The King's Dogge (33 page)

I waited with Ratcliffe outside the council chamber at Crosby Place; it was where Richard had based us while we were in London
²⁰
. It appeared that the Duke of Buckingham was with Gloucester, and it was well known that when the two of them were together there could be no interruptions.

Ratcliffe brought me up to date on the situation in London. On the face of it, everything was proceeding normally. Merchants were going about their business, and the government was running smoothly. All the great offices of state – the justices, the heads of the Exchequers, the offices of Chancery and the Privy Seal – were functioning as before.

‘The coronation committee under the new chancellor, Bishop Russell, seems busy too,' Ratcliffe continued. ‘It's getting a bit awkward though since most of the next king's relatives are either fled, under arrest or still in sanctuary.'

‘Is the situation with Hastings any better?'

There were raised voices now in the council chamber, although the words were indistinct. We looked at each other awkwardly.

‘If anything it's getting worse. Catesby reports that Hastings, Stanley, Bishop Morton and the rest of them feel totally excluded from power now. They are demanding that Richard gets rid of Buckingham. But I suspect support for them is gradually beginning to erode. Did you know that Lord Howard has left Hastings and has joined Richard's party now?'

‘Because he believes that Hastings is wrong not to extend the period of the protectorship?'

Ratcliffe chuckled.

‘Catesby would have liked to hear you say that! No of course not, Francis. Lord Howard has ambitions to become the Duke of Norfolk; he has a claim that the late King Edward rather neatly blocked. Howard's price for his support of Gloucester is simple. He becomes Duke of Norfolk and his eldest son will be the Earl of Surrey'

The council door was flung open and Buckingham emerged, snapping his fingers for his attendants. He nodded to me and, by the keen expression in his swarthy features, I guessed that he had a question for me. But then his eyes flicked to Ratcliffe and, changing his mind, he moved away.

Ratcliffe gestured to the council chamber.

‘I imagine that Richard will want to see you first.'

C
HAPTER
14

E
ver since he had arrived in London, Richard had been in black. The natural assumption of any onlooker was that he wore the dark shade to mourn his brother, Edward. In reality it was part of Ratcliffe's strategy; he had argued that not only did the colour give its wearer a natural gravitas and air of authority, but its sombreness, when contrasted to the brightness of the clothes worn by many of the nobility, emphasised Richard's serious nature.

Catesby, whose tunics according to Ratcliffe were growing increasingly brighter, had naturally criticised the idea, but as I approached Richard I thought how well the colour suited him. His features were composed and he appeared calm, but I noticed that he played with the jewelled rings on his hands incessantly.

‘Your message, Francis?' his voice was flat.

I reported the first two messages. He looked stern as he heard them, but then he glanced at me quickly.

‘There was nothing else?'

‘She said that you are to make me chief butler.'

A thin smile crossed his pale face. He was relaxed now and gestured to a large crossbow that lay on the table next to him. With curiosity, I moved over to examine it and then gave a gasp of surprise for, save its cord, the crossbow was made entirely of metal.

‘It's the future,' Richard quietly advised me.

‘Where did you get it? I'm not too sure about it being the weapon of the future though; it seems a bit heavy.'

‘It was a present from Lord Howard. So I am to make you chief butler, Francis. Do you know what a chief butler's role is? He, among other things, has to provide service to the king at his coronation or at his coronation banquet.'

I thoroughly dislike ceremonial duties.

‘I'm not really sure that I would be the best person for the job.'

‘I am. Not many families can claim to have been chief butler in two different countries.'

I cursed my long-dead Norman ancestor and my own folly in mentioning the matter. Probably Richard thought that he was doing me a favour.

‘So I am to be chief butler at Prince Edward's coronation?'

‘Well, not exactly.'

His fingers stole back to his jewelled rings. He looked at me in silence. I looked back at him in bewilderment and then my heart sank as I finally understood.

He had the grace to hear me. In the spirit of friendship and loyalty, I had to tell him the fears that I harboured. He listened carefully as I put it to him that he was neither the lawful heir to the throne nor was he up to the task of being king. There are many times that I have to think before I speak but this was not one of them. I spoke simply and from the heart in order to persuade Richard not to do what he intended to do. He was calm, so calm indeed that by the time I finished speaking I was beginning to doubt my own argument. After I had stuttered out the last of my words, he invited me to be seated and systematically set out to refute the points I had made.

‘Let me speak of the protectorate. Would you not agree that it was necessary for me to become protector in order to prevent the Woodvilles from taking over the government of England?'

‘Yes I do.'

‘And would you not agree that by becoming protector, civil war has been averted between Hastings' party and the Woodvilles?'

‘Yes, that's true.'

‘Then can you explain to me how I am to protect myself and my allies, Buckingham and Northumberland, from the vengeance of the Woodvilles in a few years' time?'

‘No I can't.'

