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towards his release, had combined to make the Queen feel a great deal more positive, and it was in this mood that Hawkenlye had received her.
    ‘I shall set up a council,’ she had informed Helewise,striding to and fro across the best guest chamber and ticking off points on her long, elegant, fingers. A huge emerald caught the light and glinted on her forefinger. ‘That is my priority, to ensure the help of good men to collect the money. The Earl of Arundel, the Earl of Sussex, Richard Fitznigel, Bishop of London – oh yes, and that handsome fellow Hubert Walter shall be at their head, which is only his due as our new Archbishop of Canterbury.’
    ‘They say he is a great man,’ Helewise commented. ‘His diplomacy, his wide experience and his vast intelligence will be needed in this enterprise.’
    ‘Indeed they will,’ the Queen agreed. She fixed intent eyes on Helewise. ‘But we shall not fail, Helewise.’
    ‘I know, my lady,’ Helewise murmured. ‘I know.’
    The Queen’s restlessness had made that visit a less man restorative one for the old lady, Helewise thought now. Usually when Eleanor came to Hawkenlye, Helewise tried to spoil her a little; give her some much-needed time to herself, provide her with one or two books and make sure that, when the Queen requested it, the great Abbey church was empty for her private prayer. The nuns and monks, too, joined in the cosseting, appearing silently to leave little gifts outside Eleanor’s door. A posy of sweet smelling flowers. A jug of cool wine on a hot day. A phial of the precious holy water from the Vale.
    But a woman like Eleanor of Aquitaine did not pause to rest, even for an hour, when her favourite son needed her help.
    With a sigh, Helewise went back to her ledger.Picking up her quill, she tried once again to reconcile the revenues from the Abbey’s sheep pastures down on Romney Marsh; she had done the long sum three times and each time arrived at a different result …
    There was silence in her room for some time. Then, just as she gave a soft exclamation of pleasure – the sum had at last seemed to come out right – there was a tap on her door.
    ‘Come in!’ she said cheerfully, putting down her quill.
    The door opened a crack and the round-eyed face of Sister Anne peered around it. She looked, Helewise noticed, faintly surprised. As well she might – Helewise smiled to herself – since it was rumoured among the nuns that Helewise disliked working on the accounts books. Sister Anne had probably been expecting a less cordial reception.
    ‘What can I do for you, Sister Anne?’ Helewise asked kindly.
    ‘I didn’t want to interrupt you, my lady Abbess,’ Sister Anne said, sidling into the room, ‘not when you’re so busy, but—’
    ‘I am not busy at this precise moment,’ Helewise remarked. Pleasure at the sum finally done was still making her smile but, nevertheless, there was more work to do and she knew from long experience that her patience would soon begin to wear thin. Dear Sister Anne was an amiable soul but not blessed with either swiftness of thought or any fine judgement of another’s mood.
    ‘Well, it’s like this, see,’ Sister Anne began. ‘SisterUrsel was called to the gates a while ago and she sent you a message. She said it’s not really urgent but she knows you like to be kept informed, and she did think it a little strange, what with the young lady being so young, if you see what I mean, and well-dressed and that, mounted on a lovely mare with saddle and bridle new-like and—’
    ‘What was Sister Ursel’s message?’ Helewise felt her jaw begin to clench.
    ‘Oh, didn’t I say?’
    ‘No.’ The monosyllable sounded more like a bark than a word and Helewise hastily stitched a wide smile on to her face. ‘I don’t believe you did, Sister.’
    Sister Anne squared her shoulders as befitted a courier with tidings to impart, frowned in concentration as she brought to mind the details of her message and declared,