by Griff Hosker
The woman you spoke to me of, Lavinia, was seen at the court of King Louis. She left in the middle of November. I believe that she is heading for Rouen. You told me that she was a poisoner; that was confirmed by my spies.
I pray my news reaches you in time.
Baron Guy de la Cheppe.
I looked at the Earl. "The feast! We must get to the King."
We rushed back up the stairs. We had not even reached the door when we heard a huge wail. As we burst through we saw the King and Rolf writhing on the floor. They had been poisoned. The Earl shouted, "Send for a physician."
I turned and shouted, "Seal the castle now! No one leaves without the permission of the Earl! Guard the kitchens and let no one leave."
Leonidas ran into the Great Hall. He took one look and shouted, "We must make him vomit. Lord, send for Edgar! He can assist."
"William! Find Edgar." I knelt next to Rolf. I jammed four fingers as far down his throat as I could manage. He tried to fight me off and then began to vomit a green and yellow bile. I saw pieces of lamprey. I shouted, "Get me some water!" Glancing over I saw that Leonidas was mashing up some charcoal.
Rolf's squire handed me a jug of water. I poured it down his open throat and held his nose. Once again he vomited and more lamprey emerged. I knew that we had to empty his stomach if he was to stand any chance at all.
Edgar ran in with William. Leonidas said, "Mix some charcoal with water and get it into Sir Rolf's stomach." I had seen this done before and I helped Edgar. The result was that we had the black slime down his throat before Leonidas and his slave. I held his nose and soon he was vomiting. He kept on vomiting until just a thin green bile remained. We poured water down his throat and he kept it down.
Leonidas glanced up and nodded, "Edgar, have Sir Rolf taken to his quarters. He needs to be wrapped up and kept warm. The King, I fear, ate more of the lampreys."
One of his household knights said, "He was always fond of the fish. He ate far more that Sir Rolf and he ate it quickly."
Leonidas said, "I fear the worst. This surfeit of poisoned lampreys has killed our king."
The Earl of Gloucester looked at me, "Poisoned?"
"It is Lavinia. She will be in the castle or fled."
"Come with me, Earl, and bring William you know this woman and we can do no more here."
I unsheathed my sword as we hurried out of the keep to the kitchens. I glanced over to the gate and saw that they were securely barred. My orders had been followed. The two sentries moved aside as we entered. Inside I saw there were at least twenty people there. The Earl said, over his shoulder, "Let no one leave."
"Aye lord."
He shouted, "Everyone line up. Men on this side and women on the other."
The cook asked, "What is wrong, my lord?"
"Poisoned food was sent from this kitchen. The King is gravely ill. At this moment all of your lives are forfeit." They began to scream and shout in fear. "Silence!" They whimpered and moaned but did so quietly. "Women here and men there!" When they had complied he asked, "Who prepared the lampreys?"
An older man raised his hand, "Me my lord. I always prepare them."
"And who cooked them?"
The head cook said, "I always cook them lord for I know how the King likes them."
There was something wrong here, "And no one else touched them?"
The two men shook their heads, "Not until they were taken up to be served."
"And who took them?"
The men looked at each other as though trying to remember and then one of the women said, "The new sweetmeats cook, Adela. She said she had never seen the King."
"And where is she?"
They looked around as though trying to spirit her. I walked down the line. I could not see her. Had she escaped again? I knew that there was something of the witch in her. Did she have the ability to walk through walls? "Who went with this Adela to serve the lampreys?"
"Jean."
"And where is he?"
"He has not returned, my lord."
I turned to Robert of Gloucester, "We passed two servants when we went to meet with Guy's messenger." We went out of the kitchen, "Guard them."
I looked out at the bailey. Alert sentries stood everywhere. They would have seen her. I led the Earl to the main gate. "Who was the last person to enter?"
He pointed to the messenger from Sir Guy de la Cheppe. He was still standing by his horse, "He was. The man you spoke with."
"Did anyone leave after he entered?"
"No, lord."
I went to him, "After we left did you see anyone leave the feasting hall?"
"No lord." Once more I had been outwitted. This Jean was obviously an accomplice. "Well no one, that is, apart from the two servants."
"And where did they go? Back into the kitchens?"
"No, lord, to the stables."
"Come with us!"
With drawn swords the four of us ran to the stables. "William, stay at the door. Do not hesitate to slay her if she tries to escape. She is deadly!"
"Aye father."
Although it was dark when we entered we spied the body of the servant jean. His throat had been cut. I shouted, "There is little point in hiding, Lavinia. We know you are in here. We will find you."
I grabbed the one burning brand and lit two others. I gave one to the Earl and the second to Guy's man. The Earl moved along the centre of the stables and Guy's man to the left. I took the right. I heard her voice, it seemed to be coming from above me in the loft to my right.
"You think you are so clever, Alfraed, Earl of Cleveland. You plot and you plan but it is all to naught. The King will die. The poison is deep within him. It was in the wine and the fish! Your pathetic Greek will toil in vain but the King will die! I have killed him!"
