Bond of Blood Read Free Page B

he finally was brought to do homage to Stephen by the representations of many of our friends. But Stephen did not hold his promises; ever he listened to the last man to have his ear and, by turning first this way and then that, accomplished nothing and allowed every abuse. The result of this was that no man fears him, and the whole country has gone mad."
    "Was that why there was so much fighting when I was a child?"
    "Ay, but you are little more than that now, and there is more to the story which you will not hear if you continue to interrupt."
    It was very kindly said, and Leah could not forbear a mischievous smile. He was a delightful man, even if he was not handsome, and, when one came to think of it, the marks were not so dreadful. They gave manliness to a countenance that might, from the looks of the eyes and mouth, have been too soft.
    "Now the Empress Matilda—you remember, the king's daughter—had been waiting for just such a situation and she came post-haste from Anjou where she had been living. Once she arrived, serious rebellion broke out. Some were dissatisfied with Stephen; some had troubled consciences and feared the wrath of God because they were forsworn; but most seized gladly on the opportunity to attack and rob under the pretence of supporting one side or the other."
    Leah had her hands gripped tightly together in her effort at concentration on this history. "Then the Empress Matilda is at war with King Stephen, I see, but—"
    Glancing at the tightly intertwined fingers, Lord Radnor had to smile. He had a swift memory of himself concentrating on his tutor's lessons with just such hands. "Wait, wait, you leap ahead. It is not so simple in truth because the Empress Matilda now has a son who is very nearly a man. It is rumored that he is to return again to press his claim. He was here with his mother once before, but he was only a child of ten then."
    "I see that this does not please you. Is he also unworthy to be king? Do you think that King Stephen can be brought to better ways?"
    "The priests tell us that there are miracles," Cain replied dryly. "Perhaps God will think that England has suffered enough and perform one. Short of that, I do not believe that the king will—or I should say can, because Stephen is a well intentioned man—change his ways. You are right though in saying that Henry's coming does not please me—and very clever, too, to have read that in my face—but it is not because he would not make a better king. Almost anyone would, although Henry is too young, about sixteen, but I am sworn to be Stephen's man, no matter how little my heart lies there and I must hold to my oath. Of more immediate importance though is that Wales is like a pot just on the boil. One little thing more will make it run over."
    Leah heard little but the last statement because she had been thinking that she could read far more in any man's face than whether or not he liked or disliked a king. When the price for every misreading of a flicker of expression that shows a mood is a blow and a bruise, the eye grows quick and the mind grows keen.
    "But why should England's troubles affect Wales?"
    "God in His omniscience, He knows why He made the Welsh as He did. I give them credit for their courage, but they are lunatic. They know not when they are beaten. They will not lie down and die when they are wounded unto death. They will not acknowledge us their masters although we have proven our claim again and again by force of arms. Each time the crown changes hands in England, the Welsh think that we Normans will be so concerned that we will pay no mind to what goes on in our own lands. Therefore the Welsh rise in rebellion, seeking to be free of the yoke we have placed upon them. Each time an overlord, like your father's brother, is slain or is deposed by the king, they rise to fight, flooding down from the hills and out of the forests."
    Radnor had not turned his face from Leah, but his eyes stared unseeingly past her.