“Time presses,” said the king. “Let them both come, andthe lady shall have first word.”

Courcelle led her by the hand into the royal presence, with every mark ofdeference and admiration, and she was indeed well worth any man’sattention. She was slender and shy, and surely no older than eighteen, and theausterity of her mourning, the white cap and wimple from which a few strands ofgold hair crept out to frame her cheeks, only served to make her look youngerstill, and more touching. She had a child’s proud, shy dignity. Greateyes the colour of dark irises widened wonderingly upon the king’s largecomeliness as she made her reverence.

“Madam,” said Stephen, reaching a hand to her, “I am sorryindeed for your loss, of which I have this minute heard. If my protection canin any way serve you, command me.”

“Your Grace is very kind,” said the girl in a soft, awed voice.“I am now an orphan, and the only one of my house left to bring you theduty and fealty we owe. I am doing what my father would have wished, and butfor his illness and death he would have come himself, or I would have comeearlier. Until your Grace came to Shrewsbury we had no opportunity to renderyou the keys of the two castles we hold. As I do now!”

Her maid, a self-possessed young woman a good ten years older than hermistress, had followed into the tent and stood withdrawn. She came forward nowto hand the keys to Aline, who laid them formally in the king’s hands.

“We can raise for your Grace five knights, and more than fortymen-at-arms, but at this time I have left all to supply the garrisons at home,since they may be of more use to your Grace so.” She named her propertiesand her castellans. It was like hearing a child recite a lesson learned byheart, but her dignity and gravity were those of a general in the field.“There is one more thing I should say plainly, and to my much sorrow. I