fixed on him.
“What has taken you so long?”
“I apologize, my lord, the roads were treacherous with snow.”
King Philippe paused, as if considering the worthiness of the excuse. The other men had fallen silent. One, dressed in the same well-tailored black robe Nogaret himself wore under his traveling cloak, regarded him cagily, lips pursed. Ignoring the disapproving stare of Pierre Flote, king’s chancellor and keeper of the seals, Nogaret waited.
After a moment, Philippe smiled slightly and the tension dispersed.
“Maiden broke a feather, but it has been mended perfectly.” He raised his fi st, causing the peregrine to cry and unfurl her wings in expectation of fl ight.
“You can scarcely see the join where the new feather was imped. Come now, Nogaret, you’ll have to get closer than that. She won’t bite. Will she, Flote?”
Philippe laughed and the chancellor joined in.
Nogaret tried not to scowl. He still had the scar on his neck where Maiden had plunged that razor beak into his flesh. Philippe had given her a treat, pleased with her fi erceness.
“Sir Henri has outdone himself,” said the king, glancing at the man next to him, who wore a spray of dove feathers in his cap.
Sir Henri, the Master Falconer, smiled. “We’ll fly her well this week, my lord, get her strength up.”
“I want her ready for the hunt after the Christ Mass,” said Philippe briskly, passing the bird to Henri, who lifted her expertly onto his glove, grasping the jesses. Sliding off his gauntlet and passing it to one of the squires, Philippe gestured to Nogaret and Flote. “Come, both of you, we will talk in my chambers.”
The king led the way out of the enclosure and back through the gardens.
The walkways through the lawns were narrow, with room for only two abreast.
To Flote’s visible irritation, Nogaret maneuvered himself so he could walk at Philippe’s side. “Your brother sends his regards from Bordeaux, my lord. He will shortly be delivering the funds we have secured thus far.”
“How has our plan worked?” inquired Philippe, his long-legged stride 30 robyn
young
causing Nogaret, who was several inches shorter, to quicken his footsteps.
“How much have we acquired through the arrests?”
“By our estimates, enough to keep soldiers in Guienne until late spring next year.”
Philippe halted abruptly and faced him. “That is all?”
“Much of the wealth in the region is bound up in the estates themselves: properties, vineyards, townships. Monies from these fixed assets will obviously take us longer to garner.”
Philippe set off again. “I was hoping for better news from you, Nogaret. I need more than this if I am to dislodge that contumacious old crow from my kingdom. There have been signifi cant problems with the building of the fl eet.
The shipwrights are asking for more funds to complete their work.” As Nogaret started to speak, Philippe raised a hand. “No, I need to think.” He scowled as he climbed the steps to the royal apartments. The guards at the top pushed open the doors to let him through. “This is not what I wanted to hear.”
“We could cut back in other areas, my lord,” suggested Flote, moving in to walk at Philippe’s left as they marched down a wide passage.
“Are you offering up your own salary?” asked Philippe sourly, heading up the winding flight of stairs that led to his private solar.
“We need to think of ways in which to replenish the royal coffers, not how to limit or, worse, damage the good works we have already started,” said Nogaret, with a glance at Flote. “Expansion cannot continue without adequate funds, and without expansion, without a forceful exertion of royal power in this kingdom, our lord will be as impeded by willful vassals, bishops and princes as his predecessors before him.” As they reached Philippe’s solar, Nogaret went forward to open the doors.
Philippe was nodding as he entered the sunlit chamber. “Nogaret is
“What has taken you so long?”
“I apologize, my lord, the roads were treacherous with snow.”
King Philippe paused, as if considering the worthiness of the excuse. The other men had fallen silent. One, dressed in the same well-tailored black robe Nogaret himself wore under his traveling cloak, regarded him cagily, lips pursed. Ignoring the disapproving stare of Pierre Flote, king’s chancellor and keeper of the seals, Nogaret waited.
After a moment, Philippe smiled slightly and the tension dispersed.
“Maiden broke a feather, but it has been mended perfectly.” He raised his fi st, causing the peregrine to cry and unfurl her wings in expectation of fl ight.
“You can scarcely see the join where the new feather was imped. Come now, Nogaret, you’ll have to get closer than that. She won’t bite. Will she, Flote?”
Philippe laughed and the chancellor joined in.
Nogaret tried not to scowl. He still had the scar on his neck where Maiden had plunged that razor beak into his flesh. Philippe had given her a treat, pleased with her fi erceness.
“Sir Henri has outdone himself,” said the king, glancing at the man next to him, who wore a spray of dove feathers in his cap.
Sir Henri, the Master Falconer, smiled. “We’ll fly her well this week, my lord, get her strength up.”
“I want her ready for the hunt after the Christ Mass,” said Philippe briskly, passing the bird to Henri, who lifted her expertly onto his glove, grasping the jesses. Sliding off his gauntlet and passing it to one of the squires, Philippe gestured to Nogaret and Flote. “Come, both of you, we will talk in my chambers.”
The king led the way out of the enclosure and back through the gardens.
The walkways through the lawns were narrow, with room for only two abreast.
To Flote’s visible irritation, Nogaret maneuvered himself so he could walk at Philippe’s side. “Your brother sends his regards from Bordeaux, my lord. He will shortly be delivering the funds we have secured thus far.”
“How has our plan worked?” inquired Philippe, his long-legged stride 30 robyn
young
causing Nogaret, who was several inches shorter, to quicken his footsteps.
“How much have we acquired through the arrests?”
“By our estimates, enough to keep soldiers in Guienne until late spring next year.”
Philippe halted abruptly and faced him. “That is all?”
“Much of the wealth in the region is bound up in the estates themselves: properties, vineyards, townships. Monies from these fixed assets will obviously take us longer to garner.”
Philippe set off again. “I was hoping for better news from you, Nogaret. I need more than this if I am to dislodge that contumacious old crow from my kingdom. There have been signifi cant problems with the building of the fl eet.
The shipwrights are asking for more funds to complete their work.” As Nogaret started to speak, Philippe raised a hand. “No, I need to think.” He scowled as he climbed the steps to the royal apartments. The guards at the top pushed open the doors to let him through. “This is not what I wanted to hear.”
“We could cut back in other areas, my lord,” suggested Flote, moving in to walk at Philippe’s left as they marched down a wide passage.
“Are you offering up your own salary?” asked Philippe sourly, heading up the winding flight of stairs that led to his private solar.
“We need to think of ways in which to replenish the royal coffers, not how to limit or, worse, damage the good works we have already started,” said Nogaret, with a glance at Flote. “Expansion cannot continue without adequate funds, and without expansion, without a forceful exertion of royal power in this kingdom, our lord will be as impeded by willful vassals, bishops and princes as his predecessors before him.” As they reached Philippe’s solar, Nogaret went forward to open the doors.
Philippe was nodding as he entered the sunlit chamber. “Nogaret is
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