The Oath

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Outskirts of Bristol

Thomas Redcliffe watched as Baldwin and Jack prepared a loaf of bread, breaking it roughly into three large pieces, then cutting wedges from a cheese they had bought earlier.

It was fascinating to see how the knight worked. He was calm, thoughtful, more intelligent than the usual knights whom Thomas had met, and yet there was that firm edge to his character, a honed quality that could cut a man when he least expected it. Thomas had never met a man quite like this knight before. His presence was invaluable, though. Redcliffe would not have managed to get this close to Bristol without his help, that much was quite clear from the way that the wandering men-at-arms had suspiciously pushed swords and lances in their direction as soon as they had been discovered.

The last ones had been the worst. There was a particularly unpleasant churl with one eye and a perpetual leer who had slowly drawn a long dagger and walked menacingly to Thomas as though to cut out his heart. It was only Sir Baldwin’s rapid intervention that had stopped the man, and then his Sergeant had heard the noise and come to see what was wrong. Again, the knight’s position had saved them all.

To think that a warrior so devoted to the King could have saved him… Thomas sighed to himself at the thought. There was a time when he would have done all in his power to protect his King without considering his own position. He had been entirely loyal, a true devoted servant.

Not any more. Such commitment was worth little today. Thomas would have served until death. He had sold horses to the King for less profit than he could have won, and his delicate work taking messages to the Christian Kings of Aragon and Portugal had been singularly unprofitable too. He’d done it to help his King. And now that he was ruined, had Edward helped him? No. Worse still, he had not even deigned to see him. Thomas had been turned away from the gate at the Tower like some beggar demanding alms! The shame had been appalling. He had told dear Roisea that soon they would be saved, without explaining how exactly, and the shock of realising that his King would leave him to starve, and her too, had shaken the wind right out of his sails. His future stretched before him, an endless barren life without possibility of recovery.

And then he had seen what he might do. A letter, a short ride north, and he had his response. It was all he needed.

Yes, it was fortunate that Thomas had managed to persuade Sir Baldwin to join him in this journey. Without him, Thomas would have been stopped and searched, and the thought of what could have happened then was enough to chill him to the marrow. No one with messages like the one concealed at his belt would be permitted to live. And if Sir Baldwin had learned of it, he would himself have denounced Thomas. Or run him through.

Which was why Thomas was so glad the scrap remained concealed. He wouldn’t want to have to kill the knight.

Bristol

It was still afternoon as Baldwin and Thomas Redcliffe rode down towards the city and clattered over the stone-flagged way to the bridge.

Baldwin himself was glad of the sight of the city. ‘Good porter, I am Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, lately come from London.’

‘Aye, good, Sir Baldwin. We’ll have need of all the men we can find, I dare say, before long,’ the man said, standing aside for the three to ride in.

‘What did he mean by that?’ Jack asked.

‘I expect everyone is on tenterhooks about the Queen and her host,’ Baldwin explained. ‘The whole of her force must be riding to us now.’

‘At least the castle and this city look strong enough,’ Redcliffe said.

‘Yes. But the strength of a city like this lies less in its walls, and more in the people who are there to protect it,’ Baldwin said. ‘Will they wish to support the King and Despenser, or will they feel, like the London mob, that they should join to overthrow the Despenser?’

‘They will remember their loyalty, I am sure,’ Redcliffe said sanctimoniously.

‘Are you?’ Baldwin said.

They took an eastern road which Baldwin was told was named Wine Street, and a short way along here, Redcliffe took them to a little tavern, where he declared the wine to be the best in the city. He wished to reward his saviours, he said, and when they had drunk their fill, he would take them to his own home outside the city walls.

Baldwin was nothing loth. They left their mounts in a stable-yard, where hostlers hurried to groom and feed them, while the three went for a welcome drink.

‘Thomas, how are you?’ was bellowed from the bar at the far end of the room as they entered, and a large bear of a man, with a thick, bushy beard and arms muscled like a string of small ale barrels, came out and strode towards them, wiping his hands on an apron of linen.

