The Beggar's Throne

by David Francis

  Samuel was laid on a bed of straw in the stable, the closest shelter from the main gates. Sir Julian knelt beside him and listened again at his mouth.

  “There is still breath within him,” he said at last. “Go, one of you and get water, another blankets. And be quick!” he snapped as they hesitated. “Someone find Kate and tell her what’s happened here.”

  “I’ll go,” said Stanley.

  When the water arrived, Sir Julian cleaned the mud and blood from his face and was horrified to see how pale Samuel had become.

  “Where’s the bloody physician?” he cursed. A few minutes later, they heard footsteps running toward them and looked up to see Kate standing at the door. Afraid to enter, she paused, as if waiting for someone to speak her worst fears. “Come close, Kate,” said Sir Julian softly. “He still has breath within him, but I know not for how much longer.”

  Kate slowly walked to where Samuel lay unconscious. She knelt next to him and put her hand on his cheek.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “We found him like this in the street, Kate,” answered Sir Julian. “If an old man hadn’t stumbled on him, he’d still be there now.” They heard another set of running steps, and James entered, out of breath.

  “The bishop’s physician says he will not tend to a commoner, and to find the town physician.”

  Sir Julian cursed under his breath and left the stable with long strides. In the silence that was left, Kate stroked Samuel’s hair as the tears ran down her face.

  “You cannot leave me so soon, my love. Please, Lord, do not take him from me now.” Wiping the tears from her face, she began humming a tune. Stanley began to weep.

  *

  Minutes later, a distressed voice could be heard from outside.

  “I tell you, the bishop has forbidden me to treat others. A price will be paid for this outrage!”

  In through the door came the bishop’s personal physician, assisted roughly by Sir Julian.

  “You will care for a member of the king’s guard, or I’ll hang you by a rafter here and now.” Realizing that the bishop would be little use to him at that moment, the doctor stooped to look at Samuel.

  “Step aside, woman,” he said, nudging Kate away. Removing the blanket that covered Samuel, he began his inspection. When he got to his torso, he paused, then said, “Cut this shirt away, quickly!” Stanley took his knife from its sheath and cut Samuel’s shirt up the middle, allowing the physician to separate the sides away from his ribs. Kate gasped at the sight. Two angry red and purple welts had been raised over the ribs on his left side. The physician scowled as he probed. “He has several broken ribs, and there is unquestionably damage to his lungs. He must not be allowed to move until the ribs have had a chance to heal.”

  “Then…he’ll live?” asked Sir Julian.

  “The damage does not appear to be severe, and his breathing is steady. He should be fine, but he must remain still, or more damage may occur.” He stood, still quite agitated. “Now I must return to the bishop’s quarters before I am missed.”

  “There is nothing more you can do for him?” Sir Julian looked sharply at him.

  “I swear, there is nothing more that can be done. He should awake shortly, and then you must restrain him. And now, good night.” He left in a huff, his dignity having suffered enough.

  Sir Julian ordered that a pallet, the kind used to carry the injured from a field of battle, be brought from the supply room, and then had Samuel carefully placed on top and tied down with leather straps. He ordered Stanley to move Samuel to his personal quarters. Kate grabbed his sleeve.

  “Please, I must be with him.”

  Sir Julian nodded his agreement.

  *

  When Samuel opened his eyes to see Kate he felt a peaceful haze begin to clear. The realization that he could not move his arms brought back the memories of the night before. He attempted to raise himself up but a sharp pain restrained him.

  “You must lie still, my love,” whispered Kate.

  Samuel waited until the searing pain had subsided. “Where…?”

  “You’re in Sir Julian’s quarters.”

  “Who did this?” Every word was an effort.

  “We don’t know. Your friends found you in the street. Now please,” she touched his lips with her forefinger, “try to rest, my love.”

  “They told me…they wanted…the letter.” Kate froze in horror when she heard the words.

  “What?” she stammered.

  Samuel was desperate to tell her what little he knew, but the effort had exhausted him and he began drifting back into sleep.

  “Tell…Sir Julian…” was all he could manage before falling back into a deep slumber.

  Kate felt his cheek and began to shake from fear. What have I done?

  *

  After four weeks of rest, Samuel could finally move without discomfort. He and Kate had taken their favorite walk along the river the day before, and, moving slowly, he was able to negotiate the rough terrain without difficulty. On this morning, Kate had brought his bread and porridge as usual and was sitting with him in the stable. They had gone there to be alone.

  Sir Julian had relieved him of his duties until he had healed, but moved him from his private quarters when he could see that Samuel was no longer in need of close observation. But today there was a sense of urgency that interrupted his leisurely convalescence. The king had also recovered from his illness and was preparing to return to London. The time had come to make hard decisions.

