Never underestimate Roger de Clinton, Robert Beaumont’ssquire had said, no doubt echoing his formidable patron. Hughalready had a healthy respect for his bishop; and if a prelate ofthis stature, with the peril of Christendom on his mind, could drawto him a magnate like the Earl of Leicester, and others of similarquality and sense, from either faction or both, then surely in theend some good must come of it. Hugh unrolled the earl’sdespatches with a cautiously hopeful mind, and began to read thebrief summary within, and the list of resounding names. The suddenand violent breach between Robert, earl of Gloucester, the EmpressMaud’s half-brother and loyal champion, and his younger sonPhilip, in the heat of midsummer, had startled the whole ofEngland, and still remained inadequately explained or understood.In the desultory but dangerous and explosive battlefield of theThames valley Philip, the empress’s castellan of Cricklade,had been plagued by damaging raids by the king’s mengarrisoned in Oxford and Malmesbury, and to ease the load hadbegged his father to come and choose a site for another castle, totry and disrupt communications between the two royal strongholds,and put them, in turn, on the defensive. And Earl Robert had dulyselected his site at Faringdon, built his castle and garrisoned it.But as soon as the king heard of it he came with a strong army andlaid siege to the place. Philip in Cricklade had sent plea afterplea to his father to send reinforcements at all costs, not to losethis asset barely yet enjoyed, and potentially so valuable to thehard-pressed garrison of his son’s command. But Gloucesterhad paid no heed, and sent no aid. And suddenly it was the talk ofthe south that the castellan of Faringdon, Brien de Soulis, and hisclosest aides within the castle, had made secret compact with thebesiegers, unknown to the rest of the garrison, let in theking’s men by night, and delivered over Faringdon to them,