Michael Jecks - The King of Thieves

‘My head has experienced enough misery caused by him already,’ Simon muttered.

‘And he brings our Duke, too,’ Baldwin said.

It was true. As Simon turned to look, he saw the young heir to the throne walking a little in front of Sir Richard. Behind them both was the tutor, Richard of Bury, and a short distance further back, Sir Henry de Beaumont.

‘Had to think of a reason to get the Duke out of that place,’ Sir Richard confided to Simon later. ‘Didn’t want him closeted with that snake de Beaumont. No telling what the man might get up to.’

He was worried, but so was Baldwin. There was a real risk that this embassy to France could be fracturing along a number of lines: those loyal to the Queen, those loyal to the King, those loyal to the King’s son. And in that environment, he was sure, the only certain loser would be the son.

Sir Henry had fallen back as they walked among the great buildings and crossed the bridge to the Île de la Cité. Here Richard of Bury began to expound on the history of France and of the great cathedral of Notre-Dame. Simon listened with half an ear, Baldwin saw, and gradually he himself fell back until he was next to Sir Henry.

‘Sir Henry, what do you think of this?’ he asked.

‘It is a splendid memorial to that marvellous Lady.’

Baldwin nodded. ‘She must be proud to be so praised. Few women can expect such glory.’

‘Few indeed.’

Baldwin glanced across at him. The knight was quiet, but every so often he cast a sidelong look at Baldwin as though wishing he could speak his mind without fear.

At last, as the Duke and Sir Richard strode on ahead, Richard of Bury drawing their attention to some new decoration or another aspect of the cathedral, Sir Henry de Beaumont said quickly, ‘A word, Sir Baldwin?’

‘If you wish.’

‘There is much wrong with our kingdom. In past times, barons have risen up against their ruler when that ruler became less than deserving of their total support.’

He paused hopefully, clearly anticipating some comment from Baldwin, but the knight merely nodded agreement without speaking.

‘Of course, at the time, many of them were looked upon as disloyal. But there is a higher loyalty, is there not? To the Crown itself, and not to the mere figure of the man who wears it at any particular time. You and I, Sir Baldwin, we have both made our own oaths, have we not? To the Crown and to-’

‘The King. And yes, it is a matter of honour that we uphold those oaths,’ Baldwin said uncompromisingly.

‘Can we? Can you ? You know what that man Despenser is doing to people all over the kingdom, Sir Baldwin! Men and women, kidnapped, murdered, their estates broken up, their children orphaned, their inheritances stolen — and all while the King looks on without compassion or care. So long as his friend Sir Hugh le Despenser is safe and happy, he is happy too. Is it any way to rule the nation? The people deserve better, Sir Baldwin. They deserve the rule of law!’

‘And you would impose this rule of law by breaking the most important rule of loyalty? You would impose it by breaking with your King?’ Baldwin said with heat. ‘What kind of rule would you put in its place? A tyranny of another sort, no doubt. What credence can I put in the judgement of a man who would contemplate removal of the legitimate King placed there by God Himself?’

‘You mean you would prefer to see the Despenser there at the seat of government?’

‘Of course not! The man’s insanely avaricious.’

‘His greed is without limit. He will not be satisfied until he has consumed the whole of the kingdom.’

‘Perhaps so, but that is no reason for me to prove disloyal to the King. I will not.’

‘Without the aid of men like you, what will happen to the kingdom? What will there be left for the Duke? What will there be left for the people of our island?’

Sir Henry had stopped now. He was speaking with all the passion and persuasion he could muster, and Baldwin could not stare into his eyes without feeling a compulsion to agree.

He stared up at the cathedral. ‘Sir Henry, our people have lived through the depredations of the Vikings, through the invasion of the Normans, and will survive any number of trials caused by the King and his friends. If you say, do I think that there is a better way to rule, then I would have to agree. If you suggest that the Despenser is uniquely venal and vile, I would have to agree. But if you say that there is only one manner in which the country can be saved, and that it involves removing our King, I would have to reject that. I will not agree to the proposition that a man has a right to rise against his lawfully anointed King. That way lies insanity.’

‘Perhaps. But if it does, it is a more wholesome and rational insanity than the madness which we suffer right now. The rule of law is broken, Sir Baldwin. The men whom Despenser has deprived are wandering, landless, shiftless, and hopeless. They rob and break into homes for food, and the more confident the Despenser grows, the more he steals, and the more wandering men there are with no money, no hope. It is a tragedy for the whole kingdom, Sir Baldwin, and you propose to stand by and watch it unfold, doing nothing to protect those who most need our support?’

‘And whom would you put in the King’s place?’ Baldwin snapped. ‘Another knight who desired an earldom? A knight who desired nothing for himself, so he could be all the more malleable to another hand? Or another? Who would you have sit on the throne and accept a sip from this poisoned chalice?’

‘There is another already.’ Sir Henry’s eyes flicked towards the Duke, standing with Sir Richard and his tutor.

‘You would have that child put on his throne? And who then would hold the power? Oh, you sound so plausible, Sir Henry, but all you suggest is false! A boy of not yet fourteen on the throne of England? He would need a man with great power and authority behind him to maintain the Crown, and that man would have to fight all those who were against him and wanted a return to the old system. You would have the boy risk his life to protect your hide for a few years?’

Now he had come to his point, Sir Henry spoke swiftly. ‘There is a way. If his mother were prepared to protect her son and see that he was given a smooth ride to the throne, then all would be well. I say we should remove the Despenser, and if necessary — only if necessary — remove the King as well, and have the Duke installed under the wise direction of his own mother and a small council. All to govern in the interests of the nation. That would be best.’

‘Of course — if you wish civil war to lay waste to the majority of the island. Are you mad? Do you seriously believe that you can persuade enough barons to agree to this lunacy? You would have war in moments of the boy being placed on the throne.’

‘Do you think we are so foolish, Sir Baldwin-’ Sir Henry began. The words choked him in his throat, and he paused and looked away. When he met Baldwin’s gaze once more, there were tears in his eyes, and he spoke more slowly, more quietly. ‘Do you think that you alone have any honour and integrity? Do you think you possess a monopoly of chivalry? I tell you this, Sir Baldwin, if there was any other way I could see to remove the Despenser and have the realm return to peace, I would wholeheartedly pursue it. If I could believe that the King would rid himself of this canker, I would remain content. If there was some evidence that he would once again return to enjoy the affections of his wife, I would be joyful. In Christ’s name, do you think that I want to ruin the realm? But look at it, Sir Baldwin! I urge you: look at it sensibly! What other action can be taken, than the forcible removal of Sir Hugh le Despenser and, if necessary, the removal of the King himself. The realm is dissolving before our eyes, and you want to quibble about a chivalric ideal!’