Chapter 31 ELEANOR: ENDGAME

Windsor Castle February 1173 Alais had the strength of a lion. I had always known this, but I saw it clearly on the day her child died. My daughter stood strong in the face of the loss of Henry, and the loss of the Crown. I saw at once that such things were as nothing to her, compared to the love she bore her child. Alais came back to herself as she held her daughter in her arms. She did not weep when her child’s spirit flew, but dried her eyes on the fur the babe was wrapped in, as if my furs were made to dry her tears. Her waiting woman brought from her clothespress the deep blue gown that had come from Henry. Alais took the scissors from Marie Helene’s workbasket, and cut away the skirt. The royal blue silk gleamed in the light of the lamps. Alais fingered it, and decided¹ that it was soft enough to touch her daughter’s skin. She wrapped the child in that blue silk, until only the baby’s face was visible above the cloth. She leaned down and kissed her daughter’s brow. Already, it was as cold as stone. After she laid her child down, we both looked at that little girl. All my own lost children came back to me, one by one: Charles, who had died stillborn in the Levant; little William, who had not lived to see his third birthday; and Isabelle, Louis’ infant daughter, buried and left behind long ago in France. At sunset, we stood together in the churchyard in the cold wind of that winter day. Rose did not rest in a box, but was laid directly into the earth, still wrapped in blue silk. The sight of her child laid in the ground was Alais’ undoing². She almost dived into the grave, to bring her baby out of it, but I held her back. “It is hard,” I said. “Nothing will ever be as hard as this. But you must bear it.” The priest made the sign of the cross. When I nodded my permission, he went into the chapel³ to prepare for the mass that would be sung for the child’s soul. In spite of all my teachings, I still had not wrested⁴ from Alais her childhood religion. That day, for the first time, I was glad I had not. Perhaps her religion and her prayers would bring her some consolation⁵, when I myself could not. That night, Alais and I sat alone in the rooms that once had been mine. Her waiting woman, Marie Helene, would not leave us; only when I ordered her, and made it clear that I would brook⁶ no refusals, did she obey me. She saw that then, as always, I was queen. My own Amaria went to find her bed at my prompting. She knew me well, and knew that I would sit alone with my adopted daughter, keeping vigil that night, and for the nights to come, should Alais have need of me. Our rancor⁷ was gone like a dream cast off at morning. We sat together, two women who loved each other, for now Alais was a woman indeed. The scissors from Marie Helene’s sewing basket lay on the table, the blades Alais had used to make her daughter’s shroud⁸. They were heavy, for they were made of steel, polished to a fine sheen. Alais picked up those scissors, and cut into her hair. A great sea of curls fell at her feet, all around the table where I sat. When she was done, her hair was only an inch long, as a nun’s would be. “Ah, Alais,” I said. “Ever and always, you are a woman of extremes.” She smiled at me. Her mouth shuddered⁹, as if she could not remember how to form a smile, as if she might weep. But she steadied, and her smile grew, until it almost reached her eyes. “Come here, daughter, and let me trim it.” She knelt beside me, and I combed her short hair with my fingers, tidying the strands¹⁰ of it, so that it lay over her skull¹¹ more like a cap, and less like a nun’s devotion. “There,” I said. “You are a beautiful woman. The loss of your hair does not dim it.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she clutched my hand. I thought she might lose control then, but she did not. She pressed my hand to her lips. I felt them quake against my skin; then she pulled away. Alais sat beside me in a second chair, lowering herself gingerly, still sore from giving birth. Her body spoke¹² of her labor¹³, even if she wished to forget. “Perhaps someone might use it to make a wig,” she said. I laughed as she had meant me to. I poured her a cup of Anjou wine. When she took it up, I placed my hand over hers. “I love you, Alais. Now and always, no matter what comes after.” She did not shed tears even then. Instead, she spoke in a steady voice, undimmed by pain. “And I love you, Eleanor. I always have. I always will.” It was my turn to swallow my tears as I turned my face toward the firelight, her hand warm on mine. I sent word to Henry as soon as the baby died, but he was in London planning the hunt for Richard, and did not come. We heard soon afterward¹⁴ that Richard had left England, and had made safe landfall in Barfleur. It was April now and the cold of winter had broken. I knew that spring would bring war. But not yet. I had not yet given the order that would set my sons in motion. As Richard mustered¹⁵ his troops in the Aquitaine, Henry received final word from His Holiness the pope. The Holy See would not support his marriage to Alais. My spies brought the knowledge to me, secondhand. I, in turn, gave it to Alais, who accepted it, pale and unmoved. She spent all her time at prayer when she was not with me. Alais’ short hair shocked my women, and they withdrew from her. I found I did not want them by me, either, so Alais and I spent a good deal of time alone, with Bertrand to play for us. Alais was quiet, as she had been when she first