by Griff Hosker
“Gladly!”
We parted and I felt better for having given Mary and her family more security.
Chapter 7
The wedding was a spectacular affair for my wife wished to impress everyone who was invited. My steward had told me how much it had cost and I think he expected me to baulk at the expense but it was only money and I knew that when war came again, I would recoup all that was spent and more. I had invited the King. I did not think he would attend but he was my liege lord as well as my king. He surprised me for he attended, albeit briefly. I do not think he had the slightest interest in the wedding but he came. It caused my wife no end of trouble when the Pursuivant arrived to announce the imminent arrival of King Henry! I knew the Pursuivant; his name was Geoffrey and he had served King Richard too.
I was able to speak easily to him, “Geoffrey, does the King require accommodation?”
He smiled, “No, my lord, he will stay at Northampton.” He leaned in. “He comes to make a gift to the couple and, I believe, to speak with you.”
“Thank you.” I turned to my wife. “He does us honour and that is all. The ceremony will go ahead as was planned and the King will fit in with it.”
“He is King!” She was outraged that I would not change our plans.
“And this has a political reason, trust me. I will speak with the King. You just smile at him and curtsy. It will be enough.”
The King arrived just moments before the ceremony began. I waited outside the church with the Pursuivant. King Henry came with four bodyguards only. He dismounted, “Have I missed it, Strongstaff? Or are they waiting for me?”
I smiled, “I told them they did not need to wait for you, Highness, and they are about to start.”
He laughed, “King or commoner all receive the same from Will Strongstaff. You wait here. We will return to Northampton shortly.” He smiled, “Let us go then!”
I was a little angry at the King. He had upset the day and I spent the whole of the wedding not enjoying the spectacle but worrying about the real purpose of the King’s visit. As soon as the couple were wed and the service over the King hurried out to be there before the bride and groom. I know that it upset my wife for she had a thin, grim smile on her face.
The King beamed at the couple, “Congratulations. Sir Richard, I have high hopes for you and your children. They will come from the blood of William Strongstaff.” He waved a hand and Geoffrey the Pursuivant stepped forward with a purse. “Here is a one-hundred-pound gift and there,” he snapped his fingers again and Geoffrey handed him a parchment, “is the deed to Kislingbury manor.” The manor was a small one but was close to both mine and his father’s. For Henry Bolingbroke, this was quite thoughtful.
The crowds all cheered and Sir Richard dropped to one knee, “I cannot thank you enough, Your Majesty!”
“Just continue to serve me as your father and father in law and all will be well. And now I must take Sir William away, briefly, for I need to speak with him.” As he led me away, by the elbow, he smiled, “It never hurts to show that a King can endure the mundane.” We stopped in the churchyard amongst the gravestones. I saw that his four bodyguards had placed themselves so that we could not be overheard by any. He saw my look, “You taught me the value of bodyguards. These are not knights but they are in the Strongstaff mould. You visited the Earl of Westmoreland?”
“It would be more accurate to say that he accosted me upon the road. He spoke to me of the possible threat from Percy.”
“And you did not think to visit with me to tell me of his news?”
“I knew not where you were, my lord, and I had a wedding to plan. Besides, I did warn you of Percy myself or is the Earl’s word more trustworthy than mine?”
“Do not go too far, Will.” He glared at me and then shook his head. “Our finances are still in dire straits. I cannot afford a war against the Percy clan. Luckily, I have heard that he seeks to make war on his neighbours, the Scots. That suits me. How do you feel about going to war with the Scots as well?”
“Me, lord? Would Henry Percy allow it?”
He smiled. Henry Bolingbroke knew how to plot and to plan. “Lord Dunbarre is back in the borders at his castle on the coast. You will serve with him. I do not need all of your men, just your banner.” I wondered what he was up to. He saw my look and shook his head, “You are too clever for your own good, Sir William. I want Percy to know that you and Lord Dunbarre are raiding the Scots. Your presence will fix his eye. He would not wish to leave his northern strongholds with you and Dunbarre loose and he dare not attack those who attack our enemies. This will give my son the time to build up his forces to defeat Glendower and it will allow me the time to build up my war chest. Just spend the time between now and harvest time there. They do not fight in winter for it is too cold.”
