It had been a month since we last met, and I cannot remember how long since we last made love together. I expected her to rush into my arms with a smile on her face as she always does, but this time was different… this time she looked tired and weary. Putting down her book, she eased herself out of the chair and came slowly to me.
‘Is something wrong my love?’ I asked, ‘are you unwell?’
As she came into my arms I could see she had been crying, her eyes were red and her cheeks moist from the tears.
I wrapped my arms round her and kissed her gently on the lips.
‘I have missed you so much Toby.’
‘Do you want to go for a walk in the garden?’ I asked.
‘I can’t leave Mary, she relies on me more than ever just now.’
‘Is she still unwell?’
‘She has blisters on her body just like her husband William. We are all worried that she has contracted smallpox just as he did.’
‘Why are you on your own?’
‘Most of her ladies have gone to their own homes, all making different excuses for leaving London. But we know it is the fear of catching the disease that is the real reason, there’s only three of us left, and we take turns to sit with Mary.’
‘It may not be smallpox and even if it is, not everyone dies from the disease.’
‘We do know it’s smallpox Toby. I think that you must not be aware that her brother Henry, Duke of Gloucester, died of smallpox, here in this building only a month ago, and now my mistress is convinced she’s going to die too… she cries continually for her son who she thinks she will never see again. And I think she may be right.’
‘She still has her family around her and her mother,’ I said.
‘Her mother is leaving… going back to France and taking her daughter Maria with her. I think mainly because of the fear of catching smallpox.’
She looked directly at me, tears in her sad eyes. ‘What is going to become of me if she dies Toby, what shall I do? Being a lady-in-waiting is all I know.’
‘You will always have me whatever happens,’ I said wiping away her tears and kissing her eyelids.
I stayed with her for a couple of hours, sitting on a sofa with my arm round her… her head resting on my shoulder, we hardly spoke a word just sat quietly lost in our own thoughts until eventually we were disturbed by one of the other ladies-in-waiting entering the princess’s outer chamber where we were sitting. Anne then left to take her turn to sit with her mistress.
***
Although I was a free agent, most of the time I chose to continue working alongside Arthur Crossley, following him to whichever locations he was sent to by Sir William Batten. Arthur checking, counting stock and ticking items off his lists, while I used my time to search out and introduce myself to manufacturers and tradesmen who had recently dealt with the crown. I found that the ships’ masters were generally proud of their vessels, eager to co-operate and answer my questions… the ones who were not so obliging were usually hiding errors, inconsistency or damaged equipment.
Arthur and I became good friends as well as work colleagues. Sir William Batten rarely came with us these days which pleased me as I was beginning to find his brash authoritarian manner irritating, moreover Arthur and I worked so much better and quicker without him there. I sometimes helped with his lists whenever I thought I could be of use, but that is not what I was paid for, nor what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to focus on the matters I thought would be of interest to my paymaster.
That was why after two months of reporting to Sir William’s office to find where Arthur would be working I decided to go it alone. I wanted to be able to choose my own agenda and not be influenced by others. I knew that I would still have to continue co-operating with the Surveyor of Ships Sir William Batten, but I could do that by occasionally calling at his office to exchange information with Arthur, who was always willing to help with information and advice, his work always accurate and comprehensive. I would really have liked to have him work for me, but I knew that could never happen, not yet anyway. So we arranged to share information on anything we thought would be beneficial to both Sir William’s department, and also the Duke of York.
What I wanted to do was concentrate on the tradesmen and contractors who supplied the Royal Navy.
I was also keen to visit the New Forest in Hampshire where most of the timber for the ships originated. To talk with the carpenters, learn how they seasoned the wood before it came to the shipyards and to check their costings.
But that would have to wait, a report on the New Forest would take at least a month to complete, much longer if I were to include the ships in Portsmouth. I could be looking at being away for months at a time.
Many of the contractors and tradesmen supplying the admiralty were right here in the City of London, so that is where I decided to start. I wanted to learn about their businesses, the quality of their supplies and their trustworthiness.
My first call was a warehouse on Thames Street to check the cost of tar and oil. Then to Sir William Rider who had a government contract to supply hemp, from there I visited a ropeyard at Woolwich to look over several sorts of rope and hemp and while in Woolwich I got the chance to see the way of tarring and making cordage. I wanted to know the amount of rope required for the lines and rigging of every ship in the Royal Navy, though I did think it unlikely that one man could complete such a task in a lifetime. From there to Mr Harris the sailmakers in Deptford, where I learned the difference between types of canvas.
James was always more interested in reading my reports than working through the list and requests from Sir William’s office. Particularly where urgent repairs, renewals and supplies were necessary.
While at Deptford I had a mind to view some old pay-books and found a discrepancy in the accounts. This was something I did not expect to find, and something that created a problem I could well do without. Should I speak with Sir William or should I go straight to James? I decided I had no choice. I worked for the Duke of York, so it was my duty to reveal my findings to him, and hope that I would not come to regret it later.
