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Page 73
in themselves. But de Burgh was too busy governing. Henry was only a figure to mouth his words and sign his decreesand Henry felt it."
"Yes," Ian agreed, "you are right. I think Henry tried to win Hubert's love. I suppose in his own style Hubert did love him, but he did not show it in the right way. Henry needs to be lovedneeds it. That father and mother . . ."
He closed his eyes and shuddered. Richard nodded in sympathy. He had spent some years in John's court as a hostage for his father's behavior. He was somewhat surprised at the violence of Ian's reaction because he did not know that Ian understood that part of Henry all too well. Ian had himself been cruelly mistreated as a child. Geoffrey's lips twisted. There was nothing anyone could say about Henry's mother that was too bad as far as he was concerned. That vain and heartless woman had made four years of Geoffrey's life a hell of misery. Nonetheless, he did not lose track of the point he was trying to make.
"Winchester is more clever. He does not offend the king in the same way. He treats him with great deference, and even allows him to work at kingship until he begins to be bored. Most of all, he does not tell Henry that the beautiful things he loves are a waste. It is most unfortunate that Winchester does not understand this realm. He could manage the king very well, if only he could be brought to see that absolute power will never be accepted by the lords."
"Yes and he has even infected Henry with the idea that he is 'divinely' king," Ian said. "Winchester seems to forget that the oaths we swear work both ways. The king has duties and obligations to us just as we have to him."
"True enough," Richard agreed. "Moreover, there are laws and customs that no king can ignore. If those are not held by king and man alike, there can be no order, no security in the realm. No man could trust the king

 
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