The Blue Falcon by Robyn Carr

Author:Robyn Carr [Carr, Robyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Fiction, Romance, General, Historical
ISBN: 9780316129725
Google: vE6kAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 1469272164
Publisher: Pocket
Published: 1980-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

On the third of September in the year 1189, a procession of clergy dressed in copes of purple silk led the way to Westminster Abbey, carrying holy water, cross, tapers and thurible. They were followed by the abbots and the bishops, then the noblemen bearing the cap of maintenance, the spurs, the rod topped by a dove, the sword of state and the scepter.

Next came a party of sue barons, Lord Alaric among them, carrying the chequer board with regalia and robes; then the earl of Essex with the crown; and finally Richard himself, duke of Normandy, flanked by the bishops of Bath and Durham, walking all the way upon a white linen cloth and protected by a canopy of silk supported on the lances of the four barons of Cinque Ports.

Richard was a sight to quicken the hearts of many as he moved with grace along the coronation route, for he seemed to tower at least a head above all other men, and his reddish gold hair and piercing blue eyes added to his regal bearing.

Never had London seen such a coronation. For all that Henry II had hated pomp and display, Richard loved it. His was by far the grandest and most regal of coronations.

Within the Abbey, where only the most prestigious of guests were present, the Firmetur Manus Tua was sung and the king brought his offering to the altar. Then the litany, the oath, and the pious utterings of prayers of consecration were said: Omnipotens Sempiterne Deus; Bene die Domine; Deus Ineffabilis. A long and holy ritual ensued: the oath, the hallowing and anointing, the insignia, coronation and enthronement. If there had been any doubts as to who was king, they were surely diminished by the ceremony of his coronation, which was so long and dramatic it nearly guaranteed his heavenly sovereign right. The king was then taken back to his chambers in procession.

Though it seemed the coronation itself could not be outdone, the preparations for the banquet to follow were even more pompous. Nearly two thousand pitchers, nine hundred cups and over five thousand dishes were purchased for the occasion.

The magnificence of the hall, decorated for pure pageantry, was presided over by Richard, who was surrounded only by the men in his service: the bishops and lesser clergy, the knights and nobles. No women were allowed in the hall and they did not take part in the celebrating. It was very like Richard to exclude the gentler sex. Women, excepting his mother, had never played a significant role in this warrior king’s life.

The noblewomen of London, then, were for the most part without escort for that eve of the great coronation feast. They had the protection of what men-at-arms their fathers or husbands had left behind, but the knights and nobles of high repute were all at Westminster Hall attending Richard.

Though Medwin had found more than adequate lodgings, he took Chandra to Alaric’s house on this night so that she might enjoy the company of the other women while the men were engaged.

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