***
I had spent an hour going through my reports of the previous week with James who was as usual satisfied with them all, but I had not yet broached the subject of the irregularity in the accounts at Deptford, nor had I told him that I was now working autonomously.
‘There are a couple of items that I feel I should tell you about.’
He pushed the papers on his desk to one side and looked up at me, appearing slightly concerned.
‘Items I did not include in my reports,’ I said… hesitating for a moment while searching for the right words.
‘Do go on Toby.’
‘While checking through some old pay-books at Deptford, I found that some commanders did not appear to have received payment for rigging time… contrary to what was in Sir William’s report only a few weeks earlier.’
‘It is probably a booking error but I will check it out with him later. Is that all?’
‘No sir… I am fairly sure that Sir William is receiving money for favours.’
‘Do you have proof?’
‘Nothing that would stand up in a court of law. I once heard him tell a tradesman that it was not his job as Surveyor of Ships that made him rich, but the opportunities while doing his job. The tradesman then handed him a purse and he looked mighty furtive as he dropped it into his pocket. The thing is he noticed me watching him.’
‘I will have to give the matter some serious thought. Sir William is a powerful man and not one I would care to cross, but I thank you for bringing this information to my attention, you need say no more on the subject, just forget it and carry on doing the same. I fear that this type of duplicity may be commonplace throughout the Royal Navy.’
‘I think you may be right James. I don’t want you to think I am ma
king excuses, theft is wrong and perpetrators should be punished, but sometimes I think that so long as the work on ships is not being compromised, or that we are not paying inflated prices for inferior stock… then there is nothing wrong with taking the occasional small gratuity. I myself received many coins from customers who used my horse while I was working in the stables at Noordeinde.’
‘I think that’s a little different Toby, but I will deal with it.’
‘Sir William’s clerk, a man called Arthur Crossley, has been very helpful to me, and I would like it put on record that I don’t think he had anything to do with Sir William’s dishonesty… if indeed, that is what it was.
‘There is one other thing sir. I am now working independently, I will still be liaising with Sir William’s office to check and exchange information, I just need your blessing to work to my own agenda, and not be tied to Sir William’s.’
‘I think that shows initiative Toby, and I can think of no reason why you should not continue to work alone. But if you are travelling out of the city, and intend to stay away for any length of time… report to the local Harbour Master, just in case I need to contact you… and always take a couple of the King’s Own Cavalry with you.’
‘I do weapon training with the King’s Cavalry every Monday morning on the Tower courtyard. I have made good friends of some of them… could I choose my own guards?’
‘Just as long as you clear it with their commander. There is one other thing you will need,’ said James. ‘A scroll of entitlement, stamped with the royal seal, I will see to that right away.’
***
There were no Christmas celebrations in the Royal Household in this year. The King’s brother Henry, Duke of Gloucester, died in September at just twenty years old, and then he was followed on Christmas Eve by his sister, Princess Mary of Orange, and both of smallpox.
I saw Anne briefly just once before she was collected by her father, and taken back to her family home in Lewes. Of course I was sad that she was gone, and that I knew not when I would see her again, but I was also relieved that she was now not living so close to that dreadful disease.
I received regular letters from her, to which I hastily replied, always being careful with my words, knowing that my letters would most likely be censored by her father before reaching her.
Anne’s father had given up trying to find a husband for his only daughter, but had not yet totally been able to accept me as an appropriate suitor.
Our plans to elope to Holland had not been completely abandoned, but both our lives had changed so dramatically over the past months, it was now impossible to leave England without letting down so many people.
Richard Leeson had still not been found and it seemed that I had now made another enemy in Sir William Batten, Arthur Crossley telling me that Sir William blamed me for receiving a strongly worded letter from the Duke of York on the subject of receiving money for favours. Sir William was not singled out personally, the same document being sent to all departments.
Of course I didn’t expect any physical abuse from Sir William, he hardly spoke to me now… but with Leeson still on the loose I was glad that I had kept up with my weapon training every Monday morning wherever possible.
The Coronation of King Charles II
April, 1661
With Christmas and New Year now out of the way, all the talk was about the King’s Coronation on the 23rd of April. But dark clouds of despair were still hanging over the royal family. The King losing two siblings within the space of three months hit him and his brother James badly. Mary’s death was not good for me either. With Anne now living with her family in Lewes, there was an empty space in my life too. I felt miserable, depressed and unable to concentrate. So I decided the only thing to do was to throw myself into my work. I enjoyed working on my own and relished the challenge and responsibility.
I was in constant contact with James, Duke of York, but saw hardly anything of the King these days, and not too much of Thomas. But one day in February on returning home after a long day at Deptford I found him waiting for me.
‘We must talk about the King’s Coronation Toby, it’s only two months away and you will need some new clothes and a sword.’