‘I am well, God shield you, Matt. And you?’

‘I’m as fine as a summer’s day, Master Thomas. Wine?’

‘Aye, a flagon for me and my friends.’

‘You know this tavern well, then,’ Baldwin said.

‘I come here most days, yes. But there are not as many men here as usual,’ Redcliffe commented, glancing about him. ‘Where are they all?’

Matthew was returning with a stack of four large mazers in one beefy hand, and a quart flagon in the other. ‘They’ve all gone to talk about things, master. You heard who is coming here today?’

‘No, we’ve only just arrived.’

‘The Earl of Winchester. He’s come to take charge of the castle, but they say he’s got control of all the King’s men from Hampshire to Cornwall. Every able man who is held true to his oath to the King is to muster.’

‘So,’ Baldwin breathed, ‘Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester, has come, has he? He was said to be a wily old warrior, but I don’t know that he would best Roger Mortimer. After all, Mortimer was the King’s most successful General until Despenser’s son alienated him and persuaded the King to sign his death warrant.’

The Despenser family had been long-standing rivals of the Mortimers. The Earl of Winchester’s son was the same Hugh who was now the King’s favourite and chief companion, and it was his grandsire, the Earl’s father, who had been slain on the battlefield at Evesham by Roger Mortimer’s grandfather. Since inveigling his way into the King’s affections, Sir Hugh had managed to see his father elevated to the earldom which he himself coveted so greatly.

Baldwin mused on this. ‘I have met the Earl. I believe him to be honourable.’ He was at least, as he reminded himself, far less avaricious and self-serving than his deplorable son.

Matthew the landlord leaned down and beckoned Baldwin and Redcliffe closer. Speaking quietly, he said, ‘He’ll need all his skills and authority to hold the city. It matters bugger all what he’s named. It’s said that the Earl of Lancaster has declared for the Queen, and marches to her aid with all his retainers.’

Thomas Redcliffe shrugged. ‘Even a man so powerful as he would not on his own swing the affair. If the King stands firm on a battlefield, he can win. Remember the battles on the Marches. All the rebels declared that they would fight Despenser, but not the King. Not many would dare to stand against the man whom God Himself has anointed. When the King showed his own banner, the rebels were forced to submit. They wouldn’t willingly break their vows to him. He might manage the same again.’

‘The King won’t be here,’ Matthew said. ‘Word is that he’ll leave the land. He won’t wait here to be caught, you mark my words.’

‘What?’ Redcliffe scoffed. ‘You think the King would desert his own kingdom? And where would he go? Would he sail to France, where the King hates him for refusing to pay homage for the French territories he holds, and hates him even more for the way he has treated his sister, Queen Isabella? No, he couldn’t dare sail there. Where else would he be welcomed?’

Baldwin sucked his teeth. ‘Ireland, I would guess. He has allies there, and the land is pacified. Where better for him?’

Redcliffe frowned a moment. ‘But if he were to do that, surely he would lose the kingdom.’

‘Perhaps he thinks to lose a kingdom is one thing – to lose his head…’ Matthew murmured.

‘That could be considered seditious,’ Baldwin said sharply. ‘Be careful to whom you speak.’

‘Oh, I am, sir, I am. There is more, too. They say that the Queen is only a short way away from here now. Bristol will soon be under siege, and when it is, the King’s commands will carry little weight. This city is independent.’

‘It is a city in the King’s realm,’ Baldwin declared hotly.

‘Sir, it’s only ten years ago we had the King’s host outside our doors hurling rocks at us. They took the city, banished eighty of our people, and taxed us so heavily we could hardly afford food or drink. We don’t forget.’

‘Perhaps,’ Baldwin said, ‘you also remember who was the King’s officer at the time? The man positioning the artillery of war was the Queen’s associate, Roger Mortimer. So you could fight the man who ordered the attack on your city, or the man who actually attacked. The choice is not so easy, my friend.’

