Free The Prince of Darkness by Jean Plaidy Page B

the door. Constance went to it and opened it cautiously. She fell back with relief. ‘Guy!’
    Guy lifted his finger to his lips. ‘Depend upon it,’ hewhispered, ‘there will be those to watch us. I like this not. We should never have allowed William des Roches to bring us here.’
    ‘But we are here now,’ said Constance, ‘and must needs make the best of it.’
    Guy shook his head. ‘I have heard whispers,’ he said. ‘John will never let Arthur leave here. At first he will soothe us with soft words but his intention is to make Arthur his prisoner.’
    ‘That must never be,’ cried Constance.
    ‘So think I. God knows what would happen to Arthur if he fell into that monster’s hands.’
    Constance clung to his arm.
    ‘Oh, Guy, what shall we do?’
    ‘We are not spending a night in this castle. I have given orders to men I can trust. Tonight when the castle is quiet we shall steal out to the stables and horses will be ready. We shall not stop riding until dawn.’
    She leaned against him, her eyes half closed. ‘Oh, Guy, how thankful I am that you are with us.’

    All through the night they rode towards Brittany where they could feel safe for a while. With dawn they came to rest at the residence of a knight whom they could trust.
    Before they continued their journey Constance talked seriously to Guy about the dangerous position which Arthur was in. ‘It is strange,’ she said, ‘that as soon as I see John I sense that which is evil in him, although when I am not with him I can be led to believe that he is not as bad as I really know him to be.’
    ‘Never forget,’ said Guy, ‘that he fears Arthur will takewhat he wants, and which many believe by right is Arthur’s. Arthur will never be safe while John lives.’
    ‘It terrifies me. I would to God someone would kill him as they did his brother.’
    ‘It may happen, but until it does let us be on our guard.’
    ‘I know not what I would do without you, Guy.’
    ‘You know that you will never have to do without me, Constance. Let us marry.’
    ‘And the Earl of Chester?’
    ‘That was no marriage. You could surely get a dispensation. Marriage which was never consummated is no marriage at all.’
    ‘Guy, there is a priest here. He shall marry us. Then I shall know that we shall never be parted.’
    ‘It is what I hope for,’ he said.
    And so immediately after their flight from Le Mans, Guy and Constance went through a ceremony of marriage.
    When John heard that Arthur had escaped he fell into such a fury that none dared approach for the rest of the day. He threw himself on to the floor and rolled among the rushes, cramming handfuls of them into his mouth, grinding his teeth in his rage and then shouting to everyone what he would do to Arthur and his mother if ever they fell into his hands again.

    Queen Eleanor was feeling her age, which was not surprising considering what it was. Few had lived as long as she had. In two years she would be eighty years old. There had been a time when she had thought she was to be immortal; but since Richard’s death she had lost that driving will and determination to live and some force had gone from her. It had surprised her that she had considered for a while settling downin Fontevraud and leading a semi-pious life of seclusion. How she would have laughed at herself a few years ago; now it seemed a quite desirable way of passing the time left to her.
    But it was not to be so. Experience had made her wise and she was naturally astute. She had immediately seen what a precarious position John was in, largely due to the existence of Arthur. None could be more aware of John’s weaknesses than herself, but he was her son and in her opinion he came before her grandson. She would therefore do everything she could to maintain him on the throne.
    Her duty had seemed clear to her. The peaceful life at Fontevraud must be ended and she must go to Aquitaine in order to hold it for John. If she did not, she was well aware