The Renegade(202)

The tailor who had pierced the royal skin was ashen faced, his mouth stuffed with pins and his eyes starting from his head as he sought to obey the royal command without provoking further wrath. Between him and his equally shaken companion, they managed to divest the monarch of his unfinished outer robe and to scurry away to safety as Edward eyed the Earl of Carrick cannily, probing with one hand at the left side of the royal ribs where the pin had evidently pricked him. Bruce, bowing his head in greeting and preparing to either drop to one knee or mount the steps if bidden, tried to analyze that look and failed. He still could not tell if Edward was angry with him.

“Come up,” Edward said, extending his hand. Bruce mounted the three steps and dropped to one knee, kissing the large ruby of the ring on the King’s hand.

“My liege,” he said. “I rejoice to see you again, after such a long time.”

“Aye, and a long time it has been. You look well, young Bruce. And how is your countess, the beautiful Isabella?”

“She was well when I left her a week ago, my liege. Growing lovelier every day.”

The King’s mouth twitched. “Lucky man. And bigger, too, I suppose. How much longer now?”

“Two months, my liege. Early November, I am told.”

“Excellent. And she is well otherwise?”

“She is, sire. Wonderfully well, by the grace of God. But she looks as though she is carrying a foal, so big is the child and she so small.”

Edward nodded, but his eyes were already scanning the room again.

“Forgive me, my liege, but what is it that you require of me, to bring me all the way from England?”

The King came back to attention. “Your signature on the Scottish instruments of fealty.”

“On the what?” Bruce stood gaping at the monarch like a landed fish.

“The instruments of fealty—for Scotland! You have not heard of this in all the time you have been travelling? Then by God’s ancient bones that place of yours in Writtle is really far removed from the centre of things. How could you not have heard? No matter. You’re here now and I have no concerns about your willingness in this. You renewed your oath of fealty on your wedding day and since then you’ve demonstrated your commitment to our cause, so I’ll be brief.

“These past two months I have been the length and breadth of Scotland, while my people laboured here in Berwick and elsewhere. We have established new sheriffdoms throughout the Scots realm and have been at pains to collect written and sealed instruments of homage and fealty from everyone in Scotland—and I do not mean from the Scots alone. There are landholders and churchmen aplenty here who are of English, Italian, German, French, and other blood, and they, too, have signed such instruments. The folk are calling the collection process the Ragman Roll, I am told. I care not what they term it, but I must have the thing complete within this month of August—a complete written record of the sworn acknowledgment of every man with holdings in the realm of Scotland. It will be the greatest single volume of its kind since the Domesday Book.

“I need your name on that list, signed and sealed. You may do it here, while you are with us, and it will be added to the others. Your father has already signed. The documents were sent to him in Carlisle and executed there. It is a formality, but a legal one, to gather the sworn attestations of loyalty to us in person from all men of note in Scotland. We have been clement in Scotland, where we could have exacted greater vengeance had we wished, but these new articles and instruments require a personal commitment to me, not as lord paramount but as Edward, King of England, Wales, and Ireland.”

Bruce kept his face blank as he nodded. “Very well, my liege, I’ll do that before I do anything else.” He glanced around. “Should I speak to Sir Robert FitzHugh?”

“FitzHugh’s not here. I thought the journey might be too harsh for him. See Cressingham instead. He’ll take care of it. You know Cressingham?”

“No, my liege.”

“Hmm. An able man. You’ll find him—he’s big and fat and hard to miss, but he knows how to organize things the way I like them. He’ll be my new treasurer for Scotland.” He paused then, and tilted his head to one side. “I’m glad you’re here, and now that you are here, I’ll need you to stay a while.” He raised a hand. “Aye, I know. Your wife has need of you. But not for two months, eh? What did you do for her from day to day before you left?”

Bruce floundered. “I … I tried to see to her needs, as a dutiful spouse.”

“And were you successful?” There was humour in Edward’s tone now, and Bruce grinned shyly.