North of Bristol

The rain started again a little before noon, and Sir Ralph hunched down so his neck was protected from the drips. They were riding through a small wood, and he could hear the pattering of the heavy drops on his felt cap. The water dripped from the tip of his brim onto his groin, which he knew would become increasingly uncomfortable as he rode on. There was already a cool, damp sensation all down his legs, and he tried to pull a fold of his cloak over himself again, but it wasn’t large enough.

It was dark in among the trees, and he was anxious for a while that they might be waylaid. Everywhere moisture gleamed, from leaves, from bark, from the very mud of the path. And now the rain seemed to ease a little, and suddenly they were in the open.

There was a man on a horse, a man-at-arms, who turned to face them as they trotted out. ‘Who are you?’ he shouted out.

‘Sir Ralph of Evesham,’ the knight growled. Bernard was quickly at his side, and the two of them kept their hands near their swords.

‘Where do you ride?’

Sir Ralph looked at Bernard, and the two began to move towards the man, increasing the distance between themselves to provide better fighting space.

‘Who are you, and where do you ride?’ Sir Ralph asked with an edge to his voice, reining in his horse.

He was suddenly taken by the sight before him. There was a large encampment, with men and horses resting. He saw the Earl of Winchester’s arms on a banner, and felt relief. ‘It’s all right,’ he said to the picket. ‘We’re with the King.’

Bristol

Simon and Margaret had been installed in a small inn a short way from the castle’s western gate, and Sir Charles had visited them the previous evening to ensure that they were as comfortable as they might be. He had done so by the simple expedient of explaining to the innkeeper that these were friends of Sir Hugh de Courtenay, the Baron of Devon, who would have the innkeeper stripped and held by the thumbs for the sport of the entire city if he didn’t see to it that Simon and his lady were fed only the best foods and drinks during their stay.

The quality of their food was certainly good. Simon and Margaret were also taken with the bed, which was the first comfortable one they had enjoyed for many long miles. Even now, unusually for Simon and although it was only close to noon, he felt the need to return to his bed and rest a little, and for once Peterkin expressed a desire to sleep too. Rob was already snoring, curled by the fire in the hall.

‘Simon, when do you think we can go home?’ his wife asked, entering the chamber with him.

Sitting on the bed and pulling off his boots, Simon twisted his face into a grimace. ‘I don’t know, Meg. The roads will still likely be filled with men looking to fight for one cause or another.’

‘I am still keen to return to Exeter, to see Edith.’

‘So am I, my love, but I don’t know when we may be able to leave. It’s a hundred miles from here, I think, and with the kingdom in an uproar, it wouldn’t be safe.’

‘But we cannot blithely sit here in comfort and hope Edith’s all right, Simon!’

‘Meg, she is married. Her safety is the responsibility of her husband.’

‘But she is your daughter!’

‘She’s my daughter, yes. But that doesn’t mean I have the right to take her from her husband, does it? And what could I do – what could we do – if we reached Exeter and learned that she was in danger because of the King’s forces besieging the city? Or Isabella’s men? We could do nothing, except get caught in the same trap, which would endanger Peterkin’s life as well as our own. I love Edith as much as you, wife, but there is nothing we can do just now to help her or anyone else.’ He closed his eyes.

‘It’s not good enough. I have to see her. I will see her!’ She stamped her foot, which made Simon open his eyes in surprise. Margaret had never been prone to displays of anger.

‘Meg, you can’t leave the city, not just now – be reasonable! It’s too dangerous. Now, please, just leave me a little while in peace? My old bones need rest.’

‘Yes, and I would hate to deprive you of your rest, while my own peace of mind is flown forever,’ she snapped.

‘Meg, please–’ he cried, but the door was already slammed behind her. Simon grunted, then rose to his feet and went after her. ‘Meg! Please take Hugh with you if you are going outside. We don’t know this city well.’

His wife looked back at him and nodded, just once, before continuing on her way.

Simon returned to the bedchamber, where his son was sitting on the bed, staring at him with wide eyes and an expression of innocence. ‘I’m very tired, Father.’

‘Yes, so am I,’ Simon said heavily, and sat on the edge of the bed again. He lay back, an arm going about his son, and closed his eyes, but sleep would not come for a good while.

