by Tony Riches
‘Then you will have to recover it.’ The king’s tone made it clear he expected no answer.
The king was keen to get down to business and led Richard into his private rooms, where they could not be overheard. The room was untidy, with papers scattered on the table and old ashes in the grate. The king cleared some books from two of the finely carved chairs and gestured for him to sit.
‘I was told you had killed King Edward.’ There was a mischievous glint in his eye.
Richard shook his head. ‘You must not believe all you hear, Your Grace. King Edward is still my friend, despite all he has done.’
‘So you believe he should remain on the throne?’
Richard hesitated, then realised the time had come to declare his hand. ‘Could I still count on your support if I were to restore King Henry?’
King Louis looked pleased. ‘There would be conditions.’
‘Name them, Your Grace?’
‘Your daughter Anne is still unmarried?’
‘Yes, Your Grace. She is fourteen. Almost a woman now.’
‘Then I propose a marriage.’ He watched Richard’s face to judge his reaction. ‘To Prince Edward of Lancaster.’
Richard had to think fast. ‘Margaret of Anjou would never agree to it.’
The king looked pleased with himself. ‘Quite the contrary, Earl Warwick. She has already confirmed her approval.’
‘I would have to meet her, to discuss.’
‘That can be arranged. She is here, in Amboise.’
‘Does Queen Margaret not regard me as her enemy?’
‘She does, although like any good daughter, she listens to her father.’ The king laughed. ‘I have persuaded her father to ensure she understands what is best for their family.’
Richard could see his plan falling into place. One daughter married to the house of York, the other to the house of Lancaster. George would react badly to the news, although as Isabel’s husband there would always be an important place for him at court.
He looked at the king, noting the twinkle of satisfaction in the old man’s eye. ‘You said there are conditions. Are there other conditions?’
‘I will provide everything you need to restore King Henry. You must make your peace with Queen Margaret of Anjou.’
‘And the Duke of Burgundy?’
‘Yes.’
‘You surprise me, Your Grace. I thought Charles of Burgundy was your sworn enemy?’
‘He is. For now we must keep Burgundy from supporting Edward of York.’ He leaned forward. ‘Our time will come to deal with the Duke of Burgundy. I will teach him respect for France, and you, Earl Warwick, can become the Prince of Holland and Zeeland.’
Richard made the journey to Angers, capital of Anjou, with as grand a retinue as he could bring together. He rode with his wife, his daughter Anne and her ladies in waiting following behind. Anne had seemed distant towards him since they arrived in France. His daughter Isabel was not well enough to travel and remained in Honfleur with her husband the duke. This suited Richard, as certain aspects of the discussions he expected to have would not bode well with his son-in-law.
Queen Margaret of Anjou had aged well. Richard hadn’t been sure what to expect, although he knew she had been living in poverty for some time. He remembered the first time he had seen her. As a fifteen- year-old at her coronation she had left quite an impression on him. Now she was forty years old and looked at him with the same confident gaze, giving no clue to what she might be thinking.
They met in the grand hall of the great castle of Angers, with its imposing high towers and air of slow decline. The queen was dressed in cloth of gold and wearing a coronet which flashed with precious rubies. At her side sat a young man with questioning eyes. Edward of Lancaster was dressed as a prince, although he seemed to lack the bearing of one. As Richard knelt before the queen, waiting for her to speak, he noticed the hem of her dress was worn thin where it had rubbed on the ground.
He could wait no longer. ‘Your Highness, I understand King Louis has told you of my intentions?’
Queen Margaret hesitated before responding. ‘King Louis sees us as pawns in his game, Earl Warwick.’ She spoke in English, with the soft accent of Anjou.
Richard continued to kneel and looked up into her eyes. ‘We must remind him that we are more than pawns. I am a knight.’ He saw he had her attention. ‘And you a queen.’
