by Griff Hosker
I clapped him on the back, “You are the best of fellows.” I turned, “Henry, fetch the horse with the chest. I would be rid of it. Roger, Stephen the Tracker, Harold will tell you where to tether the horses. Do not wait for me to eat. I daresay the Earl will have a lowly Captain such as myself cooling his heels.”
As we wound our way to the castle I counselled Henry. “You are a squire. You say nothing and keep your ears open. If you are asked a question feign that you are simple. The creatures amongst whom we go are dangerous.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The roads were packed. Whatever news had been brought had begun the embarkation. I saw chests on carts trundling down to the waiting fleet. From the inn I had seen that every berth was taken and there were others waiting at anchor. John of Gaunt had to have hired or commandeered every ship on the south coast. The Cinque Ports would be ruing their special position for they were obliged to provide ships. I vaguely recognised some of the men heading to the ships. One or two had been men at arms I had known but there were others I had met when I had been the Captain of the King’s Guard. Then I had been a man of importance and now I was just a gentleman.
The sentry who rose did not recognise me. “Your business sir?” His companion sat in the guard room warming his hands on the brazier.
“I am one of the Earl’s tenants here to speak with him. I have a letter for him and I have coin.”
The sentry nodded slyly. “Then leave your name, your letter and your chest. I will see that the Earl gets them, sir.”
I leaned forward, “Do not take me for a fool. Tell the Earl that William Strongstaff of Stony Stratford is here to speak with him.”
I wondered if he would dismiss me but he must have seen the steel in my eye. He was part of the garrison. He was not going to war and, as such, was not a warrior. He was an elevated member of the watch. He nodded, “Nym, go and tell the Captain that we have a Will…”
“William Strongstaff.”
“Aye, sorry, sir, William Strongstaff to speak with the Earl.”
I dismounted, “Dismount your horse, Henry, and pass me the chest.” He gave me the chest and I gave him Jack’s reins.
A sergeant led a line of carts from the outer ward, “Mind, sir.”
We stepped back to the bridge and watched the ten carts wend their way down to the river. I saw that these were barrels of food. It took time for them to pass. When they were gone we re-entered the barbican. Nym puffed his way to us. He was overweight. He spent too long sitting in the guard room. “Follow me, sir.”
He led us across the outer ward and through the gate to the inner ward. I saw a pursuivant waiting for us. The young man waved for Nym to depart. “If you leave your horses and this fellow here, sir, then I will take you to the Earl. I am sorry that you were delayed.”
I saw Henry colour. I said, “Take no offence at this popinjay’s words. That is all that they do. They talk, retire and then real men do the fighting.” I turned and saw that the pursuivant was now red faced. He could not meet my eye.
Henry said, “Thank you, Captain.”
I smiled as we made our way through the castle for the slightly built young man had to move out of the way of those coming along the corridor. I wore mail and I was a big man. They avoided me. We reached an ante chamber. Inside the hall I saw the great and the good. I recognised John of Gaunt and several other Earls. There were also Castilian and Portuguese lords. “Wait here, sir, and I will fetch the Earl.”
Henry Bolingbroke had grown since I had last seen him. I had trained both cousins when they had been squires. Now both King Richard and his cousin Henry were Knights of the Garter. I was not sure of my reception. Henry and King Richard, famously, did not get on. I suspected that de Vere had encouraged the rift. When the Earl smiled and grasped me about the shoulders I was surprised. “Will Strongstaff! You came!”
“I was summoned, lord.”
“Come let us away from this cacophony of cockerels. I need to speak with you!” He led me down the corridor to a second ante chamber. There was one page seated at the table. He leapt to his feet when we entered. “Guard the door and let no one enter, Geoffrey, and close your ears!”
The young boy scurried to the door, “Yes lord.”
“You and I know that you could have refused. My cousin does not like me and had you appealed to him then you could have stayed on your farm.” He shook his head, “The mighty Will Strongstaff a farmer!”
