The perfect knight, p.14
The Perfect Knight, page 14
The summer had seen an improvement in Eleanor and, indeed, she told me that she was ready to try for another child. I was adamant we would not try and told her that she was too fragile. I used the word Ruth had used for it was true. She was like the glass in Durham Cathedral, beautiful to look at but not to touch. She seemed to accept my decision but her parting words, as she returned to her women, was like an arrow to my heart, “I am your wife and one day we shall lie together, and I will conceive another child. I know that the time now may not be right, but I love you, Samuel, and I will have another child by you, even if it means my death!”
A week later I went with just Thomas and Jack to Durham. The Bishop had been in London for a month and I knew that he had just returned to the north. This seemed like a good opportunity, before winter set in, to clear the air and let him know my thoughts. Gerard insisted upon an escort as far as the Wear. I would not allow them in the castle itself as that might make me look as though I was afraid of the bishop and I was not. They waited at Stancliffe Grange. The lord of the manor there, Sir Roger Stancliffe was a good knight and a doughty fighter. He had little time for politics and my men were welcomed.
We crossed the bridge into the town and followed the winding cobbles to the castle’s main gate. We were not hindered as we rode, and we dismounted in the outer bailey. “You two stay with the horses and keep your ears and eyes open.”
“Sir Samuel, do you not wish a witness?”
I smiled, “No, Jack, that is the last thing I want. I need to speak with the bishop alone so that I may speak truthfully. He may not reciprocate but that does not matter so long as he knows my mind.” I turned to Thomas, “You will learn, Thomas, that direct action is often the only answer to some problems.”
I was taken to the Bishop’s chamber which was guarded by a man at arms. The fact that I was admitted so quickly made me suspicious. Often the prelate had left us kicking our heels to show his power; this time he did not.
“I pray you to take a seat, Earl Samuel.” He was according me my title which was another rarity. A cleric sat with a wax tablet and a scribe.
“I beg you to send your man hence for what I say is for your ears only. If you choose to divulge it to another when I have left then that is up to you.” I carefully chose my words so that he would think he might learn something to his advantage.
“Canon James, you may leave us and tell my sentry to stretch his legs. I do not think that I am in any danger from the Earl of Cleveland.” When Canon James had gone Hugh de Puiset poured us two generous goblets of wine, “Now then what is this secret you wish to divulge to me?”
I smiled but it was with my mouth and not my eyes, “You already know the secret Bishop Puiset. The purpose of my visit is to tell you that I know it now.” I saw fear in his eyes. He had sent his guard hence otherwise I am sure that he would have called him back.
“What secret?”
“That you are a traitor who plots with the King’s enemies. You are in league with the King of France and you actively supported Young King Henry in his war against his father. You have turned a blind eye to raiders in this land and actively supported men who were sent to kill me. I know all about Henry of Wolsingham.” My last barb struck home. He thought I had him as a prisoner and that he had told me all. He quickly gulped down half of the goblet of wine, a sure sign that I had spoken the truth. “No denial, Bishop? Your honesty both surprises and impresses me.”
“Of course I deny it. The idea is so preposterous as to be above a reply. Where is your evidence?”
“Bishop, I came here today to tell you that I know you are behind these plots and treacherous acts and that I will be watching you. You have sent a spy into my castle. Two can play this game. You will need to scrutinise every man who comes to serve you for who knows which will be my spy. I still have the ear of the king and while you plot with his enemies, I will tell him precisely what I believe you have done.”
“He will not believe you!”
“That is what you hope but know that I have enough evidence to make him question your loyalty. If I had the testimony of Geoffrey d’Aumale then you would be in chains now and I would throw you in my dungeon. I seek the knight and when I find him then you will be revealed.”
He stood, “I have heard enough! Leave! Guards!” This time my smile was genuine for I had him reeling. He was spluttering red-tinged spittle as he babbled on. “I shall take action. I will write to the king! I will appeal to the Archbishop of York!” His voice rose as he lost control.
The door opened and the guard stood there looking confused. He knew my reputation and I did not think he would lay hands on me. I stepped into the doorway and turned, “Write to whomsoever you will and speak to any bishop you like. I will stand in any court with my witnesses and my evidence. I will even offer trial by combat. Would you relish that, Prince Bishop?” He looked down and I knew that I had won. He would do nothing. “I thought not, farewell, Bishop,” I looked at the sentry, “and you, warrior, should choose a more honourable master for the one you have is little more than a wizened, corrupt snake!”
I strode out. The raised voices had been heard and I was stared at all the way to my squire and page. I mounted and gave a flourish, saying for the benefit of the Bishop, “You know where I will be if you need me!”
