Wolf Wood (Part Two): The Dangerous years

by Mike Dixon

  Wolf Wood (Part Two): The Dangerous years

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Part Three

  Wolf Wood

  (Part Two)

  By

  Mike Dixon

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2013 Mike Dixon

  In 1436 a dispute arose between the people of Sherborne and their abbot over the ownership of a baptismal font. Before it was settled, the abbey was burnt down and a bishop murdered. Some saw the hand of evil at work and blamed Alice de Lambert, a newcomer to the town, accusing her of being a witch. Others saw Alice as a saint. Wolf Wood is set in the turbulent years of the late middle ages. The old feudal aristocracy is losing control, a new middleclass is flexing its muscles, the authority of the church is being questioned, law and order have broken down and England is facing defeat in France.

  Alice arrives in Sherborne as the matron of the almshouse. Part One describes the turbulent events leading to her marriage to Harald Gascoigne of Wolf Wood Manor, the gentle son of a ferocious family. Alice's interest in herbal medicines entangles her with Eleanor Cobham, the scheming wife of Duke Humphrey of Gloucester. Her association with dissident elements in the town earns her the implacable hatred of William Bradford, Abbot of Sherborne. He blames her for the riot that led to the abbey fire and accuses her of being a witch.

  The abbot is a staunch supporter of the powerful Beaufort family who are competing with Duke Humphrey for control of the weak and ineffective King Henry. The dispute becomes vicious and the abbot exploits it for his own ends.

  Part Two begins in the spring of 1441. Eleanor and the duke are staying at Wolf Wood Manor. Harald's father, Sir William Gascoigne, is visiting from France, where he heads one of the irregular companies fighting there.

  Chapter 1

  Dangerous Company

  Harald left the new wing and crossed to the suit of rooms that had previously served as his mother’s private apartment. The entire manor had been renovated. Ornamental stonework graced the new façade in a display of elegance and wealth. Carpets added dignity to polished oak floors and logs burnt in handsome fireplaces. Carpenters were putting final touches to a carved screen. Everything had to be got right. Duke Humphrey was staying. Harald’s father had made the journey from France to meet him.

  Harald checked that everything was in place and went out onto the gallery that overlooked the main body of the hall. His mother was there with Alice. The two women got along far better than he had expected. Alice deferred to her and his mother was devoted to their small son, Steven, who had been given a biblical name at Alice’s insistence.

  She hurried up the stairs when she saw him. From her expression, he guessed something was wrong.

  ‘We have problems.’

  She took his arm and led him to a window. From there they could look down onto the outside yard. A coach had arrived and people were standing around. Harald recognised the duke’s lady. Eleanor was dressed in an outlandish costume of bright satin trimmed with spotted fur. The woman beside her was in plain homespun of the sort worn by farmers’ wives.

  ‘Do you see who’s come to stay?’

  Harald adjusted his eyeglasses.

  ‘My God! Margery Jourdain!’ He drew in a deep breath. ‘Did you know Eleanor had invited her?’

  ‘She said she would be bringing a secret friend. I should have guessed something like this would happen.’

  Harald’s face reddened and he began to stutter. ‘Can you do anything about it ... I mean ... can you speak to Eleanor ... get her to send the woman away?’

  ‘I’ll do my best.’

  Alice hurried into the hall and Harald returned his eyeglasses to their pouch. Getting to know Eleanor had been an awful mistake. The woman was deeply into spells, divination and other heathen nonsense. Alice had been fascinated by her at first. She thought Eleanor had access to true knowledge. It soon became apparent that the woman was a scatterbrained schemer who thought everything could be achieved by magic. She was stupid enough to associate with people like Margery Jourdain, the infamous Witch of Eye.

  Breaking off the relationship with Eleanor was next to impossible. Alice had endeared herself to Harald’s parents through her contacts with the duke. His mother was now one of the leading ladies of the county. The Gascoignes had suddenly become respectable. It occurred to Harald that things could turn sour. Duke Humphrey’s influence in Westminster was in steep decline. His enemies, the Beauforts, were gaining in influence and their search for a lasting peace with France had the support of twenty-year-old King Henry who hated violence of any sort.

  Peace was the last thing the Gascoignes wanted. Harald sometimes felt guilty for not divorcing himself from his family. But it wasn’t that simple. He had Alice and Steven to support and there was Henriette to think of. A piece of parchment said he was married to her. Another said he had married Alice a year earlier. Henriette was now an attractive sixteen-year-old. She needed protection and he was the only person who could provide it.

  ***

  Robin opened his eyes and found himself in familiar surroundings. He was back at the Gascoigne manor and old Sir William said he could stay. He wouldn’t have to return to France. He could remain at the manor and work for Sir Harald.

  Robin was now twenty-three and a very different person from the bashful nineteen-year-old who had left for France four years earlier. The raid on the Knowles’ manor had been fun. Everything else was awful.

