Physician of Myddfai

Chapter 35

Lady Eleanor felt on her toes. William and Megan were still not back, and Kay had sent no message. Not letting her concern show in front of Rosalind was exhausting, but for her sake she had to make an effort to put on a good face.

That morning, she had decided to look for her husband and express her concerns to him. She went directly to the study knowing with certainty that, at that time of day, she would find him there.

The Count was surprised to see his wife enter. She rarely came looking for him when he was in that room, and this was already a sign to him that something was troubling her.

<<He should have been back by now>> she began without bothering to specify who she was talking about. Gilbert rose from his seat and reached out to embrace her.

<<Be calm my dear>> and pulled her aside just enough to look at her face.

<<If something bad had happened to him we would have known>> he smiled reassuringly at her.

<<Bad news always finds a way to come quickly>> and hugged her again.

Eleanor needed her husband's comfort and the positive energy that only he could give her. In his strong arms everything was more bearable.

<<You'll see they won't be much longer in coming>>.

<<Let's hope>> she said in a huff.

It was not long after their conversation that a falcon, used for urgent missives, arrived in Caerphilly.

As soon as Eleanor saw the box, she immediately knew who the sender was and that it contained very important information.

She knew that container well and each time it was used it did not exactly bring good news.

She had her husband notify immediately, and in a short time he came to her, and together, away from prying eyes, they opened it.

In order not to read aloud, since, at that time, even the walls seemed to have ears, they scanned her with their eyes silently, each on his own.

Kay gave a detailed account of what had happened and the conclusions they had come to with the new information they had obtained from Elly.

Both of them, at the end of the reading, were dumbfounded and shocked. Gilbert, placing a light kiss on her forehead, left her alone almost immediately. Based on the new information, he had to go to urgently gather more detailed information about what Isabella was up to.

The important thing was to know whether the 'repudiated' queen had made contact with Lord Roger. As Gilbert made his way to his study, he pondered the current situation in which King Edward II had placed not only Wales, but all his subjects.

But why didn't royal couples settle their disagreements in private instead of involving entire countries? Why didn't that fool Edward keep to the deal and pay homage to Charles IV, brother of his wife Isabella of France? Too often rulers behaved like capricious, spiteful, and stubborn children.

Caerphilly had always been a castle disputed and coveted by many. His father, Gilbert 'the Red' after fighting alongside King Edward I, at that time only Lord, in putting down the revolt of the Barons of the English Marches, had created the castle in a strategic position to defend Cardiff.

Caerphilly had always been an object of contention between his father and the 'Prince of Wales,' Llywelyn.

Only after the king's return from the Crusades did the dispute end in favor of Gilbert 'the Red' who made it the most remarkable fortress in all of Wales.

The campaign against Scotland was a disaster that led to the death at a young age of his half-brother, making him the next Earl de Clare.

King Edward II had proved himself an inept and frivolous man who, because of his friend and lover Peter Gaveston, had led to civil war and the rout of Bannockburn, where his predecessor had precisely lost his life. Gilbert lengthened his pace. He had to hurry up and write missives to his friends to get as much information as possible. He did not want to get involved in a war because of Edward II's foolishness.

Eleanor felt completely useless and powerless in that situation. She sighed. No news about William. That son always made her worry. The irony of fate, playing against all odds, wanted the responsible and prudent son to die.

That situation twisted every reasonable view. William could have been killed by this Lord Roger as had happened to Simon or in the conflict this madman seemed to seek at all costs.

Apparently, behind all the recent events and, perhaps, even behind the death of his eldest son, there could also be something politically shady going on. Perhaps, they would be forced into conflict in support of King Edward. What if such an eventuality had happened and William had died without knowing happiness?

She, as a mother, would never have forgiven herself. Her son had every right to try to be happy as he saw fit, since he did not know what fate, he might be heading towards.

Eleanor had often found herself thinking that perhaps if they had not kept William away from Megan, he would have made different choices. He would not have felt guilty believing that those same choices had been the cause of Simon's death.

How could she know that fate had decided to put his children on two different plates of a scale? If William had been free to follow his feelings for Megan as a boy, perhaps, he would have been the one who would have been dead by now.

Instead, keeping him away from her and his destiny had caused one trouble after another. Had his salvation really affected the course of things, and had Simon been the one to pay the price?

Who could tell; perhaps, instead, they would both be dead by now. As a mother, she was torn. She wanted him alive and happy, but it seemed that William was precluded from having both.

She tried to push those thoughts away and compose herself before entering Rosalind's room. From within it, Eleanor heard a scream of pain coming.