Courtier in the Royal House of Stuart

by Leslie Hatton

  I was about to climb in the carriage when Milly stepped up and kissed me on the lips, which pleased me more than I could say.

  ‘See you again soon,’ she said.

  On the way back to St Helier, I told Thomas the whole story. How I was tricked onto the fishing boat, how I was bound and gagged, and how in complete darkness I managed to free myself. I explained how I tripped up the older man on the stairs and why I think he died on impact with the solid wooden stool.

  ‘I was going to hit him on the head with a crowbar but realised there was no point… a dead man is no threat.’

  ‘What about the others?’ he inquired.

  ‘His wife was crying and screaming abuse at her husband, she told him she was ashamed of him and wanted none of his blood money. She was the one who removed my gag and gave me food and water. The younger son, who I think is about my age, was just trying to comfort his mother, he took no part in my kidnap. It was the elder son who tricked me onto the boat. He believes I murdered his father but I think in the end he was sorry he ever got involved… he could have stopped me escaping had he wanted to, but decided putting out the fire was more important. It was his father who took the money and it was his father who said he would feed me to the fishes, it was all his fault.’

  ‘How did you start the fire?’

  ‘I didn’t. It was an accident… when the old man tripped, the lamp he was carrying flew across the room and smashed. The place was full of dry sacks and fishing nets and they instantly burst into flames.’

  ‘Well Toby… I must congratulate you on your ingenuity.’

  ‘That was just self-preservation Thomas. Were there any survivors only I thought I saw a rowing boat pass me while I was swimming?’

  ‘Three people were arrested on the beach, a woman and her two sons. They are to be interrogated in St Helier tomorrow. By the way, I think I might have a lead in finding out the identity of the man who wants you dead.’

  ‘Really, who is he?’

  ‘I have a man in custody who I intend to question. It depends on his answers whether or not I am right, but I believe he knows who paid the fishermen to abduct you.’

  ‘Is he one of our men?’

  Ignoring my question, Thomas said, ‘As soon as I realised something was wrong, I sent out search parties to look for you, there were many sightings, some saw you sitting talking to a fisherman.’

  ‘He was the one who tricked me onto the boat.’

  ‘And others saw you walking along the beach. But there was just one person who claimed he saw you on horseback riding eastward towards the other side of the island.’

  ‘Do you know who he was?’

  ‘He turned out to be one of our own guards of no rank or substance, which makes me think he is not the person we are looking for… but perhaps he knows who is.’

  ***

  Philip stopped the carriage outside of our accommodation and as I stepped down, speaking slowly in French, he said, ‘I come to St Helier every Saturday morning to collect provisions. If you ever want to come back with me to Brelade’s, I am sure Lady Bramwell would be pleased to see you… I could bring you back here at any time you wish, it’s not that far.’

  My French was limited, but I did know how to say yes thank you. ‘Oui Merci.’

  As Philip turned the carriage around, and headed back down the hill, I looked at Thomas, waiting for him to translate for me.

  ‘Did you understand any of that?’

  ‘Just a few words.’

  ‘Then we will go through it, word for word when we get inside.’

  I wanted Thomas to translate for me, and I was ready for some food. As I took a step towards the door Thomas touched my arm.

  ‘Before you dash off, I want you to come with me.’

  ‘Where to?’

  ‘Just the stables.’

  We walked round the building to the tack room. The door was bolted and two guards were positioned outside.

  He slid back the bolt and I followed him in. The two guards stayed at their posts.

  A man not much older than twenty years scrambled to his feet. He looked dirty and frightened.

  ‘This is the man I was telling you about Toby, the deceitful snake in our midst, do you know him?’

  ‘I don’t think I have ever seen him before.’

  ‘Tell me soldier,’ Thomas asked, ‘why did you deliberately try to mislead us by sending us on a fool’s errand across to the other side of the island?’

  ‘I did not my Lord, I truly thought I saw him on…’

  Before he had time to finish his sentence, Thomas hit him hard with the back of his hand sending him spinning round and falling in a heap on the floor.

  ‘What ship are you on soldier?’

  ‘The Royal Oak my Lord.’

  ‘All right… let’s try again. Why are you lying?’

  ‘Perhaps I was mistaken my Lord, I think the man I saw on the horse is not this one,’ he said pointing to me. ‘I’m sorry I made a mistake.’

  Thomas hit him again, and I must say that I was surprised by the ferocity of his anger. This was a side of Thomas Hudson I had not seen before.

  However, and in view of the facts, it is almost certain that because of this young soldier’s stupidity, I almost lost my life, but despite everything I could not help feeling sorry for him.

  ‘By God, you will tell me the truth, because if you don’t you will be charged with attempted murder and will hang from the for’ard yardarm of the Royal Oak before this day is out,’ shouted Thomas to the soldier, who was now crying like a baby.

  Tears were running down his mud-stained cheeks but he still tried to stand proud and tall.

  ‘I was just obeying orders my Lord.’

  ‘From who? Whose orders?’

  ‘Captain Leeson… he is your murderer my Lord, not me. I am a loyal servant to the crown.’

