Andrew at Bordeaux, which was now the Duke's royal palace. Two of the men were great lords of Guienne; one, Jean de Grailly, the powerful Captal of Buch, and the other, Sir Guichard D'Angle, who owned vast tracts in Saintonge and Angouleme. They were both tirelessly loyal to their English overlord and had resisted the blandishments of the French King, though many of their fellow nobles had not. The third man was the big English baron, Michael de la Pole, whose taste for action had been well gratified since he chafed and cooled his heels while awaiting the Duke of Lancaster nineteen months ago in the Savoy. "Fine stirring deeds of arms today at the jousting!" said de la Pole enthusiastically. "Our Duke covered himself with glory against the Sieur de Puissances, unhorsed him, pardieu!" The baron spoke in dogged Yorkshire French because it was more fluent than the Guienne lords' English. "Aha," said the captal, belching pleasurably and rolling his tongue around a sip of wine, "he's almost the knight his brother is." "Better, far betterl" cried de la Pole, instantly annoyed.
