Dead Man's Secret Read Online Free Page A

not be happy about that.’
    Joan would be livid, and Henry knew it. Geoffrey felt his temper begin to rise. He was not one of Henry’s creatures, to be ordered hither and thither, but a knight who had survived the Crusade – his white surcoat with its red cross told all who saw it that he was a Jerosolimitanus , one who had liberated Jerusalem from the Infidel. He bitterly resented being manipulated.
    â€˜I have no allegiance to Robert, and neither does Joan,’ he said shortly.
    Henry nodded. ‘Then you will do as I ask. You will deliver the letters to Abbot Mabon and Bishop Wilfred, and spend a little time in their company to provide me with impressions. And you will deliver my missive to Gwgan without anyone else knowing.’
    â€˜Yes, sire,’ said Geoffrey, making no effort to keep the resentment from his voice.
    The letters were not ready when Geoffrey went to collect them from the Chapter House – which had been commandeered by the King’s clerks – and he sighed irritably when he saw he was going to be made to wait yet again. He was eager to be on his way now he had permission to leave. It was not yet noon – with good horses, he could be twenty miles away by nightfall.
    â€˜I am sorry,’ said Eudo, not sounding at all contrite. ‘But we have more pressing business to attend than yours.’
    â€˜I am sure you do,’ said Geoffrey shortly. ‘But it will not take you a moment to gather these letters together, and then I can be away to do the King’s bidding.’
    â€˜I will do it as soon as I can,’ snapped Eudo. ‘But you looming over me will not expedite the matter, so go away. I shall summon you when they are ready.’
    Infuriated that a mere clerk should try to dismiss him, Geoffrey promptly sat on a large chest and folded his arms.
    â€˜I would not like you to forget,’ he said in a voice that carried considerable menace.
    â€˜I will not forget,’ said Eudo, alarmed. Crusader knights had a reputation for ruthless ferocity, and Geoffrey’s battle-stained armour and the compact strength of his body said he was a dangerous man.
    â€˜Good,’ said Geoffrey, watching Eudo sort deeds into two neat piles with unsteady hands. He sighed, never easy with intimidation, and tried to engage Eudo in polite conversation instead, sensing friendliness might better serve his cause. ‘What can you tell me about Kermerdyn?’
    Eudo shrugged. ‘Not much. It is under the dominion of a Welsh prince named Hywel. The King installed him there on the advice of influential nobles, because he helped quell the rebellion on the borders. But it was a mistake.’
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜Because everyone likes him.’
    â€˜And that is a problem?’
    â€˜It is. He is powerful in his own right, and I doubt he will want to remain the King’s vassal. He will rebel, and he will have a strong base, because we installed him in a fortress called Rhydygors.’
    â€˜But if Hywel has any sense, he will see that it is safer to live in harmony than to wage a war.’
    â€˜You would think so, but, in my experience, rebels are usually rather short on sense. Moreover, there is always the danger that he will encourage other Welsh princes to join him. Not everyone appreciates that the best rulers are Normans, and that we are acting for their own good when we subjugate a people.’
    â€˜Right,’ said Geoffrey, amused.
    â€˜It is true!’ declared Eudo. ‘I know, from studying tax returns, that your father turned Goodrich into a highly profitable venture, whereas it was struggling under the Saxons.’
    Geoffrey nodded. Godric Mappestone had been a ruthless tyrant, who had subdued his tenants with a fist of iron and had made up for any shortfalls by helping himself to his neighbours’ resources and supplies.
    â€˜Is that all you know about Kermerdyn?’ he asked. ‘That its ruler is