White Boar and the Red Dragon, The (4 page)

‘Master Scotus, I am sure that you will excuse the children from their lessons for the rest of today, as my lord husband has come home? Tonight there will be a great feast in honour of his homecoming and success in the last battle. Why do you not take this opportunity to rest or take the air down by the sea? It is a lovely day. If I had not so much to do, I would be out at work in the fresh air myself, tending my herb garden! We use so many different herbs for medicines and ointments that I take especial care of them! Now I must go and order hot water for my lord’s bath and check that the cooks have everything in hand for tonight! I have invited many guests to celebrate with us!’

The tutor nodded briefly, glad of the unexpected break from his teaching routine, although he found both children—especially Henry, most stimulating to teach. The boy had a razor-sharp and very enquiring mind in spite of his tender years, and his constant questioning about everything he was taught kept Master Andreas Scotus very busy attending to his demands! He was also in charge of the education of Maude’s brothers and sisters, but they were younger and were taught at a separate time, as they could not possibly keep up with Henry and Maude.

As they descended the great stone stairway, Henry’s mind continued seething with the unfairness of it all. It should be Uncle Jasper’s homecoming they were going to be celebrating that night, not Lord Herbert’s. He had just taken over everything that belonged to his uncle! How could that be right? Wasn’t it stealing? The Bible said that taking someone else’s property was breaking one of the Ten Commandments!

How could the king give away something which belonged to another man? Confused and unhappy, Henry followed Lady Anne and Maude downstairs.

As they entered the Great Hall below, which was overflowing with crowds of Lord Herbert’s men and servants carrying in boxes and bags, he saw the tall figure of Lord Herbert advancing towards them. After greeting his wife and Maude affectionately, he turned and looked down at the small boy in front of him.

‘Well, young Henry, I hope I find you healthy and happy? I know that my Lady wife has cared for you well and that you want for nothing!’

‘I am most grateful to her, my lord. She knows that. But I still miss my Uncle Jasper!’

‘Of course you do, boy. That is only natural! I am sure you will see him again one day! Now I must bathe and get ready for the great feast which I know is being prepared! I will talk longer with you tomorrow!’

He turned away and began to stride towards the spiral stone staircase which led up to his private apartments, followed by his wife.

Henry just stood, glowering, unable to utter a word, though inside he seethed. He desperately wanted to throw a tantrum like he used to when he was tiny and Nurse Bethan would not let him have something he wanted; to scream and shout and roll around on the floor to relieve his feelings! But he kept his mouth clamped shut. He knew that if he said anything, anything at all, the floodgates would burst open and the restraint he had been showing would break down in a moment!

He was grateful now for the training in behaviour he had received from Master Scotus, apart from the book learning.

At the feast, which he knew he was bound to attend, though in no mood for rejoicing, all he had to do was to be polite and say as little as possible and he would get through the evening somehow.

Pembroke Castle, The Feast, 30 September 1462

The feast was at its height. Many important guests had already eaten their way through the first course, which consisted of various shellfish—mussels, prawns, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, and also sea bream, salmon from the rivers, along with an amazing array of other rare and strange fish. These included conger eel, sea crayfish, and even sea mammals such as porpoises and seals.

Ale flowed freely and was consumed by the gallon, also mead and wine. Many of the guests were already very merry.

Great dishes full of a large variety of fruits were arrayed along the centre of the long trestle tables: apples, pears, quinces, even grapes from France, for ships from French ports frequently docked in Pembroke Harbour, full of exotic goods, along with the fishing boats owned by the local people. There had been a bumper harvest that year, with so much fruit—and a lot still to be picked—that what was not eaten, if properly stored in cool places, would last through winter right into next spring.

But Henry hardly noticed the great array. His thoughts were elsewhere, with Uncle Jasper in the mountains of North Wales, where he was supposed to be hiding out.

‘What is wrong, Henry? Are you feeling ill? You usually enjoy your food!’

The concerned questioner was Maude, who sat next to him, happily devouring a dish of steamed salmon with relish.

‘I’m just not hungry, that’s all,’ he answered absent-mindedly.

