96 No Choice –Copy

‘Well at this point in time if she wants independence, she will have to trust us, she has little choice.’

William Montacute-8th June 1355

The Earl told the Prince about Thierry and his message.

The Prince’s eyes opened wide. ‘Not good. All this was supposed to be secret. It is rapidly becoming an international incident.’

The Earl grinned. ‘Not quite yet.’ He shook his head. ‘Sadly there is absolutely nothing we can do to help.’

‘What it does mean is that there is no longer an organised escape route for Ximene.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘So, I never got the chance to ask. How did the conversations go over dinner?’

The Prince rubbed his forehead, grimaced, and then ran his hand down his face. He sighed before looking the Earl directly in the eye. ‘She is a remarkable young lady. She knew that my declaration of love was for public consumption. We discussed the future of Occitan in terms of our mutual interests.’

‘And?’

‘I would say that she does not necessarily want to marry me but she does want to use me. She would be more than happy to become Duchess of Occitan as part of my empire. In turn, I am more than happy with that. Of course, we would then have to find a husband for her who owed allegiance to me, but I don’t think that would be too difficult. However, I think she would marry me if it was the only way to meet her objectives. You know, I think she is more concerned with establishing a haven for Cathars than she is in reclaiming her heritage. That might create problems, but at least she has taken the trouble to reveal it to me. I explained the way it works in England. She was interested, but pointed out it only worked because there was no Inquisition and a sympathetic King. She made it clear she doubts I could extend my rule to the whole of Occitan.  Despite the difficulties, If she had been able to escape, I think it would have lead to a very satisfactory outcome…one way or another.’

The Earl shook his head. ‘ It cannot happen now, the Comte told us that he will take her back to Foix tomorrow under close escort, and I believe he will.

‘So tell me, William, what do we do now?’

‘You still would prefer to marry Joan?

‘Yes, I would; nothing has changed.’ He hesitated. ‘But I do not want Ximene to be married to Louis of Anjou or anyone else who does not owe allegiance to me.’

‘So, we must continue to court her, in the broadest sense of the word?’ And you are prepared to go to Foix?’

‘Yes, I am.’

The Earl paused and flicked his lower lip with his finger several times. ‘I have reviewed​ the options. We cannot steal her away tonight, ‘Too many people are awake. Too much attention is focussed on Ximene’s little enclave. I have no doubt that on the journey to Foix, Ximene will be surrounded by the Comte’s guards. There will be no opportunity during the journey. We will have to steal her away from the Château once everyone has settled there. You said this was something you did not want to do, but we have no choice. We will have to ignore your sensibilities about feudal loyalty; we will have to ignore Ximene’s preferences about destinations. If we take her to Bordeaux, she will be safe there whilst we work out how to use your relationship to your mutual vantage.’

The Prince nodded. ‘I am glad you realise it must be to our mutual advantage. Do you really think she will go to Bordeaux? She was adamant she wanted total freedom. She chose Sicily.’

The Earl shrugged his shoulders. ‘Well at this point in time if she wants independence, she will have to trust us, she has little choice.’

The Prince stretched out his arms. ‘I will just have to hope you can find another little miracle, William.’

The most dangerous woman in the world

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Extract from The Prisoner of Foix--Chapter 43 -The EntranceNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley-26th April 1355

 

'Looks like we are going to see a bit of excitement, John. The Captain tried to get an agreement from the Prince that if there is surf running across the channel to Arcachon we will turn back to Bordeaux, but the Prince would hear none of it. Instead, he has offered to provide insurance for all three ships. If they are damaged or sunk, the owners will be compensated and every sailor who makes the passage will be given a bounty payment. What none of this seems to take into account is that if we sink in rough, fast-flowing waters we might all drown.'

John raised his eyebrows. 'But that is what we are going to do?'

'Yes, despite the fact that surf running accross the entrance is not uncommon and the deep water channel moves continually. In the end, the Prince attacked their captains on their weakest point, their professional pride! He threw down the gauntlet. He offered to take the Sally first through the channel, and to take control during the passage.' He raised his brow. 'We are going into the Bay of Arcachon, come what may! '

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Extract from The Eagle of Carcassone -- Chapter 24-- A Real GoddessNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley - 22 July 1355

An hour later John walked with Ximene close to the river along the valley below St Feriole. It was the very essence of a summer’s day. The sun was fierce but in the shadow of the trees, it was cool and fragrant. The trees and shrubs along the riverbank hid their progress, from the Château, from St Feriole.

Eventually they reached a point where John thought it was safe to emerge from cover. To his satisfaction the stream extended into a pool with a sandy beach, shaded by trees. Where the stream entered the pool there was a flat grassy area, almost circular. Behind this, the bulk of two mountain ridges provided a splendid backdrop. He looked around once more ‘Not just a good training ground but a great training ground. If the Greek heroes knew about this they might be tempted to join me, to train with me’

Ximene laughed out loud. He turned to look at her. She had removed her outer clothes and was wearing a white chemise, cut short so that it barely reached her knees. Around her waist, she wore a plaited leather belt, obviously fashioned from the multitude of leather straps to be found in the tackle room.

She ran her hands down over her breasts. ‘When you were unconscious I heard you muttering about gods and goddesses, so  I have decided that from now on, for you, I will be the goddess.’

Available February 2020
The Prisoner of FoixVol 1 of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

Aquitaine, an English possession, is in crisis. It is under threat from neighbouring nations and internal dissension.

The Black Prince, King Edward III’s eldest son has been given the task of taking command in Aquitaine.

Suddenly there is an opportunity. Ximene Trencavel is the heiress to the lands of Occitan, to the east of Aquitaine: lands controlled by the Franks. Ximene wants independence, both for herself and for Occitan.

A union between Aquitaine and Occitan would be mutually beneficial. The Black Prince undertakes a secret journey to meet Ximene to negotiate a marriage contract. It is, however, a marriage neither of them really wants.

Meanwhile, the  Franks plot to murder Ximene to prevent ,not just the marriage, but any kind of union between England and Occitan.

The Eagle Of CarcassonneVol II of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

The loose alliance between Ximene Trencavel and the Black Prince is under threat.

The Prince invades Occitan, to show his support for Ximene but it becomes an invasion which creates more problems than it solves.

The Prince has fallen hopelessly in love with Joan of Kent and Joan is now determined to marry him and become the next Queen of England.

Joan is therefore  determined to convince Ximene that she should not marry the Prince.

Part of her strategy is to encourage Ximene’s relationship with John Stanley—one of the Princes bodyguards—not an easy task as both John and Ximene have doubts about their compatibility.

However, John is grievously injured in a battle and Ximene commits herself to nurse him back to health.