by Griff Hosker
“And you wish advice?”
“I have not yet finished. My wife and Richard plot to usurp me.”
“Surely not, the Queen?”
“Aye Warlord, the Queen. I need more than advice. I need you to go to Aquitaine and to stop her.”
I was shocked. I could see that my father was too. Neither of us knew what to say at first.
The King said, “My son is due to meet me in two days’ time at Westminster. I need advice on how to deal with him and then I would have you two board ship and sail to Aquitaine to speak to the Queen.”
“Speak to her?” My father’s voice was laden with other unspoken questions. He and Henry had an understanding which was not enjoyed by many. The King seemed to be able to read between the lines of my father’s words.
“I would have you bring her to me. I will be in Normandy. I know that Louis is behind all of this.”
“You would have us kidnap the Queen?”
He looked at me. “She is my wife and the Queen but she is in danger of behaving in a treasonous manner. I am her husband and I would have her close to me.”
“If Richard is with her then he might object.”
The King sighed, “I have chosen you, Warlord, because of your unique position. You were the one who saved the Queen when she fled Louis. You were, albeit briefly, Richard’s mentor. They will listen to you.”
“And me?”
He turned to me and I saw coldness in his eyes, “Your father is old; he needs someone to care for him. In addition, if it comes to war then you are the man who can defeat any of my enemies. Richard is just a boy!”
“And what forces are at my command? Surely you do not think that three knights and four squires with four servants can do what you ask?”
“Be careful Earl William. I have been patient with you but I am king.”
My father said, “Then behave like one! You ask us to risk our lives and to do the impossible. My son has every right to speak the way he does. Had we been warned we could have brought our men from the north. I am too old to be worried by your threats, Henry FitzEmpress. Whom do we use to perform this impossible task?”
I thought that Henry might strike my father. Had he done so then I would have started the great revolt there and then. As it was his fingers clenched and unclenched and then he smiled, “God but I have missed you Alfraed! You are the one man who I would allow to stand up to me.” He drank some wine and I saw that his hand was shaking. The drink was to let his temper go. “I sent a message when I sent the ship for you. I used your William of Kingston. He has sailed to La Flèche. I have given Sir Leofric the authority to raise an army of loyal Angevins. He has archers and you know him. Is that good enough for you?”
“It will have to be.”
“Good. Do not tell your squires or your knight what you are about until you are on the ship. There are many spies and traitors in my realm. You two I trust and there are few others in that position. Now I must leave you. I have a wench warming my bed.”
Now I knew why he had agreed to come to Windsor. It was not for my father’s health. It was to satisfy an itch in his breeks. He was a colder and more calculating man than he had been. The whole loss of temper had been an act. I did not like it.
When he had gone I poured my father some wine. It was as though the last couple of years had disappeared. He looked old once more. He drank some of the wine and said, sadly, “I am sorry about this William. This is my fault. I thought I had been a better teacher to him. I was wrong.”
I shook my head, “It is not you. It is the blood he has from his father. He was the same.”
He gave me a strange look and then sipped his wine. He seemed lost in his own thoughts. “Leofric is a good man. That, at least, is in our favour.”
“We will have to send a message home. My wife will need to know.” I stood. “I will tell the squires that we are to visit Sir Leofric.”
My father smiled, “They are clever and will know that something is amiss.”
“And they are loyal and will not ask too many questions. Sir James, on the other hand…”
“You do not trust him?”
“I thought I did but the King has planted seeds of doubt in my mind.”
“William, you are as true a knight as any. Do not change now. You trusted him enough to allow him to come. Trust those feelings. Besides we need to keep him close. I agree with you, I do not believe that he is an enemy.” He poured himself another goblet of wine and looked like a man who had lost everything. I knew not why.
The squires were not surprised when I said we were going to Anjou. Sir James was and that made me suspicious once more. “But why lord? I thought that when the King had done with us we would return home.”
I decided to make light of it, “Regard this as part of your education. La Flèche is part of my father’s fiefdom. You will enjoy the experience.”
We returned to London two days’ later. Young King Henry was already there. The King decided to show who was the real ruler by keeping him waiting. It was a mistake. It irritated and angered the Young King Henry. The King insisted that we accompany him. I knew not why for young Henry did not like either of us. We entered the Great Hall and I saw that the young King had surrounded himself with allies. Prominent amongst them were Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester and Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. Both were powerful barons. I noticed that William Marshal was not there. The knight was either showing great sense or he was keeping himself safe from the King’s wrath.
The King sat on his throne. Young Henry sat on the throne next to his father’s. Symbolically King Henry’s was bigger. “Now, my son, have you reconsidered your position? Do you regret the harsh words which were spoken?”
“Harsh words? Is that what you call the truth now? Harsh words! You cannot give my castles away! I wish them back.”
“But I can give them away. I made you King of England and not Normandy. They are Norman castles. As Duke of Normandy they are mine to give or take as it pleases me. Your brother, John has no lands. Would you have me give him English castles?”
“So long as they are yours then I care not.” He pointed a finger at me, “Give him Stockton! The Earl of Cleveland could do with some of the air knocking out of his pompous body.”