I looked for the ladder which led to the loft. I spied it and began to climb. The earl took the second ladder. I did not give away my position by speaking and I moved slowly so as to make as little noise as possible.
"And your castle, so well built, well even now a Scottish army marches south when the King dies the land will be conquered by the Scots and the French will share in the victory. I will not see it but even now I know it to be true."
I had reached the top. I saw her sitting on a hay bale with a bloody dagger in her hand.
She laughed, "And now you come to slay me, is that it?"
"No we come to try you and find out your accomplices." The Earl's voice was cold and hard. He had heard her words. His father was dying.
She laughed again and I saw, as I neared her, the phial in her left hand, "Fool! You do not think I will let myself be taken and paraded and then tortured. My life too is ended but it will be less painful than the King's. Soon I will feel drowsy and then drift off into a gentle sleep while you, adulterer and father of a bastard will never sleep again. That is my curse."
We both reached her at the same time. The dagger fell from her hand as did the phial. Her eyes closed and then opened. "I have won!" And then she died.
The Earl looked at me. "Is this true? Is my father doomed?"
"It may have been bravado. Leonidas is a fine doctor." We rushed back to the King's chamber.
Leonidas shook his head. "I have done my best but he is slipping away. He is a tough warrior and he may last a day or two more but he is doomed."
"We found the witch who did it. She said it was in the fish and the wine the King drank."
"That explains it. Rolf is recovering. The fact that he did not drink the King's wine and your timely intervention with your hand have saved your friend. He owes his life to you." He returned to the chamber.
"I must get back to England!"
"We have the succession to deal with first. Your castle is strong and she may have been lying."
"Dying witches do not lie. I pray you summon the Empress now! Time is of the essence!"
"You are right. We have little time to waste. And who knows both the witch and the physician may be wrong!"
Epilogue
The King died a few days later. He hung on but it was in vain. The Empress arrived too late to see him before he died and too late to see me. I left for England. I knew now that I had delayed too long. I ordered William to wait with Rolf until he was well and then to stay in La Flèche. The Empress would need support. My son would have to be me. I was torn. I knew I was needed to help too but my home and England were in danger. I took ship for England. It was when I was in the port waiting to take a ship that I heard the worst news possible. Stephen of Blois had left as soon as he had heard of the King's death and gone to England. Stephen of Blois, the Empress' cousin, was going to claim the throne of England. He had won and we had lost. As I sailed the storm tossed seas back to my home I knew that the witch's prophecy was correct; I would never sleep again, nor would I ever be happy. I was doomed. I would serve an Empress and fight my King. I was going to be a traitor!
The End
Glossary
Allaghia- a subdivision of a Bandon-about 400 hundred men (Byzantium)
Akolouthos - The commander of the Varangian Guard (Byzantium)
Al-Andalus- Spain
Angevin- the people of Anjou, mainly the ruling family
Bandon- Byzantine regiment of cavalry -normally 1500 men (Byzantium)
Battle- a formation in war (a modern battalion)
Booth Castle – Bewcastle north of Hadrian’s Wall
Butts- targets for archers
Cadge- the frame upon which hunting birds are carried (by a codger- hence the phrase old codger being the old man who carries the frame)
Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd- Son of Gruffudd ap Cynan
Conroi- A group of knights fighting together
Demesne- estate
Destrier- war horse
Doxy- prostitute
Fess- a horizontal line in heraldry
Galloglass- Irish mercenaries
Gambeson- a padded tunic worn underneath mail. When worn by an archer they came to the waist. It was more of a quilted jacket but I have used the term freely
Gonfanon- A standard used in Medieval times (Also known as a Gonfalon in Italy)
Gruffudd ap Cynan- King of Gwynedd until 1137
Hartness- the manor which became Hartlepool
Hautwesel- Haltwhistle
Kataphractos (pl. oi)- Armoured Byzantine horseman (Byzantium)
Kometes/Komes- General (Count) (Byzantium)
Kentarchos- Second in command of an Allaghia (Byzantium)
Kontos (pl. oi) - Lance (Byzantium)
Lusitania- Portugal
Mansio- staging houses along Roman Roads
Maredudd ap Bleddyn- King of Powys
Mêlée- a medieval fight between knights
Musselmen- Muslims
Nithing- A man without honour (Saxon)
Nomismata- a gold coin equivalent to an aureus
Outremer- the kingdoms of the Holy Land
Owain ap Gruffudd- Son of Gruffudd ap Cynan and King of Gwynedd from 1137
Palfrey- a riding horse
Poitevin- the language of Aquitaine
Pyx- a box containing a holy relic (Shakespeare’s Pax from Henry V)
Refuge- a safe area for squires and captives (tournaments)
Sauve qui peut – Every man for himself (French)
Serdica- Sofia (Byzantium)
Surcoat- a tunic worn over mail or armour
Sumpter- pack horse
Tagmata- Byzantine cavalry (Byzantium)
Turmachai -Commander of a Bandon of cavalry (Byzantium)
Ventail – a piece of mail which covered the neck and the lower face.
