“You did well,” Sir Baldwin said.  “When I arrived, I found that the proper officials had, according to King Richard’s instructions, draw up the patent conferring upon you the lands and title of Earl of Evesham, before leaving Acre, and had received the king’s signature to it.  This was attested by several of the nobles who were with us and who returned safely to England.  Prince John, however, declared that he should not give any heed to the document; that King Richard’s power over this realm had ceased before he made it; and that he should bestow the earldom upon whomsoever he chose.  As a matter of fact, it has been given to Sir Rudolph Fleming, a Norman knight and a creature of the prince.  The king has also, I hear, promised to him the hand of the young Lady Margaret, when she shall become of marriageable age.  At present she is placed in a convent in Worcester.  The abbess is, I believe, a friend of the late earl, and the girl had been with her for some time previously.  Indeed she went there, I think, when her father left England.  This lady was ordered to give up her charge to the guardianship of Sir Rudolph; but she refused to do so, saying that it would not be convenable for a young lady to be under the guardianship of a bachelor knight having no lady at the head of his establishment, and that therefore she should retain her, in spite of the orders of the prince.  Prince John, I hear, flew into a fury at this; but he did not dare to provoke the anger of the whole of the clergy by ordering the convent to be violated.  And indeed, not only would the clergy have been indignant, but many of the great nobles would also have taken their part, for there can be no doubt that the contention of the abbess was reasonable; and there is among all the friends of King Richard a very strong feeling of anger at your having been deprived of the earldom.  This, however, has so far not found much vent in words, for as it was uncertain whether you would ever return to claim your rights, it was worth no one’s while to embroil himself unnecessarily with the prince on such a subject.  God knows that there are subjects enough of dispute between John Lackland and the English barons without any fresh ones arising.  The kingdom is in a state of disturbance.  There have been several risings against Prince John’s authority; but those have been, so far, suppressed.  Now that we know where King Richard is, and hope for his return ere very long, it is probable that peace will be maintained; but should treachery prevail, and King Richard’s return be prevented, you may be sure that John will not be permitted to mount the throne without the determined resistance of a large number of the nobles.”

“But,” Cuthbert said, “John is not the successor to the throne.  Prince Arthur of Brittany was named by King Richard from the first as his successor.  He is so by blood and by right, and John can have no pretense to the throne so long as he lives.”