She did not return his smile. ‘An exiled queen. Thanks to you, Earl Warwick, another woman calls herself Queen of England.’ There was a note of bitterness in her voice. ‘Why did you take up arms against your lawful King?’
Richard had anticipated this. ‘I always swore loyalty to King Henry. I took up arms against his corrupt advisors, Your Highness.’
The queen frowned at him. ‘I know you kneel before me because King Louis has told you to.’
Richard reached inside his tunic and handed her the gift he had brought. ‘I’d like to return this to you, Your Highness.’
Queen Margaret stared at the old silver crucifix in astonishment. ‘How did you come by this?’
‘I rescued it from the property you had to leave behind in England. I thought it might have some value to you.’
She looked at him differently now. ‘This belonged to my mother, Queen Isabella.’ Her voice was softer. ‘Before that it belonged to my grandmother, the Duchess of Lorraine. I was named Margaret after her.’
‘I am pleased to return it to you, Your Highness.’ Richard could sense a subtle shift in the way she looked at him. There was now an appraising glint in her eye as she looked again at the old silver crucifix and back at his face.
‘You brought this from England with the intention of seeing me?’
‘The King of France will help me return King Henry to the throne. He will need you at his side once more, Your Highness.’
Margaret had regained her stern composure. ‘And you, Earl Warwick, how do you profit from this reversal of fortunes?’
‘I propose a marriage, Your Grace. Richard glanced at Edward of Lancaster, who had been listening impassively. ‘My daughter Anne would be married to your son.’
‘No!’ Her voice sounded shrill.
Richard tried to control his anger. ‘My daughter is heiress to a great fortune, Your Grace.’
She glowered at him. ‘My son is a royal prince. He will marry a French princess.’
‘Your Highness.’ Richard felt his plan unravelling. ‘You will need to consider this matter carefully.’ Despite himself he could hear the threat in his voice.
Margaret calmed herself. ‘I sense the hand of King Louis in this?’
Richard looked into her eyes. ‘You want to be certain of my commitment to your cause?’ He didn’t need to wait for her answer. ‘Then our families must be bound together through this marriage.’
The wedding would have to wait for a papal dispensation, so a solemnisation was arranged in the gothic cathedral of Angers, with its towering twin spires. Richard escorted his daughter. She wore her wedding dress of cloth of gold, with her long hair combed down as a sign of her purity. Prince Edward was now dressed in a knight’s regalia, wearing a coronet on his head and a finely crafted sword low slung on his belt.
King Louis was at the front of the congregation, alongside the portly Duke Rene of Anjou and many French nobles and knights. Queen Margaret sat with Countess Anne and their ladies in waiting. The pipe organ had been destroyed in a fire and never repaired, so Richard had arranged for his personal trumpeters to play a fanfare which echoed around the high ceilinged nave as their procession made its way to the altar.
The betrothal was blessed in French by the Bishop of Anjou and prayers were said in thanks of the union. During the over long sermon Richard stared up at new, circular stained glass windows, built to replace those lost in the fire. They showed Christ of the Apocalypse, with twelve colourful panels radiating from him showing crowned figures playing musical instruments, rejoicing the remade world. That seemed strangely appropria
te for the occasion, although he was bemused by the twelve signs of the Zodiac built into the design.
After the ceremony was over Richard finally found himself alone with his wife. He looked at her, realising for the first time in ages how attractive she looked in her new dress. It had been specially made for her stay in Angers with their daughter while he began the preparations for an invasion of England. He could still sense the unfamiliar awkwardness between them which troubled him.
‘Anne hardly reacted when I told her she was to be wed to Prince Edward of Lancaster.’
‘I prepared her as well as I could.’
‘The marriage was far from a certainty.’
‘How did you persuade Queen Margaret?’
‘I didn’t. King Louis used her father’s greed and, I suspect, her brother’s ambition.’
‘And now once again, we need a papal dispensation.’
‘King Louis will obtain one. It will give her time to get to know the prince.’