I nodded, “It takes some getting use to lord.” I handed him the letter from Sir Robert and the chest. “This is from Sir Robert, lord.”
“It is immaterial. Put it on the table and I will read it later. I take it Sir Robert stays at home?” I nodded. “I expected that. It was you I wanted. Even though I was driven from court by my cousin I never held it against you. You treated us equally and the skills you taught me have stood me in good stead. When I became Earl and discovered that you were one of my tenants I saw that God had sent to me a staff upon which I could lean.”
“Lord, you are the son of the King of Castile. You need no staff.”
“Will, my father is King of a land in name only. We go to take back his land. I am not confident. I go reluctantly. England is the land where I shall be King.”
I looked at him, “Lord should you be telling me this? It sounds remarkably like treason.”
“I speak no treason. King Richard has no child either male or female. By Salic Law I am the next heir. Until King Richard and his bride, Anne of Bohemia, have a child then I will be the next King of England.”
Anne had shown no sign of becoming pregnant. A child was a lifetime away. I was still dubious. I had sworn an oath to protect the King of England. Although Richard had released me from that oath it did not sit well with me.
Henry Bolingbroke saw my hesitation. He added quietly, “William Strongstaff you hold a piece of land which is part of my fiefdom. You have a lovely wife and two children. The manor prospers. It is your choice. You can serve me or give up the land and vacate it immediately. Richard let you go. You are either my man or landless. What will the title gentleman gain you then?”
I was beaten and I knew it. “In which case I am honoured to serve with you on this campaign, lord.” He did not detect the cynicism of my reply.
“I would have you do for me what you did for my cousin. I would have you watch my back.”
“But the campaign…”
He waved an arm, “Is to get me out of England. The French are banging their swords against their shields and de la Pole is raising taxes. England will be filled with men in an ugly mood. I would not be here if they rise.” He saw my face fall. “Do you think that my cousin is well advised?”
I could not lie. It was not my way. I shook my head. “No, lord, the Earl of Oxford is the reason I was dismissed and I fear he leads the King astray.”
Henry lowered his voice. “It is worse than that. I have spies in de Vere’s household. He has ambitions. He would be King.” I was not surprised. He was a clever young man and he manipulated King Richard. “To that end he has put a bounty on my head. He sees a way to smooth his path to the crown by having the next King of England murdered. With me dead then the succession becomes a murkier issue. It will be easier for you to identify assassins in Castile than in England.”
I saw now why I had been summoned and this made perfect sense. If de Vere had hired killers then they would probably be of noble birth and would either be English or Norman. Although the army we were taking would be large the number of potential killers would be fewer.
“How many men do you have?”
“Twenty-two, lord, including a squire and his servant.”
He nodded, “You always had a good eye for men. They are good sergeants and archers?”
“Four of the sergeants served with me when we protected King Richard.”
“Better and better. There were none who could exceed them. De Vere feared you and the guards and that was why they were dismissed.”
&nbs
p; “And when the assassins are dead?”
“I will still need you.” He saw my crestfallen face. “Do not worry. I will allow you to return home from time to time but you serve a King in waiting. Was this not what the Black Prince wished of you? Was this not the oath you took?” I could not say that I had sworn to protect Richard only and so I nodded. Henry would not need to harm King Richard. The King had no children and he had chosen friends badly. He smiled at me, “And another reason I sought you out was because you know Castile. Most of those who fought with the Black Prince are dead. Your knowledge can be invaluable. You and your men will be paid double the rate while you serve me. If a lord wants the best then he must pay for it. It will be money well spent.”
“Then we will do our best.”
“I will send my page with you. He will show you your ship. You sail on the morning tide.”
“I thought we had until Saturday, lord.”
“That is when my father sails. I have less than three hundred men with me. I would have us take the best accommodation in A Coruña and give our horses more time to recover from the sea voyage. I told Sir Robert six months for a reason. I will return to England in six months no matter what my father has achieved. You have six months to find the assassins.”
