When His Majesty proposed staying in Egypt two years ago so that those lesser soldiers whom he lost into captivity might not be forsaken, I could not in good conscience fault him. But I feared then and I know with certainty now that his commitment to seeking their freedom was but the smallest part of what held him here. Louis cannot bear having lost. He hopes still, with feeble reason, that he may do something to turn defeat into victory. Can he not see his stubborn insistence on staying is rooted in the sin of pride? Were he humble enough to accept the drubbing he received at Saracen hands, we might be in France governing it as we should. Instead, we wander about in the desert like the Israelites.… M MARGUERITEJUNE 1252JAFFA, KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM Waking in the dark, I cannot remember where I am. Caesarea? No, I think, sitting up in bed, we left there weeks ago. Jaffa—we are in Jaffa. I feel sticky and my bedcovers cling to me in the hot, humid air. Rising, I pad naked to the nearest window and throw it full open.
