Bone of Contention Read Online Free PDF Page B

arise. Cody and the oldest apprentice removed the packages from her hands as soon as she came down the stairs and said they would accompany her home.
    A sense of cold weight, which she had managed to hold off, began to descend on her as they approached the Old Priory Guesthouse, but she could not indulge it. Cody and the apprentice brought in the fruits of her shopping and Ella burst into tears at the sight of the travel basket. It took a little while to convince her that her simple world was not coming to an end, that nothing would change at the Old Priory Guesthouse, that Diot would solve her problems and not scold her, and that Magdalene would be back in a few weeks.
    Distribution of the new shifts went a long way to distracting Ella’s mind, and before her fears could rise again, her first client appeared. Magdalene breathed a long sigh of relief. When Ella was with a man, her attention was totally focused. Then Letice’s client, who was new and had been recommended by Master Buchuinte, wanted to ask a host of questions. Since he was a wealthy grocer whose wife had died some months past and was just the kind of client who might be very profitable for a long time, Magdalene had Letice bring out good wine and sweetcakes and did her best to satisfy his doubts and soothe his anxieties.
    The delay and Letice’s understanding that a first-time client must not be rushed and must be completely satisfied made her late for her next client. Since he planned to spend the whole night, he did not feel as if he were being cheated of precious time and was not impatient. Magdalene kept him busy with light chatter, and when that ran thin began a mild complaint about the inconvenience of family obligations, which were dragging her away from her business to Oxford.
    “Oxford!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. “This is a terrible time to go to Oxford. Had you not heard that the whole realm has responded to King Stephen’s summons to this Court sitting? I hope your family has some place for you to sleep.”
    “They had better,” Magdalene said, smiling—but she did not think that William would have troubled himself to think about where she would stay, unless he intended her to stay with him. She repressed a shudder and leaned forward to refill the client’s wine cup. “They bade me come. I did not offer, I assure you. But why is this Court so crowded? I do not remember that there was so great a press of people, even at the Court at Westminster at Christmas.”
    “Those who came to Westminster could lodge in London,” he said. “Oxford is much smaller. The thing is that after the king’s victories in the west and the Battle of the Standard, which routed the Scots in the north, most men believe that King Stephen is too strong to oppose. Thus, everyone wishes to display his loyalty by appearing at Court.”
    Magdalene sighed. “That is reasonable, I suppose, even if it is inconvenient for me.”
    The goldsmith grinned. “It may be reasonable, but that does not make it the whole truth. This is one of the times I am very glad to have been born a goldsmith instead of a lord. The earl of Gloucester’s defiance to the king has made Stephen suspicious, and the great lords are trying to show they are not looking Gloucester’s way. To fail to appear at Court might mean one was gathering men and supplies to burst into rebellion as soon as Gloucester crosses the narrow sea.”
    “Surely not? Why should they? Stephen has been a mild and merciful king, has he not?”
    “Perhaps too mild and merciful. I have heard it said that rebels would likely escape punishment, and as for reasons…there are always reasons—” He looked up at the sound of soft footsteps to see Letice smiling at him from the doorway to the corridor. He smiled too, but turned back to Magdalene to say, “And for those who are rebels, what better place to meet and make plans than a king’s Council where you and your confederates have been summoned? Who could say your