‘But you must eat! And there’s so much to choose from. The next course includes swan and peacock. Are you waiting for those?’

‘No, I’m just not interested in food today, that’s all. I’ve other things on my mind!’

Henry knew that Maude was only asking because she cared about him. She was a kind girl, and being a little older in years, tended to mother him rather as girls will small boys and always stood up for him when his mother or their eminent tutor, Andreas Scotus, found fault with him over something he had done or had omitted to do. Mature and wise for her years, Maude seemed to have an intuitive understanding of what he was going through that day.

‘Try not to be resentful of my father, Henry. He is a good man and kind and will always look after you as if you were one of his own sons and keep you safe.’

‘But I don’t want him to! It’s my Uncle Jasper I want to care for me. He should be here. This feast should be for him!’

‘Well, he isn’t, and it’s not! It’s sad for you, and I can imagine how you must feel so upset at the moment, Henry. I would too if I had lost all those closest to me as you have: your father killed before you were born, your mother going away when she remarried, and now your beloved uncle having to go into hiding in fear of his life! But try to be thankful that at least you are safe here, with a kind family to look after you!’

Henry knew that Maude was fond of him, as he was of her. He did not want to hurt her by criticising her father. His black mood dominated his whole mind at the moment, however.

‘But your father should not even be here! He should not be Lord of Pembroke! This is my uncle’s castle, my uncle’s lands! One should not take what belongs to others. It’s one of the Ten Commandments! Lord Herbert is a thief!’

There was a sudden shocked silence at his vehement outburst, and all eyes turned towards this high-born young lad who could not control his feelings, or his mouth.

‘Sssh! Henry! You must not say such things!’ cried Maude, putting a finger on his lips. ‘Be not so bitter! How could my father have refused the king’s gift? It would have made King Edward angry, and one does not make kings angry deliberately. It is not safe!’

‘I don’t care! The king was wrong to give away Uncle Jasper’s castle! He had no right to do it! And your father is wrong to accept it!’

By this time, the whole hall was silent, staring open-mouthed at this loud-mouthed young upstart. Young he may be, their faces said, but wild and wilful and very unwise! By now, if he had been an adult, he would have been put under arrest and dragged off to prison, accused as a traitor, to await the king’s punishment, but Henry had completely lost all his earlier self-control. He felt as if his head was bursting with misery. It was all just too much for him to cope with, and in spite of Maude trying to hold him down in his seat on the bench, he jumped up, threw down the apple, he had been nibbling, and flung himself out of the hall.

He ran and ran, under the open portcullis, straight out of the main gate and along the lowered drawbridge—luckily left like that for the evening so that any of the important guests might come and go at will.

The strong, salty wind from the west battered his face and filled his nose and lungs with blessed fresh air. After the smoky, stifling atmosphere of the Great Hall, where scents of food mixed with strong body odours had made him feel he could not breathe, as he already felt stifled by his raging anger and misery, he breathed deeply of it as he ran, the great gulps of sea air flushing away the bitterness and heartbreak.

He came to a stop on the quayside, his chest heaving convulsively, and found himself teetering right on the edge, gazing down into the inky blackness of the harbour water.

Gradually, his breathing slowed and steadied, and he became calmer, but he still stood there, peering into the dark water. It drew him like a magnet, mirroring his dark thoughts.

‘Come along, young master. They are all so worried about you up at the castle, whatever! Lady Anne sent me to find you and bring you home!’

It was the lean figure of Davydd ap Llewellyn, his friend, son of the castle horse master, who stood by him now, his arm on Henry’s shoulder. He was about ten years old, strong and wiry, but small for his age. He helped his father break in horses in the fields behind the castle and train them to have no fear when carrying men in full armour into battle. He had taught Henry to ride last year, and Henry liked him a lot. They were friends. He was proud of his friendship with Davydd, though the Herbert children and Andreas Scotus frowned on it. Strangely enough, Lady Anne encouraged it, realising, no doubt, that Henry needed all the friends he could get, even if they were of low birth. Davydd was down-to-earth and sensible and helped to keep the somewhat wilful smaller boy in line.