came to me as a child. But day by day I saw a little of the light of her soul coming back into her eyes. She was brokenhearted by the death of her daughter, but her spirit had not been broken. I had never been prouder of her than I was during those dark days. On a day in mid-April, Henry rode into the keep at Windsor. The sky was a bright blue, and the wind was from the south, and warm. It promised joy, a sense of hope that Alais did not feel. I saw in her eyes that she thought her life was over. She was so very young. Henry came to me first in my solar. He did not announce himself, nor did he knock, but walked in past my women, raising one hand so that they knew to withdraw. I stood looking at the husband who had tried to rid himself of me. We had been parted only a few months, but already it was as if I did not know him. As I looked at Henry, standing¹⁶ aloof¹⁷ and remote before me, I saw that I would never know his mind again. “Henry,” I said. “I am sorry for your loss.” His gray eyes met mine, but I did not feel their warmth. He stared at me, cold, remote, as he might stare at a stranger. “Thank you,” he said. Alais came in, and I was grateful for her presence. She moved slowly, as an invalid¹⁸ might. She felt the loss of her daughter keenly. The princess did not hesitate, but went straight to Henry’s side. Despite all that had happened, she still felt drawn¹⁹ to him, as if she had the right. And I suppose, if the right was something Henry gave her, she did have it. He opened his arms to her as if they had never been apart, as if she had not betrayed him to Richard. I saw the love between them. I looked beyond their lust²⁰, beyond politics, and saw that they were kindred spirits, just as Alais and I were, just as Henry and I once had been. Henry held her gently, close to his heart, as if she were made of Venetian glass and might break at the slightest touch. “Henry” His name was the only word she spoke. She drew the heavy wimple and veil from her head, so that he might see her shorn hair. His features darkened when he beheld²¹ the small cap of dark brown, all that was left of her glorious curls. He held her face between his hands, staring down into her eyes. He kissed her gently on the forehead, his lips as soft and fleeting²² as his love. He kissed her once, then let her go. The pain in his eyes receded²³, drawn back into his heart, where he would never look at it again. I saw the shutters²⁴ of his eyes close to her, as they already had closed to me. He stared at Alais for a long moment, then took a step away from both of us. Though he loved her almost as much as he had once loved me, he had decided her fate already. “It is good that you have shorn your hair, Princess. For in two weeks’ time, you will return to the Abbey of St. Agnes, to pray for your sins, and to think on the good of France.” Alais listened to her lover as if he spoke of someone else. I do not think she believed him. She was so used to having him come to terms with her. She had never seen this side of Henry, the implacable king, the man whose mind, once made, was set in stone. Alais did not beseech²⁵ him, nor did she beg for mercy. She turned from him and came to stand by me. “So you have won her back, have you, Eleanor?” Even then, Henry’s eyes were cold as he looked at me. I would have welcomed hatred²⁶, even anger, even bile, but in his eyes there was nothing. Just cold gray emptiness, like the sky before dawn. And then he spoke in a voice as empty as his eyes. “She was the last pure thing in my life, before she turned back to you.” He left us without another word, without even a glance at Alais. She leaned against me, and I took her hand in mine. She needed my strength to hold her up. “He never loved me,” she said. “He never loved me if he could leave me like this.” I drew her into my arms, pressing my lips against the softness of her hair. “Ah, Alais. It is because he loved you that he leaves you like this. If he had not loved you, he would have sent someone else. He would not have come alone.” My words did not comfort her. But she was living in the world now, by her own choice. She, like the rest of us, must learn to face what comes. Alais was full of sorrow at the loss of Henry. She might have been young enough, even after all she had seen, to still think herself living in a fairy story, where princesses are rescued, even from the folly²⁷ of their own choices. But the death of her daughter had taught her the truth: life is fleeting. We must take what gifts it brings us, and enjoy them while we can. So we sat together, in my rose garden at Windsor. It was a small garden, but it had a view of the river. Spring came upon us early that year, and the warmth of the season rose up from the ground itself, as if to comfort us. As many hours as we could, we spent in that garden. Those two weeks in April were blessed by the Virgin²⁸, Alais said, for it did not rain even once. And yet the flowers still bloomed as if under an enchantment²⁹. Our idyll did not leave me quiet, as Alais was. I wrote to Richard at once, as soon as Henry was on the road to Southampton. I asked him to contact his brothers, that they all might be ready when I came. In two weeks more, I would meet Richard in the Aquitaine, and ride with him from there, into a battle Henry did not yet know was coming. But during those last two weeks with Alais, I resolved not to think of politics. I did not know how long Henry would hold Alais in the prison of her abbey. I knew well that he would never let