  Thomas looked at me. ‘Do you know anyone by that name Toby?’

  ‘I don’t think so Thomas. Who is he?’

  ‘I don’t know, but by God I will find out.’

  Thomas immediately sent guards to arrest Captain Leeson while he and I retreated to his office to check through all the ships’ records.

  I stood behind him, not sure what if anything I should do or say.

  ‘I almost didn’t bring these documents ashore,’ he said. ‘I didn’t want unauthorised people rooting through them, as it happens it’s a good job I did bring them. Ha… here we have it,’ he said, stabbing the ledger with his finger. He then began reading silently to himself.

  ‘I’m afraid we know very little of Captain Leeson, but he must be a man of considerable means. He bought his commission in the guards about ten years ago. His records state only that he’s from London and his Christian name is Richard.’

  ‘What is to happen to the soldier? Surely he doesn’t have to die.’

  ‘That was never going to happen Toby, I just wanted to scare him into telling the truth, he will probably get ten lashes for lying, lose his shore leave, and be kept prisoner on the ship until we sail.’

  ‘Could you make that just five lashes?’

  He smiled at me and shaking his head as if in despair said, ‘I suppose so.’

  Within the hour, the guards that had been sent to arrest Leeson returned.

  ‘Did you find him?’

  ‘Unfortunately not sir, as soon as he knew we were looking for him he disappeared.’

  ‘That is in itself an admission of guilt. Keep looking.’

  ‘We have dispatched two teams to search for him sir… one to the east and the other to the west.’

  ‘The island is not large… send another team around the coast, he may be looking for a passage off the island.’

  ***

  I took Philip at his word and every Saturday returned with him
to Bramwell House. Always trying to speak in French… anything I couldn’t understand or any mistake I made he corrected me as we went along.

  It was two weeks since my ordeal on the dogger fishing boat, and I was still having nightmares. I believed at the time that I always would. I was also dreading the day when I would have to face the family of the man who kidnapped me.

  Prince Charles had announced the day of the trial and Thomas insisted that I be there.

  The three defendants arrested on the beach at St Brelade’s Bay were brought into court looking miserable and dejected.

  I felt no anger or resentment towards them, just sadness and pity at their plight, and the predicament they now found themselves in.

  The older son with his hands bandaged from burns was standing straight and proud, but he could not hide the wretchedness and shame in his eyes. Shame brought upon his family by the greed of his father who now lay at the bottom of the ocean.

  His mother, with her head covered, was sobbing quietly, her young son with a comforting arm around her shoulders also holding back his own tears.

  The courthouse was full. Some of those present were friends of the defendants, who were silently praying for leniency, while others were secretly hoping to see an execution.

  Prince Charles with his head down was reading the evidence brought against them aloud. Eventually he discarded his notes and looked directly at the older son.

  ‘You are all three complicit in the kidnap and attempted murder of Toby Bennett, a courtier in the Royal Household. A crime I am sure you must realise is treason.’

  He paused waiting for a response but there was none.

  ‘The punishment for treason is death by hanging. Do you have anything to say in your defence?’

  The two brothers said nothing, but their mother dropped to her knees pleading for the lives of her sons and blaming her husband for the whole conspiracy.

  I was feeling miserable and depressed. Executing them was the last thing I wanted, how could I ever live with myself if they were put to death because of me?

  Charles gave the woman a moment to compose herself before continuing.

  ‘I think your victim should be the one to choose your punishment.’

  Looking at me he said, ‘Well Master Toby… what is it to be, what shall be their punishment, do they hang?’

  Now I realised why Thomas was so insistent on me attending the trial. I had been set up.

  ‘Is it not punishment enough that they have lost their boat and livelihood my Lord?’

  ‘Are you saying they should not be punished at all?’

  ‘The woman and her younger son took no part in the kidnap, and the older son was only carrying out the orders of his father. It is he who is the guilty one, and he has already paid with his life my Lord.’

  ‘So are you saying I should set them free?’

  ‘That would be my choice my Lord, I think they have suffered enough.’

  Turning to the defendants, he paused a moment in thought before saying, ‘The elder son will receive 10 lashes. The younger son and his mother may leave the court free and without punishment.’

  Then speaking directly to the mother he said quietly, ‘I think you should all thank the Lord… and the benevolence of your victim for your freedom.’

  As I walked out of the courtroom with Thomas, I could not help noticing the beaming smile on his face.

  ‘What do you find so amusing Thomas?’

  ‘You did everything that Charles predicted, that’s why he made you decide their fate, I think he knows you better than you know yourself.’

  ‘And did he know I would give the purse of money to the woman?’

  ‘No he did not… and neither did I, but I am sure he will applaud your generosity, as do I.’

  ***

  The search for Captain Richard Leeson was called off after a week when guards reported a soldier matching Leeson’s description was caught stealing a dory fishing boat from the harbour at Bouley Bay.

  When approach by the owner, the soldier drew a pistol, and threatened to use it. The fisherman called a friend to help him but Leeson shot him in the leg and escaped.

