" Elizabeth," Geoffrey said her name as a sigh, "I am the boy's guardian now that I am your husband, and I am also his overlord in future. Now what nonsense is this about the king? You should be proud that your brother will join his court. Don't you know the honor I bestow upon him?" He removed her hand from his brow and held it against his chest. Her touch had an unsettling effect on his senses and he needed to be clearheaded when dealing with his argumentative wife. Elizabeth nodded while her mind sought a way to make him understand her position.
"What stories have you heard about William?" he asked with mild interest. He pulled her back against him and began to rub the goosebumps from her arms.
"He has a terrible temper and is not of a forgiving nature," Elizabeth said. "I do not want my little brother placed in such harsh conditions. He has been through too much already."
"There are those who say I have a terrible temper,
Elizabeth, and yet you do not seem afraid." He chuckled with his statement, secretly pleased that she had never shown fear of him.
"But they do not know you as I do," Elizabeth stammered, "and you are reasonable. You said so yourself. But King William-"
"Yes?" Geoffrey encouraged when she did not finish her sentence. "King William what?"
"Have you not heard of the town of Alencon?" Elizabeth whispered. She closed her eyes and waited for his answer.
"Ah, Alencon. But that was a long time ago, when William was young and rash and intent on gaining his rightful tide," Geoffrey explained.
"Then it is true? He actually became crazed when some fool called him bastard and truly cut off the feet and the hands of sixty men? It is really true?"
"No, it is not true," Geoffrey corrected, and Elizabeth felt a wave of relief. "There were but thirty-two of them, not sixty."
"What! He really did such a terrible thing?" She was so aghast that she almost fell off his lap, as much from the knowledge that the story was indeed true as from the blase way her husband confirmed it. Why, he acted as if they were discussing chickens or rabbits instead of men.
"It was a long time ago," Geoffrey replied with a shrug. "He holds his temper better now."
"God be praised," Elizabeth muttered. "And you would send little Thomas into his care?"
"Do not upset yourself. We will wait until the boy is older and then I will decide what is to be done. How old is he now?"
"Four." Elizabeth blurted out the lie, thinking he might believe her, as her little brother was on the short side.
"More like seven," Geoffrey stated. "Do not lie to me. Ever."
"I did not lie, only exaggerated," Elizabeth replied.
She leaned back against him, the top of her head just under his chin, and had a sudden thought. "He could live with us. There is so much you could teach him,
Geoffrey," she said, hoping to stroke his ego into seeing her reasoning. "That would be an honor for him to become your page, as you are a-"
"Enough," Geoffrey groaned. "Your praise has a purpose, wife. I am not so simpleminded that I do not see what you are about. I have promised to wait to make my decision. That will have to satisfy you for the moment."
"As you wish," Elizabeth answered in a demure voice. He couldn't see her face, so he missed the smile of victory. Oh, how easy it was to deal with him, she concluded. He really is a reasonable man. "And now perhaps you feel inclined to talk with me about Belwain?" she asked in a soft voice.
"I do not wish to ruin our pleasant morning," Geoffrey said with a sigh.
"But you promised to tell me what you planned, and I gave you my trust. I did not try to kill my uncle. I held my word," Elizabeth reminded her husband.
"Still, having you so docile and affectionate… Very well, I will tell you and you will become angry. It is your right to know-"
"You are stalling, Geoffrey," Elizabeth said. She turned in his arms and placed her hands against the sides of his face. "I will continue to be affectionate, for I can be no other way with you. And I will always have faith in you," she whispered. It was true, she admitted with a nod, she did have faith in her husband. He was a righteous man.
Geoffrey read the trust in her eyes and made a gruff sound in his throat. He pulled her hands away, hoping his action would stop the heat building between them. "There were three possibilities I could act on," he said.
"The first was, of course, the most simple and perhaps the one you would approve of: I could kill Belwain and be done with it. But," he said in a louder voice when he saw she was about to interrupt, "then I would not know if he acted alone. We both agree he does not have the intelligence to plan such a well-designed attack and therefore know that there is at least one other just as responsible. Therefore, I ruled out the first possibility."
"Why didn't you just force Belwain to tell you what you wanted to know?" Elizabeth asked.
"If you knew that admitting to a crime would mean your death, would you not keep your silence?" Geoffrey asked. He didn't wait for her answer but continued in a patient voice, "He knows my reputation. No, he would never have admitted his part, even if tortured."
"And the second possibility?" Elizabeth asked, frowning.
"To place the matter before William, challenge Belwain for the truth in court."
Elizabeth was already shaking her head before Geoffrey could explain. He stopped her with his hands and said, "I did not choose that possibility for two reasons. One, I do not wish to bring my petty problems to my overlord. It is my duty to deal with my vassals. William has much on his mind these days," he said, "trying to keep peace in his kingdom and his household too. It is a melancholy time for him," he added. "And two," he continued, "there is the chance that Belwain and his friends, his witnesses, just might convince the king that he had nothing to do with the murders of your family. Then the boy would have to go into his guardianship. It is a risk I do not wish to take."
"But the king would listen to you," Elizabeth argued. "Though I admire your decision not to place the problem before him," she hurried to add, in case she irritated him. He was being most informative and she did not wish to stop his train of thought. "Belwain deserves death, but not at the king's hands," she couldn't help but add.
" Elizabeth," Geoffrey said her name with a weary sigh. "You have but a single purpose and do not know what you are talking about. It is not the king's way to kill anyone these days."
"I do not understand, I admit it," Elizabeth answered, frowning. "What does he do when one is found guilty of some terrible crime if he does not kill them?" she asked with simple logic.
"He does not believe in such harsh action and has not put a man to death since Earl Waltheof."
"Then what does he do?" Elizabeth asked. "Pat them on the back and send them on their way to do more harm?"
"Hardly that," Geoffrey answered. "His methods are just as harsh as death, to my way of thinking. It is the usual custom to cut off their limbs or put their eyes out. Sometimes the punishment kills the guilty, other times not, but I imagine they wish themselves dead." Elizabeth trembled. She guided the talk back to what she wanted to know. "And the third choice?"
"To wait. I have decided to do nothing for the moment." He took hold of her hands in anticipation of her reaction.
Elizabeth frowned but did not otherwise react. Surely he would continue with his explanation, she thought. Geoffrey waited for the explosion, surprised and somewhat relieved when it did not come. He had no wish to argue with her. He smiled at her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I see you are learning patience, wife. That pleases me," he praised. "And now I will tell you the rest of my plan."