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Page 254
heir, there would again be opportunity for advancement. The lands would devolve on the child Earl of Gloucester, who was the ward of the king. Again, there would be an avenue open to King Henry, and Heribert was sure he could manipulate the king.
As soon as his fear calmed, Heribert was able to think clearly and make plans. The first result of those plans was his offer to send his men back to Knight's Tower. Heribert had weighed the chances of being murdered if he reduced the number of men, and decided that if Walter intended to have him killed, the number of men did not matter. After all, Walter could always tell Heribert's men-at-arms that their master had taken sick. And murder did not seem likely in the presence of his betrothed wife and Clyro's castellan. Thus, it was safe to order the men to leave Clyro. But they would not go to Knight's Tower, no, not nearly so far.
Walter had come to Clyro with thirty men-at-arms, including the ten of Sybelle's, but he had sent some of them away. When Walter left Clyro, an ambush could be arranged. The whole country was in a state of unrest. Who was to say by whom Walter had been attacked? As the days passed, Heribert wondered for what Walter was waiting, and then decided he was waiting for his shoulder to heal. He would not want to take the chance of entering Knight's Tower if he could not lead a fight.
By 23 December Sybelle decided Walter's bone was knit. She removed the strapping, but she warned him that the bone would be weak for some time longer. He could use his hand and arm for light things, but not to hold a shield against a blow. Mendaciously, Walter agreed with herand an hour later was in full armor, striding up and down the bailey to accustom himself again to its weight and calling for his horse to be saddled.
Sir Heribert did not offer to ride out with Walter. Heribert was no coward, but he knew he was no match for Walter man to man, and there would be no chance to summon his men. Moreover, it would be difficult to explain how Walter had been killed, while he had managed to escape. No, he would keep to his original plan.
At first Walter was only enjoying the freedom of not being half-crippled, but by the time he returned to the keep to eat dinner, his conscience was stabbing him. If he had not been

 
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