David the Prince - Scotland 03 (54 page)

Then, at last, Henry, Bishop of Winchester himself arrived from Durham. He declared that King Stephen was now prepared to speak with King David. He would meet him at Chester-le-Street, as suggested, two days hence, one hundred men only to accompany each monarch.

* * *

It was quite a performance to ensure that both sides arrived at the venue, the site of the former Roman fort, at precisely the same moment, so that neither king could seem to have to wait for the other. All concerned were clad as though for war -although David could not rival Stephen's splendour, in crown-encircled helmet, gold-scaled armour and colourful horse-furniture.

"Mummery!" Hervey scoffed. "Play-acting! Is this what we have come for?"

"It may well be," David told him. "But we may not act quite the same play! In my mummery the costume is less important than the words!"

The two sides drew up in long lines facing each other about a score of yards apart, the principals under their banners in the centre. Stephen was quick to get in the first word.

"I would greet you more warmly, King David, were you not deep in my realm in armed force."

"I am deep in Northumbria, Stephen fitz Stephen - which is scarcely the same. Northumbria has always been part of my realm of Scotland. But
...
I greet you fairly."

"You have brought thousands of men to Northumbria. Why, if it is yours?"

"Five thousand only — but a fifth of yours. I could scarcely have come with less. And might have brought so many more! Is it not so?
You
have!"

Stephen tried another tack. "When last I saw you
,
you were not claiming Northumbria as yours."

"When last I
saw you
,
you were swearing support for the Empress should her father die!"

"Conditions change. Kingdoms cannot be ruled by the testaments of dead men! You know that as well as any. The English asked me, the heir-male, to be their King, in place of a woman. It was best. For all."

"The people of England? I think that you . . . exaggerate!"

"All who matter did."

"You say so? Does not the Earl of Gloucester matter? Nor the Earl of Cornwall? Nor the Earl of Surrey? Nor even such as my son the Earl of Huntingdon?"

"I have just heard that my cousin Robert of Gloucester has accepted a pension of five thousand marks for his support of me! I bought Henry's other bastard, Cornwall, for considerably less, some time ago!"

David had difficulty in masking his expression, achieving only a sort of wooden immobility. So that was why there had been no word from Gloucester at Arundel, no move to match his own invasion. It would be, also, why Stephen had waited — for confirmation. So there was to be no uprising. Only Aw own oath apparently had meant anything at all. And he had brought his Scots force into the jaws of disaster for nothing . . .

Or not disaster, yet. The immediate situation had not changed, whatever the
longer-term outl
ook. Hoping that his voice sounded calm, unperturbed, he spoke.

"Bastards may so behave. But I would not rely on bought men to keep their bargains, Stephen - any kind of bought men, high or low! You should watch your back, I think! There is
still
a lot of England who care nothing for Henry's bastards. Too many to find pensions for, with even Henry's treasure!"

"We shall see. As for you - what
do
you
want?"

Again David had to disguise his sur
prise. "Want?" He swallowed. "I
am not in the market-place! I want nothing that is not my own. What I have come to take. There is no buying me. I am come only for my provinces of Northumbria and Cumbria. Naught else." He hoped that his voice sounded steady.

There was a long silence, while Stephen chewed at his lip. He turned to exchange a few words, low-voiced, with his brother. At last he spoke.

"If I accede to this, in some measure, will you return to Scotland?"

The Scots could scarcely believe their ears. David inclined his head. "If the arrangement is satisfactory, yes." "You swear it?"

"I do not require to swear to keep my word, sir! And I
would not have believed that you
put much faith in oaths! But, in the circumstances - yes. I am willing to swear that my main armed strength will return to Scotland forthwith if you agree to cede Northumbria and Cumbria to my realm."

"No - not that, man. Not to your realm. To
you.
Not to Scotland — to yourself. Two earldoms — for which you would do homage to me."

"Ah! That is a different matter altogether. No, my
friend - I
,
King of Scots, will do homage to no man. Your uncle sought that, and did not gain it. I will nowise yield it to you, for Northumbria or Cumbria or any other."

There was another lengthy pause, while Stephen conferred.

"Then I fear we must do battle!" he said at length. "I have been more than reasonable. I cannot do more. And you cannot win such battle, David. My host is many times greater than yours."

"Greater in numbers than the Scots I have brought - who did not come to fight you. But not greater than the Northumbrians! All Northumbria will rise against you, at my behest. Already they are mustering. And you have got to win across Tyne. Think you that will be easy? With an entire province against you, under Scots leadership? You will never do it."

In the further period for thought, young Henry whispered to his father that
he
could do fealty to Stephen for Northumbria and Cumbria, as for Huntingdon, without compromising the Scots crown. David nodded. He had thought of that, but he said to wait.

It was as though the other had heard them. "A pity to shed blood when reason could and should prevail," he called. "Your son, there, is one of my earls - Huntingdon. If he can make homage for Huntingdon, why not Northumbria and Cumbria? I will not part these from England—but could yield them as fiefs to a Scots earl."

"They are Scots soil, I say. But
...
it might be considered."

"Do so consider, then. Unless you desire war."

"I am not afraid of war. But not over Northumbria and Cumbria. But for my oath of support for Maud."

"Your oath was made to Henry, not Maud — and Henry is dead. Would you make war for a dead man? Consider well," Stephen waved a gauntleted hand. "I also go to consider this matter." He turned round, and rode
a little way back from his line.

