White Boar and the Red Dragon, The (28 page)

Uncle Jasper continues to work on your behalf. There are many of your supporters in Brittany now too, far more than Edward likes. But he can do nothing about it, thank goodness! I still feel there will come a time in the not so distant future, when you will come into your own, with their help, even if things look far from hopeful at present. I have faith that things will work out for you in the end. You are the rightful heir to the English throne! God in his mercy will surely punish the usurper in some way! ‘He works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform!’ as the saying goes.

Your fortunes seem bleak now, but when one is down, the only way out is by going up!

Duke Francis tells me he has let you join his court for the Christmas feast and New Year revels. That should cheer you up somewhat. At least you will have some company, and some fun! As he seems to be relenting in his attitude to you, who knows but the new year may see you released and reunited with Uncle Jasper and your friends. I hope so. I pray that 1473 will be a year in which we of the Lancastrian persuasion can begin to hope again!

God’s blessings upon you, my beloved son. I pray for your welfare and happiness daily.

Margaret Beaufort,

Countess of Richmond

Westminster Palace, Early Spring 1474

‘Duke Francis has become more obdurate than ever about releasing Henry Tudor to me! I will have that boy! He is the last sprig of Henry VI’s Lancastrians. Francis tells me he has him safely where he can do no damage, has even separated him from his resourceful Uncle Jasper. He is guarded now by Francis’s own men. No plotting against me can possibly go on, he says, but he will not let him go, whatever I say, whatever bribes I offer. He knows the boy’s worth as a bargaining tool! Hastings, my good friend, what should I do?’

‘My lord, there is very little more you can do, at present! Stop worrying about Henry Tudor! Duke Francis will do as he says and keep him well guarded so that he is harmless—even with all those adherents nearby! As you say, the boy is too precious to him!

‘Francis really may need your help soon against Louis in his fight for Brittany’s independence—and you are the one he will call upon for that help!’

‘Then why doesn’t he give in to my demands?’

‘He is treading a very fine line, I agree, Sire, in keeping his hands on the boy and trying not to offend you too much.’

‘I wish Richard were here! He would know what to do. But he is so busy now establishing himself as Lord of the North. I did send him there to do just that, so I can hardly recall him so soon!’

‘If things reach crisis point, Sire, and the Lancastrians do use the boy Tudor as a figurehead for yet another uprising, then Richard will come quickly enough. His wife is soon to give birth, I believe, so he will not leave Middleham unless forced to when her time comes.’

‘He will have to if I order him to! She has plenty of women to attend her, I am sure. And he has prevailed upon me to let her mother leave sanctuary at Bealieu Abbey to attend her also. Men are not wanted at birthings, anyway. Their job is done in the first stages of conception only.’

‘True, Sire, but Anne Neville is apparently ailing—she was never strong. He would want to be there to support her if there are any problems at the birth. Her delivery is expected sometime at the beginning of June, it is rumoured.’

‘Well, we will see how things go. Meanwhile, George is up to his tricks again! That man is never satisfied with his lot. He is still stating flatly that he will give up no part of the Neville estates granted to him without a fight! What am I to do with him? I have given him far too much leeway in the past, I am afraid. Now he thinks he can twist me round his little finger.’

‘True, Sire, you must take him in hand, for your own peace of mind! He is a constant worry to you.’

‘Like a buzzing wasp that, however many times one tries to swat it, keeps coming back to bother one! And yet I cannot help loving him, in spite of his many faults!’

‘He is your brother, Sire. One should love one’s close family, whatever they do.’

‘Yes, I suppose so. Yet I know I am too soft with him—always have been! I must make a final decision about how he and Richard share Warwick’s enormous holdings. By the general law of inheritance, the mother, Ann of Warwick, should have inherited everything when the earl was killed, but I am not having that, as the rogue was attainted for being a traitor! As things stand, she is being regarded as if she were dead—in the circumstances—and will get nothing. She did support her husband. She ought to be grateful for escaping any worse punishment!’