“And next year?”
“Next year? We shall see what we shall see.” He saw the frown on my face. “The young couple will be happy in Kislingbury. It is a good manor and will yield a good income. Your grandchildren will prosper.”
The look he gave me told me that the gift was to buy my services. He was ever manipulative. This way he had my skill and it cost him very little. Kislingbury had belonged to one of Robert de Vere’s knights and the man had fled to France with his lord. It had cost the King nothing to give it to my family.
“I shall serve you as I have served you before, King Henry.”
“Good. Enjoy the rest of the wedding and next time you have news for me, find me, Baron, for I do not like to be kept in the dark!”
After he had gone all wanted to know what had been said in the churchyard. I smiled and lied, “We were talking of the Welsh campaign. It was nothing of import.” I forced myself to be happy and bright during the festivities. We had Sir Henry and his family as guests as well as the happy couple and I saw my wife and sons champing at the bit for they knew something was amiss. After Sir Henry had left us and Sir Richard and Alice had ridden to view their new home, I was confronted by my wife, sons and daughter.
“Well? It was bad enough that the King interrupted the wedding but for him to take you away, well, it does not speak well of him!” It was the bad manners which appalled my wife. She had expected better of a king.
“He wishes me to ride to Scotland and assist the Earl of March, Lord Dunbarre, until harvest time.”
My wife looked puzzled, “And are we at war with Scotland?”
Thomas laughed, “We are always at war with Scotland!”
“Do not be facetious! Answer me, husband.”
I sighed for I could not tell her what the King had told me. I gave her a version of the truth. “He is short of money and the Earl of March needs help to stop the Scottish raids. The manor he gave to Richard and Alice buys my time for a couple of months.”
That, my wife could understand, “Then I suppose two months away is not so bad. I thought it something far more sinister!”
I decided that I would leave Sir Roger and Sir Wilfred at home. The King had not asked for them, neither had he asked for Sir John. He wanted me and I would take the minimum number of men that I had to. This was summer and we had a harvest to gather. I went, with my squires, to speak with Captain Edgar and Captain Alan. “I need men to come with me to the borders. I do not need all of our men. The ones who are single and the ones who do not have farms would be the ones I would choose. If you two have obligations here then…”
Edgar shook his head, “I am your Captain as is Alan. We are paid a higher rate and we will earn it. Besides, it has been some time since we fought the Scots. They have more coin than the Welsh and they are piss poor archers! When do we leave, lord?”
“Tomorrow!”
They both laughed and left me shaking their heads. I turned to look at Thomas, “And the haste of our departure is because of you. We promised a decision for Mary. We can call at Middleham on the way north if you have made up your mind?”
“Aye, father, I have. I have thought of little else since we returned
and the look of joy on the face of Richard…”
I held up my hand, “Two things, you cannot marry until you are a knight and there may well not be a manor for you, yet.”
He nodded, “I would not expect a manor and as for the knighthood? Perhaps I may have an opportunity to show that I deserve one whilst in Scotland.”
“I will decide when you are ready. A squire can shelter in the rear and be safe. A knight cannot. I will not let you put your life in danger by fighting too soon. You can give your answer to Mary but it is on my terms.”
“Aye, father, I am a man and I can live with those terms, harsh though they are.”
That night, as my wife lay in my arms, I told her of Thomas’ decision. I heard her sigh, “I knew it would come but this is different from Alice’s situation. Mary is a good girl?”
“She is. She reminds me of you when I first met you!”
She laughed, in the dark, “Then our son had better watch out.” My real fear is that you will knight him and then you will no longer be able to watch and protect him in battle.”
