The Fallen Crown (18 page)

We were admitted to the hall.  Rafe and Wilfred slept in the stable with the horses.  They would be content.  They had endured worse.  We were taken into the hall.  Henry of Bois could have been the double of his brother.  I had met Theobald but never Henry. Although a man of the church he was also a political animal.  It had been he who had secured the throne for Stephen. He had organised and manipulated the Archbishops and Bishops to anoint the usurper as king.  Now I knew why the Empress had come.

He gave a slight bow and smiled.  The smile was on his lips and not in his eyes. "My lady and the Earl of Cleveland.  I am honoured."

Matilda was not taken in by his false smile, "Your Grace, I seek urgent conference with you... in private."

The smile left his face and he nodded, "Come with me."

I turned to join my knights when she said, "No, my lord.  I need you with me."

As I turned I saw the frown crease the Bishop's face and then he smiled, "As you wish, my lady!"

He led us to a small room.  It was guarded and it was comfortably furnished.  I guessed this was his meeting place. We sat and he poured some wine. The Empress was about to drink until I put my hand on hers.

The Bishop looked confused and then he nodded. He drank some. "You are cautious Earl, but you do not think I would stoop to murder do you?"

I drank some and said, "I was in Durham not long ago where I saw a Bishop murdered by poison. The murderer would be Bishop now."

"That was shocking but Cumin will never be Bishop. Pope Innocent has decreed it so." He shook his head, "First poor Rufus and then Thurstan. We have lost two great leaders."

"And that is why I have come to you, Bishop. You are now the leading churchman in England." He nodded as the Empress spoke and sipped his wine.  His eyes never left her face. "Your brother has been defeated and is now a prisoner in my hall.  I would be crowned."

"I heard that Stephen was defeated.  The word is that it was the Earl of Cleveland who finally felled him.  You are ever my brother's Nemesis, my lord."

"All that I do is to ensure that King Henry's wishes are observed. He did not wish Stephen to be king."

"He did not wish civil war either."

The Empress' voice cut through this sparring.  "That is the past, my lords! We speak of the present and the future.  Can you have me anointed as Queen?"

"There are many who would wish my brother to be king still. It would not be easy."

She nodded, "What would make it easier?"

"Perhaps if one person was given charge of the Church then a strong hand might guide the bishops to the correct decision."

"That might work.  Who would you suggest?  Nigel of Ely?"

"Nigel is a good man but some might think he was too closely associated with your cause my lady.  I think we need someone who is not as close to you."

"Someone like yourself."

He spread his hands.  "As the brother of the former king if I supported your cause then it would give the council more impartiality."

"It would.  If I give you the power over the church in England you would support my cause?"

"I am the only one the Pope recognises in the land.  There is no other."

"Then we have an agreement."

"You have made a wise decision my lady.  I will hold a council before Easter." She nodded.  He turned to me.  "You are quiet my lord, does it not meet with your approval?"

"When the Empress is crowned and my work is done then I will approve until then I remain suspicious. I have learned to be so while protecting the Northern Marches."

He looked me in the eye and said, firmly, "I swear that I will do as I have promised.  The Empress will be anointed Queen."

It was my turn to smile, "When that is done then I shall be in your debt and I will be able to return to my valley and my people. I prefer their honesty."

"Alfraed!"

"No, my lady, he is right.  We have less honesty than ordinary folk.  It is the world into which we are born.  I envy the Earl.  He has managed to avoid such entanglements and political affiliations.  He has stayed true to his cause and few others can say that."

We rode back the next day. Stephen had been told that we had been visiting Wallingford and knew nothing about the arrangement which we had made. On the way back the Empress had told me that she was moving Stephen to Bristol which was better placed to house a royal prisoner. The former king did not seem surprised at this and it was my responsibility, once again, to escort him there.

He was in a better humour on that short journey than he had been on the journey from Lincoln.  I think he had come to accept his position. "You will be glad to get back to your home in the north, eh Earl?"

"I will. The wars in the south have made it a more dangerous place.  The Palatinate is now Scottish as are most of the borderlands.  When you gave away Carlisle it hurt us badly.  It did not just drive the Earl of Chester to our side it put a Scottish dagger to our throats." I shook my head, "I know not why you did it, my lord! We had trounced the Scots at Northallerton.  They were in disarray.  Had I had a larger army then I could have walked in and taken the land as far north as Edinburgh. Men died because of your mistake."

