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Page 25
Marie. Not that Walter nagged or whinedindeed, Richard was very fond of Walter and enjoyed his companynonetheless, his presence at this time destressed the earl. Walter was an adherent who hurt Richard's too-delicate conscience.
In one way or another, all the men gathered under Richard's aegis had been injured or offended by the king or his ministersbarring, of course, the Welsh, who were allied for their own purposes. The Welsh, however, were not and never had been, except for special circumstances, King Henry's vassals. Walter was the king's vassal; moreover, he had suffered no injury that could justify his defiance of the king. Walter's attachment to Richard's cause was on purely theoretical grounds.
Richard's own rebellion also had a theoretical basisthat the king and Peter des Roches had violated the terms of Magna Carta, to which Henry had sworn. Nonetheless, the earl shrank from involving any other man who had not sustained personal injury for which restitution could be expected if the rebellion was successful. Walter's desire to join Pembroke was therefore a weight on the earl's heart, since the young man had everything to lose and nothing to gain. Thus far, Richard had successfully dissuaded Walter from crying defiance and forcing Henry to proscribe him. However, there would soon be more fighting, Richard knew. If that fighting took the form of an offensive against the king and Walter was involved in it, honor would make him formally abjure his fealty to Henry.
Suddenly, a solution to both problems leapt into Richard's mind. ''Yes," he said to Walter, "I have a task for you. I do not know whether or not you will like it."
"I am yours to command," Walter assured him, somewhat puzzled by the qualification Richard had made.
The only thing Walter could think of that could make Richard speak of "liking" was an order to spy. Walter knew he was peculiarly well suited to such a task because he had free entrée into the household of the king's brother, Richard of Cornwall, who had married Walter's eldest brother's widow. Before Walter could think whether he could force himself to accept such a duty, however, Richard burst out laughing. Walter blinked. He knew Richard. A need to urge a companion into a dishonorable duty might wring tears from him, but never laughter.
"I have here," Richard chortled, pushing the parchment

 
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