The Leopard Unleashed by Elizabeth Chadwick

coming up to Ravenstow to greet you.’ He paused then added, ‘Is it really true that you’ve brought a Saracen tavern dancer home to comfort your nights, or is it just embroidery for the sake of an audience?’ He settled himself in the saddle, a leggy boy of almost nineteen with feline grace and an impish smile.
    Renard swung into his own saddle and heeled Gorvenal forward alongside William’s mount. ‘Yes,’ he sighed. ‘It’s true, or at least more than is usual of such tales.’ And found himself telling William everything, for despite their earlier needling and the ten years separating them, their minds worked to a similar pattern. Renard would not have dreamed of speaking thus to Henry. ‘And don’t ask me what I’m going to do with her or I’ll throttle you!’ he concluded.
    ‘You don’t need any advice on that score, not unless four years have altered you!’ William retorted with a grin, but then he looked thoughtful. ‘You can’t keep her at Ravenstow.’
    ‘I know.’ Renard busied himself adjusting his stirrup leather.
    ‘A nice cosy hunting lodge somewhere then, or a private house in the town.’ He cocked his head when Renard did not respond. ‘I’d like to see her dance. Is it also true that …?’
    ‘Oh, it’s all true!’ Renard interrupted with a grim laugh. ‘Just be thankful that you haven’t been corrupted. Are you still living half in Wales?’
    William darted Renard a curious look. It was almost as if he was unsure of himself, running on quicksand, and that, for Renard, was a very rare occurrence. Perhaps Outremer really had altered him. ‘Some of the time,’ he said cagily. ‘I’m mostly at Ashdyke. It’s the stronger of my two holdings and a fraction nearer to Wales should I need to run for my life or make myself scarce.’
    ‘What do you do about your forty days’ service?’ Renard asked. ‘King Stephen won’t brook you running over the border every time you’re summoned.’
    ‘Oh, that part’s easy,’ William said airily. ‘I send the Kingwhat he’s owed – two knights, fully accoutred, to serve for the whole period and apologies that I’m too busy dealing with the Welsh to attend in person. The men I do send are usually the oldest, laziest or most bad-tempered in the garrison and the same goes for their horses.’
    Renard gave an amused grunt.
    ‘Papa’s done it too, but he has to be more careful. Two suspect knights astride broken-winded nags from a small tenant like me doesn’t really matter, but twelve from Papa’s holdings and four times that number of footsoldiers and archers is a somewhat more serious offence.’ Thoughts of Stephen led him on to another grumble. ‘I’ve had to graze my stud herd on the Welsh side of the border with Rhodri ap Owain’s permission to stop Stephen commandeering half of it for remounts. He sent twenty mares to Papa’s stud herd for covering. Papa was furious. He said that Beaucent had enough work to do already with the Ravenstow mares without servicing a score of Stephen’s jades too!’
    Renard bit his lip.
    ‘You can stop laughing!’ William warned. ‘That black you’re riding is ideal for the King’s intentions. If Stephen can’t have you in his army, he’ll have a damned good try for your stallion!’
    Renard sucked in his cheeks. ‘He can have his services for a price,’ he murmured, and slapped the sleek raven hide.
    ‘What sort of price? The head of Ranulf de Gernons on a platter?’
    ‘Something like that, although unfortunately Stephen’s not susceptible to dancing girls, is he?’ Renard kicked Gorvenal into a canter.
    * * *
    Wrapped in a fur robe and sitting close to the fire, Guyon looked up from conversation with his steward to see the blond-haired beauty his son had brought home standing uncertainly in the arched entrance that led from the sleeping quarters. It was well into the morning, all the trestles had been cleared away and the uneaten food either returned to the kitchens or