  Before the attack, Samuel might have been content to leave Kate here to wait for him. But now he was afraid for her safety and had no intention of leaving her in Durham. They had not spoken much of the attack, but the mysteries of it burned his thoughts. The guard had investigated the incident under Sir Julian’s direction, but no sign of the attackers had surfaced. The motivations behind it remained a mystery.

  “I’m going to resign from the guard and stay here with you,” said Samuel, his mouth tightly drawn.

  Kate took Samuel’s hand in hers. “Perhaps that would not be the best course of action. Now you have the protection of your friends, but that would vanish if you left to stay with me.”

  “I’ve thought of that, but I cannot see another way. I assure you I can protect us. I will not be surprised again, I promise you that.”

  “I know that, my love, but you are only one man and these are dangerous men.”

  “What would you know of them?”

  “I know only that these were not common thieves, or they would not have said what they did.”

  “Are you sure that some past lover does not still harbor feelings for you and is jealously trying to discourage me?” Kate became angry, her response quiet but sharp.

  “There has been no such person in my past, I assure you.”

  Samuel put his hand on her arm. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way. I’m sorry. I just can’t bear the thought of you being in danger on my account. Enough people have suffered because of me.”

  Kate leaned over and kissed him gently, and smiled at the sheepish look on his face. She pulled him down into the straw, where a long embrace brought shivers to them both. Pulling his tunic off, she ran her hands gently across his mended ribs. They kissed again, long and deep.

  “I’ve never…been with a woman,” Samuel confessed in a whisper.

  “Nor I with a man,” she said.

  *

  The noonday sun warmed the stable and sprayed light through the roof and walls. Samuel lay next to Kate, their naked bodies together on the soft bed of hay.

  “I love you, Kate,” he whispered in her ear as he gently stroked the flawlessly smooth line of her hip. To his surprise, she pulled away. “Did I do something wrong?”

&
nbsp; Kate put her hand on his cheek. “Of course not, my love. I have never known such happiness.”

  “What is it then?”

  “Don’t you see? This will only make our lives more difficult, our choices more agonizing.” Samuel rolled onto his back. Sunlight sparkled through the holes in the roof.

  “I may have a temporary solution to our troubles, if you are agreeable.” He paused for a reaction, but Kate only waited. “Last week Stanley agreed to ride to Northwood to see what had become of my family. He found that they had left there for York shortly after the battle at Towton.”

  “You want to return to your family?”

  “Not me, Kate. You. I’m sure that Oliver and Sally will keep you until we can decide what we need to do, and you would be out of harm’s way for a while.”

  “You would not come with me?”

  “If I knew you were safe, I could stay with the guard until we find more answers.”

  Kate pondered the issue for a moment. “Do you have any idea where they are or how I’d find them?”

  “No, but I’ll ask Sir Julian to let me go with you, and if they’re anywhere in York, we’ll find them.”

  “It would give us a bit more time to make some decisions,” she mused. “Very well, my love. It’s off to York with us then.” She pulled him back on top of her, savoring the feel of his chest pressed against her breasts. “Hold me, my gentle love. God only knows when we’ll know such happiness again.”

  *

  Two days later, the bishop’s palace was a command center. Horsemen galloped in and out, and carts loaded with provisions rolled out of the gates in a steady stream.

  “I’m sorry, lad. I have no choice in this matter. Our duty to the king requires that you remain with us.” Sir Julian, seeing the panic on Samuel’s face, took him by the arm and pulled him over to where they could speak in private. “Old Henry and his wife have managed to raise another army, God knows how. The king requires our services and I can’t let you go.”

  Samuel felt like a trapped animal. “I must resign the guard, then. Kate cannot make the journey alone, especially after what’s happened. You know that as well as I.”

  “I do indeed, lad, but that changes nothing. And you can forget your resignation. To quit now when battle looms would be seen as desertion. You’d be clapped in irons or worse, as sure as I breathe.”

  Samuel slumped against the cold stones of the palace wall. There seemed no way to protect Kate, and he wasn’t even sure that he’d see her again. He measured the distance to the main gate and considered his chances if he made a break for it, but he knew Kate would not be safer if he were a fugitive. He felt Sir Julian’s hand on his shoulder.

  “Look here, lad. Go and have her gather her things. I’ll send my page with her on the journey. He’s a strapping boy and will guard her well, and it’s all I can do for you.” Samuel knew that Sir Julian was offering a great deal.

  “Thank you, Sir Julian. I’ll tell her now.”

  Sir Julian smiled and gave his arm a squeeze. As Samuel ran off to the kitchen, the old knight was almost glad that his own youth had long ago expired.

  CHAPTER XVI

  Emma could not hide her concern as she felt her daughter’s fevered forehead. The grinding, rumbling sound of the mill wheel, as familiar to her by now as the sound of her own heartbeat, filled the room. Their new mill house was more spacious than the one in Northwood, and had been built with their new family in mind. In the last winter, Oliver and Sally had built a small cottage next door. Emma pulled the sheet up further around Sarah’s neck.

