The Bastard King by Jean Plaidy Page A

wrong?’
    â€˜While you have been in France much has happened.’
    â€˜Indeed it has. My father has died and my mother has taken a husband and I am become the Duke of Normandy in more than name. I know that much has happened.’
    â€˜Beyond the seas,’ said Osbern, ‘there have been great happenings.’
    â€˜In England?’ asked William.
    â€˜I know that your father told you much of that country. It was always his wish that he could return it to the rightful heirs. Once he sought to invade it but it is not an easy country to invade. Surrounded by sea as it is, a conqueror would always have the elements to consider.’
    â€˜The Danes did it and so did the Romans.’
    â€˜They did and your father believed that the Normans would. But they were defeated.’
    â€˜It was because of this that my father took his pilgrimage. He believed that the hand of God was against him because of his sins.’
    â€˜God rest his soul. He earned the forgiveness of his sins. Canute, the King of England, died while you were in France, and do you remember what your father told you? He had a son by a previous marriage to that with your ancestressEmma, called Harald, but Emma made him promise that the throne should go to the son she and Canute should have.’
    â€˜Yes, I do remember, and my cousins Edward and Alfred Atheling were the true heirs because they were the sons of King Ethelred and Emma and she only married Canute after his death.’
    â€˜I see you have this complicated family relationship clearly in your mind. You will know too that the son of Canute and Emma was Hardicanute. Well, when Canute died Hardicanute was in Denmark and Harald declared himself King. This made a division in the country, the North accepting Harald, the South insisting that Hardicanute should be king, even though he were absent. The country was split and half was governed by one and half by the other. This meant, however, that both kings of England were Danish, which did not please the Saxons.’
    â€˜A country divided is not a safe place,’ said William.
    â€˜Ay, true enough. Moreover Queen Emma was most displeased. She became more so when Hardicanute refused to leave Denmark and Harald became King of all England. He had no love for her. Had she not persuaded Canute to disinherit him in favour of Hardicanute who cared so little for his inheritance that he would not take the trouble to come and claim it? She is not a woman to stand by calmly while what she has had is taken from her.’
    â€˜She is a Norman,’ said William proudly.
    â€˜Ay, a Norman and what Norman likes to part with his possessions?’
    â€˜Why should he when he has won them? I will fight for every inch of Norman soil while there is life in me.’
    â€˜Let us hope there will be no need. I was about to tell you that Emma sent for her two sons by Ethelred, Edward and Alfred. They had a greater claim to the throne than Hardicanute. They should come and stake it.’
    â€˜I am glad. I felt tender towards those cousins, Osbern. I shall never forget their fair hair and their beautiful clear blue eyes. I have never seen eyes like theirs.’
    Osbern shuddered and William looked at him in dismay.
    â€˜Osbern . . .
they
are not
dead
.’
    â€˜Hear me out,’ said Osbern. ‘There is a powerful man in England of whom you will doubtless hear more. His name is Earl Godwin. He is a very clever man for it is said that he began life as a cowherd.’
    â€˜Then how could he become an earl?’
    â€˜The story goes that during the war between Canute and Edmund Ironside, a captain of the Danish army was lost and asked the way of a young Saxon cowherd. When promised a reward if he would help, this cowherd, Godwin, took the Danish captain to his father’s cottage. The old man told the Captain that his son would be risking his life if he helped him and he was his family’s main stay. They would