before he could endanger Aldyth and her beloved Norman. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, he held an arrow ready to be hocked into the bowstring and waited. "We shall hear the charge of lesser interest to us first,"

Rufus announced.

"Did you in fact, Lady Aldyth, desert this man, to whom you were betrothed in a legal ceremony by the Church, and run off with our Lord Ranulf when he journeyed at our command to Normandy?"

"I did, your grace." Her voice trembled, but it was clearly audible, G.o.drio noted with pride.

"And why did you do such a thing, woman? Yon Turold seems a goodly man, strong and reasonably fair, and English like yourself," Rufus pointed out, then waited. "I... I discovered he was a brute, your grace, on the eve of our wedding. I could not marry such a man."

"It's true, Your Grace. She came to us bruised and beaten," Urse a.s.serted, but the king ignored him. "A brute? Are you ignorant of the fact that a man is the head of a woman, that she is to be in subjection to him? So the Church teaches, I am told. Is that not right, Archbishop Lanfrane?" Rufus inquired.

The aged, austere man who was England's spiritual head nodded.

"What say you to that, Aldyth of Sherborne?"

She lifted her head.

"It is the Church's teaching, but Turold of Swanlea had made a leman of my own tirewoman, and when I objected, he attempted to 'discipline' me by a method the Church would not sanction, I believe--he tried to rape me."

A buzz went through the crowd of witnesses. "Turold, is that true?"

Turold smirked.

"I may have shown my affection a trifle, uh, forcefully, your grace, but 'twas naught like rape. I was merely trying to demonstrate how faithful and attentive a husband I would be in future."

"Liar? Aldyth cried.

"We would remind you both you have sworn on the holy relics to tell the truth," Rufus said.

"And so, woman, you say he tried to violate you, and when you had eluded him, you fled to the side of Lord Ranulf, whom, I am told, was known to you since childhood?"

G-odrie listened as Aldyth repeated the story as she had told it to him, how she had fled to Winchester, merely seek f.a.g her younger brother's help, but had ended up traveling with Ranulf when Turold had COm looking r"And there you began to share his bed?" Rufus in! '. bristled, but what could the squire do?

hated the way some of the n.o.bles began to leer at obviously seeing her now as a different sort of If it were not for the more important target he had other pairs of eyes watched the proceedings am- pair belonged to Ranulf, who had awakened in t! :teilt in time to hear the last portion of the physician and 'a COnversation. He had struggled to dress himself.

near faint' the t it to himself from his tent to the edge of the crowd. As yet the king and Aldyth had not taken note of him.

Another pair of eyes belonged to one who had everything to lose if the king gave Aldyth back to Turold.

Aldyth's color rose at the king's accusation, but she nodded.

"Yes, we became lovers, your grace. I... I have loved him since we were children together, and I am not ashamed."

Turold went purple with rage.