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nobility of this land even to pay for the work of God to which they were so obviously unwilling to set their hands. The Queen said no more, for to argue and draw forth publicly more of such sentiments could only do more harm than good. But I fear the Bishop of Durham will not be able to control Longchamp." |
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The truth was worse than Alinor's fear. Hugh Puiset, Bishop of Durham, was of an old, proud family. He would not recognize Longchamp's precedence nor would he stoop to brangle with a cheap upstart, he said. He would withdraw to the north, where the King had set his authority. Unfortunately, it was not so simple as that. There were many matters on which the justiciars had to act together. What pleased one displeased the other so that whatever needed both seals went undone. |
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For a time the Queen attempted to mediate between them. At first Alinor got an incident-by-incident description of the petty and gross insults both men flung at each other because William Marshal had the thankless task of the Queen's envoy. Soon, however, he had to beg to be excused from further duty. He told the Queen, Alinor reported faithfully to Simon, that if he went again to Longchamp he would kill him. He had come to the limit of his ability to swallow open offense against himself and, worse, openly stated contempt for the Queen. |
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That was the last letter Alinor had written, toward the end of January, and now, in the first week of February, Simon was returning to Court. The note in which he announced that decision and confirmed that Sir Andre would deputize for him in Sussex had held no more information. Alinor had read it and reread it, but she could find nothing in the terse lines beyond the strict performance of a duty, an accounting for a responsibility laid aside. That was what frightened her most. Had whatever insult he imagined she had cast upon him magnified instead of lessened with time? Was |
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