Richard marry her, even if my son had been willing. But I was certain that I could convince Richard to do my bidding, even in this. Someday, Henry would release Alais, and I would be ready. I arranged a marriage for Marie Helene, since she would not be going into the nunnery with Alais. We saw her off, with Alais’ little dog in her arms. She went to her mother-in-law in Anjou, who would preside over the wedding in my stead. Marie Helene wept to leave the princess; after shedding a few tears of her own, Alais kissed her, and let her go. Alais was calm, much calmer than I would be if I had been consigned³⁰ to a nunnery for who knew how long. Henry still loved her, for he was kind to her, even then. He sent her to the religious house I had chosen for her when she was a child. She knew the women there, and the Reverend Mother. Perhaps she would be safe there, as well as happy. She was not happy to leave me. But after I assured her that she need not fear, that I would come for her once I had the king’s leave, we did not speak of her nunnery again. We spoke instead of Richard, of his prowess in war, and of how we both loved him. There was no jealousy³¹ between us, which six months before I would not have believed. We had been reduced to the essentials of our lives: our love for Richard, and our love for each other. We sat, our chairs drawn into the sun. Birdsong was thick along the branches by the riverside. The roses had bloomed early, though the Persian roses I had brought from the Levant still had not yet budded. They would bloom in June. I would be on the Continent, and would not see it. I watched Alais as her gaze drifted over the rose garden and down to the river. She had her rosary of diamonds and pearls between her fingers. Though her lips did not move, I knew she was praying in silence for the soul of her daughter. The next day, she was to be taken away to her nunnery, and I would leave for the coast. I had forestalled³² the rebellion among my sons until May, for love of her. “Alais,” I said, “I gave your father that rosary.” The princess looked up from her prayers, her mind finally drawn from the Virgin and the child she had lost. Her attention did not waver from me. I smiled, lifting my hand to my forehead. The bronze of my hair peeped out along the edges of my wimple, just as I liked it to. I settled into storytelling mode, but found I did not have the patience to tell the whole tale, of how my lover Raymond had gifted me with that rosary when first we met, thinking me genuinely pious³³. Once he knew me better, we laughed over it, and I gave the rosary to Louis. “Your father and I rode together on Crusade.” “You did not want to return to France with him,” she said. I smiled. “Yes, that is true, Alais, but that is not part of this story.” Her eyes gleamed with a little wickedness, but she did not refer to her father again. She settled back against the rose embossed cushion I had given her to hear my version of the tale. I raised my goblet³⁴ of wine. Alais watched me as I leaned back in my chair, savoring³⁵ the moment. She realized, as I did, that we must make the most of this one day. “That rosary was given me by a great knight³⁶ in the Levant, a man who held the kingdom of Antioch against the infidel.” Alais loved tales of great knights³⁷ in the Holy Land, so I exaggerated slightly when I spoke of Raymond’s piety³⁸. He was a soldier of Christ, of sorts, which I suppose was all that Alais ultimately cared for. She listened, wide-eyed, and once more I was reminded that for all her recent loss and heartbreak, she was but fifteen years old. Alais seemed younger than I had ever been, even in the happy time before my father died, when I had been cherished and cared for. I leaned across the arm of my chair, and touched the soft skin of her cheek. I wished that I had protected her better. I wished that I had kept her safe. She saw the tears in my eyes, and followed my thought, though I did not speak it and had lost the thread of my story. “I love you, Eleanor. What I did, I did for myself. You could not have stopped me.” I laughed, tears standing in the emerald green of my eyes. “I tried to stop you, Alais, as you well know.” She took my hand in hers and pressed her lips to it. I saw that she would love me for the rest of her life, just as she loved me now. “Eleanor, you are the mother I never knew. I am sorry for all the pain I caused you. I will never be able to thank you for the succor³⁹ you have given me.” “You are the daughter of my heart, one of the great loves of my life. That was always true, even at the darkest times, even when we were apart.” Alais came out of her chair and knelt at my feet, as if she were a servant, or a child. She leaned her head on my lap. I drew off her wimple, that I might run my fingers through the short silk of her dark hair. “Do not fear, Alais. We will be together again. I have foreseen it.” She did not answer, but her tears dampened the silk of my gown. We sat that way a long time, her head in my lap, my hand in what was left of her hair. We rose only when the sun had set, and Amaria came out to bid us come in, for the night grew damp, and we might catch our deaths. Alais and I both laughed as we stood, my lady-in-waiting frowning down on us, pecking at us like a mother hen. Alais wrapped her arm around my still-slender waist, and we went inside to see what the cook had made for us. I knew supper would be good; he was also in my employ.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 undoing   

