Eddeva faira, Eddeva pulcra, stands her name in
Domesday-book even now, known, even to her Norman conquerors, as the
Beauty of her time, as Godiva, her mother, had been before her. Scarcely
less beautiful was Lucia, as Ivo had seen her at William's court, half
captive and half guest: and he longed for her; love her he could not. "I
have her father's lands," quoth he; "what more reasonable than to have the
daughter, too? And have her I will, unless the Mamzer, in his present
merciful and politic mood, makes a Countess of her, and marries her up to
some Norman coxcomb with a long pedigree,--invented the year before last.
If he does throw away his daughter on that Earl Edwin, in his fancy for
petting and patting these savages into good humor, he is not likely to
throw away Edwin's sister on a Taillebois. Well, I must put a spoke in
Edwin's wheel. It will not be difficult to make him, or Morcar, or both of
them, traitors. We must have a rebellion in these parts. I will talk about
it to Gilbert of Ghent. We must make these savages desperate, and William
furious, or he will be soon giving them back their lands, beside asking
them to Court; and then, how are valiant knights, like us, who have won
England for him, to be paid for their trouble? No, no. We must have a
rebellion, and a confiscation, and then, when English lasses are going
cheap, perhaps the Lady Lucia may fall to my share.
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