I said nothing but I could see that even High Bigod and Robert de Beaumont were uneasy with their young King’s words. You did not upset the son of the Warlord of the North.
The King turned to me, “I apologise for my son, Earl. It is the people he associated with who have made him thus. You should be grateful to the earl, my son. He has just saved the north for us.”
“I care not a fig about the north! The Scots can have it. It is a land without wheat nor vines. Do I get my castles back or not?”
The King turned and said, very slowly, “No, you do not. They are the property of your brother, John!”
Young Henry said nothing but he stood and walked from the hall. His allies followed him. I saw then that there were more than Leicester and Norfolk. The King sat for a while and said nothing. Then he stood. “That has given me an appetite! I hope that the Constable has laid on a fine fare for us.”
Sir James had been a witness to the row and, as we headed to the outer ward to get some fresh air he said, “Did you expect that, Earl?”
My father smiled, “When it comes to kings and princes then any man who expects normal behaviour is a fool. A word of advice James. Keep your ears open and be discreet. There are dissemblers who will feign friendship to trap you. We are loyal to the King. Say nothing and do nothing which would put you or us in jeopardy!”
“You can trust me, Warlord.”
My father laughed, “All that you have seen of me, James de Puiset, is an old man cosseted by an over protective squire. When I was Warlord then I was a force to be reckoned with.”
I smiled. “You still are, father!”
The feast was a good one and we were enjoying fine food when the door burst open and Sir Walter D’Amphr
aville rushed in. He knelt by the King. “My lord, your son has fled England. He has taken ship to the court of King Louis in France.”
The King wiped his mouth and then emptied his goblet. He smiled, “Then you had better get hence and follow him, spy! If I find you in my court when I rise from this table then you will be executed.” It said much that Sir Walter D’Amphraville did not object but rose and ran. The King said, “So it begins. Warlord, you and your son can leave on the morrow. Your ship awaits at Tilbury.”
Chapter 14
After sending a rider north with the letter I had penned we travelled by horse to Tilbury. It was a faster journey than by the river and meant we did not have to wait for the tide. It was not the same ship we had travelled south in. It was a larger one and there were men at arms on board as well as archers. King Henry had sent the thirty of them as our bodyguards. It showed that the King was worried. He had told us that he would be following his son to Normandy. He must have feared this situation would arise for he had ordered the levy to be called up. This would be war. As he had told us, just before we left, “This is King Louis’s opportunity. He has the King of England with him. My plan has failed. Worse it might have lost me my kingdom. I rely on you and, I suppose, on the skills you taught me. If I defeat my son then that will be a testament to your teachings, Warlord.”
Once on board we told the squires and Sir James what we had been commanded to do. For once the Bishop’s nephew had nothing to say on the matter. I think he was impressed with the confidence the King had in us. The King had come to Tilbury with us and have given us more information. We now knew that the Queen was at Poitiers. We would have to travel through lands loyal to Eleanor of Aquitaine. I now saw why the King had chosen my father. He had a reputation as an honest warrior and the one who had fought for the Empress, her son and also Eleanor of Aquitaine. I was there to be the one who led men into battle; if it came to that.
The men at arms and the archers were unknown to me. I would need to be as close to them as to my own men. I had a short voyage to get to know them. After my father and I had spoken briefly with them to discover where they had fought we allowed them the rest of the voyage to prepare themselves for our journey south. I made certain that I spoke to each of them during the days we were at sea. The men we would rely on the most were the ones whom Sir Leofric had gathered. They would the cutting edge to our sword.
“So, father, you know this land better than I do. What is our best course of action?”
“I only know it slightly better. However, I do know that if Anjou is loyal then Tours and Saumur, not to mention Chinon, will be safe places to cross the Loire. The Gascons are loyal to Eleanor.” I nodded and looked east to the coast of Flanders. “Did you know that I met her when she was just twelve?” I remembered the story and I nodded. “She was a clever little thing, even then. I cannot believe that she would turn against her husband. She chose him over Louis! She brought more land to the marriage than he did. For him to publicly humiliate her by flaunting his mistresses at court would be something which was quite unacceptable. However, she is a clever woman. She is more intelligent than most of the men alongside whom I fought. She will listen to reason, I hope.”
“And if not?” He remained silent. Neither of us relished the thought of taking a Queen by force. It was not in our nature but we both knew that it might come to that.
“Let us be optimistic. We persuade the Queen to come with us; then we head for La Flèche first and then Rouen?”
“That is where the King will be. Let us hope that there is no war already for that would make the journey across Maine even more fraught with danger. Young Henry is no leader… yet but Leicester and Norfolk are seasoned campaigners. Both had fiefs in Normandy and Maine. They could make life hard for the King.”
This was not like my father. The King’s behaviour had seriously upset him. I could not fathom the reason. We both knew that kings were, literally, a law unto themselves. The King’s grandfather had done many things which had both surprised and disappointed my father and me. This disappointment seemed personal. Perhaps it was the years my father had invested in the King and his mother.