We hurried from the castle to my men and the river. The ‘Maid of Harwich’ was a large cog. This one had a deck. I had travelled on those which did not. The deck had been removed to allow cargo to be loaded. The captain, Jack of King’s Lynn, was a dour man. “How many horses do you have, sir?”
“Twenty-eight.”
He sucked in his cheeks. “That is a might large number for such a small vessel. Are they well-schooled?”
“My men can handle them but I am guessing that they will have to be tethered on the deck.”
“Aye sir. The crew have the aft castle. You and your men will need to use the forecastle.”
I saw that the forecastle was smaller than the aft castle. “How many crew do you have, Captain?”
“Eight and a boy!”
“Then myself, my squire and our servant will share the aft castle with you.” I said it in such a way that there was no argument.
He nodded, reluctantly, “Aye sir. We will be ready for the horses at midnight. We leave on the tide that will be three hours after midnight. We are travelling in convoy with the Earl. We leave then even if the horses are not all loaded. Your men can put their war gear below the deck. The accommodation is tight. The less baggage they have the better.”
“There is no way to access the hold during the voyage?”
“No, sir.”
My men were in the inn. The landlord came to me with a wax tablet. “Here is the bill so far sir.”
I nodded and took out my purse. “We leave at midnight. I will pay this and then you make another reckoning up to our departure.”
I saw the disappointment on his face. We were good business and we were leaving. “Aye sir. Do you need food?”
I saw him begin to scratch out the bill with the spatula side of the stylus. “Aye and at the prices you are charging I expect a meal worthy of a lord!”
“Aye lord. You will not be disappointed.”
I gathered my men and told them the arrangements. “Make the most of the food and ale here. Those who have served in Spain know the problems. The good news is that the Earl has doubled your pay and we will be back in England within six months.”
They cheered. I had given them the best of news. For myself I was worried that we were heading down a road which might bring me into conflict with King Richard. Henry Bolingbroke had ambitions. Where did that leave me?
Chapter 5
A Coruña rose from the sea. It was surrounded by forests and cliffs. We were landing in Spain and that might spoil the plans made by the Spanish. King John of Portugal was an ally. Logic suggested that we would land in Portugal and use Portuguese allies. The other claimant to the Castilian throne, John of Trastámara, was caught off guard. We were landing in Galicia. There the people did not like John of Trastámara and John of Gaunt hoped to conquer Galicia quickly. It was an astute move by the Black Prince’s brother.
My archers had filled the time productively. They had spent each day fletching arrows and we now had enough to last for six months. The heads would be fitted later. Getting to Galicia early meant that we would have more chance of acquiring the wagon we would need for our war gear.
Roger of Chester and Stephen the Tracker would lead the archers and men at arms of Stratford. I had made the choice but both were popular with the men. During one of the calmer evenings we sat and spoke of the campaign on the open deck. “The Earl fears for his life. He is not a coward but he believes that murderers have been hired to kill the man who one day might be king. We will participate in the battles but the archers will not be with the other archers. They will defend the Earl. The men at arms will be as a bodyguard. When in camp then I will have to sleep close to the Earl’s quarters or tents. I will have to rely on you to watch the men.”
“And what of me, Captain?”
“Good question, Henry. If you were to sleep close by me then you would be in danger. You would be outside the tent and that would mean Peter would have to endure that too. I believe it is better if you stay with the men. You will have plenty of work to do with the horses.”
He looked uncertain. Peter said, “It is for the best, Master. You have not yet been in a camp on campaign. I believe the Captain has spoken aright.”
“But I get to fight with you.”
“I hope not. We are fighting with the Earl who is the son of the King of Castile. The fighting will be fiercest around him.” He looked crestfallen. “But as my squire you will be needed close by me. You will require quicker wits and better skills than you possess now.”
He looked disappointed but he had grown in the past months. He saw it as a challenge to prove to me that he was ready.