  The fisherman identified the thief as an officer in the King’s Guard, and said he watched him sail eastward, leaving us in little doubt that his destination was France just thirty miles away. Once in France, he would eventually be able to make his way to England.

  ‘Does anyone know what a dory is?’ asked the prince.

  No one seemed to know but I was very familiar with them… I had even had a sail in one.

  ‘It’s a lightweight shallow-drafted boat with a flat bottom used mostly for fishing and usually about 22ft long my Lord.’

  ‘Where did you learn that?’ asked Thomas.

  ‘There’s a few on the Thames.’

  ***

  My weekly trip to Bramwell House was a welcome change from my normally restricted and well-ordered life in St Helier. It was also a great opportunity for me to improve my spoken French. Philip was a praiseworthy tutor whose insistence on me speaking in French all the time seemed to be working. When I came upon a word I did not understand, he explained the meaning clearly to me and then used the word over and over again until it stuck in my head, and as the weeks passed by I became more and more confident with the language.

  Philip was twenty-one years old and had been with Lady Bramwell for four years. He was her great nephew and had come from France to look after her following the death of her husband, Sir Michael Bramwell, in 1645. She had no children of her own and Philip was like a son to her.

  Milly, a charming pretty eighteen-year-old local girl, had become a totally indispensable companion to Lady Bramwell and was now more like an adopted granddaughter than a servant… especially since becoming engaged to Philip.

  The cold months of winter were fast approaching, and by the second week of December, plans had already begun for the celebration of Christmas. Lady Bramwell insisted that I spend the day with them at Bramwell House. The invitation extending to my mentor Thomas Hudson and Charles.

  This was to be my last visit to Bramwell House. We had been on the island for three months and Prince Charles had decided the time was right to return to The Hague.

  On Christmas Eve, he called a council of war with his most trusted generals, a meeting at which I was not privy to attend, but which I later discovered had agreed to return to The Hague, and from there to Scotland where we would join forces with Alexander Leslie, the commander of his Royalist supporters north of the Forth. Charles wanted to leave St Helier immediately after Christmas, hoping for favourable winds to carry us back to The Hague in time to spend the New Year with his sister Mary.

  The whole purpose of our visit to Jersey was to use the island as a stepping stone to Ireland, where we had planned to join forces with the Irish Loyalists at Drogheda in County Louth. But our plans had been thwarted when Cromwell took Ireland just a week before we arrived here in St Helier.

  With all arrangements now in place for our departure, Charles, Thomas and I went by coach to Bramwell House where Lady Bramwell had prepared a banquet. This was to be our last big meal before setting sail early the following morning. Lady Bramwell was a loved and respected person on the island, and had invited many local dignitaries. The prince as guest of honour was seated on her right, but it was me that most of her guests seemed to want to meet.

  Before waving us goodbye, a sad-looking Lady Bramwell said to me, ‘You will always be welcome here Toby, and if you get the time do please write and let me know you are well.’

  ‘I shall most definitely write my Lady, and if I ever get the chance I will certainly come back and visit you on your beautiful island.’

  Philip shook my hand and insisted I write to him in French. Milly with her beautiful smile surprised me by giving me a hug, kissing me on both cheeks and say
ing, ‘Au revoir mon ami, reviennent et syp nous rendent visite.’

  I had enjoyed my time in Jersey… despite my near-death experience, and as the island slowly disappeared into morning mist, I made a promise to myself to someday return.

  I always knew our stay was temporary but while there I had made some precious new friends. I smiled as I remembered Philip’s last words to me as I was leaving. ‘Write in French,’ he shouted.

  The sadness of leaving St Helier was eased by the eagerness to return to The Hague where I could be reunited with Louis and Anne. I wanted to show them just how much better my French was than three months ago, I also wanted to go riding again, but even more than that I longed to be with Anne in her secret place… even if it was only to be just sitting quietly reading.

  ***

  It was close to midnight by the time our ships had dropped anchor at Scheveningen. Prince Charles immediately dispatched a courier to Noordeinde to warn his sister of our arrival and to inform her that we would be spending our first night home from the Channel Islands on board the ship.

  It was a clear night sky with more stars than I have ever seen in my life before, but it was also bitterly cold with frost on the deck and icicles forming on the rigging.

  I climbed into my bunk with an extra blanket but I still couldn’t get my feet warm, nor could I sleep as my head was spinning with the excitement at being back in The Hague, excitement that was somewhat tempered by an extraordinary feeling of trepidation and fear… wondering just what fate had in store for me… what new adventures and what dangers?

  It was still dark when I was awakened by the sound of feet scurrying about on the deck and realised preparations were already underway for our journey to Noordeinde Palace.

  I dressed and packed what belongings I had, plus a few personal mementos I had collected while in St Helier. I then went down to the galley where I found Thomas halfway through a large bowl of porridge.

  ‘How did you sleep Toby?’

  ‘Not too well.’

  ‘Nor I, but tonight we should both be sleeping in a warm bed with clean white sheets; you on your own, while I with a bit of luck will have a hot woman to keep me warm,’ he said as he burst out laughing.