"Those are hard and painful words to hear."

"It is still the truth, my lord and I only speak from my heart."

"Which you plainly wear on your sleeve. Your loyalty to both the Empress and her father's wishes is extraordinary.  I would that I was served by such loyal men." He laughed, "I wish you had stayed in the north.  Those lands would be safer and I would have won at Lincoln."

"No, lord, you would not have won."

"I would not have lost and I would not now be in this position."

"On that we can be agreed."

As we saw Bristol Castle loom up Stephen said, "I looked at this castle four years since with a thought to capturing it. I saw then it cannot be taken.  Not without a great loss of life." I heard in his voice, resignation. He would not be rescued.

"It is the first time I have seen it and I agree. The Empress said, however, that it is both comfortable and well used for royal prisoners such as yourself."

"And that is a great consolation," he said wryly.

He would have his own servants in the castle and the freedom of the grounds.  He was lucky. When I returned to Gloucester the Earl of Gloucester had arrived. He had serious news. "Queen Matilda, Stephen's wife, is raising an army in the south east. It seems she is as strong a woman as the Countess of Chester and my sister.  What is it about women named Matilda?"

"Then I am not free to return north to my lands, lord?"

"That is for my sister to decide but I would feel more comfortable with you here.  Besides the north is quiet and you have left a large army there."

That was little consolation to me. Now that I had Sir William and his men I sent Sir John back to Stockton with half of my men at arms and half of my archers.  They would take back the ransoms and treasure which awaited us at Lincoln.  The Empress might need me but my valley needed my men.

We hunted when possible and we sheltered indoors when the weather was inclement. I took Sir William to
Liedeberge where I established him as my constable. I rode my new manor and I returned to Gloucester.
  I fretted and grew fractious.  As March drew to a close the Empress sent for me.  "My lord, you are like a caged animal. I pray you ride to Wallingford and see how Fitz Count is.  The journey may clear your mind."

I could tell she was worried, "What worries you, Empress?"

"The Archbishop of Canterbury is proving unwilling to attend the conference.  He does not support the Bishop of Winchester.  They are travelling east to speak with Stephen."

"Then send me, instead, to Bristol.  I can report what they say."

"That might be better but I pray you do not inflame the situation.  I need to be crowned."

"I will be as ice, my lady."

I took all the men I had left with me.  I did not want to intimidate the prelate but I wanted Stephen to be honest. He was surprised at my arrival.  "I thought I had seen the last of you, Alfraed.  Why are you not back in your valley?"

"The Empress and her brother asked me to stay.  I hunt!"

He laughed, "And that sits not well with you. Well I shall enjoy your company.  I grow bored here.  Perhaps we might try a bout or two with swords."

"Perhaps.  We will ask your gaoler."

"He will not mind."

"Then I will arrange for the practice swords to be made ready.  Are your wounds healed?"

"Enough to practise at any rate."

Despite his recent injuries and wounds we had a good bout.  Both of us were sweating by the end.  He had, however, failed to strike a blow on me.  "Your hands were always the quickest I had ever seen.  I thought age might have slowed you down."

"I practise every day with my men at arms.  They keep me sharp."

He nodded, "I notice that you do not surround yourself with knights.  Why men at arms?  Are hired swords better?"

"Mine are not hired; they are oathsworn."

"I have not heard that for many a year."

"It goes back to my father's time.  The Saxons held the concept dear.  His oathsworn left the service of the Emperor to follow him to England."

"Perhaps I would be better served by those than the ones who fled."

"Your knights did not flee.  It was those you had bought; the great and the mighty."

"That is as cruel a blow as any you struck in the battle."

"Yet it remains the truth. You cannot buy men's hearts, you must win them."

The Archbishop, when he arrived with Henry of Blois, looked at me suspiciously.  I smiled, "The Empress asked me to come to see things were well done, my lord."

The Archbishop looked to Stephen, "Do you object, your majesty?"

"No, the Earl may stay.  He is as honest as men say he is."

There were just the four of us in the antechamber.  No cleric recorded the words although all knew of what we spoke later on. The Archbishop began, "The Bishop of Winchester is holding a council at Winchester to ask that we support the claim of Matilda to be ruler of England.  What say you to that?"

