On Saint John’s Day, in late June, 1175 Louis de Longpré de Fontaine’s daughter, Ada, caught the eye of King Henry II. Henry was doing what many men who get bored with life at midlife do, he sought out conquests to prove to himself and to others that he was still a virile man. Eleanor was now in her fifties and had lost interest in trying to please her husband. She was focused on her sons, trying to make sure that their political futures were safe. She wasn’t worried about Henry’s affairs as long as they didn’t get in the way of her plans or unduly embarrass her. Henry’s interest in Ada, a young woman of eighteen, was consummated following one of the incessant balls that Eleanor forced him to attend. Eleanor called those events as necessary to keep their alliances secure. And, as foretold by Laurent, Ada became pregnant.

Fearing her father’s wrath when she was discovered to be pregnant, Ada returned to Richmond Castle, her mother’s home. Louis suspected what had occurred and soon followed.

“Ada,” he began. “I know that you’re with child. And no, I am not angry with you though I fear that we will have to keep the secret about the paternity of your child.”

“I’m sorry, Papa,” Ada cried with relief.

“It’s not you who should be sorry. After all, he is the King and who would dare say no to the King of England, and leader of the Angevin Empire.”

Ada named the boy Guillaume after his maternal great-grandfather. King Henry admitted that he was Guillaume’s father when the boy was twelve years old in 1187. The boy was no threat to his five half-brothers who were already plotting against each other to determine who would be the next King of England. Henry was in poor health and died two years later.

By the time Guillaume turned twenty in 1196, England had a new king, Guillaume’s half-brother became King Richard I. King Richard made Guillaume the third Earl of Salisbury.

~

“Was this your doing as well?” questioned Louis de Longpré who was now white-haired.

“Think about it, Louis,” Laurent admitted, “The estate is only twelve kilometres from Stonehenge, a sacred site that the brotherhood of Templars wants to ensure doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Your grandson deserves this royal status, not only as Richard’s half-brother, but also because of his unwavering support of Richard’s intention to reclaim Palestine.”

“I should have guessed it,” Louis spoke with a shake of his head. “Nothing happens without the Templars’ approval. And behind the Templars are the gods and goddesses.”

The Templars had been very active in establishing themselves in England. King Henry II had given the order land grants, and lately King Richard I had given the Templars special rights and protections as the Templars created a financial empire. Almost immediately after granting the Templars special powers, King Richard left to take part in the third crusade.

“How is it that the King agreed to this while warring against the forces of both Philip and John?”

“You’ll have to thank Eleanor for that. Despite John’s desire to be king, she is committed to having Richard remain on the throne,” Laurent informed Louis. “Politics is a messy and violent world.”

~

When King Richard I died just three years later in France, Guillaume’s half-brother John, became King John. Guillaume showed the same respect to the new king which allowed him to survive the purge of Richard’s supporters who had actively opposed John. Guillaume stood by King John when a group of rebel barons took to the battlefield against King John.

In 1215 the barons won rights and concessions that were coded into a document called the Magna Carta. Guillaume took a copy of the Magna Carta back to the Cathedral in Salisbury, once the peace was in place. However, that peace lasted only long enough for John to again take to the field against the rebels. What had been accomplished, if only for a moment in time, had been the fruit of victory for justice.

The intertwining of the Templars with the English had been successful though it had taken almost three generations to accomplish. Upon his death in 1226, Guillaume de Longpré, Earl of Salisbury was placed in a tomb within the Cathedral library which housed the Magna Carta, the bastard of one king and the half-brother of the two kings who followed.