As a result of that meeting my men at arms took it upon themselves to train him with the sword. I confess that the techniques they taught were much the same as mine. He learned skills hidden from most knights. They taught him to have a dagger in his shield hand so that when he knocked a sword aside he could stab under the arm. Unless his opponent had a besagews protecting his armpit then the blow would be fatal. They showed him how to slice through the sinews at the back of the knee. They sharpened a rondel dagger so that it was little wider than a bodkin needle. It would fit through the eyehole of a helmet. He was not totally trained when we stepped ashore at A Coruña but he was better than he had been.
My men and I were not the first to land. The Earl and his household knights stepped ashore and quickly took the better accommodation. I was unconcerned about my comfort but I made certain that my men had a good roof and stables for the horses. My Spanish was rusty but that and my full purse ensured that we were relatively close to the Earl and the horses had a roof. It was not to keep out the rain and the cold but the sun’s rays. The Spanish sun could kill horses. The horses would take at least four days to recover from the sea voyage. As the Earl and his men had been the first to land that meant that we would be the first to be able to ride and the Earl was keen to begin the war as soon as he could.
I had barely finished speaking with the owner of the inn we would use when Geoffrey the Earl’s page came for me, “Captain, the Earl wishes to speak with you.”
Leaving my men to see to the horses I hurried to the Earl’s side. His knights were studying the maps and, moving to the doorway, he waved me over. We climbed the stairs. They were ornate. This was the house of a rich merchant. He opened the door to his chamber. There was an enormous bed. His squire was already putting a cot next to it. “Your men are accommodated?” I nodded. “Then you sleep here.” He pointed to the floor outside his chamber. “You had better find some bedding. I will be eating here with my household knights and I will not need you until after the meal. Geoffrey tastes my food. I want you back here well before I retire. You will search my room and the
n the outside of the house before I actually retire.”
“Yes lord.”
As I headed back to my men I reflected that the Earl was treating me as something less than a gentleman. When I had served King Richard, I had felt that he liked me. I did not get that impression from the Earl. I had a job to do and I would do it. No one would kill the Earl while I was his guard but the sooner I could get home to my family the better it would be. We were lucky in the inn we had chosen. It was barely big enough for us and yet it was quiet. I heard, as I headed back to the Earl’s residence, the sound of blade on blade as other men who had arrived after an eight-day voyage, drank too much and fought. I would not have that problem. We were towards the outskirts of the town and I knew that Roger and Stephen would keep the men inside the inn. The last thing we needed was blood feuds. I walked back down the hill to the port. The Earl had not hired the Free Companies. That was a mistake. He had asked his lords of the manor to send men. They were a mixed bag. I was lucky. My men had been in the Free Companies and brought their attitudes with them. There would be blood feuds between the men in the other contingents. It would make it harder for men to fight together.
I spoke with my men and gathered some bedding. I reached the house while they were still eating. The Earl had not had too much to drink and he nodded as I entered. The same could not be said of the rest of the knights and lords who were gathered. Most were drunk. There would be fights and violence here. I took a goblet of wine from the servant. I would sip it and I would observe. I was watching for those who were not drunk. If there was a killer then they would remain sober. Of course, the killer might arrive with the main army and John of Gaunt but I needed suspects and I began to gather them. There were just three men, apart from the Earl, who were sober. I noted their liveries and I would watch them. When the daggers were drawn by Sir John Arkham and Sir Roger de Lacey the Earl stood. I wondered if he would use me to break up the fight but he did not.
“Stop now! This is most unseemly! If this is how you behave when there is no danger what can I expect when your lives are threatened?” Silence filled the chamber. The two young knights stood panting and, I daresay, feeling foolish. “All of you go to your beds. We have three days and then we will leave A Coruña to head towards Ourense. My father has tasked me with securing the town. We will do so. Any man who draws a sword against a fellow knight will be punished. And the same goes for your men. Now go! You have displeased me!”