‘It is known that she is not grateful for her lot. She apparently rails constantly at what she regards as her incarceration with the kind monks at Beaulieu. Yet she has comfortable quarters there and free board and lodging. What more can she expect?’

‘Richard has put in a token plea to me to release her, probably at the instigation of his wife. But I think he agrees she is better out of the way at Beaulieu, where she can cause no trouble. Once Anne Neville has produced an heir, she will go back there. I will make sure of that!’

Richard. Middleham Castle, Yorks. Late Summer, 1474

Thank God it is all settled at last—this wretched land struggle with George! Edward thinks I came out of it badly and is surprised I accepted his decisions without any more demur! But I had had enough of it all—everyone had—except George of course! The king most particularly, I think!

Edward ruled that I had to give up all those lands to George which I had acquired through Earl Warwick’s death—namely the Beauchamp estates and the whole of the Countess of Warwick’s estates, including Warwick Castle and the Earldom of Warwick. George was not satisfied until he had also received the Earldom of Salisbury, even Earl Warwick’s great house in London, the Herber—which he had appropriated long ago and has been living in as his own ever since! He did not want much, only everything it seems. He even persuaded Edward to ask me to relinquish my post of Great Chamberlain to him. The king thought I would never agree to these outrageous requests!

But when it came to the choice—be barred from marriage to my Anne or lose the estates—there was no choice really. I have lost one woman I loved, and still mourn. There was no way I would also lose the other dear one who had agreed to be my wife. We love each other, I realise now how much, and in the end, it was a right easy decision! I did not care about the lands if it meant getting George off my back! I have enough and I have retained my beloved Middleham, also Sheriff Hutton, Pontefract, and Penrith. I would probably never have visited any of the other lands much if I had kept them. I have never even felt any desire to visit my Gloucester holdings, which I inherited from my father, so why would I care about these new ones? George is far more acquisitive than I am, always has been. I care more about people than lands. And the people of the north are my concern now. In the end, I think the king threatened George that he would take all his lands away if he did not capitulate and agree to my marriage to Anne. Edward did not say as much, but I believe that is what must have happened, as George suddenly caved in after months and months of resistance and demands. The thought of losing everything he had gained on Warwick’s death would have been too much for him!

Now I must do something about Anne’s mother! She is becoming a real burden, as a guest who shows no signs of wishing to leave. She has to be got rid of somehow! Apart from the fact that she constantly bewails her lost lands and the king’s cruelty at stripping her of everything, her extended stay at Middleham has gone on far too long. I will find her a small estate I do not particularly want, somewhere far away so that she cannot bother us with frequent visits. I know Anne feels the same—her mother’s presence somewhat overwhelms her and she would rather have her gone now. She has been here since June. Anne and her mother do get on better now, though, and Anne has told her she forgives her for not intervening when her father bundled her off at only fourteen to a strange court in a strange land—France—to marry the obnoxious Edouard, only son of the equally obnoxious Margaret d’Anjou, Henry VI’s wife in exile!

The countess flatly refuses to return to Beaulieu Abbey. She is angry that she was ever put there by the king but particularly that Edward did not release her from the abbey in time to get here for the birth—which was early anyway, as Anne produced the child prematurely. Anne had called for her and did need her—then.

She was so frightened of the actual birth after what happened to Isabel on board ship in the Channel, and I was far away. But she does not really need her mother any more. The countess is such a difficult and overbearing woman. I cannot stand her, I must admit!

I have two possible small estates I think she may like in Suffolk: Braxhall or Burwash. She can choose which one she prefers, then I will send her there with an escort as soon as possible. She will also get an allowance which will allow her to live comfortably. I think an estate in Suffolk will do very well.