  He had gone to France with Harald's brother, Guy, thinking he was fighting for England and the rights of its young king. That’s what Guy said. The people in Normandy were meant to be loyal subjects of His Majesty. Some were but most were in revolt. You risked your life just by being there. As soon as you opened your mouth they knew you were English and that could get you killed.

  Guy Gascoigne had a way of dealing with people who attacked his men. He killed five for every one of his and he wasn’t fussy who he killed. His men picked people indiscriminately and, when they’d finished with them, they raped the women and girls.

  Robin had been trapped in France. Guy wouldn’t let him go. Guy said he’d paid the fine Abbot Bradford had charged his mother when he left Sherborne. Bradford could do that because some old law said the abbot owned the town and you had to pay him if you were born there and wanted to leave. Then there was the bishop’s fine for burning down the abbey. Guy said he’d paid Robin’s part so it wouldn’t be charged to his mother. That meant he’d have to stay in France until he’d earned enough to pay it back.

  It was all lies. Master Baret had paid the fines. He’d written and told him but the letter had never arrived. It was sent to Guy and he should have delivered it but he hadn’t. Robin hated Guy all the more for that. If he’d received the letter, he would have written back and thanked Master Baret. Fortunately
, he’d been able to thank him in person. Master Baret and his wife, Elizabeth, were at the manor when he arrived the day before and they’d told him about it.

  Duke Humphrey was paying a visit to the Gascoignes. That was why old Sir William had come across from France. He knew the duke and wanted to speak to him. The duke was King Henry’s uncle. If Henry died then Humphrey would be king. From what people said, Henry was a feeble sort who could die any moment.

  Humphrey was Duke of Gloucester and married to a lady called Eleanor Cobham. At least, that's what people called her. By rights, she should be called Her Highness the Duchess of Gloucester. But, people didn’t say that, which told you a lot about what they thought of her. Some even said she was a witch. Richard Vowell said they were against her because she was not of noble birth. The tinker said it didn’t matter a toad’s fart whether she was noble or not because when the Lollards took over there wouldn’t be any nobles left.

  Tonight there was going to be a dinner for Duke Humphrey in the great hall. Robin had watched the preparations. The hall was nothing like when he saw it last. There were fireplaces and the soot had been cleaned away. The walls were plastered and painted with pictures of fields with sheep and birds and things like that. Someone said Brother Paul had done it.

  Robin examined the uniform Sir Harald had provided. It was very smart: soft leather boots, blue stockings, tight tunic and a surcoat with the Gascoigne coat of arms. As a liveried member of the Gascoigne household, he would be on duty at dinner that night.

  It was the middle of the night when the dinner ended and he finally got to bed. His sleeping quarters were in the roof space above the old guestrooms. The beams were so low you had to crawl around to get anywhere but it was much cleaner than when he shared it with Guy's bastard son, William. He now had linen sheets. That was a luxury. They were a bit worn but it didn’t matter. They were linen and didn’t make you itch like wool. He snuggled between them and heard voices from below. It was where the mole and Sister Alice used to sleep. Now, the duke’s people were lodged down there.

  He still thought of Sir Harald as the mole but in a different sort of way. Sir Harald had changed a lot. He was now more forceful and he didn’t seem scared of his mother like he used to be. Alice had changed too. She had a little boy and was behaving more like a mother than a nun. The problem was to know what to call her. He couldn’t call her Sister anymore but should he call her Mistress. It was all a bit confusing. He decided to wait and see what other people did.

  The voices were getting louder. Maybe they just sounded louder. When you are lying still things often sound louder than they really are. The people in the room below were chanting. Their voices rose and fell. At first he thought they were speaking Latin and saying prayers. Then he heard the odd word and knew it wasn’t Latin. And the way they were chanting didn’t sound Christian. Robin threw back his bedclothes and peered down at the floor.

  Four years earlier, he and William used to watch the mole and Alice making love through a gap in the floorboards. The gap was still there. He slipped quietly out of bed and placed his weight on the crossbeams so the boards wouldn’t creak.

  There was a strange smell coming from below. He had noticed it earlier and not thought much about it. Beeswax candles were being used and they were scented but different from those you smelt in church. It was sort of musty. He eased his head lower and saw a baldhead through the crack. It was shaved in the priests’ way but the clothes were different. The man wore a cloak with magic signs all over it. Another stood nearby and there was a woman holding a waxen image. He’d seen her talking to Eleanor.

  The woman held an image of a man with a crown and she was talking to it. Her voice pulsated back and forth and the image started to lose shape. As Robin watched, it sank and spread out into a formless pool on the table.

  It was like something you heard about but never expected to see. They were priests of Satan and they had come with the duke’s party. The image was meant to be the king. They were melting it to bring about his death. That was scary. People who did sorcery could be burnt at the stake. If it was the king they were trying to kill an even more horrible death awaited them. People said Eleanor was a witch. It looked like they were right.