“I will still do all in my power to keep him safe and he will fight under my banner.”
“I suppose I should get used to this for Harry will follow soon enough.”
“That he will.”
The road north was pleasant; the days were long and the weather benign. Thomas kept urging us to travel faster for he was eager to see his would be betrothed. Mary was delighted with the news as was her daughter. When I told them that a wedding would not be imminent, they were not unhappy. Mary said, “I would that my daughter had a good wedding. We will need to save.”
I shook my head, “We took your son from you. I will pay whatever is needed for this wedding.”
“A fine offer, my lord, but would you have made the same offer had Ralph been alive?”
“I would.”
“Then I will let you pay half for I would hold my head up. We do not seek charity.”
“We leave on the morrow and when our work in Dunbarre is done we will call here on our way back to Weedon. It will be after harvest time.”
“Be safe, my lord and keep your son safe for my Mary. I never had to watch Red Ralph go to war and I am not sure I would have enjoyed the parting, despite the rewards.”
We negotiated the Percy lands by keeping to the higher ground closer to Westmoreland. I knew that I had a friend in the Earl, Ralph Neville. He had given me a token when he had spoken with me. It acted as a pass to ensure that his people knew me for a friend. It helped that my blue surcoat with the staff upon it was easily recognisable and so long as I kept clear of Percy land, we would be safe. We stayed in an inn which was south of the Tyne at a bend of the river close by the old Roman horse fort and then completed the rest of the journey to north of Bamburgh in one day. That way we avoided the castles of the Percy knights We stayed in the royal castle at Norham. Once it had been the northernmost outpost of England but now that honour was held by Berwick. I had been impressed by Bamburgh when we had passed it and Dunbarre, as a castle, was equally impressive. The Earl of March would take some shifting should an enemy come south. We were all weary when we arrived but the Earl made us welcome.
“Baron, you and your men are most welcome. We have fine fighting men up here in the borders but I have none who can compare with your archers. Douglas is in for a shock!”
“Good. Do we ride far?”
“No, East Lothian is where we will raid. I have to tell you that Hotspur and his men will be raiding in the region too. Our paths may cross.”
The King had omitted to tell me that and his plan now became clear. While I was in the north Hotspur would entertain no thoughts of conspiring with the Welsh. He would be watching me and my banner would draw his eye thither.
The Earl saw my frown, “I know that you and he are on less than cordial terms but you should know that although we will both be raiding, we will not be together. You need have no contact with him.”
“May I speak frankly, my lord?”
“Of course.”
“What I fear is one of his men sending an arrow into my back during the heat of battle.”
“He would do that?”
“He has sent men before to do me harm. If he is close to us then I will not fight. I am not afraid for myself but an assassin from behind us could harm my sons.”
“As we will not fight on the same battlefield that is not a problem but your words disturb me. I may well have to reassess my opinion of the knight.”
Dunbarre was now an English ally in a sea of Scots. All around lay enemies but the Earl of March’s castle was the strongest except for Edinburgh in this part of Lothian and so dominated the land. The Scottish lords who lived close by had feared the English raids of the Percy family and now they feared raids from their own. I could see why King Henry had asked his new ally to return home. It also gave me hope that Percy might accept my presence. He had always wanted Scotland and now he had the opportunity to steal more of it.
The Earl had an old map and he used it to illustrate our raid. Traprain had been the site of an old hill fort which had been used for many years as a place where Scottish kings could be crowned. Since William the Conqueror had been on the island it had been raided so many times that the Scottish kings had moved the site of their coronations to a new site north of the Forth. It was, however, still a place worth raiding as it would lay a mark down to the lords and their king that we now ruled this land. The manor of Traprain lay below the mighty hillfort, now fallen into disrepair. Having been on the receiving end of many English raids, the Earl knew what the response of the locals would be.
