Michael JECKS - The Oath

‘You shouldn’t spoil them,’ Simon grumbled.

‘They will hardly be spoiled for the cost of one farthing,’ Margaret said tartly.

‘If they learn that they can get all they want by begging, they’ll never see the need to work,’ Simon said.

‘Perhaps they will see the advantage of money, and thus learn to love work, husband,’ she replied.

‘And perhaps they will learn to love reward without effort, woman.’

Margaret leaned forward and laid her hand upon his wrist. ‘Are you angry, Simon?’

‘No,’ he smiled.

‘Good, because you are speaking like a horse’s arse, dear,’ she said sweetly.

‘I don’t think–’ he began, but stopped as they turned a corner and saw the castle before them.

The curtain walls were enormous, at least as large as the Tower’s in London, and as befitted the second city in the realm, the castle within was as imposing as the White Tower. However, it was not the sight of the buildings or the enormous walls that stilled them both.

It was the carts, wagons, and men who lined the roadway, waiting to enter the castle with provisions. Simon felt ice invade his bones. He and Meg had seen that selfsame picture only a matter of weeks ago, in London.

‘They think they will soon be under siege!’ Margaret breathed. And the sob in her throat was enough to make Simon’s heart lurch.

Near Chepstow

The ship was an old cog, a round-bellied sow in the best of weather, Sir Ralph of Evesham thought to himself. He hated sailing.

Sir Hugh le Despenser led the way to the gang-plank, and from thence out to the rear of the vessel. There was an ill-fitting door here, that squeaked loudly as it opened, giving access to a small cabin. Sir Hugh walked in, leaving the door wide for Sir Ralph, and went to stand at the window. It was an opening covered with a sheet of waxed parchment that allowed a yellowish-grey light into the chamber, leaving it brighter than it would have been, while keeping the worst of the wind at bay.

‘Sir Ralph,’ he said, ‘we must sail as soon as practicable. We shall take some few men with us. You, I would prefer to remain behind.’

He studied a forefinger, then thrust it into his mouth and worried at the stub of a nail. His nails were already bitten back to the quick, leaving half the bed exposed, and when Sir Ralph glanced at his hand, he saw that there were little red crescents about each nail where he had chewed down too far and made them bleed.

The sight was repugnant. No man should so lose control of himself that he made such a display of weakness. ‘What do you want of me?’ he asked.

‘Today the King will send two friars to meet with the Queen and try to negotiate for the lives of all aboard this ship.’

Both men knew what that meant. The Queen would not have any desire, surely, to murder her husband, nor would she have much against the inoffensive Baldock. She had only ever harboured a detestation for two of the King’s friends: Bishop Walter Stapledon, and Sir Hugh le Despenser. Those two she hated with all the ardour of a lioness who has witnessed the death of her cub. Stapledon had aided others to curb her authority and power, while Despenser had taken away her husband. She would want to see Despenser suffer for all the insults he had offered her in the last six years or more.

‘The friars will return here. We are to try to make our way to Ireland, if we may, and the friars will join us there, with fortune. We would ask that you serve the friars and ensure their safety.’

‘I shall do so, if it be the King’s desire.’

‘It is.’

‘Where shall I bring them afterwards?’

Despenser took his finger from his mouth with an expression of pain. He stared at it a moment, then looked up at Sir Ralph, and for a second or two, Sir Ralph could swear the man had forgotten he was there.

‘I didn’t mean for this, you know,’ he said. ‘I never intended to hurt the king. I love him.’ He put the finger back in his mouth, and turned to face the window.

Speaking with a low, thoughtful tone, he went on: ‘It all began as a simple way to support him. They put me into his household to watch him, you know. Thomas of Lancaster, Walter Stapledon and the others all wanted the King observed so that he could be controlled. But Bishop Walter and I disagreed with the whole idea when it became clear that Earl Thomas wanted to control him. What right did we have to keep an eye on him all the time? None. So soon after I was made Chamberlain, I began to learn how to help him. He is a kind man, you know?’

He turned as though seeking support. Sir Ralph had little idea what to do, so he nodded his head. It seemed sufficient, and the King’s closest adviser turned back to the window.

‘I gradually began to win his trust. And we discovered a closer friendship, too. A mutual affection. It was little more than that, I swear. But we have similar interests; fascinations. Why should we not? And I have enriched myself, but that is no crime. All before me in the same position have taken what they can, just as I have, and just as any will do after I am dead. Any man who doesn’t enrich himself when he may, is a fool.’

‘I think I need to join my men.’

‘I’m finished, aren’t I?’ Despenser said suddenly. He turned from the window and seated himself in a little chair. ‘There’s nothing we can do. If we raise a host of men from Ireland, will we be able to bring them back here? I doubt me that. And if we do, there will be a bloodbath, and the people of England would never forgive me, nor the King, for the waste of English blood. That bitch has managed all without killing a single man. She landed without dispute, runs about the country without hindrance, and soon she will be here and will have taken the whole kingdom.’

‘If the King were to hold his banner against her, perhaps her allies would refuse to fight him,’ Sir Ralph said. ‘Just as during the Marcher Wars. The Lords Marcher would not lift their standards against his. All submitted.’

‘That was then. This is now. She has already put money on my head, did you know that? The impudence of the bitch! She dared to offer money for my capture, yet she is the invader. But her men are all from Hainault, and they will obey her, the daughter of the King of France, rather than bow to King Edward of England on his own land.’

‘Perhaps so.’

‘So I will be exiled. I’ll have to go to the Holy Roman Empire or beyond, to avoid her clutches, and those of her brother. I shall become a wanderer without home or property. And Mortimer, her lover, will win all he wants. His family has beaten mine at the end.’

‘You want me to bring the friars where, when they have had their negotiation with the Queen?’

Despenser stared at him, and now Sir Ralph was sure that there was genuine desperation in his eyes. Sir Hugh had wanted him to understand him, to understand his position.

‘Take them to Cardiff. My people hold that town, and it should remain safe a little longer.’

And with that Sir Hugh le Despenser stood and went to the window again, saying nothing more.

Sir Ralph waited for a dismissal, but when it was clear there would be none, he walked from the room without speaking further. Sir Hugh was obviously convinced that he would be caught and slain, just as others had been before him.

Fourth Wednesday after the Feast of St Michael [22] 22 October 1326

Outskirts of Bristol

After riding steadily, it was a relief for Baldwin to see the city ahead of them as they came out of the trees. For all his vigilance, there had been no sign of a man following them, and he began to wonder if his alarm and suspicion had been justified, but then the memory of the bearded assailant at the inn came to his mind, and he urged his horse and his companions on to greater efforts.