David, for his part, did not move, as a matter of policy. Also there was really nothing to consider. They were gaining infinitely more than they could have hoped for — Cumbria in addition to Northumbria. And without having to fight. Admittedly, not to be part of Scotland - but this in name only. Time could well change that. Young Henry's fealty would not tie the King of Scots. Even David's fire-eating Normans did not require this to be pointed out to them - although their attitudes tended to be that since Stephen, with his great army, was so reluctant to put matters to the test, they ought to fight and win the more.

When presently Stephen returned with his advisers, David was quick to speak first.

"What have you decided, my friend? Do we battle or do we not?"

"It is you who must decide, not me," the other answered. And then, as though that might sound weak, he went on, "I have gone as far as I can with you, man. If you promise to withdraw your array back to Scotland, and no more threaten my realm. And if the Prince your son will do fealty to me for Northumbria and Cumbria, I will convey into his hands the royal castles of Tyne and Caer-luel. Better than that I cannot do. For the friendship of our two realms."

"Rufus's new castle on Tyne is already in my hands," David returned, but not forcefully.

"Do you agree, sir?" That was almost agitated.

"I do." David spoke firmly now. "The castle of Caer-luel. My son does fealty to you for the two provinces, to Tees and Ribble. And I retire to Scotland."

"And you will no more threaten my kingdom?"

"Not unless you give me new cause, Stephen."

"Very well. We are all here witness to your promise. I shall have the documents scribed, signed and sealed. The Prince Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, to accompany me back to York, there to swear fealty with due ceremony. Then to receive the documents. Come if you will, also."

"I thank you-no. I will return to Scotland. One last matter-you will recall Ivo de Vesci, from Bamburgh? And Randolph de Meschin from Caer-luel? With all their people? I do not wish to meet either."

"Very well. They are no friends of mine." Stephen hesitated, then. "David — you have not once addressed me as King. Have you forgot?"

"No, sir. I have not forgotten my oath, to Maud."

"But I
am
King of England, whatever your oath, man! Duly crowned and anointed. By the Archbishop of Canterbury. And all ratified by a Bull of Pope Innocent."

"I do not greatly esteem either of your archbishops - who both also pronounced support for the Empress! And I do not recognise Innocent as Pope, but Anacletus - so his Bulls scarcely concern me!"

They left it at that.

A party of young knights were selected to accompany Henry on his visit to York. David had some advice for his son, but had sufficient confidence in his good sense to be sure that he would know how to cope with most that Stephen might produce.

David turned his face northwards, still scarcely believing that he had achieved, in one short hour and by mere words, gestures, what his father had spent a lifetime trying to achieve with fire and sword.

28

D
avid's fear that
it had all been just too easy was justified. At first all seemed to go well enough. Young Henry sent back word to his father that Stephen was being notably gracious. The fealty-swearing had gone off without incident and the charters of Northumbria and Cumbria duly handed over - Henry's messenger bringing these back to Scotland with him. Henry himself, at Stephen's pressing invitation, had gone south with the English army, to London, for a visit. He thought it wise to accede to this, so that he might learn more of the true situation there and the mood prevailing in England.

David was well pleased with his son.

Then stories began to come from the South presaging trouble. Stephen, feeling more secure on the throne, was beginning to act the tyrant. Instead of handing out largesse he was raking in fierce taxation again, oppressing the people, riding roughshod over the sensibilities of rich and poor, Norman and Saxon alike. He was certainly not fulfilling his promise to his subjects. Would he be any more likely to fulfil them towards David his enemy? To gain early support he had said that he would abolish most of the hated forest laws, and the worst excesses of serfdom on the indigenous population. He now did the reverse, and this served to offend both people and nobles — for though the royal forests, covering so vast an area, were to be reduced, the land involved had been promised to the nobles and clergy. Chaos was therefore developing in much of England, with little or no attempts made at good government or any firm control. As far as David and Scotland were concerned, neither de Vesci nor de Meschin was withdrawn from Bamburgh or Caer-luel, both continuing to behave as though nothing was changed. David was prepared to be patient, but he began to fear that steps would require to be taken.

There was, however, no hint of any organised rising in England in favour of the Empress.

Then, after Eastertide, Henry came home. In the end, he had had to leave Stephen's Court in a hurry. There had been some hostility against him from the start, amongst Stephen's modey collection of supporters and hangers-on, although the King

himself had seemed to want his guest to stay, just why was not clear. Then, at a feast in the Tower of London on Easter Day, after a special thanksgiving service at Westminster, Stephen had seated Henry in the place of honour at his right hand, above the Archbishop of Canterbury, likewise above his own cousin, the Earl of Chester, the principal noble supporting him. As well as embarrassing Henry, this had infuriated many, and a violent scene had erupted. Henry had been personally assaulted and his Scots party insulted. Stephen had cowered before it all, and then left the hall. The Prince and his friends had departed for home the next day.

David was annoyed, of course - but really more concerned with the news on the wider front which Henry brought back. Geoffrey Plantagenet, the Empress's husband, had agreed to a two-year truce over the contested succession, for a pension of five thousand marks - presumably with Maud's assent. This appeared to make nonsense of her claims and hopes of the throne. Louis of France had accepted Stephen as King of England and was proposing to betroth his daughter to Eustace, Stephen's child son. Most of the Normandy nobles had come over to Stephen's side, and he had put his elder brother, Theobald Count of Blois, at their head meantime, also with a pension, with instructions to put that dukedom in a fit state to receive him, for he would be coming there just as soon as he could safely leave England, to
install
the boy Eustace as Duke of Normandy. Robert of Gloucester, like most other of Maud's former supporters, had made the best bargain he could for himself, on condition that his rights and privileges were maintained.