Free The Lion of Justice by Jean Plaidy Page A

of Rufus’s anger could be violent and it was greatly feared. On the other hand many of them felt that their souls could be imperilled if they supported the King against the Archbishop.
    Anselm declared that he would obey the King and serve him well except where his actions would be in conflict with the Pope.
    â€˜Who governs this land?’ roared Rufus. ‘Is it the King of England or the Pope of Rome?’
    He ordered the council to rid him of Anselm.
    This, however, could not be done without the consent of the Pope. Anselm had taken the crozier during a solemnceremony. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and only the Pope could depose him.
    Anselm, calm in the face of the storm, and, as the King said, stubborn as a mule, declared that the only course open to him was to appeal to the Pope.
    â€˜Rid me of him,’ cried Rufus. ‘This man is a traitor.’
    But the barons and churchmen replied that they could not pass sentence of deposition on a man who was ecclesiastically their superior.
    Alone with Ranulf, the King gave vent to his rage.
    â€˜This land,’ he said, ‘is governed by the Pope, not by the King. I swear I will not countenance that. My father never did and nor shall I. Anselm! There will be trouble while he remains here. Would I had never kept him here. I would I had sent him back to Bec.’
    â€˜Alas, my lord, but he is here and here he will stay until this Pope displaces him.’
    â€˜In my own kingdom, Ranulf! My own kingdom!’
    â€˜There are herbs that are tasteless in wine.’
    â€˜I know it well. But this is not the way with a man such as this. I want him removed in a manner which will arouse no suspicion. How, Ranulf? How?’
    They pondered it for long but could come to no satisfactory conclusion; and it was Urban himself who came to their aid.
    Under the Conqueror, England had become a power of some importance, and Urban chafed that he had not received recognition from that land. His spies kept him well-informed of what was happening there; and he sent a messenger to the King, implying that he might be willing to help him in return for recognition.
    Rufus laughed when he received this letter. It appealed to his sense of humour that he should see a way out of his dilemma through the Pope himself.
    As a gesture of his willingness to come to terms, Urban sent the pallium to England with instructions that it should be placed on the high altar at Canterbury. Thus he had delivered it neither to the King nor to the Archbishop and the controversy had been solved in a most delicate manner.
    It was true that Anselm, by the consent of all concerned, took the pallium and continued in office, but the Pope had intimated to the King that he would be willing to work in secret to bring about his desires, providing, of course, he was satisfactorily rewarded.
    One of the pages came to tell the King that Alan of Bretagne had come from Rumsey.
    â€˜Bring him to me,’ said Rufus, and in an aside to Ranulf, who was his constant companion at this time, ‘He has been inspecting the Atheling girl. What did he find, I wonder?’
    Alan bowed, and the King said, ‘Well, brother, so you are impatient for a wife and have found one to your liking.’
    â€˜I have, my lord.’
    â€˜So there is to be a wedding in the family?’
    â€˜If you give your consent, my lord.’
    â€˜And why should I not? It was always my father’s wish to pump good Norman blood into Saxons.’
    â€˜So I am to have the girl?’
    â€˜Have her. Take her back to Normandy and let me know when you get your first boy. Better luck than with my sister.’
    Alan hesitated. ‘There may be some barriers set up by the Abbess.’
    â€˜That Abbess! She is Edgar’s sister. She has too high an opinion of her royalty, I think.’
    â€˜Indeed so,’ replied Alan. ‘She was anxious to show me that she was the ruler of her Abbey.’
    â€˜Under the