To Murder a King

by Griff Hosker

  When the boy was born healthy with all of his parts intact and a cry which could be heard in Stratford we cracked open the birth ale. We had another such barrel ready for my son or daughter. This was special ale made with burned barley. As black as charcoal it was a powerful ale. It was not one for a work day. It was a beer for a holy day or a celebration.

  My own son, Harry, was born two weeks later in September. Like Edward he was healthy and whole. My wife, on the other hand, had a hard time. As she nursed our son she said, “Three is enough William!”

  I smiled. It was the pain of childbirth. She loved children. There would be more.

  As September passed we began another end of the year. It was a busy time for all. We needed to pollard the trees. Every piece of fruit was collected, no matter how bruised. Each vegetable was picked. The best of both would be stored. The rest would either be eaten or, in the case of apples and pears made into cider. The cull of the older animals would begin soon and then we would have our bone fire at the start of November. Pigs were turned into fields to make the most of any stalks or stems which might be eaten. My archers went to collect ash and yew for arrows and for bows. When the land was beginning to sleep we were working harder than ever.

  We had visitors who passed along the road and it was from them that we learned news of the outside world. The King was heading back to London and he had made de Vere Justice of Chester. He was already Duke of Ireland. King Richard seemed determined to make him the most powerful man in England. He appeared blind to the dangers therein.

  The third week in November saw the return of my men at arms. Stephen the Tracker and his men had built the new warrior hall and my men at arms would be comfortable. Although they came back with full purses they were not happy. I feasted with them and my archers in the warrior hall. A new born babe required quiet at night. Henry, John, Peter and Tom joined me.

  Roger of Chester was in expansive mood, “Captain this is the first time that any of us have been able to talk freely. We had to guard the King and were unsure who was a friend or a foe. Poor Dick of Craven does not know if he is coming or going. The King has moods, Captain. One day he is everyone’s best friend and on the next he may have a guard whipped for smiling. If it was not for the Queen I think that all of us would have quit before now and returned home.”

  “But did he gain support?”

  Roger downed his ale and shook his head, “The support for the King was the same before and after we left. His visit did nothing to encourage it. The lords with whom we stayed resented the expense of the royal visit. The men of the north were the most loyal and the ones least able to help. The Scots are being encouraged by the French. There were skirmishes even when we were there. The only places which gave the King total support were Lancashire and Cheshire and none of us liked the men there. The Earl of Oxford made my flesh creep. He fawned around the King but even a blind man could see that it was empty flattery.”

  “Then I am sorry that I committed you to such an ordeal.”

  “No, Captain, we all asked for the commission. It was a lesson and it was not all bad.” He laughed, “The best part was when we saw Sir Hugo Vernon.” I frowned. “Oh do not get me wrong, Captain, he is a man I would happily slay but Stephen the Tracker’s arrow means that his right hand has a weakness.” He raised his beaker, “Stephen the Tracker!”

  We all chorused, “Stephen the Tracker!”

  My archer bowed, “You are welcome!”

  Roger said, “It is good to be home Captain but can you afford to pay us? If you cannot…”

  I shook my head, “I will find some way to fund you.”

  Edgar was seated at the table, “You have taken on much, Captain. There is much expense in paying for my smithy and your new wall…”

  I stood, aware that Tom was taking in every word I spoke, “Listen, friends, for that is how I view you. I have been successful as a warrior. I have husbanded my coin. I still have money from Galicia. My wife knows how to farm. It could well be that we have a disastrous crop next year or that we have weather which takes our animals but now, as we come to the end of this year, all is well and you are all welcome here. I will continue to pay you and, hopefully, like Lol, Alan of the Wood and Jack War Bag, some of you will marry and live here on this manor. As for the future? I am no seer and can not see past the end of this month. Let us enjoy our lives now. Let us relish our friendship, the food and the ale!”

  They all cheered.

  Two days later Henry Bolingbroke sent for me. He needed me and my retinue. I had spoken too soon and we were going to war.”

  Chapter 18

  My wife was philosophical about it all. “You have to go for the Earl is our liege lord but I pray do not take Edgar. His wife needs him.”

  “I will not but our son has asked to come and I cannot gainsay him. I went to war when I was younger than he is.”

  She bit her lip and then nodded. “He is the son of a warrior. You will watch over him.” She was feeding Harry. “And we have another son.” She shook her head, “It is you I worry about. You are a marked man. I pray you come home safely to me.”

  “I swear I will.” I did not say that I might return as a knight. The Earl might have forgotten his promise. Powerful men had short memories.

  As we neared Northampton Castle it was obvious that the Earl was mustering his men. I saw the standard of the Earl of Nottingham too. Henry Bolingbroke greeted me like a long-lost friend. “William. It is good to see you. The troubles of this land may soon come an end.”

  We were alone in an antechamber when he spoke with me, “Lord, you know my feelings on the matter. I will not be involved in any rebellion against the King. If that means I lose my lands then so be it.”

