In a reverse of logic, Matilda was referring to the fact that the Bishop, the Precentor and her own brother, the sheriff, were sympathisers with the attempt of Prince John to seize power in England when his royal brother was at the Crusades and imprisoned in Germany. True, few expected the King ever to return alive, but John’s rash anticipation of taking the throne was little short of revolt and treason in the eyes of loyalists like John de Wolfe, and the two Johns in the cathedral. When the Lionheart had unexpectedly landed in Kent last March, he had rapidly extinguished the rebellion – and foolishly, as many thought, forgave his younger brother for his treachery.
With her words ringing in his ears, John lost whatever remained of his temper.
‘To hell with it, wife! You do nothing but criticise and scold me. Why in God’s name I ever agreed to marry you, I’ll never fathom.’
She snapped back, without a second’s hesitation, ‘You married me because your father wanted advantage for you – and a poor way you’ve repaid fulfulling his ambitions for you.’
‘At least it wasn’t for love – you’ve spared me that!’
‘No, you get what passes for your love at The Bush tavern – and many other places, I suspect!’ spat Matilda.
John cast about for some other stone to hurl at her. ‘For all my faults, as you see them, at least I don’t come from a family that’s forever looking to line my purse by whatever means possible – legal or corrupt!’
‘And what might you mean by that, sir?’ shrilled his wife. Her face was now almost puce under the layer of powder that Lucille had not long dabbed on her cheeks. The maid was standing back against the wall, trying not to smirk at this hottest episode yet in her employer’s long-standing feud.
She was a fit companion for her mistress, a gossip with rarely a good word for anyone. A sallow, unattractive woman of about thirty, she had projecting yellow teeth and lank dark hair. Of Frankish origin from the Vexin, north of Paris, she was a refugee from a village desolated by the endless wars between the Normans and the French that had flowed back and forth over that region. She savoured Matilda’s present wrath against Sir John, being as partisan against him as Mary was in supporting him.
‘Come, what are you insinuating?’ repeated her mistress belligerently. ‘Is this another slur against my brother?’
‘He’s always seeking ways to divert silver into his own pocket at the expense of the King’s Exchequer.’
Matilda was rocking back and forth on her chair in fury. ‘That’s vile slander with no foundation!’
John gave the footstool another kick, sending it back across the boards of the solar floor.
‘Where did the property of many convicted felons end up during this past year? Where did much of the deodand sale money go before I became coroner? And why was your precious relative ejected from office last Lady Day, eh?’
Richard de Revelle had been nominated as sheriff the previous year, through his partiality to Prince John and his support for the Bishop, who was brother to the Marshal of England. By the time he had taken office at Christmas 1193, John’s rebellion was already tottering, as his mother, the redoubtable old Queen Eleanor, had set forces against him. Within months, many of the sheriff’s sponsors were in disgrace, and after the King returned in March and massacred the last rebels in Nottingham castle, de Revelle’s number was up. He had been relieved of his duties and Henry Furnellis had become a caretaker sheriff.
Partly because Henry was even more corrupt than Richard, but also because the Lionheart had pardoned his brother John, Hubert Walter had reinstated Richard de Revelle when John de Wolfe became coroner.
‘He was restored at Michaelmas. It was all a misunderstanding,’ said Matilda, defensively.
‘Some misunderstanding! If the King wasn’t so lenient, and your brother so supported by the Bishop and his brother William the Marshal, he’d have swung at the end of one of his own ropes.’
Matilda hissed, ‘Are you accusing my brother of corruption?’
‘Corruption! That’s his lesser sin. It’s common knowledge that he was part of Prince John’s treachery. Only powerful voices at Winchester and Rouen keep him in office.’
John was reckless now, the breach with his wife having cracked open wider than ever before.
‘It’s treason to accuse the King’s officer for this county. You’re a bigger fool than you are a liar, John!’
‘Treason be damned!’ he yelled at her. ‘I know what Coeur de Lion thinks of your damned family, supporters of Prince John’s underhand conniving!’
This was too much for Matilda, who was almost gibbering with rage. She stood up and hurled her embroidery, wooden frame and all, at her towering husband.
‘Get out, you blasphemer! Go to your bloody inn and your painted strumpet and ride the moor tomorrow until your arse-bones stick to the saddle!’
Her uncharacteristic descent into coarseness betrayed the height of her passion, and even through his own anger, John saw that it was time to let her cool off.
With a last muttered curse, he stamped out and clattered down the outside stairway, to seek his solace and refuge in the Bush tavern.
Even though he had precipitated the worst quarrel yet with his wife, John decided not to spend the night in Nesta’s bed. Although, after beer, food and sympathy, he spent a couple of consoling hours with her in her bedroom, intuition told him to go back to the house in St Martin’s Lane for the night. When he arrived, the dog greeted him warmly and Matilda ignored him, pointedly leaving the hall for the solar the moment he walked in.
He had a late supper alone at the long table in the gloomy chamber, Mary fussing over him with cold bacon and hot bread straight from the oven. As she cleared the wooden platters and set a large cup of warm spiced wine before him, she rolled her eyes in the direction of the upper room. Her voice low, as the high window slit could carry voices from below, she said, ‘You’ve really done it this time. Your lady’s lips are as hard and thin as the edge of your sword – and will be as sharp when she opens her mouth!’
John, whose few hours at the Bush had restored his spirits, winked at her. ‘I can no longer do anything right in her eyes, so I’ve nothing to lose. Matilda and I must go our own ways in future, Mary – but I can take that as long as I’ve still got you to feed me and give me the occasional kind word.’
She gave him a quick kiss on the back of his neck and took his empty wooden platter and pewter mug back to the kitchen.
John blew out the solitary candle and crept up to the solar, where he spent the night on the edge of the wide hay-stuffed palliasse, with Matilda, wakeful but silent and studiously ignoring him, on the other side.
Next morning, she was snoring heavily when he rose before daybreak and left the house after one of Mary’s huge breakfasts. Collecting his massive stallion, Bran, a prematurely retired warhorse, he rode through the West Gate as it was opened at the first glimmer of dawn. Pushing past the crowd of early traders clustered outside with their produce, he met Gwyn outside the city walls, near the ford across the river. The new stone bridge was still under construction by Nicholas Gervase, but money for its completion had again run out and the old narrow wooden bridge was strong enough only for pedestrians and pack-ponies. Carts, wagons and large animals had to splash across the stony river-bed, which was impassable when the Exe was in spate.
The two men sat side by side on their horses, looking around at the influx of people into the city.
‘Where’s that cretinous clerk?’ growled Gwyn.