Stephen did not appear to bear his brother any animosity.  He smiled and spread his arms, "It seems, your grace, I have little choice in the matter.  I am the prisoner of my cousin.  I was defeated."

"I am afraid that I must press you, your majesty. We swore fealty to you. I cannot in all conscience see how we can swear fealty to another."

Stephen glanced at me and gave a wry smile.  He knew what I was thinking.  Many had sworn fealty to Matilda while the king was alive and had reneged on that oath. He said, "Given my present position I release all from the oath of fealty they took."

"All?"

"All, your grace."

And that was it. The council would confirm that Matilda could be crowned and the nobles could swear an oath to her. It seemed the war was over. I could go home.

When I told the Empress the news the relief on her face was palpable. The Earl too was delighted.  "This insidious war is now a step closer to being over.  This is good news. The Council meets at Easter.  That means we can have the coronation in June."

"My brother we must move cautiously.  Queen Matilda is rallying an army and it is close to London. I will write to Geoffrey de Mandeville and ask his advice."

I shook my head, "My lady I would not put anything on parchment.  It would be better to send a messenger."

She nodded, "I can see the wisdom in that. Fitz Count would seem a wise choice. He is honest; some say that he could be a priest. I will send to him and ask him to speak with de Mandeville."

"My lady, I beg permission to travel back to Stockton.  I will be in London in June for the coronation but I have been away for a long time.  The Scots will be becoming restless. In addition Durham and York are now less secure than they were."

She nodded, "On your way north I pray you speak with Fitz Count and ask him to join me here. It will do him good to be free of the chains that bind him to Wallingford."

My men were also pleased to be heading home. Their own beds were rough and ready but they were their beds.  We all missed the familiar. We stayed the night with Brian Fitz Count.  As we ate in his Great Hall he confided in me, "My lord I feel I have done enough in this war.  Now that peace looms I have a mind to join a monastery.  I have had enough of war and of the petty desires of man.  I should spend time contemplating God."

He was older than I was and I could understand his desire for peace but the cloistered world of a monastery did not appeal. As we spoke it became clear that this was not a sudden whim.  He had been thinking about it for some time. He was a great warrior but he was kind and had the sort of mind which thinks about his fellow man.  Such warriors were rare.

"When the Empress is crowned then it may be the time for all of us to assess our lives.  For me I cannot think of such things so long as the Scots threaten my people.  With the war over Wallingford can return to more peaceful pastimes.  This is a green and fertile valley."

"It is, my lord, it is! But my mind is made up. When the Empress is crowned and the land is at peace then I will choose the road to peace and salvation."

As I headed to Lincoln I found it sad that he should feel that way.  I understood him but I had duty running through me like the blood in my veins. Ranulf, Earl of Chester was in Derby and I spent the night in the castle speaking with the Countess. "I am pleased that this war will soon be over. I know that, thanks to you, we did not suffer as much as we might have but that was bad enough.  Your men do you credit."

As I left the next morning I said, "The Empress is beholden to you as am I.  If you ever need my help then send a rider to my castle.  I promise that I will come."

She stood on her toes to kiss my cheek, "You are a good man and your wife was lucky.  Take care in the north, your war, I fear, is not yet over!"

With Stephen defeated and his allies now concentrating in the south east we had an easier journey north.  Normally the weather worsened as we headed to our valley but this time it actually improved.  I hoped that it boded well for the meeting of church leaders. I knew of the arrangement made by the Empress and Henry of Blois but to those outside it would have looked as though the issue was in doubt.

We rode through York's gates.  I had not done so since before the battle of the Standards. The Earl of York, William of Aumale, was with Queen Matilda along with his knights.  There was just a town watch on the walls.  Had I so chosen I could have taken it with the men I had. I had gold in my saddlebags and there were items I wished to buy. There were many goldsmiths in York and I had a mind to buy something for Alice.  She asked for nothing but she made my hall a family home. I also took the opportunity of speaking with some of the merchants and made urgent purchases. When Archbishop Thurstan had been alive we had been able to trade with the city.  Now I intended to subvert whichever Archbishop was appointed to replace him.  The merchants knew that we had gold and they would trade with us.  With Helmsley in my hands I arranged to use that as the conduit through which trade goods would come. 