  Robin felt himself coming out in a cold sweat. Was Alice involved? Abbot Bradford called her the Almshouse Witch and accused her of sorcery. He’d not believed it. Now he was beginning to wonder. His instinct told him to get as far away from Wolf Wood as possible and have nothing further to do with the Gascoignes.

  Chapter 2

  Witch Hunt

  The sun was shining. God was in his heaven and all was right with the world. Abbot William Bradford reigned in his horse and prepared to cross the drawbridge into Sherborne castle. He felt a flush of pride. His well-laid plans were bearing fruit and he was about to play an important role in the destiny of England and its ruling classes. No less a personage than the Earl of Salisbury was waiting to receive him.

  The castle belonged to the Bishop of Salisbury, having been built by one of his predecessors during a time of civil unrest, three centuries earlier. It pleased William to think that the church owned castles. They were an excellent way of keeping the lower classes in order and showing who ruled the land.

  He did not usually travel on horseback. His usual means of transport was a closed carriage but today was special. He felt like a young man again, ready to take on the world. Cardinal Beaufort and his allies were at last taking firm action against Duke Humphrey.

  The duke held the title of Lord Protector and was, in theory, head on the council that advised the young monarch. Mercifully, his power was slipping away and Cardinal Beaufort was gaining control. William’s family had connections with the Beauforts and he looked forward to the day when they would rule England.

  The duke’s lady would be his downfall. William had long predicted it and had convincing evidence to prove it. His spies had been at work in the Gascoigne manor. Eleanor Cobham and the Almshouse Witch were casting spells to bring about the death of young King Henry. For this, they would pay the ultimate price. There was no greater treason. The women would burn for their sins.

  William favoured Sherborne as a place of execution for the Almshouse Witch. He had lain abed many a night, waiting for the Matins Service to start, picturing Alice de Lambert, dragged screaming onto the abbey green and tied to a stake in front of the new almshouse. He would insist that the monks came out to watch her sizzle.

  There were those in the monastery who harboured an obscene affection for the lady. The brothers in the scriptorium were amongst them. Even Canon Simon had been caught making remarks in her defence, saying she was a changed woman. Simon was too naïve to realise that it was all a bluff intended to hide her true intentions.

  Simon rode beside him on an elderly warhorse, sitting awkwardly on the animal’s back, looking as if he was about to fall off. William had insisted that he ride the animal. Making Simon feel uncomfortable was an everyday chore. The man had a firm grasp of the law and that gave him illusions of grandeur. Simon came from a humble background and had to be reminded that he must defer to his betters who came from knightly families and rode dangerous horses from an early age.

  The guard at the gate snapped to attention as they passed beneath the portcullis and a man in the uniform of a sergeant came forward to greet them. William liked the smart uniforms and tough appearance of the men. The earl had a well disciplined force which would be more than a match for the Gascoignes. With any luck, Sir William and his entire band of brigands would be slaughtered when the earl stormed the manor to arrest Duke Humphrey.

  He dismounted and watched as Simon was helped from his horse. The guard remained at the gate and they headed for the castle keep. Simon disappeared up a spiral staircase. William puffed along behind and arrived at the top feeling dizzy. Two men, in short tunics and riding britches, were standing beside a table. William assumed they were servants. One stepped forward and extended a gracious hand.

  �
��Father. Pray, be seated.’

  William removed his cloak and handed it to the man who handed it to the other man before continuing with his welcome.

  ‘Your information has been most helpful, Father.’

  William slumped in a chair and listened as the man spoke about the information provided by his spies. He wondered what a servant would know about it and was becoming increasingly annoyed when the fellow had the impertinence to ask if his sources were reliable. Simon intervened before he could express his indignation.

  ‘The Lord Earl needs to be sure that their testimony will stand up under examination in a court of law.’

  It occurred to William that he had made an understandable mistake. The earl should have received him in his robes of office. People looked so ordinary when not dressed up. They only had themselves to blame if they were mistaken for common servants.

  ‘I can assure you that my sources are reliable,’ he replied gruffly. ‘I have gathered enough evidence for you to go in there and arrest Duke Humphrey a hundred times over.’

  ‘The Lord Protector is beyond reproach,' the earl cut him short. ‘His Highness is the victim of evil forces. Mistress Cobham seduced him with witchcraft and is now using her diabolical skills to bring about the death of our young king. We are in enough trouble with her as Duchess of Gloucester. To have her as Queen Eleanor would be intolerable. My uncle, Cardinal Beaufort, is greatly concerned by the harm that evil woman could do.’

  ‘My spies tell me that Mistress Cobham and her associates make images of His Majesty and slowly melt them to bring about his untimely death,’ William said.

  ‘We have noted that information,’ the earl nodded. ‘You also speak of a certain Alice de Lambert who resides at the Gascoigne manor. You say she is in possession of forbidden books.’

  ‘My informants have copied pages from them. They contain signs of divination and are in the language of the Muslim unbelievers and the foul Jews who murdered our blessed Lord Jesus.’