With the marriage behind you, and a powerful ally in the form of Matilda's father, count Baldwin, your opportunities are increasing in number. Except that king Henry has condemned you to the pope on a charge of consanguinity: it appears that you and Matilda are something like first cousins only four or five times removed; which is news to you, but churchmen can research these things, and Henry has found an excuse for getting your marriage annulled. Sure enough, pope Leo sends churchmen to you, warning you to desist with the marriage at once. Of course, you and Matilda find each other most agreeable, and she seems quite recovered from the wound to her pride: Leo's demands anger her even more than they do you, to look at her and listen to what she calls the pope in the privacy of your bedchamber. There is no question about it: both of you are willing to accept excommunication rather than annulment.
The pronouncement of excommunication upon you both seems not to have any affect upon the affections of most of your subjects for their duke and duchess: Norman churchmen continue to administer the sacraments to everyone but yourselves - and even in private, your household priests do not accept the pope's decision, and treat lord and lady as if you are still in full fellowship with the church. Rather than having the prejudicial affect upon your reputation that king Henry sought, your notoriety as an excommunicate seems to add to your esteem as a fearless man.
Hardly slowed down a whit by this "set-back", you continue to meet your challenges head-on; beating down each rebellion and disfranchising each rebel, replacing them with more loyal men, steadily increasing your powerbase of devoted friends and vassals. Your enemies, those who remain, are getting desperate. Who will strike next? Or should you strike down one of them first, before they can come together to your hurt?
What will you do next? To help you decide, you pay your cousin king Edward of England a visit. He is happy to receive you, and for several weeks you are fêted at the royal court in a style worthy of your eminence. You notice that Englishmen are polite, but none of them warms to you; there are no new friends for you here. No matter, the king is the most loyal and affectionate of friends; a warlord can wish for no better.
He says that there is to be no issue between himself and his wife Edith, the daughter of his most powerful subject, Godwin the earl of Wessex.
A promise made between you and cousin Edward, long ago, when you were but a child, you have never forgotten: that if he ever became king of England, he would reward his Norman kin, for their many years of giving him a home (while the Danes ruled in England), by making you his heir. You bring this up now, and Edward agrees that the promise is the desire of his heart still.
Then, while you are still abroad, a messenger brings you evil news: your uncle William of Talou has ejected your men and installed his own troops at the recently finished castle of Arques. Rebellion is afoot. There are different ways to meet this new threat, as it is more than a rumor that Talou is declaring for the king, and awaiting a royal army, backed by Angevins, to enter Normandy and pull you down.
What should you do now? Flanders is your ally, but count Baldwin seems to be having plenty of troubles of his own just now, with emperor Henry on one side, and king Henry on the other. But he may be able to work in concert with Normandy, with careful planning: but there may not be enough time:
Should you return home and organize an invasion of the Île de France, before king Henry and count Geoffrey can attack you?
Send threats to the king and invade Anjou?
Return home and lay siege to Arques castle at once?
Stay in England until king Edward can raise an army to help you defeat the rebels and king Henry's army?
Send an appeal to king Henry, offering to meet him and work out your differences?