She put her hand on his arm affectionately. ‘He is a handsome young man.’
Richard had to agree. ‘I see something of his grandfather’s spirit.’ Then he whispered in her ear, in the way he had used to when only she must hear. ‘And his new wife has something of her mother’s beauty.’
She looked pleased at the compliment. ‘With time, Anne will come to love him.’
‘That is my hope. For now I know she will do her duty.’
‘And you, Richard, what is your duty now?’
He held her close, for the first time since they had left England. ‘My duty is to return King Henry to the throne.’
Anne looked at him with concern in her eyes. ‘At what cost?’
‘Whatever it takes. I have no other option.’
George reacted badly to the news of Anne’s wedding. ‘You misled me!’ he seemed unconcerned that their conversation could be overheard. ‘This always was your plan, wasn’t it?’
Richard had expected trouble from his son-in-law. ‘King Louis would only support me if we made our peace with Queen Margaret.’
‘And what am I supposed to do?’
‘You will be next in line to the throne after King Henry and his male heirs.’ Richard tried to calm him. There had been rumours of messages from Edward to his brother and Richard needed George’s loyalty.
George seemed unimpressed. ‘Edward’s army is waiting for us. The Burgundian fleet is blockading the Channel. Henry is an imbecile. How can you possibly put him on the throne?’
‘Edward has made it easier for us. A serious error of judgement.’
George already knew. ‘Henry Percy?’
‘Yes. I couldn’t believe it when Edward released Henry Percy from the Tower.’ His father died fighting for Queen Margaret, now he has restored him to the Earldom of Northamptonshire.’
‘Driving your brother John to our side?’
Richard didn’t want to share his plan with George just yet. His brother John had finally agreed to help draw Edward north, away from the coast. ‘John’s army is greater than Edwards. Experienced men, who were loyal to King Henry.’
George still seemed unhappy. ‘As soon as we set out from here we’ll have to deal with the Burgundy fleet.’
‘Take a look at the sky, George. There’s a thunderstorm brewing. We have nearly sixty ships safe in the harbour, ready to sail as soon as it passes. No fleet can stay at sea indefinitely. The Burgundian ships will have to run for shelter.’
The storm was worse than Richard expected, so when they set out from Honfleur at the first light of dawn there were no other ships to be seen. As well as the men who escaped with him, he had promised to reinstate Jasper Tudor as Earl of Pembroke, who brought a sizeable army of Lancastrian supporters and mercenaries. Unwilling to risk a landfall in Kent, Richard’s fleet sailed to Plymouth and landed unopposed, gathering support from Wales and the West Country as they marched. As they reached London they were greeted with rumours that Edward had fled for Burgundy, taking only his most loyal nobles with him.
Richard wasted no time in freeing the king from the Tower and taking control of Westminster. He was grateful for support from his brother George, who was appointed as Chancellor and helping decide which officials to replace and who should be pardoned. As soon as he was able to he rode north to see his brother John at Pontefract Castle.
‘You remind me even more of our father!’ Richard hugged his brother warmly.
‘And you look well for a fugitive with a price on his head!’ There was an edge to John’s reply.
Richard took off his cloak and riding gloves. ‘I hope you have come to tell me these rumours about Edward are true?’
‘Edward has gone, Richard. He escaped in the night with the Duke of Gloucester, William Hastings and Anthony Woodville. We rounded up as many of his men as we could find. Most seem ready to swear allegiance to King Henry.’
‘Good. I think you will find King Henry will grant them all a pardon.’ Richard was relieved. ‘Queen Elizabeth is in sanctuary in Westminster Abbey. She has just given birth to a son.’
John already knew. ‘I heard she has named him Edward.’
‘Now we have three Edwards to worry about.’
‘Where is Edward of Lancaster?’
‘Waiting with his mother in France.’
‘You’ve sent word?’
‘Of course. They are to sail as soon as he has married my daughter Anne.’