  He laughed and clapped his arm around my shoulder. “You have more nobility and honour in you than any man born of noble blood. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Duke of Gloucester wishes for his nephew to be free from the influence of the Duke of Ireland. You feel the same way, do you not?”

  “Aye but why are we gathered here? Do we mean well by this?”

  “Thomas, Duke of Gloucester, the Earl of Arundel and Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick are all coming here. The King is safe in London. The King was confronted by those three powerful lords who were supported by loyal men of the church. They brought an appeal of treason against de la Pole, de Vere, Tresilian, and two other loyalists: the mayor of London, Nicholas Brembre, and Alexander Neville, the Archbishop of York. The King is safe and protected by the Earl of Arundel’s men. He and the Queen will be unharmed. When those who have duped him come to trial then his power will be restored. We do not rebel or arm ourselves against the King except in order to instruct him.” He leaned in, “My father has been informed of all of this. He will return home soon and he will take charge. My uncle means well but my father is a King and knows what my cousin ought to do.”

  This all sounded very plausible but I was cynical enough to see a sinister side to it all. It sounded to me like John of Gaunt was returning to claim the throne.

  “Of course, my father cannot return quickly. He still has much to do in Galicia.”

  “Then why are we here, lord?”

  He smiled. It was the smile of a wolf which spies a sheep wandering into its territory, “De Vere has grown even more arrogant. He is heading south from Wales. He has with him Molineux, Vernon, and Ratcliffe.” My eyes lit up. “There, now you are with us. It is the very same Vernon whose brother you fought. Now do you see. If de Vere gets to London there will be war. The King is in the Tower and is guarded but if de Vere joins him then there will be bloodshed. We intend to stop de Vere.” He stopped, “That is why I have summoned you. The men you bring are as but a beaker of water in this sea of warriors but your men have skills that none other has. You can scout and track de Vere. You can shadow him so that we know where we can stop him. We go from here to speak with Nottingham. On the morrow you leave for the west. We believe he will pass through Stratford. You know th
e area well. It is not far from your own home. When you find him send word to us. I will give you four good men to act as messengers. If he is at Stratford then we will move south and west. Our aim is to stop him before he reaches the Thames.”

  “But your army is not yet mustered?”

  “No. The Lords Appellant have had to leave some of their army to protect the King.”

  “And how many men come south with de Vere?”

  “That is for you to discover but we think there are more than three thousand men.”

  “And you have?”

  He paused, “Fifteen hundred.”

  “Then you lose.”

  “We have more men coming and now you see the importance of your task. If you can find the foe then we have the advantage. There are many places he could cross the Thames. It could be anywhere from Castle Eaton to Oxford or even as far east as Reading! There are many miles and many bridges to watch. We think he means to surprise us. If we can surprise him then we can negate his numbers.”

  I nodded, “And we mean well by this?”

  “You want de Vere stopped?”

  “I do.”

  “Then we mean well.” I nodded. “Come and I will bring you to my messengers.”

  The four young men were all squires. Two I knew: Edward and Geoffrey. “I see you are no longer a page.”

  “No Captain. I have been rewarded by my lord. And Richard now has his spurs.”

  “You will have time to talk when you are on the road. Here are John and James. They are brothers. They have good horses and they are clever. You just need to tell me the direction the enemy takes and if you can predict the bridge or the crossing then so much the better.”

  “We will do our best, lord.”

  We had brought spare horses, armour and weapons. We would not be able to take them and so I sent Henry and my men at arms back to my hall. It was on the way and we headed for Stratford. As we rode I discovered that the brothers came from close to Stratford. Henry vaguely knew them. I asked them where was their home and they told me Loxley. It was just a few miles from Stratford.

  “Could we hide close by there?”

  “Aye Captain. There is a wood to the north of it and the Banbury road is just to the south of the wood.”

  “Then we will camp there. Peter I would have you shed your tunic and wear some old apparel. Go to Sir Robert. Tell him not to oppose the Earl but go along with whatever plans he has.”

  “I should go, Captain. They are my grandparents.”

  “Have you forgotten Master Henry that Sir Hugo knows you? He knows of your association with me. Peter will be invisible. Lords like Sir Hugo do not notice the likes of Peter and myself. When I was in the Free Companies none knew me.”

  “Aye Captain I will.”

  We reached Loxley Woods and made camp. After changing from a warrior to a common man Peter rode to Stratford and Sir Robert’s Hall. He knew of a place he could leave his horse. We waited and ate cold rations. It was hard for it was almost freezing and we needed a fire and hot food but we did not wish to give away our position. I sent Stephen and Lol to watch the Banbury road in case our foes sent scouts there. Peter did not return until the sun was up and a thin wintery sunlight filled the sky.

  “Well?”

  “I waited until dawn to return as the Earl of Oxford had not arrived. I heard horses and spied his scouts. I waited long enough to hear them demand accommodation for the Duke of Ireland and his lords.”

  Henry said, urgently, “And my grandparents know they have to dissemble?”

  “Your grandfather is no coward, Master Henry. He knows this is for the King and he will feign support. All will be well.” Henry looked relieved and nodded. Peter said, “There is something else, Captain.” His voice sounded worried. “I spied Captain Mavesyn. He was in command of the men in the hall.”