Now all the King talks of is his proposed war with France next year. He has wanted to take armies there for months to try and win back the lands lost last century which he—and a lot of others in high places—feel still belong to England. I am ambivalent on the subject. I believe there are better things to do here. And Edward has not got adequate funds yet to equip and pay an army sizeable enough. He is trying various ways to squeeze more money out of those who can afford it. He did promise not to bring back benevolences, though I fear what he is doing to get money for his plans is the same in all but name. For instance, he butters up rich nobles; city merchants, and their wives. One wife offered him a small amount, but then, when he caught hold of her and kissed her lingeringly on the lips, she pledged a great amount of money to him. What it is to be popular!

Edward could charm the birds off the trees into his hands!

And then there is Henry Tudor, of course. I have a feeling Edward is going to try to extricate him personally from Duke Francis’s custody while he is in France. I am not sure how he plans to do it, but he has grown so impatient with Francis’s refusal to hand the boy over that he is determined to try a more direct approach—perhaps send a small army detachment into Brittany to Francis’s Court to demand his compliance while we are in France with the main army? There are no definite plans yet—only suggestions as to how the boy might be released to Edward without causing too much friction between Edward and Francis. He has tried money bribes—they have not worked. Perhaps we can think up something else to persuade Francis before we embark? But I think Edward will have enough on his plate with the main invasion, without bothering about Tudor! My brother has big ideas, and though I support him out of loyalty, this does not mean I think he will bring them all off. Actually, I feel quite sorry for the boy and certainly wish him no harm myself. I don’t think Edward does either, not really. He just wants him back in England, away from all his supporters, where he can cause no trouble. Lady Margaret Beaufort is continually pleading with the king to get Henry back to England, and I think this is probably the best place for him, if it can be done without too much hassle. Surely he would be better off here with his mother and her husband Lord Stafford—a strong and committed Yorkist—than imprisoned in a foreign castle? She has always had big plans for him, that is true, but would be impotent to carry anything out with the boy safe in England away from those who may cause an uprising in his name in the future!

I have helped as much as I could in preparation for this war which Edward is so set upon, mainly by getting ships fitted out for the transport of men, arms, and horses, which is my particular responsibility in my post as Lord High Admiral. Also, I have promised to supply the king with thirteen hundred expert archers, apart from as many knights, squires, and war horses as I can muster. I have also guaranteed to personally supervise the fletchers and boyers so that no archer can possibly run out of arrows at crucial times—they will probably have a good surplus rather than a deficiency!

Preparations continue apace. The invasion is planned for next summer. We should be ready by then. The French certainly know what we are planning. King Louis, known as ‘The Universal Spider’, because of his devious and unpleasant nature, will no doubt be ready for us too.

Meanwhile, apart from all these preparations, I continue with the consolidation of my authority in the north and sorting out all judicial disputes brought to my notice to the best of my ability. It has been easier than I thought it would be to win over the Neville supporters. For centuries, they have loyally supported the earls of Warwick. I was an unknown quantity to them and expected much resistance and sullen compliance to my wishes. I have tried to be sincere, open, and just with them, and I feel it is working. One can only do one’s best! I know I have a natural ability in commanding men. I thank God for it!

Henry Tudor, Brittany, June 1475

‘And you are going to help Edward, the English king, in this war against France and King Louis, my lord? I hear his forces have mustered and have already crossed the Channel? The king and his brother, the Duke of Gloucester, will surely follow them soon, and all the other Yorkist nobles!’

‘Oui, if he calls me to his aid, I will provide an army. I did promise him long ago. We made a pact that if I helped him to try and win back some—or all—of the lands lost to France last century, he would help me when I am ready to fight for Brittany’s independence from France! Duke Charles of Burgundy has already arrayed his host in preparation, I believe. He will have to help too—his wife, Margaret, is Edward’s sister. However, he is quite an erratic and rash man, given to strange decisions and actions. I think Edward should not trust him overmuch!’

‘And when you go, will you take me with you and give me up to Edward? I am fearful that if I return to England, he will have me done away with when I get there, whatever promises he makes about my safety and security. My mother is very wary of him too. She does not trust his motives!’