I turned to the squires and Sir James. “All of you are now considered to be our household knights. Along with Sir Leofric you are the only ones on whom we can truly rely.” I looked at Sir James as I spoke. “This will be a test for each of you.” I saw Ralph and Simon straighten their backs. Within a year or so both could be knights. Thomas was the youngest of the squires but I saw a steely determination on his face. “You will sleep with a dagger close to hand. As you saw at court there are spies and traitors littered throughout the realm. I have no doubt that there will be more in the Duchy. Until we know more we trust no man and we let none close to the Warlord.”
My father bridled, “I am not in my grave yet! I can defend myself!”
“I know father but you are not a pawn on this chessboard. You are a major piece. The King has put you in grave danger by sending you to do this. I know that you are the one man who might persuade the Queen but there are many of your enemies who would love to get their hands on you or, failing that, put steel in your back. Until we are safe in Stockton we get little sleep and we will be vigilant.”
It took eight days to reach Angers. We would not have stopped there save that we saw Captain William with my father’s ship. He was heading downstream. We hove to and hailed him. “I would have you go to Stockton, Captain William.”
“Aye lord. I thought you might. You need men?”
I shook my head, “By the time they reached us it would be too late. Have Sir Harold increase the patrols to the north and tell my wife that we will return as soon as we can.”
“Aye lord.” He waved, “You take care, lord.”
We were a family.
As we continued our slow journey upstream Sir James asked, “Earl William, why do you speak to the captain as though he is one of your men at arms or knights?”
I laughed and saw my father smile, “His family live in Stockton. His ship is the one which uses our river the most. He helps us and we help him. Your uncle’s port of Hartness is easier to reach but Captain William is loyal to Stockton. Such loyalty should be rewarded.”
My father said, “Another lesson for you James de Puiset. Look after all of your people and they will look after you.”
When we reached it, La Flèche was like an armed camp. I recognised many of the banners. It took time to negotiate the other ships and I had time to count the banners. There were forty knights. I hoped that would be enough. Our delay in docking meant that Sir Leofric was able to join us. He and his son, Alfraed, were so similar that one could have taken them for brothers. Their faces however were not the smiling ones I had expected.
My father left the ship first. Leofric had been his squire and they embraced. “It is good to see you both but your faces are dark. What is amiss?”
“Geoffrey has fled Nantes and headed to Paris along with his brother Richard. They are gathering rebel lords close to the Vexin. The Counts of Flanders and Boulogne have invaded Normandy from the north. I am sorry to be the bearer of such dire tidings, Warlord.”
My father turned to me, “It seems we have our work cut out for us, son.”
I nodded, “We can do nothing about the north for we have a task to perform. The sooner we do it then the sooner we can go to the aid of the King. He will need us ‘ere long. How many archers have you gathered?”
“We have fifty and they are all mounted. I told the knights I summoned that I only wanted mounted men. I do not think there is a spare horse in the whole of Anjou! I have horses for you.” He looked behind me at Sir James.
“This is Sir James de Puiset. He is of my household.” Sir Leofric said not a word but I saw questions in his eyes. “He can be trusted.” He nodded. “We are in your hands now, Sir Leofric. Have you scouts ready to find the Queen?”
“We believe that she is still in Poitiers but the rumour is that she wishes to join her son
s. She could have moved already to Mirebeau.”
I looked at my father, “Then the King might be right, the Queen might be behind this.”
I saw him frown, “We delay! We should go now.” He looked at me. With the King here in France then this is the time when the Scots will rear their snake like heads!”
He was right. We had followed a King who had caused his own problems. Those problems would now hurt us!
It took time to disembark and to have our gear loaded on to horses. Our four servants were all ex-soldiers. They knew their business. With Sir Leofric’s scouts ahead of us we took the road to Saumur. Our journey to Poitiers was less than a hundred miles. Even with mounted men that would take us two days. The good news was that Sir Leofric’s scouts, Griff of Gwent and James the Short had spare horses and they would reach Poitiers in a long, hard day. The rest of Sir Leofric’s archers formed the vanguard. We would not be surprised.
While we rode my father and I spoke with Sir Leofric and his son, Alfraed. “How is Brittany?”
Sir Leofric looked over his shoulder to make certain that none could overhear him save his own men at arms. “All the worse for Prince Geoffrey. He antagonises the other lords and barons. He tries to impose his will over them and yet he has no authority for he does nothing. He wants power but does not know what to do with it.”
My father was astute. He read between the lines, “Then what you fear is rebellion.”
“Aye Warlord. With King Henry assailed then those barons who bowed the knee when we fought in Poher, Rennes and Nantes will seize the opportunity to wrest the Duchy from the King. Duke Conan died. King Louis has demanded that as Brittany is a vassal of France the children should be in his care. Once he gets them then there will be no marriage for Geoffrey and the King will lose Brittany.” He shook his head. “All those men we lost in that war would have died in vain.”
My father regarded Leofric as another son. He patted his arm, “We are true knights. We are true to our word and our deeds are noble. We ignore those who are not. We will find the Queen and take her to the King. You and your son will return to La Flèche and you will guard your home. So long as your manor is safe then all will be well.”