Knight of the Empress (15 page)

John was the bigger of the boys and he had the honour of carrying the cadge. As he had never done this before we just went down the river a mile or two to the woods close to the Hart Burn. It was a new experience for the boys. I decided to hunt a little before I brought up Alan's death. The two hawks were fine birds.  "Aiden, have you named them yet?"

"No my lord, they are your birds.  I just trained them.  Besides I think it is better if they name themselves.  That way they will answer quicker."

"Name themselves?"

"Aye my lord, the way Scout did. He has sharp ears and eyes and is a good scout.  Let us see what they do when they hunt." We left the horses tied to a tree at the top of the steep bank. I took the first hawk from the cadge. He had sharp eyes and he stared at me.  I had known, in Byzantium, some nobles who would have got rid of such a bird.  I liked its insolence; it was showing that it too was a warrior. Its beak gave it the look of a Roman Emperor. I searched for prey and saw a dove which suddenly darted from the trees across the river. I lifted my arm and the hawk followed the fast moving bird.  It rose, almost lazily, and then swooped imperiously down to snatch the dove in its talons. Aiden whistled to fetch it back. I was impressed with the way it dropped the dead bird at his feet and allowed him to place it back on the cadge.  He gave it a morsel as a reward.

"Caesar.  He is Caesar!"

Aiden had never heard of Caesar but when I told him that he was a Roman Emperor who conquered Britain he was impressed. "It is a good name." He handed me the second bird.  "Now this one is different to Caesar.  She is slightly smaller, my lord, but do not let her size fool you.  She is a good hunter."

We made our way to the river. This hawk kept watching all around her.  She was curious. A duck suddenly took fright and flew along the river, keeping very low.  I let the hawk go. This would be a harder kill for the duck kept moving from side to side and was very low over the water.  The bird flew under trees so that the hawk could not get above it. The hawk seemed to lose interest and rose high above the river.  They were almost lost from view.  I wondered at Aiden's words.  This bird did not seem as good as Caesar. The duck flew in a straighter line and the hawk dived, almost vertically. The shock was so great that it broke the duck's neck in an instant. She brought the dead bird back to Aiden.

Even Aiden was impressed.  I watched as she tore into the titbit Aiden had just given her and I nodded my approval, "She is a killer! But she is regal. I shall call her Sheba!"

Edward had begun to smile as he had watched the hawk working her prey.  As we moved up the slope, going slowly for the cadge was not easy to manoeuvre, I brought up Alan. "You still grieve for your squire?"

His face fell, "I am sorry, my lord, I did not know it showed."

"Edward you are one of the most honest men I know. You cannot disguise your hurt nor should you.  But you must temper that with the knowledge that we are all warriors and none of us is invincible." I held up my right hand. "I came within a sword thrust of losing my right hand and if that had happened then the Scot would have finished me.  I was spared. Alan was not."

"Perhaps I did not train him well enough."

Perhaps.  I think you did but you may be right.  That means that you do a better job with your next squire."

"Next squire?"

"The Scots and other predators will not go away Edward and we need knights.  So long as the Holy Land and its riches are a lure we will find it hard, in the poor north, to recruit knights.  Perforce we must make our own."

We had reached our horses and we mounted. We rode along the ridge towards Stockton.  The top of the tower could just be seen in the distance.  "You are right my lord and, perhaps, I should take wife too. I am not getting any younger and I envy Wulfstan his son.  He has a youth he can train from an early age to be a knight.  Much as you were."

I said nothing but he was right and perhaps this was my father's way of telling me to marry Adela and begin my own family.

Deciding upon the need for a squire and finding one were two different matters but Edward was happier and he threw himself into the life of the manor. We had stopped one Scottish incursion but there would be another. The three of us took it in turns to take some men north each day and patrol the northern approaches and look for signs of newcomers. It honed the skills of all of our men and made them all better scouts. The days we did not ride north we trained.  There were youths who were on the cusp of becoming archers and we had others, men at arms, who sought employment.  Not all were suitable and Wulfric weeded out the ones he thought would be a liability.  Men at arms were expensive and although the two manors were doing well there was a limit to the number we could hire.

I had had another expense too.  With the sessions, the taxes and the correspondence I had to write I needed a clerk. I had little enough time to myself.  Adela did it for a while and it drew us closer and softened the barriers I had erected between us. It was Osric who came up with the solution. Leofric the Moneyer had a son who could not only read but write quite well.  He had thought to train as a priest but a dalliance with a maid, before I hired Leofric, put paid to that ambition.  His carnal desires would get in the way of his religious duties. Osric brought him to Stockton when he heard I needed a clerk.