He was stirred by the shouts.

North of Bristol

‘I’m taking these friars to meet the Queen to try to negotiate protection for the King’s friends, my lord.’

The Earl of Winchester was sitting on a chair chewing some choice tidbits when Sir Ralph was taken in to see him. He pulled the leg from a honeyed lark and bit into it, before wiping his fingers on a cloth presented by his laver.

Earl Hugh was a bright man, who had earned respect from knights and barons on all sides over many years of loyal service to this King and to his father. He was about sixty-six, a strongly-built man with almost uniformly white hair. His eyes were keen and penetrating, and he displayed little of the anxiety his son was feeling. Where the younger Hugh was nail-biting and fretful, the elder Hugh was still calculating the odds, a gambler with the strength of character his son seemed to lack.

His was a career characterised by loyalty, commonsense and ambition. Sir Ralph personally reckoned that ambition was the main ingredient of his make-up which had been passed on to his son, but where Earl Hugh was keen to improve his standing, there were limits to his avarice – perhaps because he had been born into troubled times. The son of a rebel, his father had died fighting his King at Evesham, and from the age of four, Hugh was tainted with an associated guilt for which he spent the rest of his life trying to atone.

By dint of hard effort and martial skill, he worked his way into the King’s affections. King Edward I was a warrior who knew little about peace, so to find a man like Hugh, who was not only a thoroughly competent fighter, able to prove his loyalty to the King at every battle, but was also a highly skilled administrator and negotiator, was very useful. Sir Hugh le Despenser gradually climbed the ladder of appointments with a stealth that would have impressed a fox.

By the time of Edward I’s death, Sir Hugh had become an honoured member of the King’s household, and practically a father-figure to the young Prince Edward. As King, Edward II grew to trust the older Despenser’s judgement, and as Sir Hugh the Younger rose in the King’s affection, his father also was rewarded. Sir Hugh the Younger became the supreme manager of access to the King, and Sir Hugh the Elder became an Earl.

Now the Earl glanced at the friars behind Sir Ralph. ‘If you vouch for them, Sir Ralph, I am content.’

‘I do. Have you seen sign of the Queen?’

Earl Hugh shook his head. ‘But her forces are closing in quickly. The bulk of them lie north of Bristol, working their way here. I understand that Berkeley Castle has turned to her. She may be anywhere near. Certainly some of her men have crossed the river and are pillaging and riding out south of the city too. Soon it will be encircled.’

‘Can Bristol hold?’

‘Yes, if the leaders of the city are resolute and loyal,’ Earl Hugh said, and Ralph saw the conviction in his face. ‘It will require a firm hand, however. I shall strengthen the resolve of them all. First of all, the gates must be closed as soon as I have reached the city. There can be no more pretending that the country is at peace. The Queen has been able to ride about as though on a perambulation of the realm. Ridiculous! She is a rebel, leading a force of mercenaries and traitors, and she is no more a friend to the people of this country than a wolf is a friend to a sheep. She can feign amity when she wishes, but she will soon bare her teeth, and I think it best to force her so to do. If she can show her true spirit, her cruelty and spitefulness, the people may rise up again to defend their King.’

‘I see.’ So that was the plan, Sir Ralph thought: to try to force the Queen to raze Bristol, and thus show the entire realm that they should protect King Edward and themselves from her.

‘You may assist us,’ the Earl added. ‘If you tell the Queen that our resolve is to hold it against her for as long as our supplies last, she may be persuaded to turn her full attention upon us. She cannot dare to leave Bristol behind her when she enters Wales. The risk of her supplies being attacked will be an immediate threat to her ambitions. Mortimer will see that. He is many things, but not a fool. You tell them we intend to fight, and we’ll see what she does.’

‘I shall rest the horses, then, and ride on,’ Sir Ralph declared.

‘Godspeed,’ said Earl Hugh, and after a short interval, Sir Ralph and his little party were riding north and east.

It was less than an hour later that they met the advance guard.