Wolf Wood (Part Two): The Dangerous years (16 page)

He wasn't sure how Steven saw things. His son was a dark horse. He had an acute interest in politics and kept his views to himself. If he were a horse, you wouldn't know where to place your bet. You wouldn't even know which race he was running in.

Right now, the young man was experiencing the exuberance of fame. He had been adopted as the court mascot. Harald knew it wouldn't last. Court life was fickle. In the rarefied atmosphere of Westminster, people were always looking for something new and exciting. It was only a matter of time before they would lose interest in his son.

He quickened his pace and they got ahead of the crowd.

It was now safe to talk freely.

'Do you think Henry is dead?' he asked.

'Steven suspects he's still alive,' Alice replied.

'But he's not appeared in public for almost two months.'

'That doesn't mean he's dead.'

'No. But it does suggest that something is seriously wrong.'

'Agreed,' Alice nodded.

'So. Why the secrecy?'

'Steven thinks they are waiting for the royal birth.'

'That makes sense.' Harald deviated to avoid some horse droppings. 'Queen Margaret and her cronies rule through Henry. Once he's gone, their powerbase evaporates unless he has an heir. Then she can rule as regent.

'Margaret is seven months pregnant.' Alice observed. 'Their main risk is that the child be stillborn or female.'

'That would pose a problem,' Harald agreed.

'But not an insurmountable problem.'

'What do you mean?'

'They can always substitute another. As Steven says, they could go round to the Little Sisters of Mercy and pick one up.'

'It might not be as simple as that.'

'No, Harald, but not beyond their means.'

'And not beyond their scruples either.' Harald smiled. 'What other thoughts have entered our son's fertile mind?'

'He thinks they see Robin as a possible ally. They've spoken about how he spied for His Majesty at Sevenoaks. Steven says those are the very words they used.'

'But Robin didn't spy for Henry. He spied for Matthew Gough.'

'That's not the point, Harald.'

'Then what is the point?'

'They
think
he spied for the king. Remember when Robin was knighted. Margaret raised her head and said in that haughty tone of hers:
“
You will be the Robin who spied for His Majesty at Sevenoaks
.
”.
Then she told Henry to go ahead and knight him.'

'Aye,' Harald chuckled. 'It was an extraordinary performance.'

'Steven thinks Margaret has something to do with the questions about Robin. Commander Gough was dead by the time the court got back to Westminster. He couldn't set the record straight and Robin wasn't prepared to.'

They reached the palace gatehouse and stopped behind the queue of people waiting to go inside. Harald dropped his voice. 'Tomorrow, we shall be visiting Doctor John Arundel at the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem. As you know, Arundel is His Majesty's chief physician. He holds you in high esteem as a heeler. He also regards you as a custodian of ancient knowledge.'

Alice's heart sank. In some circles, a
ncient knowledge
was code for
witchcraft
. She hoped there would be no repetition of the accusations that had plagued her life on previous occasions.

Bedlam

T
he hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem was in the Bishopsgate district of the ancient walled City of London and called
Bedlam
by the locals. Doctor John Arundel was warden of the hospital and a specialist in mental illness. Alice and Harald were taken there in a covered carriage, accompanied by an armed escort of the palace guard. The guard was for their protection, or so they were told. Alice could not escape the feeling that they were prisoners being taken to a place where the criminally insane were locked up.

Their reception at the gatehouse did nothing to calm her fears. The place was more like a
gaol
than a hospital. The security at the palace was lax in comparison. Harald had warned her of what to expect. He said the City was better run than the palace. The civic authorities took proper steps to preserve law and order. She hoped there was no more to it than that.

A beadle was sent to announce their arrival. He returned with a man in a robe trimmed with white fur. He inclined his head respectfully and introduced himself.

'I'm John Arundel. Welcome to our hospital.'

Alice was taken by surprise. It was the famous man himself.

'Let us retire to my office where you will be more comfortable.'

He extended a gracious hand and indicated the way.

'I have long awaited the pleasure of your company.'

He continued to talk and Alice continued to feel uncomfortable. Harald had described the interrogation techniques used by palace officials. They could be disarmingly polite one moment and turn on you the next.

'Mind your steps on the stairs.'

He led them up a wooden stairway into a small room. The walls were lined with shelves. Alice cast her eyes over the impressive display of books and scrolls. When she returned her attention to the doctor. He had pulled off his robe and was dressed in clothes more fitting for the hot summer day.

'Phew. That's a relief.'

He wiped his brow on a linen cloth.

'Her Majesty expects me to dress up when welcoming visitors from the palace. I trust you do not expect such formalities.'

He pointed to the bookshelves.

'I saw you looking at my collection, Lady Gascoigne. I would value your opinion.'

Alice's eyes flowed over the titles. 'I have rarely seen anything to compare.'

'You will perhaps recognise some of them.'

'Yes. You have a complete collection of Plato …'

'I was thinking of these.' His hand tapped one of the shelves. 'They once belonged to you, I believe.'