Wulfestun- Wolviston (Durham)
Maps and Illustrations
Map courtesy of Wikipedia
Courtesy of Wikipedia –Public Domain
Stockton Castle c 1135
Historical note
The book is set during one of the most turbulent and complicated times in British history. Henry I of England and Normandy’s eldest son William died. The king named his daughter, the Empress Matilda as his heir. However her husband, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire died and she remarried. Her new husband was Geoffrey of Anjou and she had children by him. (The future Henry II of England and Normandy- The Lion in Winter!)
I have used the word Saxon many times both for the language and the people. The invasion of the Normans had only taken place some fifty or sixty years before this book was set. Both the language and the people would change and evolve. The Normans tried to impose their language upon the Saxons who already lived there. It did not work and Anglo-Saxon or English as it became known prevailed. Part of this was due to the fact that the Norman ladies used Saxon/English nannies to look after their babies and children. As they spoke to them in their native tongue the young Normans grew up speaking English. Of course many Norman words became part of English- honour, chivalry, ham, lake but it took another century, until after the time of Richard 1st, for one language to be used throughout the land. In my next book I will change the word Saxon for English. By the time of Henry 1st's death the ordinary folk thought of themselves as English.
A cog was a small trading ship which developed from the Viking knarr. It had high sides and a flat bottom. There was one sail and steering oar on the starboard (steer board) side. By this time some had had small wooden castles built at the bow and stern and these were used to house archers. These ships would be built bigger as the centuries wore on. They had no deck save at the stern where the ship was conned. The holds were covered with canvas when they had goods to transport.
I have introduced Eleanor of Aquitaine here. She was about 8 in 1129 and her father was Duke William. As she eventually marries Matilda's son I thought I would introduce her. The Empress Matilda did leave her husband in 1130. It was not a happy marriage.
The Emperor John Komnenos fought against the Hungarians under King later Saint Stephen. He lost and had to sue for peace. The incident with our hero is purely fictional.
There was never an Earl of Cleveland although the area known as Cleveland did exist and was south of the river. At this time the only northern earls were those of Northumberland. The incumbent was Gospatric who rebelled against England when King Henry died.
The Scots were taking advantage of a power vacuum on their borders. They did, according to chroniclers of the time behave particularly badly.
"an execrable army, more atrocious than the pagans, neither fearing God nor regarding man, spread desolation over the whole province and slaughtered everywhere people of either sex, of every age and rank, destroying, pillaging and burning towns, churches and houses"
"Then (horrible to relate) they carried off, like so much booty, the noble matrons and chaste virgins, together with other women. These naked, fettered, herded together; by whips and thongs they drove before them, goading them with their spears and other weapons. This took place in other wars, but in this to a far greater extent."
"For the sick on their couches, women pregnant and in childbed, infants in the womb, innocents at the breast, or on the mother's knee, with the mothers themselves, decrepit old men and worn-out old women, and persons debilitated from whatever cause, wherever they met with them, they put to the edge of the sword, and transfixed with their spears; and by how much more horrible a death they could dispatch them, so much the more did they rejoice."
Robert of Hexham
Following the birth of the second of Matilda and Geoffrey's two children relations between Matilda and her father became strained. Many Normans disliked the idea of handing power to Anjou. There were many minor incursions and rebellions, many of them supported by the French. It was following Stephen of Blois' sudden coronation that kingdom and dukedom were divided. Stephen controlled England and Matilda fought to claim Normandy. Matilda’s half brother, Robert of Gloucester (one of Henry’s bastards) declared for Matilda and a civil war ensued. The war went on until Stephen died and was called the anarchy because everyone was looking out for themselves. There were no si
des as such. Allies could become enemies overnight. Murder, ambush and assassination became the order of the day. The only warriors who could be relied upon were the household knights of a lord- his oathsworn. The feudal system, which had been an ordered pyramid, was thrown into confusion by the civil war. Lords created their own conroi, or groups of knights and men at arms. Successful lords would ensure that they had a mixture of knights, archers and foot soldiers. The idea of knights at this time always fighting on horseback is not necessarily true. There were many examples of knights dismounting to fight on foot and, frequently, this proved to be successful.
William the Conqueror’s family tree
William the Bastard (The Conqueror)
William II (Rufus) Henry I Adela Robert (Curthose)
William Matilda Stephen of Blois
William Clito
Henry II
The dotted line indicates that they died before they could attain the crown or before they could rule effectively.
The word Fitz shows that the owner of the name is an illegitimate son of a knight. As such they would not necessarily inherit when their father died. There were many such knights. William himself was illegitimate. Robert of Gloucester was also known as Robert of Caen and Robert Fitzroy.
Ridley, the father of my hero, was in three earlier books. There were two regiments of Varangians: one was English in character and one Scandinavian. As the bodyguards of the Emperor they were able to reap rich rewards for their service.
The Normans were formidable fighters. The conquest of England happened after a single battle. They conquered southern Italy and Sicily with a handful of knights. Strongbow, a Norman mercenary took a small mercenary force and dominated Ireland so much that as soon as a force of Normans, led by the king land, all defence on the island crumbled. In one of Strongbow's battles a force of 100 knights defeated 4000 Irish warriors!