“It may well be the last time he has to turnabout-face,” said Cadfael, feeding his brazier with a fewjudiciously placed turves, to keep it burning with a slow andtempered heat. “She has thrown away what’s likely to beher only chance.”

A strange woman she had proved, King Henry’s royaldaughter. Married in childhood to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V,she had so firmly ingratiated herself with her husband’speople in Germany that when she was recalled to England, after hisdeath, the populace had risen in consternation and grief to pleadwith her to stay. Yet here at home, when fate threw her enemy intoher hands and held the crown suspended over her head, she hadbehaved with such vengeful arrogance, and exacted such penaltiesfor past affronts, that the men of her capital city had risen justas indignantly, not to appeal to her to remain, but to drive herout and put a violent end to her hopes of ever becoming theirruler. And it was common knowledge that though she could turn evenupon her own best allies with venom, yet she could also retain thelove and loyalty of the best of the baronage. There was not a manof the first rank on Stephen’s side to match the quality ofher half-brother, Earl Robert of Gloucester, or her champion andreputed lover, Brian FitzCount, her easternmost paladin in hisfortress at Wallingford. But it would take more than a couple ofheroes to redeem her cause now. She had been forced to surrenderher royal prisoner in exchange for her half-brother, without whomshe could not hope to achieve anything. And here was England backto the beginning, with all to do again. For if she could not win,neither could she give up.