  I saw the look of terror on Henry’s face. I put up my hand. The Earl would not harm your grandparents. Mavesyn is an evil man but he will not hurt them.” I was not sure that I believed my own words but we could do nothing about it.

  Knowing that the enemy were at Stratford was one thing but knowing their route was another. They could pass to the north of us and head for Oxford. I still expected them to take the Banbury road. The river west of Oxford had fords as well as bridges. This was winter and the river was higher than in summer. I guessed that the Earl of Oxford would not have chosen to march except that the King had sent for him. He had not obeyed the King the last time that he had been needed. He had been forced to march. As dusk fell I went with John and Stephen the Tracker. I left the men under the command of Roger of Chester. Henry wanted to come but I needed men who could be invisible. The rest of the men waited in the woods on the Banbury road.

  I had been to Sir Robert’s hall enough times to know the quiet ways in. However, I had not anticipated the host I saw camped by the River Avon. We would not be able to reach the hall for the army was camped south of the river. We stopped in the closest cover we could find. It was in woods close to the eastern end of the river. We tethered our horses and walked to the edge of the wood. We would have to count fires. Most camps had ten men to a fire. Some had more and some had less. This would not tell us the number of lords but we would be able to estimate the men. We counted the ones before us and I used a tally stick to keep a record. Then we headed west. The most dangerous part was crossing the Banbury road. When we reached the river again I had the tally. I did not try to count, I could do that later on. We headed back to our horses.

  We were less than half a mile from our horses and had just crossed the road when we heard voices. I jammed the tally stick in my tunic and drew my sword. Stephen slipped his bow from his back. John had a short sword. We did not move. We listened. It was men on horses and they were moving down the Banbury road. We then moved and headed back to the road. The two were speaking.

  “At this rate it will take a month to get to London.”

  “Does that matter just as long as we get there unseen?”

  “How can you keep a host this size hidden? As soon as we leave Stratford the doddery old man will send word to his master the Earl of Northampton.”

  The other man laughed, “And that is why there will be men left to guard them. Captain Mavesyn served the King. He will watch them. The Duke is no fool. He knows that the old man was lying through his teeth. When this is over he will pay the ultimate price.”

  Their voices were fading as they headed south. “Just kill them both I say. Dead men tell no tales.”

  Then they were gone. We hurried back to our horses. We now knew that they were taking the Banbury Road and I had a dilemma. Did I tell Henry that his grandparents were in danger? All the way back to the camp I debated with myself. As soon as we arrived I sent James back to the Earl with the news that they were taking the Banbury Road. We would leave before dawn and camp close to Stow. I knew there were woods there and we could hide. De Vere was being clever. He was travelling through forested land where his mighty host would be well hidden.

  Once again, we had cold fare and a frozen night. I sat with Henry and Peter. “I think that your grandparents will be held by some of the Earl’s men once he has left Stratford. I tell you this but I hope you will not do anything to jeopardise the Earl’s plan.”

  “Are they in danger? Captain Mavesyn is a bad man.”

  “I confess I do not know. It would take a hard-hearted man to hurt two old people but he may.”

  Henry looked at his servant. “What do I do?”

  “What your heart tells you, Master Henry. If you wish to go back and wait until the Earl of Oxford and his army have left then I will come with you.”

  Henry looked into Peter’s eyes. “And you believe we would die?”

  “That is a certainty. If the Captain and his men came with us then we would have a good chance of survival but the Captain will not. He has sworn to scout the enemy and warn the Earl and he will do that.”

  The others around the camp heard the words a
nd knew the dilemma faced by my squire. “It is unfair, Captain.”

  “Life is unfair. What I promise is that once we have fulfilled our obligation we will ride to Stratford and secure the release of you grandparents.”

  “If they are still alive.”

  “I will not honey my words. If they are still alive.”

  “Then I will follow you until this evil man is destroyed.”

  We left before dawn and I risked the Banbury Road. We had not heard hooves during the night. If we met the scouts returning then we would have to deal with them. I intended to make good time while we could. We left the road at the Chipping Norton crossroads. There were woods to the south of us and my intention was to head through them. We had no sooner left the road when we heard the sound of hooves. It was the scouts we had heard the previous night. We had barely made it under cover in time. We saw them as they halted at the crossroads. They had come from Stow. We could not hear their words but we saw them debate. They rode a little way down the Chipping Norton road and then, turning back on themselves, headed north. That decided me.

  “We will stay here the night. Geoffrey, ride to your lord. Tell him I think that the enemy will cross the Thames at Radcot Bridge.”

  The Earl’s squire, Edward asked, “How can you be so certain, Captain?”

  “They came from Stow. There are two bridges which are close. The one at Chipping Norton and the one at Radcot. The one at Chipping Norton is a longer road to the bridge and the river is shallower at Radcot. It is but a guess. Your master is using me because of my experience.” I turned to the other messenger, “John, go with Geoffrey. This message must get through. If the bridge can be held then we can trap de Vere by the river.”