‘I still have my old sword, but I rarely carry it these days, though I do still carry a knife. It was Paul Cullum who insisted I carry one, and now I would feel quite naked without it.’
‘I didn’t know that. Where do you hide it?’
‘I used to keep it in my hose, but that was not very comfortable. That is why I changed to wearing long breeches and these narrow knee-length boots turned down at the top. Don’t you like them?’ I asked as I removed the knife from its sheath in my right boot.
‘They’re all right for everyday wear, but you will need something smarter for the coronation.’
‘What is wrong with what I am wearing now?’ I asked as I replaced the knife back into its hiding place. ‘I like to wear a long sleeved white shirt with deep cuffs and I like my breeches to be made of the same material as my coat.’
‘What about a hat?’ he asked.
‘I rarely wear a hat, in fact I don’t think I have one.’
‘As one of the King’s squires, you will be part of the pageant through the streets of London on the 22nd, and on Coronation Day, you may be given chores in the Abbey and later in the banquet hall.’
‘I didn’t know that. Will you be walking with me?’
‘Of course not… I am too old and too lazy… you know that.’
‘Then what do you suggest I wear, and will you at least help me to choose?’
‘Of course I will. I couldn’t possibly trust you to go on your own. You will need two outfits, one for the pageant, and another for the ceremony. I think for the ceremony… a three quarter length coat in gold or crimson velvet with a white lace collar. I think an outfit like that would suit you, and perhaps with short sleeves so that you can show the cuffs of your blouse. Also for this occasion you should go back to knee-length breeches, white hose and some new shoes, either with a bow to match your coat or a large buckle.’
‘This does not sound at all like me… could I not just hide away for the day?’
‘No you could not. Now your hat. I suggest a wide brimmed hat with a white feather.’
‘Are you sure I will be going in the Abbey, because I don’t think I should wear a hat in there.’
‘You will be going into the Abbey, and I know this for certain because you will be sitting with me. But if I get my way, our seats will be as far away from the ceremony as possible… and most of the time you will not be wearing your hat, you will be carrying it. When you walk through London on the eve of the coronation, you will be carrying your hat the whole time.’
‘What is the sense in that?’ I asked. ‘And what about my sword?’
Thomas laughed and I laughed with him.
‘It doesn’t have to make sense Toby, it’s protocol, it’s etiquette, it’s part of our heritage… go with it and enjoy the moment. Now for the procession. There will be no weapons in the Abbey on the day of the coronation, but you will have to wear one on the parade through the streets of the city.’
‘Will the one outfit not do for both days?’
‘Certainly not, but we can choose something for your walk once we know what the King’s other squires are likely to be wearing. My tailor may be able to help us with that. Now when do you have some free time?’
‘Mondays. I do weapon training in the morning and bookwork in the afternoon.’
‘Monday it is then, I will meet you here at midday.’
***
The following Monday Thomas took me to his tailor. He did all the talking… my complaints and protests amounting to nothing, they did not even ask for my opinion, it was almost as if I wasn’t even there. The only small concession they allowed me was that instead of a bright crimson colo
ured velvet coat, they let me choose a deep plum-red colour.
A week later we were back at the tailors to collect my new clothes, and I have to confess I was not expecting to look as good as I did… but to say so would have made me sound arrogant and perhaps a little conceited.
‘Stylish and fashionable I would say,’ said the tailor. ‘Quite so,’ said Thomas with a gratifying smile on his face. I nodded in agreement.
They then turned their attention to my outfit for the pageant.
‘The King’s squires will all be similarly dressed, and I just happen to have one here waiting to be collected,’ said the tailor producing the outfit from his workroom.
My immediate thought was that it did look smart, but was far too gaudy to wear while walking through the streets of a smelly city.
‘As you can see gentlemen,’ said the tailor as he held up the outfit, ‘the costume consists of a medium-length velvet coat in gold with short sleeves trimmed with red and black ribbon. The sleeves are short so as to expose the lace cuffs of your white vest, the matching knee-length skirt is the same colour as the coat, and as you can see there is a wide loose white collar to cover the neck.’
‘What about my feet, will I be allowed boots?’
‘For the pageant… yes. Short boots with white lace turnovers and a black and gold bow is what the gentleman will be wearing on their feet.’
It all sounded too ornate for my liking but I thought better than to object.
‘We will go with that,’ said Thomas. ‘That just leaves the hat.’
‘Can I not use the same one for both days?’
‘I suppose you could, but you would have to change the feathers. Short red and black ones to match your outfit for the pageant, and long white ones for the ceremony I think would be appropriate.’
‘Good, I don’t really want two hats,’ I said, ‘I will probably only wear it the once anyway.’
‘Nonsense Toby, just wait until Anne Huxley sees you in the outfit.’
Courtier in the Royal House of Stuart Page 30