  Sarah let out a soft moan and turned on her side, and Emma adjusted the blanket. Christopher entered carrying a basin of water and a cloth. He set it next to Emma on the floor.

  “Is there any change?” he asked, and saw the answer on his wife’s face. She confirmed his assessment with a motion of her head while rinsing the cloth in the cool water and placing it on Sarah’s head.

  Christopher took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He could think of nothing else he could do to ease their suffering, and it was the most frustration he had ever felt.

  A soft knock came at the door. With a last glance toward Sarah, he walked into the front room and spoke through the door.

  “Who’s there?” The intrusion was unwelcome.

  From the other side came the soft answer, “Oliver.”

  Christopher slid the bar from its hook and walked to the hearth without saying a word. Oliver opened the door and stepped in. The cooking fire that lit Christopher’s face was the only light in a room that otherwise reflected the gloom of its lone occupant. Oliver warmed his hands over the hot bricks.

  “I came only to see if there was anything that I could do. Sally wanted to come as well but the children are not yet asleep.” They had agreed to keep Alice until Sarah was well again, not wanting to risk any chance that she would catch the same affliction.

  “No,” Christopher said without taking his gaze from the flames. “Just tell Alice that we’ll see her tomorrow.”

  “Has there been any improvement?”

  He glanced quickly at Oliver and shook his head. “We have no answer for this affliction but to pray and wait.” Pausing for a moment, he said, “You’ve learned the milling trade well, Oliver. You could open your own business if you wanted and be independent of us.”

  “It is not independence that I desire. I’m surprised that you don’t know me better by now.”

  Christopher shrugged off his answer. “When you first came to us I treated you poorly. I just wanted you to know that I misjudged you, and that I’m sorry.”

  “Those were difficult days and you had much to deal with. I’ve never given it a second thought.”

  “Still, I should have trusted in my sister’s wisdom. She was born with my father’s good sense.” Oliver could not resist the opportunity.

  “Your brother deserves the same trust.”

  “It was he who broke the trust between us, not me,” Christopher snapped. “He had all the opportunities, to fight alongside the earl and be admired by all the townspeople. Instead, he betrayed us and caused us to be rejected by our neighbors and friends. Can you really expect me to forgive him the death of our father?”

  Oliver tried to control his temper. He took several deep breaths.

  “You can’t believe that he caused your father’s death.”

  “Who else? If it had not been for his choices at Wakefield, my father would still be alive.”

  “And I would undoubtedly be dead,” said Oliver quietly.

  Christopher stared defiantly into the fire, but Oliver knew that he had made his point. “Tell me, why did you save us that night in the woods if you felt this way?”

  “That whore’s son, Sir Hugh, abused my wife. I had to get some measure of revenge.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  “I told you it was, didn’t I?” he snapped the response. “Look, with the whole town against my brother, I couldn’t just stand by and let him be caught.”

  “The price for keeping your trust, if that’s what you choose to call it, was higher than you could possibly imagine.”

  “All things that we value come at a price, Oliver. He made his choice.”

  “For which I owe him dearly.”

  Christopher thought for a moment. “I know that, and I’ve never held your loyalty against you, have I?”

  “No,” conceded Oliver. “But Emma and Sally need Samuel back in their lives. Can’t you see that they have paid a heavy price for this feud as well?”

  “It is not a feud, Oliver. And as far as the women are involved, Samuel is welcome back if that is so important to them. But don’t expect me to act the loving brother, because I’ll have none of him.”

 
At that moment, Emma came into the room and made a loud “shhhh” sound. She spoke in an angry whisper.

  “Sarah has finally fallen to sleep. For pity’s sake keep your voices down!” She walked to the door and wound her wrap around her shoulders. “I’m going to check on Alice, I won’t be long. Look in on Sarah and be quiet.” With a quick look and approving nod at Oliver, she left the cottage and closed the door quietly behind her.

  “I’m going to sit with Sarah,” said Christopher, leaving Oliver alone by the hearth. The small flames crackled in the dark.

  *

  At first light the next morning, Christopher and Oliver received a large new order of wheat to be milled. With Oliver’s help, five wagonsful were unloaded into the mill storage room, while Christopher carefully logged the amount. He had sworn that he would uphold his father’s high standards of honesty, and worked hard to earn the same good reputation. He looked toward the garden where Sally was tending to this year’s crop of onions, cabbage, carrots and other vegetables that would grace the stew pot through most of the winter. Little John, now two years old, and Alice, just over one, were with her.

  Happy as he was to see these children flourish, he wondered what would become of them if he was to leave for a while. And, above all, he wished that Sarah could be out there playing with them.