Interlude- The story of Thomas of Kent
The Idea
It’s not easy being a husband. Taking care of your wife and your children, keeping them happy and all that. But... in Thomas’s case, being a husband is an absolute nightmare. When he married Maud, she seemed like a nice girl, good-looking, quiet, gave her 3 lovely daughters. But... but then. Thomas shuddered- he is now married to the official lover of the Duke. And that boy running around the house is definitely not his own. And Maud hasn’t let him inside her bedchambers for 3 years now.
Thomas glanced outside castle window and clenched his fist. There he was, the blasted duke! Playing with his son, with Maud by her side, shining. Her belly showing her carrying another child. He felt the hilt of his dagger, and then pulled his hand slowly back.
Not like this, he thought. He needed revenge, but he also wanted to live. He was unsure that he would even reach the Duke, but his own life would be over anyways. Still, the decision was made- Duke Bohemond must die!
Being a court chaplain has its benefits. One of them is being a confessor of the Duchess Clemencia. And there is something that is totally certain- she hates the Duke, despises Maud and doesn’t like the sight of the bastard. Next confessional did indeed take a bit more time then normal. Duchess, not being the most loving and meek person on the planet easily agreed that it would be a terrible tragedy if something would happen to poor Duke and his son. But she would, with heavy heart of course, accept the burden of regency until her oldest daughter becomes of age. Of course, the marriage of Thomas and Maud would be annulled, and the woman thrown into nunnery. Adultery is a serious matter and she would have the rest of her life to regret the sins she had committed. And if she tried anything, the rest of her life wouldn’t be a very long one. As for her yet unborn child, it would also be a monastery or a nunnery.
The Plot is formed
The Plot
Plan of this side would need more allies- more courtiers who really don’t like the duke, or a mayor whose taxes have been raised, or a bishop who didn’t like Duke’s decision not to raise church taxes. When you are the Duke, you are bound to step on some toes. In this case, Thomas did find some allies, but not much. And none as important as the Duchess herself.
If you throw some gold in here and some in there, you will get to know people who know people who might arrange the meeting with the right person in the right place. On this case, it was a shady tavern near the port of Palermo. The guests there liked their privacy and respected the other guest’s need for that as well. Meaning that the worst thing you could to is to look around or listen more carefully. “Virgin’s Mercy” was really an ironically correct name for the establishment.
Thomas had ordered a tankard of tavern’s finest wine and looked at the hooded figure sitting opposite to him. He could make out that it was a man. In his 30-ies maybe, and a muscular sort. But the face was covered with hood and the dim lights of the tavern did not reveal any more details.
“The target is extremely hard,” said the hooded man with an unrecognizable voice. Carefully changed to protect his privacy. Still giving the tiniest hints of Arab accent that the owner of the voice so desperately tried to hide “He has an elite guard duty with him all the time; he has people, who taste his food for poison; it is next to impossible to find a perfect opportunity to do the deed- and to get worker out alive.” The man grinned a bit “And we value the life of our workers”
Thomas nodded a bit nervously- the figure was making him uneasy. “Yes, it is understandable that people of this statue would be hard to get unaware. We understand it as well- but let me assure you, the pay is more then enough for this extremely dangerous task.” He took a bag of coins and put them on the table “For your starting expenses,” he continued. “You get three times more after the deed.”
Stranger weighed the purse in his hands. “Gold, about 50 or so?” he asked. Thomas nodded again.
“There is one place where our friend likes his privacy,” Thomas added. “He prefers to spend his nights elsewhere then his bedchamber. The other target is usually nearby as well. As for the woman- we would prefer that no harm would come to her, but that is entirely optional”
“I need to get my worker inside the castle,” the voice of the stranger sounded with most of the doubt lost.
“Just show him to us and we can arrange a job in the castle- servant or maid or cook or stable boy or whomever you need.”
Man nodded. His hand took the purse from the table. Then he stood up and said: “You’ll be hearing from me by tomorrow” and left, leaving Thomas a bit puzzled. It seems like the man had took the job and the final obstacle of his revenge was gone- they now had a hired knife.
The End
Duke Bohemond was in his chambers. He had dined, rested and was just about to move out when there was this special knock on his door. He knew who that would be, so he screamed “Enter” and ordered servants to leave.
An imposing figure, still wearing the hood, entered. He took the purse from his belt and threw it casually on the table. Eyebrows of Duke raised a bit higher when the man said, with much more normal voice this time: “It’s not every day one gets to know his value, my dear Bohemond. You should consider yourself lucky on that occasion- 50 now and 150 after you are a corpse”. The man started to laugh and unable to resist, Bohemond joined him.
“I gather you are hired to kill me then, my dear Ranulf?” Bohemond asked.
“As you can see. It is a surprise how incompetent people can be when they try to kill someone.” Hood was pushed back, showing the fair, if a bit weathered face of a Norman, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Ranulf, as the man was apparently called, poured himself a cup of wine, took a sip and continued
“It’s strange that neither Thomas or Duchess thought of the fact that they were watched all the time. From the beginning we knew what they were planning, but I never thought they would be so stupid to openly walk into my little trap,” he was talking with cheery, open voice.
“Arrest Thomas tomorrow and throw him into jail,” said Bohemond after a small though-break. Then he sighed, “I cannot do anything to Clemencia right now- she is pregnant again and I really need a male heir”
“But I think that after the childbirth, I may have to look for a new wife,” he continued thoughtfully.
“Childbirth is dangerous,” Ranulf agreed. He took another sip of the wine, then stood up, waved good-bye to Bohemond and went on doing his normal job.
As walking through the castle, Ranulf de Briquessart, the Spymaster of Sicily, chuckled to himself. “Dream job,” he thought to himself. Then he felt the purse in his belt, snatched from under eyes of Duke himself and went back to town- this time, to get drunk and spend some quality time with ladies of doubtful morality.
Afterword
Thomas woke up to a pike showed under his face. He was screaming as he was being dragged to jail and he screamed even more then they questioned him. In the end, he confessed and was left to rot there until he died.
The End of Thomas
In 21st October, 1088, a second son was born to Maud and Duke Bohemond. Nine days later, in 30th October, the Duchess had finally managed to produce a male heir, named Robert after his grandfather. Unfortunately, the pains of childbirth were too much for Clemencia and she passed away on 1st November.
And the tragic end of the queen
And my skill in taking screenshots. Bohemond is de Hauteville and Asclettin, the new heir for Sicily, is actually named Robert after is grandfather