As we headed west towards the high piece of ground which lay just eight miles away from the Scottish lord’s stronghold, he explained his plan. “In itself Traprain is worthless but it has farms and the lords who live nearby would see it returned, once more, to its past prominence. Haddington lies close by and is a well-defended manor for it guards the eastern approach to Edinburgh. The village of Papple lies to the south-east and Morham to the east. With luck all the villagers from the three villages which lie close to Traprain Law will head for the mound, it will save us gathering animals. We will lay waste to the land around Traprain and that will draw Douglas’ cousin, Jamie, to attack us. With Percy coming from the south towards Dalkeith we will spread fear throughout the borders and fear means we can raid.” He smiled. “When we were in Wales, I wondered that King Henry had made his son prince of such a poor place. I had thought these borders poor until then.”
I nodded, “And that is why his grandsire, Longshanks, built those castles. Had not the Tudur brothers used deception then the rebellion would have been confined to the mountains and the Welsh can have those but you are wrong, my lord, about the paucity of riches in Wales. The land in the south, towards Pembroke, is rich! The locals call it England in Wales. If I was King Henry then the Tywi Valley would be where I would fear a Welsh rebellion.”
We were nearing the hill fort and our banners and horses had identified us. The Earl had expected us to be seen, indeed, he had counted upon it and riders would be heading towards Haddington to summon help. Lord Dunbarre had anticipated this. My men and I were sent ahead, once we neared the town, for we were to take the hill fort while he and the rest of his men took the manor. Attacking the hill fort was not as daunting as it sounded for the walls had been torn down by the English in previous attacks. The ditches remained but we could dismount before them. As we galloped across open fields in a race to reach the top of the hill before the villagers, I shouted my instructions to my squires and captains who galloped alongside me. We had discussed them in the castle but now that I could see the hill, I modified them.
“Harry, you watch the horses, Captain Edgar, have our men arrayed on the eastern side of the mound. If Lord Douglas sends men then that will be the side they use to attack. Captain Alan, once you have secured the animals then you will be ready to loose above the heads of Captain Edgar and his men!”
The
four of them chorused, “Aye, lord!”
I did not have many men but we were fast and we were the best in this conroi. I was confident that we could hold the hill until the Earl of March reached us. I saw people streaming up the hill. They had done so since time immemorial. They were hampered by the fact that they were driving animals and pulling carts. I decided to ride further east before climbing the slope for I believed we could reach the top before the people and their beasts. I opened up Hart’s legs and we began to eat up the ground. I knew that I would be extending my line of men but that would help to panic the Scots. Panicking men made mistakes!
I saw a track which wound up the eastern side. Already there were people from the village of Papple heading for it. They would not reach it before we did. Once I reached the first of the ditches I dismounted. Harry reached me as my foot touched the ground and I handed him my reins. Thomas followed me and Harry held our three horses. Two other men would watch the horses of the men at arms and archers. Thomas took a wooden stake from Harry’s saddle and using a hammer he drove the stake into the ground. Even as I hurried to the top Harry was tethering the animals and then he drew his sword to protect them.
The ditch was shallow. Over the years it had eroded and was not much of an obstacle. My helmet still hung on my saddle. I would not need it and I ran easily. However, by the time I had negotiated the other ditches and reached the top I was out of breath. Thomas, close behind me, was not.
The two of us were alone at the top for Edgar was heading for the ditches which faced east while Alan was scurrying towards the men driving animals towards us. I looked east and saw Haddington; it lay less than four miles away and I could see activity showing that they had been alerted. There was a tower there and I saw a wall. The Earl of March had planned well. I turned as I heard a noise behind me. There were three men and they had weapons.
Drawing my sword, I said, “I am Sir William Strongstaff and I have killed many knights. If you wish to die then approach my son and I. We will happily oblige you. If not then drop your weapons and return to your homes.” The three men had two spears and an old sword between them. They saw two mailed men before them and they realised the futility of fighting. When there was a wail from below them, as my archers reached the bulk of the refugees, they did as I commanded and ran.