‘To wrest from Byzantium, and bring into the fold of Rome, the misguided peoples of Apulia and Calabria.’
Leo was no fool. ‘You are offering to serve me?’
‘We are offering to acknowledge you as our suzerain, and to hold in your name – and those who succeed to the mitre – as your vassals, the lands so described.’
Robert could almost see Pope Leo’s mind working: here was a man who thought he would have to forfeit Benevento, being offered not only the retention of that but also two huge provinces instead.
‘We see our task as building churches to the glory of our God, but we cannot do that with you against our enterprise.’
‘I must think on this,’ Leo said.
‘It is yours to take or deny.’
Suddenly, Leo raised his hand and gave a papal blessing to the still-kneeling Norman army, muttering in Latin the words that went with that, which had the men, once they had crossed themselves, rising to their feet to cheer.
Robert whispered to his brothers and Richard, ‘Try kicking us out of Italy now!’
About the Author
Jack Ludlow is the pen-name of writer David Donachie, who was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He has always had an abiding interest in the Roman Republic as well as the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which he drew on for the many historical adventure novels he has set in that period. David lives in Deal with his partner, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook.
By the Same Author
By Jack Ludlow
THE CONQUEST SERIES
Mercenaries
Warriors
Conquest
THE REPUBLIC SERIES
The Pillars of Rome
The Sword of Revenge
The Gods of War
Written as David Donachie
THE JOHN PEARCE SERIES
By the Mast Divided
A Shot Rolling Ship
A Flag of Truce
The Admirals’ Game
An Ill Wind
Blown Off Course
Copyright
Allison & Busby Limited
13 Charlotte Mews
London W1T 4EJ
www.allisonandbusby.com
Copyright © 2009 by DAVID DONACHIE
(writing as Jack Ludlow)
Hardback published Great Britain in 2009.
Paperback edition published in 2010.
This ebook edition first published in 2011.
Map of Italy © DAVID DONACHIE
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–1070–6