Knight of the Empress (10 page)

He nodded, "That makes them easier to manufacture and cheaper too.  But you wish nasals for the men at arms?"

"Yes and a protection for the back to the neck."

"That can be arranged."

I handed him the gloves.  "I bought these in London.  How easy would it be to make them?"

"Not easy at all.  This is fine work." He nodded to a young boy who was working the bellows for one of the smiths.  "I could train Ralph to make them. Will you need mail for the men at arms?"

"No, Alf; they have their own but it would not hurt to prepare a shirt or two in case we have damage."

"That will incur a cost for me, my lord."

"And I will pay." I smiled wolfishly at him, "And I hope you keep good accounts for the tax man when he comes. I will certainly be keeping a record of my costs."

His face fell, "Yes my lord. When will you require these?"

"You have a month.  I shall send the men over so that you may get an idea of sizes."

That evening Wulfstan and Edward joined me to watch a particularly fine sunset.  Its red rays spilled over the Tees making it look as though it was bathed in blood. "I hope this is not an omen."

Edward shrugged, "If it is my lord then it is the same omen for everyone."

"Tomorrow we will begin our journey around the key manors. We will begin in the east at Normanby.  Wulfstan, what do you know of Sir Mark?"

"Nothing.  I have never met him or heard of him.  However there appears to be little danger to him being south of the river.  It may be he thinks he is safe."

"Then my orders from the King will come as a shock to him. We will visit Yarm and then return here."

"You can do them both in one day?"

"It is but ten or twelve miles to each and we can travel swiftly."

"Whom will you take?"

I smiled at Wulfstan's question.  Faren was coming close to her time and he was fretful. "You may stay here my old friend.  I will take Edward, Wulfric and eight men at arms.  We do not go to war."

As I was leaving Adela came to me, "May good fortune attend you today, my lord and may God watch over you."

"Thank you for your concern Adela.  It does you great credit."

She hesitated, "Do you still have the lucky charm I gave to you?  The jet deer?"

My hand went involuntarily to me neck. "I do.  Do you wish it returned?"

She shook her head vehemently, "No, my lord.  I was just making sure you had not discarded it."

Perhaps I was being overly sensitive but her words sounded to me as though it was she who had been discarded. I knew I would need to find some answers to my questions soon or go insane.

We crossed on the ferry.  Ethelred was even more prosperous than when we had left. It was reflected by the fact that he no longer charged me. He realised that it was due to me that he had a business and he could not afford to lose my patronage.

The road east was more of a track which followed a low ridge which wound around the marshy swamps which lay to the south of the river. We made good time.  I saw the farms which dotted the fertile soil but the people who lived within remained hidden.  I had never travelled in these parts and, I suspect, I was an unknown quantity.  News rarely reached this remote border.

I saw the motte and bailey castle which was on a knoll in the foothills of the moors. It was a good site and overlooked the Tees.  I frowned. On a clear day I expected that you would be able to see all the way to Hartness in the north.

The gates were shut as we approached.  I was not surprised.  I had never visited with Sir mark of Normanby.  As far as he was concerned then I could be a raider although our shields were on our backs and we carried our helmets on our cantles. A number of faces appeared at the gate tower. Crossbows were pointed at us.

"I come at the orders of King Henry. Who commands here?"

The knight who was in the middle of the crossbowmen took off his helmet.  There was something familiar about him. "I am Sir Mark de Brus, Baron of Normanby."

That explained much.  I now knew why he looked familiar.  This was the cousin of the traitor. "I am Baron Alfraed of Norton and I am charged with the protection of the Tees valley." I took the parchment from Harold. "This is my authority from the King.  May we enter or are we to shout at each other?"

His scowling face told me that he would prefer to stand and shout but he also wanted to check my credentials. He shouted down and the gate was opened. Edward said, "This is a good start my lord.  I thought we would have to fight our way in."

"Who knows Edward, we may have to fight our way out.  Keep your eyes and ears open."

There were no longer crossbows pointed at us but they had been replaced by surly looks. I dismounted and strode up the steps to the hall.  Sir Mark awaited me. I turned to my men, "You may stay here, Sir Edward."

Once inside I unrolled the parchment and allowed Sir Mark to read it. Not every knight could read but I saw that he was actually reading. When he had read it he rolled it up and handed it back to me. "I do not think that this applies to me. The river is to the north of this castle."

"You can see the river and you live in the Tees Valley. The King wants it protecting from Scottish raiders. That applies to you too."

"They never bother us here.  Nor my cousin in Guisborough."

"And what of your cousin who is named traitor by the King?"

He flashed me an angry look, "He is no traitor!"

"And I say differently.  I will happily to put this to a trial by combat if you wish for I am already tired of you and your whining."

I could see, in that instant, that he was a coward and liked to intimidate people.  He backed down immediately. He said, flatly, "What do you require of me?"

"How many knights do you command?"

"None.  There is just me."

"Crossbows?"

"Ten."

"Men at arms?"

"Six."

"And the local fyrd?"

"We can muster twenty yeomen."

"You have no archers?"

"They are hard to train."

"Then train some! When I send my instruction to you then you will muster your men at Stockton, by the ferry. I will expect you to set off as soon as the instruction is sent."

I took a candle and dripped it on to the table.  I pushed my signet ring into it.  "This is my mark! Heed it well. I am not a patient man."

As we headed west I shook my head, "The De Brus family seems fated to haunt me!"

