Free The Templars' Last Days by David Scott Page B

now noticeably louder: but as the Pope it was your office which created and formed the Knights Templars, so you can just as easily dissolve them by issuing a Papal Bull stating that the work of the Knight Templars in the Holy Land is now complete and as an organisation they are no longer needed.
    Again the Pope expressed his sorrow at being at a loss of an answer, but was once more thankful for the timely intervention of Matthew for it was at this moment that he reminded his Holiness that even he could only do such an act upon irrefutable proof of heresy on the part of the Knight Templars, to which none had ever been produced. Indeed to date there has never been so much as a whisper of the Knight Templars behaving in any other manner than as devout Catholics.
    With that, William was forced into having to agree that Matthew was correct, and withdrew his demands. At which point the meeting was closed with no firm conclusion or resolution having been reached, and both parties went their separate ways.
    Giles, smiled broadly, and thanked the Holy Father for his report on the meeting. The faint sound of the bell announcing that the mid-day meal was ready, provided a natural break in the proceedings and all agreed that some food and a stretch of the legs would help everyone to refresh themselves in readiness for the report from Giles on behalf of the Knight Templars.
    William rose very early next day, refused his breakfast and headed directly to the palace. Considering all that had gone on yesterday, or more importantly for him the fact that he had been unable to provide the King with his report, he had slept soundly and the extra hours had provided him with an opportunity to resolve the news which he had still to report to the King.
    For he had utilised these extra hours to once again recap on every nuance of his meeting with the Papal delegation, and it had slowly dawned on him that, because he had been so involved in his own argument whilst with the Pope and his delegation, he had overlooked the obvious prompt he had been provided with. The more he had thought about the solution the more lucid it became. Which in turn made him feel more buoyant for at long last he, William of Nogaret, had found a solution to the eradication of the Knight Templars. He now turned his mind to the reward he should ask the King for.
    By the time William's coach arrived at the front of the King's palace, he had a broad smile on his face; today was now going to be a good day, a very good and profitable day. He bounded up the steps and entered the palace with a purpose in his step, following the butler to the terrace where the King, Queen and the Grand Master were preparing to have their breakfast.
    William ate heartily and his change in mood from yesterday was noticed almost immediately by the King, who gave him an inquisitive look, as if to ask, so what happened to you last night?
    Through the gates of the palace the messenger drove his horse just as hard as when he had started the journey. The network of agents across the country meant that when the King was sent a private communication, both horse and rider were changed every 12 hours or so, resulting in the time of the journey being halved as they could now convey the dispatch bag by night as well as by day.
    Arriving at the main steps to the palace, the messenger handed over the dispatch bag to the footman, turned and left as quickly as he had arrived. The palace staff were well trained and versed in such matters, and the footman handed the despatch bag to a butler who made haste to where the King was eating. Protocol demanded that only the King's private butler could wait on him, and so the despatch bag was exchanged from one butler to the King’s butler who placed it on a large silver tray, which was then taken to the breakfast table on the terrace.
    Approaching the King with due reverence, the butler bowed and offered the contents on the silver tray to him in one seamless and well practised