"My Lord Alfraed, this is John son of Leofric. He is an ambitious young man and would be your clerk if you would have him."

The young man looked presentable enough. He had soft hands. He obviously did not help his father overmuch and I wondered what he had been doing. "Tell me, John son of Leofric, how do you occupy your days?" He looked up at me in shock at the directness of my question.  "If you work for me then you must know that I speak my mind and do not suffer fools gladly." I smiled at Osric, "I was brought up that way.  If you do not like my bluntness then I suggest you go back to doing whatever you have been doing."

He nodded, "I help my father. I have nimble fingers and I help him make the dies for the coins. He needs a regular supply.  When I do not do that then I sometimes teach some of the children who wish it, how to read."

"They are good answers and are testament to good character. Osric here says you are ambitious.  What do you wish?"

"I have watched my father handling money every day and I would be rich."

"Then this is not the job for you for a clerk will never be rich."

"With respect, my lord, you will be paying me and I do not intend to waste that money.  There are opportunities to use that money and to make it multiply. The story of the talents from the Bible tells us that. I will be patient and I will serve you well but I will also serve myself.  A man may do that may he not?"

I laughed, "I like you, John.  You answer directly and with honesty. You may use your coin for whatever you wish so long as you work hard for me. You will have much correspondence to write for I find writing tiresome. You will also need to organise the pay for the others who work for me and you will need to keep an account of the taxes and the money.  There will be other tasks I set for you but we will discuss those as time goes on.  What say you?"

"I will be happy to accept the post, my lord and I promise that I will serve you as well as any knight or man at arms."

I nodded and took his right arm.  "Then you will now be my clerk.  Welcome to Stockton Castle."

He proved as good as his word and I had more time to be with my men.  I think the only one who was saddened by the appointment was Adela for we were together less often. I found that I missed our times together. It was just another sign of what I knew was inevitable. We would be wed but I had set myself a date and it was still more than half a year away. I regretted my words and, when my young couples married at the Midsummer feast I found myself looking at the lovely young woman and wishing that I had made the decision to wed. 

Being in the far north we had little news and we heard nothing from London.  Europe and the court of the Emperor might as well have been on the moon. Matilda was unobtainable and she was far away.  I now realised that I had been a moonstruck youth and Wulfstan had been right.  I needed distance to help me to see clearer. The courts of Europe were not for me.  I was a marcher lord and I was happy to rule my two manors in the far north.  There was less danger from a Scottish blade than in the politics of the court and I was happy to be away from such intrigue.

It was late summer when Robert of Caen, Earl of Gloucester, arrived with a large conroi. He arrived at the ferry.  Ethelred rubbed his hands when he saw the number of men.  I shook my head, "This is the King's son, Ethelred.  Make wise decisions."

He tapped his nose, "Thank you for your sage advice my lord. This may be the first of many!"

I shook my head.  He was irascible. I sought Faren.  "We will have guests tonight.  The King's son comes. Have we food enough?"

She nodded, "Aiden and Dick were hunting yesterday. We have some deer. I will send to Ralph.  He has some beans which might be ready."

"Thank you Faren." She was invaluable; my father had made a wise choice in buying her and Wulfstan an ever wiser decision to marry her.

"I fear your cellar will be much depleted when they are gone.  It is fortunate we made fresh ale yesterday but as these are Normans I am thinking that only the men at arms will drink something as base as beer!"

Adela rushed in.  "Do we have company?"

"We do and you shall be much sought after by the bachelor knights."

She looked at me seriously, "There is only one knight for me and I only have half a year to wait for him."

I surprised myself by the good feeling I had after her words. I returned to my gate as Robert and his household knights landed.  I knew all ten of them and had fought alongside them.  They were good warriors one and all.  I trusted them as I would trust my own knights. Robert clasped my arm.  "I am sorry to spring this upon you, Alfraed, but my father sent me when he received the news about the incursions from the north."

"We did not suffer too badly here."

We strolled through my gate into my inner bailey.  "But we did further west.  Many farms were ravaged and manors destroyed. Had it not been for Carlisle Castle and Brougham Castle things would have gone ill for us."

"Do we know who caused the mayhem?"

"From some prisoners we understand it was the men of Gospatric from Lothian and Northumberland."

"Does he not have lands in Northumberland?"

"Aye he does and his father was Earl of Northumberland until my grandfather took it from him and gave it to Siward." He leaned in, "We go north to his holdings in the borders and question him.  if he is found to be guilty then I have the power to take his lands in England from him."