n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭

参考例句：

• That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
• This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

3 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

4 wrested   

（用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去…

参考例句：

• The usurper wrested the power from the king. 篡位者从国王手里夺取了权力。
• But now it was all wrested from him. 可是现在，他却被剥夺了这一切。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

6 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

7 rancor   

n.深仇，积怨

参考例句：

• I have no rancor against him.我对他无怨无仇。
• Their rancor dated from a political dogfight between them.他们的积怨来自于他们之间在政治上的狗咬狗。

8 shroud   

n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏

参考例句：

• His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
• How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下，我该怎么做呢？

9 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

14 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

15 mustered   

v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发

参考例句：

• We mustered what support we could for the plan. 我们极尽所能为这项计划寻求支持。
• The troops mustered on the square. 部队已在广场上集合。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 aloof   

adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的

参考例句：

• Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
• On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

18 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

19 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

20 lust   

n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望

参考例句：

• He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
• Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。

21 beheld   

v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

22 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

23 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

24 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

25 beseech   

v.祈求，恳求

参考例句：

• I beseech you to do this before it is too late.我恳求你做做这件事吧，趁现在还来得及。
• I beseech your favor.我恳求您帮忙。

26 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

27 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

28 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

29 enchantment   

n.迷惑，妖术，魅力

参考例句：

• The beauty of the scene filled us with enchantment.风景的秀丽令我们陶醉。
• The countryside lay as under some dread enchantment.乡村好像躺在某种可怖的魔法之下。

30 consigned   

v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃

参考例句：

• I consigned her letter to the waste basket. 我把她的信丢进了废纸篓。
• The father consigned the child to his sister's care. 那位父亲把孩子托付给他妹妹照看。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

31 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

32 forestalled   

v.先发制人，预先阻止( forestall的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She forestalled their attempt. 她先发制人，阻止了他们的企图。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had my objection all prepared, but Stephens forestalled me. 我已做好准备要提出反对意见，不料斯蒂芬斯却抢先了一步。 来自辞典例句

33 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

34 goblet   

n.高脚酒杯

参考例句：

• He poured some wine into the goblet.他向高脚酒杯里倒了一些葡萄酒。
• He swirled the brandy around in the huge goblet.他摇晃着高脚大玻璃杯使里面的白兰地酒旋动起来。

35 savoring   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的现在分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• Cooking was fine but it was the savoring that he enjoyed most. 烹饪当然很好，但他最享受的是闻到的各种味道。 来自互联网
• She sat there for a moment, savoring the smell of the food. 她在那儿坐了一会儿，品尝这些食物的香味。 来自互联网

36 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

37 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

38 piety   

n.虔诚，虔敬

参考例句：

• They were drawn to the church not by piety but by curiosity.他们去教堂不是出于虔诚而是出于好奇。
• Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness.经验使我们看到虔诚与善意之间有着巨大的区别。

39 succor   

n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助

参考例句：

• In two short hours we may look for succor from Webb.在短短的两小时内，韦布将军的救兵就可望到达。
• He was so much in need of succor,so totally alone.他当时孑然一身，形影相吊，特别需要援助。