"They will be of no use to us, my lord.  Wulfric tried to speak with them.  They never practise and none has mail. Their helms are made of leather! We would not be able to rely on them."

"You may be right and we have yet to see the others.  If this is typical of the men we are to use then it does not bode well for me. I may well have merely my own men to command."

"You could worse."

"I know Edward but why should my men die to protect others who cannot be bothered?"

The castle at Yarm was a tiny wooden affair.  It stood on a hill overlooking a bend in the Tees.  This time, however, the gate was open. As we approached a knight, in livery, and some men at arms, wearing just tunics and carrying staffs emerged. It was obvious that they had not seen us for they halted and looked at this column of men who approached them.

I dismounted and held out my hand. I determined that each of the knights would be given the chance to shake the hand of friendship. "I am Baron Alfraed of Norton and I am here on the King's business."

"And I am Sir Richard of Kirklevington.  I have heard of you." he waved a hand down his soiled tunic. "I am sorry for my appearance. We have been practising with staves and were on our way to the river to bathe."

"Then do not let us stop you.  We will come with you and talk as we walk."

I explained what the King intended.  Sir Richard seemed more than happy.  He did not ask to see my authority but nodded eagerly when I explained that he would be summoned to the ferry at Stockton. "Good.  The Scots have taken my people before now.  My garrison is too small to beard them but they have yet to breach my walls."

"And how many men do you have?"

"Not as many as I would wish for.  I have a squire." He smiled self consciously, "It is my son but he is a good lad. I have these four men at arms and eight archers.  It is not much of a conroi I am afraid. This manor is poor."

"If they are of good heart then their numbers matter not and perhaps we can make money from these Scots who come to take from us." I took him to one side and spoke quietly.  "I do not intend to sit and wait for them to attack.  If I hear they are heading our way then I will take the war to them.  I would fight on land to the north of our home."

"As would I but what of my family if I leave?"

"I have a stone castle at Stockton.  They could stay there.  I intend to leave my home with a garrison."

He grinned, "I like you, Baron Alfraed, and I will be ready for the call."

"How many men in the fyrd?"

"We have ten who have pole weapons, two old soldiers with swords and four who can use bows."

We left in a better frame of mind.  We forded the river and headed back the five miles to our own castle.  We rode along the bank of the river and, as ever, I was amazed at the game and the fish with which the valley teemed.  This was a land worth defending. When we ate that night I told Wulfstan what had happened.  Adela looked up in horror when I mentioned Sir Mark.  "I remember him.  He was a horrible man."

A cold chill spread down my body, "Did he…"

She shook her head, "No but enjoyed belittling me and he was… well he made my flesh creep. He was very close to the lord of the manor of Hartness."

"Thank you Adela, that gives me more information than I had before and insight into my new knight.  He will not be invited here now."

"Sir Richard is a different matter, we liked him didn't we Baron?"

"We did.  It is a shame he has not more men. I offered his wife and family the protection of this castle.  It is close enough to us so that they could be here swiftly."

"You have not said what you intend, Alfraed."

"I intend to take the raids to the Scots. The Bishop of Durham appears content to have his see protected but not the road south. The castles which defend the border are along the coast and the Scots can skirt them.  This valley is ripe for the picking. We have good crops and fine animals.  We are sheltered and that is why the raiders come."

Adela said, quietly, "And the raiders are not always Scottish, my lord." We all looked at her.  She continued. "Some knights and their men came from the north to stay at Hartness. They raided cattle and brought them back to Hartness before returning north."

"If they went north then they were Scottish."

"No, Sir Wulfstan, they were Norman and came from the land between the Tyne and the Wear. I recognised some for they had visited my father in more peaceful times."

"Now it begins to make sense. We assumed because they came from the north then they were from Scotland but de Mamers should have been a clue.  They are bandits, pure and simple."

"I urge caution, Alfraed.  You are now a knight with much to lose.  If you make war on your countrymen it will mean more than a loss of revenue.  You could pay with your life."

"I know and I am not foolish enough to think I could just attack my countrymen.  However as keeper of the peace for the valley I would be within my rights to question any strange knights who crossed my land, would I not?"

"Just think before you act, my headstrong young friend and do not let your hatred of De Brus blind you."

"I can see clearly, Wulfstan."

Sir Guy of Gainford and Sir Geoffrey of Piercebridge proved to be as keen as I was to rid the valley of the raiders. Both had suffered losses although, like Sir Richard, their castles had yet to be breached. That was the problem; the people could shelter within but not the animals.  The raiders, whether Scots or renegades, happily left the defenders behind their walls, just as long as they could take their animals.  The isolated farmers and their families were taken as slaves. We could not stop it before now. I had to make the difference. It rested upon my shoulders.

I sat with my two knights and tallied our forces. If we called up the whole of the fyrd then we could muster a hundred and thirty two men but half of those would be farmers fighting with pole weapons. I had sixty men at the most that I could use. When we had the tally I leaned back. The only ones who can reach us quickly will be Sir Richard and Sir Geoffrey.  I think that Sir Mark will dally and Sir Guy has a longer journey."

I strode to the fire and poked the wood to make it burn a little better. "I will take a journey north tomorrow and visit with the Dean at Durham.  I should inform him of my new position.  Then I shall travel east to Hartness and let them know that, until the King appoints a new lord of the manor then I will be responsible for the administration of justice. It will also give me the opportunity to assess the Manor.  Osric and Athelstan had fears for it. Wulfstan, we will have quarterly sessions.  The first will be at Easter.  We will hold them here in my hall."