We had halted in the bailey so that he could talk quietly with me. "How many men do you take?"

"Not enough to cow him. I have my household knights and fifty men at arms." He paused, "We need your men.  The ones who defeated the raiders."

I nodded. "I will send for them but the King needs to appoint a new lord of Normanby."

"There is one on his way from Normandy; Sir Guiscard d'Abbeville.  He is a good knight and served the King well in the recent wars. We will leave when your knights arrive.  I hope we will not inconvenience you."

"Do not worry, my lord.  It is good to have some company.  It will take Sir Guy and Sir Geoffrey a day or two to get here although Sir Richard can be here by the morrow. I will send riders now." I waved over Dick, "Send riders to Gainford, Piercebridge and Yarm.  I have need of my knights and half of their men at arms and archers." After he had gone I explained, "All three are small manors and I would not leave them undefended.  We still get Norse raiders in these parts."

"Those numbers should suffice." He looked up at my keep.  "This is a fine castle and well built.  Who designed it?"

"I had a mason and I just used ideas I had seen here and in the east.  I know it is not large but we can extend." I pointed to the curtain wall.  "I have left enough space to build towers on the town side and I can enlarge the barbican if I choose.  Now come and meet my knights and my ladies."

As I expected Adela enchanted them all but I felt secretly pleased that she only had eyes for me. Faren proved to be a hostess to match any in Constantinople and the knights and Robert were pleased with the hospitality of my castle. John would tell me the cost.

Towards the end of the evening the earl said, "I need to speak privately with you tomorrow without arousing suspicion amongst my knights and, I fear yours."

He had me intrigued, "We could go hawking.  I have two hawks and a competition between them is something I have planned."

"Excellent and your falconer and codgers, you can trust them?"

"They do not speak Norman my lord.  They are safe."

I told Aiden immediately and he kept the birds hungry.  Faren insisted that the three of them be dressed in their best clothes as they were serving the son of the King. I shook my head. "But Faren we are hunting!"

"It matters not, my lord.  We do not want these people to think we are savages!"

We rode while John carried the cadge and the hawks. Aiden scouted ahead to find us some birds to hunt. Robert turned to me as we left the castle. "This is a fine manor.  I know it cannot support wheat but it has a good river and the woods seem to teem with game." He pointed to the tracks left by the deer heading down to the river.

"I am happy enough, my lord."

"You would not wish a grander one further south? The King favours you.  If you asked for one I am sure he would grant your request.  Here you are isolated."

"It is a kind offer but I will earn something larger. I am still taking small steps.  I would not wear boots which were too large for me. What of Hartness?  Has the King taken it from De Brus yet?"

"Politics, Alfraed, politics. The De Brus family is powerful and my father can use the threat of taking away the manor to gain support."

I shook my head. "Another reason why I am happy here."

He laughed, "I, for one, am glad. Now there are things you need to know.  I have spoken with my half sister and I know that you are both loyal and trustworthy." I flashed him a look. He held up his hand.  "I speak plainly for the kingdom is in a parlous state. Since my half brother died in the White Ship there is no male heir.  The King's new wife does not bear him children.  I am testament to my father's fertility." He shrugged, "It must be God's will."

"Why cannot you be named heir?  You would make a good king."

"That is kind of you to say but I am illegitimate and such a naming would result in a civil war. Until the King has an heir or names an heir then there will be discord and plotting.  Already Louis is supporting the claims of William Clito and there are others who dispute his claim to Normandy.  My uncle, the Curthose, still languishes in the Tower."

"Then what can we do?"

"That is why I have come to speak with you.  You are a Knight of the Empress." I must have looked startled for he laughed, "I know that unlike the others that means something special to you.  There is a bond there beyond words." He held up his hand.  "I do not judge. The Empress may be in danger and it is likely that she might be named heir.  It would either be her or Adele's son, Stephen of Blois. We need to be ready to go to the aid of my sister if events force our hand."

"How do you mean?"

"There was another attempt on the life of the King. You and your father saved his life once and this time it was his household knights but he is in danger.  The visit to Gospatric is a ruse so that I may speak with you and so that we can wield a big stick and frighten those in the region who might seek to take advantage of the King's absence.  King Henry wishes you to protect the Empress. He does not ask an oath for you have already sworn one."

We had reached Aiden.

Robert said, quietly, "Now you see why I mentioned a manor further south."

"Fear not, my lord. I can sail across the German sea and travel up the Rhine.  It would be a speedier journey than one from London and less obvious. Is the threat to the King and the Empress, imminent?"