After leaving York I travelled to Helmsley to speak with Wulfric. I told him the outcome of the victory; peace.  He was aggrieved to have missed the battle.  That was his way.  "What now my lord? Would you have me abandon Helmsley and Pickering?"

"No.  I would keep hold of them until the coronation.  It is only in June.  I will travel down to London and attend the ceremony.  Then we will truly have peace.  However in the time before I have to leave I wish to travel north to Durham.   I have a message to deliver to Cumin.  I would like you and some of your men to accompany me."

"I will and gladly and Sir Gilles?"

"Bring him too.  I would make a show of force. It may be that the enemy hear of the peace and decide to grab manors before the Empress can act."

All of us were happy to see Stockton's sturdy walls and we stepped off the ferry with a spring in our step. News of our arrival had preceded us and Dick and those who had brought our treasure back were there to greet us. "So, my lord, we have peace."

"We do Sir Harold.  We will have a week while our horses recover and then I intend to take our men north to Durham.  We will deliver an ultimatum to Cumin and then I travel to the New Castle.   I wish Prince Henry to know that I have not forgotten the death of Sir Hugh Manningham."

"You have not tired of war then?"

"Of course I tire of it but the moment we stop being vigilant is when our enemies will flood the valley."

I took John and Alice to one side.  I gave Alice the necklace I had bought for her.  She burst into tears. "It is just a little something to show you that we appreciate all that you do."

"Thank you my lord."

"I wish a feast in two days time.  I would like Alf and his family to attend along with Father Henry."

"Alf?"

I smiled, "He is the leading man in the town and besides I have another motive. I wish the wine and beer to flow.  The knights who came with me deserve honour.  I wish the same food providing for my archers and men at arms in the warrior hall.  They deserve no less." I saw John frown, "Forget the expense.  We have just taken more ransom than in all our previous encounters. We have coin, John. Let us reward those who earned it."

"Ay lord.  You are right."

I went to speak with Aiden and his falconers.  We walked by the river. "You have ridden my land while I have been gone?"

"Aye lord."

"And?"

"There are few outlaws living in the forests and the ones who do take but a few animals.  They harm not the people. Your men at arms have been scouring the manors.  We headed further north and the land is quiet."

"I would have you travel as far north as the New Castle.  Speak with those who work the fields and the land.  They know if something is afoot." I handed him a bag of coins.  They were small ones.  "They have just paid their taxes and money will be short.  Spread this around and see what you can discover."

"What is it you wish to learn, lord?"

"What are the plans of the Scots."

"We will be back within the week."

"Do not worry about the time.  I am back now.  I feared that something would occur while I was away.  I am content."

Aiden and his men slipped silently from my castle and only I knew that they were gone.  After the death of Sir Hugh Manningham and his family and scout I worried more than I might have but I was confident in Aiden's skills. While in York I had bought more of the cloth I used for surcoats.  I needed new ones.  Many of my men did too. I had felt somewhat under dressed when in the company of the knights of the west.  Alice paid some local women and they made up our new surcoats.  When the feast was held we would look smart. As Henry Fitz Empress had returned to Anjou I decided to shave my face.  To be truthful it itched.  Most of my knights had beards but I had grown up in the east and was used to being clean shaven.  Adela had liked that.  When I had bathed and shaved I felt like a new man.

Before the feast I took Sir John to one side.  "I have not forgotten what I learned from Dick.  I have invited Dick and his family this night for a purpose.  You will be seated close by our smith; speak with him!"

"But lord!"

"We have one life to live, John.  If you wish to be with Alf's daughter then begin that as soon as you can. I regret the months I waited before I married my Adela and she was taken from me too soon.  Alice's husband, Tom, was taken from her. We have peace now but who knows how long it will last."

"Very well lord.  You have raised me almost as a son and I will heed your words but I am afraid."

I laughed, "A knight who faced the might of Stephen's army and did not blanch fears speaking with a blacksmith?"

He nodded, "It sounds foolish but it is how I feel."

"Alf is a good man and, believe me, he will be delighted."

Before he had left for his mission Aiden and his scouts had hunted four fine deer.  When time allowed I would hunt the wild boar but the venison would do.  John had had many chickens slaughtered.  The '
Adela'
had been back in port a number of times while we had been away; she had even docked in the Severn and delivered messages for me.  The result was we had plenty of wine and spices.  The feast would be worthy of our victory.