‘I believe there are two possible methods. The first is practical but totally dishonourable. To save myself I could make an immediate alliance with the Woodvilles. They would probably agree to it but would want a substantial share of power immediately. This could only be achieved by taking such power from my own supporters; I would probably have to sacrifice the lives of men such as Buckingham to appease the Woodvilles. Surely you agree that to abandon men who have assisted me in order to save myself would be totally dishonourable?'

‘Yes I do.'

‘And even if I pursued this route, there would be no guarantee that in a few years' time the young king and his Woodville family might not seek to take belated revenge on me. Then the only other way I can look to safeguard myself and my allies is to extend the length of the protectorate, but the council has refused this. Seemingly they have little or no concern for my fate. Despite everything I have done to preserve order and uphold the rule of law, they are content to throw me to the wolves. Perhaps I am mistaken. Do you view the council's action – or lack of action – in a different light?'

‘No yours is the only possible conclusion.'

‘Have you considered another point which Buckingham has raised with me? In all the divisions that would arise in England in three or four years, when I step down as protector is it not possible that the Lancastrian claimant to the throne of England might take advantage of the chaos to make a bid for England's crown? Do you wish to plunge England back into the wars between Henry Tudor's Lancastrians and the divided House of York?'

‘Of course not!'

‘Nor am I alone in my belief that only through me becoming king could all these dangers be avoided. The lords would support me. Buckingham would keep Wales safe, Northumberland could be relied upon in the North and Lord Howard could hold East Anglia. Of course, the northern lords would rejoice to have one of their own on England's throne and, in turn, I could help the North far more if I was king. Do you disagree with any of this?'

‘No, except I mistrust Buckingham.'

‘You'll find that you're wrong there, Francis,' he said with a smile. ‘He was wholly supportive of my wife's idea when I went through it with him. His view was that I was merely doing my duty and had only the best interests of England at heart. He said that his role must be to ensure that I became king in order that I may fulfil my destiny.'

‘Richard, can you not see that you're being used? Even if you feel it is your duty to be king, it will be too much for you.'

‘But I will have helpers and advisors!' he protested quickly. ‘I'll have honest men like you to tell me when I go wrong, faithful friends who will curb my faults. As well as my wife, I'll surround myself with straight-talking councillors. But Francis, I will not let your ill-founded concerns come between me and my duty!'

We stared at each other for a moment silently, then Richard smiled thinly again.

‘You said that I was not the lawful heir to the throne, didn't you?'

‘I did; you're not.'

‘Tell me, Francis, was my brother Edward the lawful heir to the throne? Was he the eldest son of King Henry V or was he, in fact, the man who overthrew the Lancastrian King Henry VI and set himself up to rule in his place?'

‘You know that he overthrew King Henry. But you know that he did so because the only way that the wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster would cease was if a strong man took over. He succeeded and your brother brought peace and stability to England.'

‘So my brother was not the lawful heir to the throne?'

‘No, but I suppose Edward felt it to be his duty to become king.'

‘As it is mine!'

Richard was on his feet now and striding about.

‘Francis, if my brother's son were to become king, there'll be civil war. England faces a disaster. This is no time to quibble on legalities – we need peace not war.'

He paced up and down quickly.

‘Tell me, Francis; who is best equipped to take charge of the realm? There are but two candidates.'

He stopped and put his right hand out.

‘The first is a mature man with an heir. He's a proven soldier, leader and administrator.'

He put out his left hand.

‘The other is a twelve-year-old boy.'

He was right, but I hesitated. What he was doing was wrong.

‘Do you imagine that my brother would wish to see all his achievements degenerate into the anarchy of civil war?' Richard demanded. ‘Point to the candidate you think best able to preserve my brother's good works?'

I thought hard.

‘Will you not help me to fulfil my destiny?' Richard asked sadly a moment later. ‘The task that I face would frighten any man, let alone one as ill-equipped as me. You know that I have a no more faithful friend than you and that I need your help not just now, but at all times.

‘Please, Francis.'

Whether Richard's proposed action was lawful, I did not know, but what I was certain of was that it was best for England. Besides, I was Richard's friend and he needed my help.

‘The problem is, of course, that even if you and I agreed that Richard needs to be king for the good of the nation, it is going to be virtually impossible to persuade anyone else,' said Ratcliffe. ‘King Edward was well loved, particularly here in London, and everyone would have expected his son to inherit the throne.'

I looked round the gloomy chamber in Crosby Place. The early June sunlight should have brightened it, but instead all it did was cast shadows.

‘We could just have told everyone the truth,' I suggested.

‘No one would have believed us. As soon as word got out that Richard was planning to become king, everyone would have said that he was exaggerating the situation to suit his own purposes. The Woodvilles are hated, Francis, but – as his father's son – the young prince is popular.'

‘But Richard said that the nobles would support him?'

‘Some would have – Northumberland, Buckingham and Norfolk, for example. He can probably rely on his brother-in-law, the Duke of Suffolk, but many of the others will stay neutral. Others, Stanley and Hastings included, would oppose him. No, to make Richard's ascent to the throne credible we need a convincing story as to why the young prince should not rule – a story that everyone will believe.'