‘So now there’s no going back?’ He looked at Richard as if wondering how much to tell him. ‘I hear you are making yourself unpopular in London, Richard. Some men of Kent acting in your name have been over zealous and freed all the prisoners. Not just those loyal to King Henry. Armed gangs control the streets.’
‘I’ll deal with them. We must have order as soon as we can. You know these things take time.’
His brother frowned. ‘Time is the one thing we don’t have, Richard. Even now I expect Edward is preparing to return, with an army paid for by Charles of Burgundy.’
‘We will be ready for him, John. I’ve sent men to secure Calais and plan to use it as a base from which to control the Channel and cut off any attempt by Edward to surprise us.’
‘There is also the matter of the king.’
‘I have restored him, as I promised. He is in what used to be Queen Elizabeth’s apartments.’
‘You know what they are saying? They are calling him a stuffed woolsack, a shadow on a wall.’
‘Then I must remind the people that the king was appointed by God.’
Chapter 26 - Spring 1471
Richard had read the parchment letter from Anne many times and knew every word. He had been frustrated in December when the papal dispensation was granted and he couldn’t leave London to see their daughter marry. He consoled himself with the knowledge she had at last become a princess of Lancaster and he would be with his family at Christmas. Then Anne wrote that they would have to wait for the winter storms in the Channel to ease before sailing from France.
The weather finally improved and Richard rode to Dover with a fine carriage and men to escort them back to London. He’d cursed his failing eyesight again as he scanned the sea mist shrouded horizon, for sight of their fleet. His brother John had been right. He needed the people to see Queen Margaret at the king’s side, with him accepted as her chief minister. It was the only way to convince them of his legitimacy and commitment to the side of Lancaster. He also missed his wife and knew she would not be finding life easy in the court of Queen Margaret.
After a week of waiting a small caravel arrived from France and the captain handed him Anne’s letter. It bore her private seal, although from the formal way she wrote Richard guessed she was concerned someone else might read it. Reading between the lines it seemed Queen Margaret was making more excuses to delay her arrival in England. Anne confirmed that she and their daughter were well, although she gave him no clue about when they would return.
Richard was disappointed and his return to London without t
he queen added fuel to the rumours that he was falsely representing her interests. He was worried about holding his fragile grip on the country until the queen was back in London. People were openly criticising his alliance with France. The treasury had still to recover from Edward’s excesses and was still bankrupt. The streets of London were far from safe, with armed gangs still at liberty.
Then on a bright spring morning, the news he had been dreading finally came. A rider from John’s castle in Pontefract had travelled through the night and arrived as Richard was getting dressed for the day. He immediately sent for his brother George, and when he arrived Richard welcomed the Archbishop to his study and went straight to the point.
‘Edward is in England with the Duke of Burgundy.’ He watched his brother’s reaction. ‘They landed at Ravenspur in a fleet of ships loaded with mercenaries.’
George frowned, trying to make sense of the news. ‘Dear God! We always knew he would come, although now it has happened I fear for us all.’ He looked at Richard questioningly. ‘Do you know where they are headed?’
Richard nodded. ‘He’s taken York. He told them he only wanted his dukedom and Sandal Castle back. It seems they threw open the gates to welcome him!’
He was relieved to see his news was clearly a blow for George. Since his return to the ranks of the Lancastrians he had found it difficult to know who he could rely on and was even ready to suspect his own brothers. It had crossed his mind that as Archbishop of York, George was extremely well connected in the old city and could easily have encouraged the people to grant access to Edward.
George was still thinking through the implications of the news. ‘What has John done about it? He has quite an army at Pontefract Castle.’
‘That’s the worst of it.’ Richard shook his head. ‘John seems to have let him pass.’
‘Why would he do that?’
Richard stared out of the window. It looked out over the Thames and a number of boats were already on the water, ferrying people up and down the river, apparently unaware of the impending disaster facing the city. He remembered how staunchly loyal his brother John had been to Edward and his father before him.