‘Home? Is that what it is? It doesn’t feel like my home any longer! I feel like an outcast in that castle now!’

‘Well, boyo, there is nothing you can do about the situation whatever! May as well accept it! As my father says, “What can’t be cured must be endured!” At least you have a good home, food, and clothes to keep you warm. And people who care about you! I know many round about here who have none of those things! So you must be grateful for what you have got!’

‘Count my blessings? Is that it? Forget about my Uncle Jasper? Forget that Lord Herbert has stolen his castle and lands?’

‘No, of course not. But you must realise that it is the king who has caused all this! He gave Lord Herbert your uncle’s castle and lands because he is a loyal Yorkist and supports him. Your uncle is a Lancastrian and hates the king! That is why he has been stripped of his rights. He is the king’s enemy! Do you not see, boyo? There is nothing to be done here but accept your lot! You are too young to fight King Edward’s will!’

‘Maybe, but one day, when I grow old enough and become a knight, I will fight him! One day, I will make sure that my uncle’s birthright is returned to him!’

‘For now, lad, you must accompany me back to the castle and make your apologies to Lord Herbert! There is no other way. He may not treat you so kindly in the future if he thinks that you openly hate him and defy him! Learn to accept his will—you will be happier for it!’

The solid good sense of the older boy, his good friend, at last permeated Henry’s self-centred black mood, and he allowed himself to be escorted back into the castle by him, agreeing to trust his advice. That day, he had learnt a lesson in survival—that one must dissemble when it was in one’s own interests.

‘Now you must go and apologise to Lord Herbert and Lady Anne, Henry boyo! You are their guest and they will no doubt be angry at what you said and how you behaved in front of all his other guests!’

‘I don’t care. It isn’t fair!’

‘Life isn’t fair, but you have it better than most—think about what I said down by the dock! Go in now and find his lordship!’

Davydd gave Henry a shove in the direction of the Great Hall, from which the sound of merriment and minstrels’ music issued, though the music was almost drowned by laughing and loud voices. Very reluctantly, but knowing that what Davydd had said made sense, Henry walked slowly to the hall, with dragging steps, expecting a severe reprimand and punishment for his unacceptable behaviour earlier.

But when he appeared in the archway, there was an immediate hush, and then Lord Herbert put down his flagon of wine, strode towards the boy, picked him up, and held him high above his head.

‘Here he is, the recalcitrant youth! But we all forgive him for his outburst, don’t we? He is only very young, after all!’

He let out a great laugh and swung Henry round and round in the air until he was dizzy, then deposited him by Lady Anne, who put her arms around him, pulling him on to her lap. In that moment, he realised he had better make the best of things. After all, these people cared about him, even though he was not of their family, and he must respect Lord Herbert from now on and try to obey his will. He was already fond of Lady Anne, as she had shown great kindness to him, being like a second mother really, and Maude and the other children were all friendly to him too. He had expected recriminations and a beating, but was getting nothing but kindness. They understood how he felt!

Lady Anne picked up a piece of roast swan and held it to his lips. ‘Come, Henry, you must eat! Try this—just for me. Yes?’

Henry took the meat and put it into his mouth, chewed it, and found it very good. Suddenly, with his change in mood, he realised that his appetite had returned! He slid down off Lady Anne’s lap, bowed to her in thanks, then stood humbly before Lord Herbert.

‘I apologise, my lord, for what I said and for running out so rudely from your table. But I was so upset… !’

‘I know, my boy. Forget it and enjoy the rest of the feasting!’

When he returned to his seat beside Maude rather shame-facedly, she smiled gently at him and offered him a portion of fruit tart, which he ate with relish.

Lord Herbert then stood, held up his arms to get attention, and addressed the assembled guests.

‘I thank you all for celebrating with me my good fortune in acquiring this great castle and all the estates and towns surrounding it from our lord, King Edward!

But my family’s real home is at Raglan Castle, in Gwent. We will be returning there in a week or so, when I have seen that this castle is properly garrisoned and fortified against attack by the Lancastrian armies during my absence!