"Who knows?  Part of my job is to keep my eyes and ears open and yours is to be ready.  My father gave you authority. Do not be afraid to use it."

"The Bishop of Durham?"

"Forget Durham! He is too busy plotting to become Archbishop of Canterbury and my father has that dangling before him.  He will not interfere in aught that you do. Besides I will visit with him and explain the necessity of your authority.  He is no fool despite what others say." He smiled, "What say you?"

"I am the King's and the Empress' man.  You can trust me."

"Good, and now let us see these hawks of yours."

By the time we had returned, after a successful hunt and a pleasant morning, Sir Richard and his son were there with four men at arms and four archers. I know that Richard felt badly about having so few men for he said, "I could have brought more."

I shook my head, "And leave your wife and home undefended? I think not.  We go not to war but the Earl of Gloucester has need of knights.  We go to impress the knights to the north."

He and his son now wore surcoats like my men and the men at arms all had the same coloured shield. It made for a fine display.  I think he was overawed by the presence of Robert of Gloucester and he remained silent when we ate and just listened.  As my father might have said, there was nothing wrong with that. A man who listened learned more than a man who never shut up.

We prepared to leave the next morning and Sir Guy and Sir Geoffrey arrived together. We had a fine array of knights who rode north. Every man at arms and archer was mounted. The Earl had been impressed by Aiden as a woodsman and concurred with my request to bring him.  His keen senses were invaluable. We headed towards the New Castle on the Tyne, built by the King's brother, Robert, over forty years ago. Originally built of wood it now had a stone gate and it was where the Gospatric, the would be Earl of Northumbria lived.  The Roman Bridge which crossed the Tyne was protected by the castle.

We rode hard and reached the bridge by sunset. As we had been riding north Sir Richard had asked me if we thought we might have to fight. "I doubt it.  the Earl is the son of the King.  An attack on us would be tantamount to rebellion but I am not certain of the reception we shall receive."

"Do you think that the men we fought came from here?"

"The knights and men at arms did. They had weapons and armour such as ours.  They spoke Norman did they not?" He nodded.  "However they did not fight under a banner and can deny everything. I think that the use of the Scots was deliberate to throw us off the scent. It will be an interesting meeting."

We were not delayed at the bridge and we clattered over the stone structure. The Royal Standard with the Norman lions assured our safety. We were in the second rank of knights. There were just six of us but I felt proud that three of us all wore the same livery. The gates were opened and a younger knight than I was expecting came to speak with the earl.  After a few moments the Earl dismounted.

When he turned to us his face was angry, "The castle is, apparently, too small to accommodate our horses.  Tell the men at arms to camp over yonder on the high ground to the west of the castle.  He will speak with us inside."

We sent the squires and the horses with Wulfric and Dick.  I knew that our sergeant at arms would gain a good campsite and dry feet. We followed the household knights and Robert of Gloucester into the Great Hall. I saw that whoever we were meeting had his own knights prepared and there were fifteen knights in armour on the other side of the table. The atmosphere was tense. I wondered if they would be foolish enough to attempt bloodshed. Suddenly I recognised one of the knights who had fled from Gainford. I said, quietly to Edward, "Isn't that one of the knights we fought?"

He nodded, "Aye it is.  Shall I tell the earl?"

"No we shall wait for a judicious moment." I saw that we were recognised too.  I wondered if swords would be drawn.  I now knew that these men had raided the valley. It would not do to pre-empt the diplomatic discussions which were about to take place.

"So where is your father, William of Morpeth?" I remembered that the knight who had died had said, '
William
' before he died.  Was this the same William?

The man who had greeted the Earl spread his hands and gave a smile such as a carpet seller from the bazaar in Constantinople might give, "He is on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He has been gone these five months."

"And you command in his stead?"

"He has left his sons to run his lands."

The answer was evasive and, without even seeing his face, I knew that Robert of Gloucester was not happy. "Then whom do I ask about the men from this land who raided the border recently.  The ones who killed the men, raped the women, took animals and enslaved women and children." He said it quietly but there were threatening murmurs from the knights who faced us.  One or two laid their hands on their swords. The household knights of the earl close by began to draw theirs.  The Earl's voice barked, "Keep your swords sheathed.  The first man to draw one answers to me!"  Weapons were returned to scabbards and the Earl continued, as quietly as before, "Who ordered the raids?  Who is answerable?"

The smiling snake continued to smile, "I know nothing about raids."

The Earl was clever and he changed tack. "You were not raided here?"

William of Morpeth fell into the trap set by the Earl, "No, my lord.  We have enjoyed a peaceful summer."