Alice
recognised
the banned books, seized when the Earl of Salisbury raided Wolf Wood twelve years before. There could be no doubt they were the same. Every stain and blemish was just as she remembered.'

'We want you to have them back.'

Her mind went blank as she hunted for words.

Harald came to her aid.

'Sir.' He turned to Dr Arundel and assumed his lawyer pose. 'You are clearly aware of the unjust and unwarranted charges brought against my wife in relation to books of this nature. It
behoves
you to give an explanation of why you now see fit to raise this unfortunate matter again.'

'Her Majesty commands.'

Dr Arundel opened a box and removed a sheet of parchment. Alice
recognised
the royal seal. He handed the document to Harald.

'This is a certified copy of the order which I received, Sir Harald. Aware of your renown as a lawyer, the royal secretaries had a copy made for your records. You will notice that the queen is acting on the advice of her esteemed father, René of Anjou. He lauds the accomplishments of a certain Sister Alice de Lambert, whom we have identified as Lady Gascoigne. Lord René recommends that certain books should be returned to her possession and that she should be called upon to provide translations of those written in the Moorish language.'

Dr Arundel turned to Alice.

'I understand that you read Arabic, Lady Gascoigne. That was one of the reasons why the sisters of Shaftsbury Abbey sought your departure. I understand that the term
free thinker
was used to describe your inquiring nature. As a
free thinker,
I fully appreciate your appalling predicament.'

Harald spoke before Alice could get in a word.

'My wife freely admits to being able to both read and write in Arabic, Greek, Latin, French and Flemish. She would be happy to comply with Her Majesty's wish and would willingly undertake the translation of any books, papers or documents in any of these languages. She does not, however, admit to having owned or ever before seen any of the books about which you have spoken. Nor does she …'

Dr Arundel cut him short.

'I trust Lady Gascoigne can write in English.'

'Of course.'

'Good. We would like the translation in that language.'

Harald pulled a face and Alice felt like kicking him. Her husband had a one-tracked mind. Couldn't he recognise a joke?

Dr Arundel placed some books in a box. 'If these ever belonged to you, then we are returning them to you, my lady. Otherwise, please accept them as a present. We want translations from the Arabic texts. Annotations in Latin indicate texts on mental illnesses attributable to breeding within families. Please begin with these and see if you can find others.'

Alice helped secure the lid of the box. The bits and pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place. She wondered if she could tell Steven about their visit to Bedlam. Her son would be intrigued.

Robin

A
cold wind blew from the mountains of Wales. Robin Perry peered over the battlements of Ludlow Castle and watched the children playing in the courtyard below. He was wearing his captain's uniform, emblazoned with the Falcon and Fetlock badge of the House of York. Soldiers at the main gate saluted when they saw him glance in their direction. There had been a time when he would have joined them for a drink after work. Those days had gone. Life at the top could be lonely.

He was now in his early thirties. His hair was receding and his once boyish features had hardened. Long marches had kept his body lean and muscular. His social life rotated around the families of the country gentry and officers of similar rank. Henriette had been brought up in such circles and moved in them effortlessly. She was Lady Perry and he was Sir Robin. The title sat uncomfortably on his shoulders and he preferred not to use it.

He was the son of a poor country tailor and had been knighted by the Lancastrian King Henry at the behest of his hated French wife. Ludlow was in
Shropshire
and most people were staunch supporters of John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who was an implacable enemy of the House of Lancaster and all it stood for.

News had just come of Talbot's death. He had died trying to save Gascony from the French. For over three hundred years, the people who lived between the River Garonne and the Pyrenees enjoyed the protection of the English Crown. Now their land had been absorbed into France. Calais was all that remained in English hands on the other side of the Channel.

It was the end of an era. Great campaigners like Matthew Gough and John Talbot were dead and England was reduced to an island nation. Robin felt depressed. Not so much for the loss of English possessions but for the mess that England had become.

Three years ago, when the French
reconquered
Normandy, he and his family returned to England with the defeated English troops. They came to a country in turmoil. The government was corrupt and the people in revolt. He helped restore order and hung on in the capital until the Duke of York crossed from Ireland and took control.

For a while, things took a turn for the better. The duke forced the people in Westminster to mend their ways. Corrupt courtiers were thrown out and royal lands, given to royal
favourites
, were returned to the nation. But, it hadn't lasted. As soon as the York withdrew his troops, the bad old ways returned. To put it bluntly: the
Lancastrians were a bunch of shits who couldn't be trusted
.

A year ago, the duke got fed up with the whole sodding mess and raised an army to sort things out. That was a disaster. A force of over twenty thousand was assembled at great expense and he marched on London with the duke. They could have taken control. But, when it came to the crunch, people feared civil war and everything fell apart.

The outcome was humiliating. The duke was forced to swear allegiance to King Henry and the army trooped back in disgrace. Robin's stomach turned whenever he thought of it. He watched the children playing happily below and wondered about their future. His daughter Maud and son Simon were amongst them. They were allowed to play with the children of the garrison, even if he was not permitted to drink with their fathers.