We galloped out of the gate. I said nothing until we reached Stancliffe Hall. After bidding farewell to Sir Roger we headed to Stockton, I told Gerald, Jack, and Thomas what I had said.
Gerard looked over his shoulder, “My lord, was this wise? I agree he is treacherous, and I have seen the evidence of that treachery but suppose he sends men after us?”
“That is the last thing he will do and, in any case, do you fear any men hired by the Bishop of Durham?”
He smiled, “You are right on both counts, but we will need to watch our backs from now on.”
“I think, Gerard, that we would have to do that in any case. This way the air is cleared and there are doubts no more. We and the Bishop of Durham are now enemies. We were enemies before but only we two knew it. However, when we return to Stockton, I want Mordaf to watch Henry of Wolsingham. I need to know who comes to tell him to run!”
It was two days later when Mordaf reported that a merchant and his servant arrived at Henry of Wolsingham’s home just before the gates were closed for the night. I rose early and was waiting by the north gate when the three of them, Henry and his two visitors, along with sumpters carrying a heavy load appeared at the gate.
“And where are you going, Henry?”
Richard and my archers were on the town walls with nocked arrows.
“We have business in Durham.”
“Yet in two months your taxes will be due. Will you be absent when my reeve comes to collect them?”
He gave a nervous laugh, “Of course not! I shall be gone but a few days and then I will return.”
“Ah, and so the horses carry your pots and tiles, do they?”
“Er no, I …”
“Jack, open one of the bags.”
“My lord, I protest!”
“If they are pots and tiles then my men will repack them for you. In any case, the gate will not open until I say so.” Jack undid the straps and lifted the flap on the satchel. He took out a sack of coins. I nodded, “The rest, Jack.”
The bishop’s man shook his head, “There is no need my lord. It is all the money I have made in Stockton. I intend to invest it.”
“That is a great deal of money from the sale of second-rate pots and tiles. I take it your accounts are here too?” His eyes made the mistake of glancing down at the satchel hanging from his saddle. “Thomas, the satchel.”
Thomas unfastened the strap and brought the satchel to me. He handed it to me, and I unrolled it. Inside were the parchments marking the sales of the pots, “So these are the accounts. I will have my reeve and Father Michael examine them to see how much tax we are owed. Until then the coins and the accounts stay here.”
“I can go?”
“Open the gates! Of course, you can, as you say you will not be gone long and the money to which you are entitled will be here waiting for you when you return. It may take a week or so for us to examine every entry but I am a patient man.”
The archers with nocked arrows prevented him from simply grabbing the reins. He must have known that if he stayed I would find evidence of wrongdoing. I saw him sweating and looking around nervously for some means of escaping with what I knew were ill-gotten gains. I had been suspicious before and all that I had seen confirmed his guilt.
Dropping the reins he snarled, “I will report this to the Bishop of Durham. You are robbing me!”
“As all will attest, I am merely confiscating the coins until I can verify the true owners of the money.”
He and the two men left.
Gerard asked, “Was that wise, lord? We will not see him again.”
“The fact that I let him go means that when he reaches the Bishop his loyalty will be in doubt. Why did the Earl of Cleveland let a known spy leave? Has he been turned? I am playing games with the bishop. If there is evidence, then my reeve and Father Michael will uncover it.”
The two men were rigorous in their work and after counting the coins examined every entry. The coins were proved to be too much to have been earned legally. The accounts for the sales of the pots and the tiles showed that the man had been charging too much and making an excessive profit but that did not account for the money. When we found a larger than the usual number of French coins then it became clear that he had been paid from France. The priest and Jonathan, the reeve, asked me what they should do with the coins.
“They belong to Henry of Wolsingham. We take the taxes that he owes and the pay due to his workers. The rest we seal and store in my treasury. It shall rest there until he returns to claim it.”
Father Michael was a clever man, “And he will then be questioned about the French coins and tried in court.”
“If he returns then aye and if not then after five years we shall distribute the coins to the people of Stockton. It is clear that he has overcharged them for many years.”
Jonathan asked, “And the workshop, lord? There are six whom Henry of Wolsingham employed, what of them?”
“A good point and I know not the answer. Come with me and we shall see them.”
The master potter was a grey beard called Egbert. The rest were all young men who had been employed by Henry of Wolsingham when he had come to Stockton. It was a rare occurrence when the lord of the manor came to call and they bowed and scraped before me.
“Enough of that. Your master has fled and I am not sure that he will return. I am here with my reeve and Father Michael to make a decision about the future of this workshop.”
The younger ones looked worried but Egbert the Potter just nodded, “He will not return. He had little interest in pots except how much money it would make him.”
“And that begs the question why he began the business in the first place.” I had often wondered what had made the man from the Weardale valley come so far south to Stockton.
“The clay, my lord. Stockton clay is good clay.”
“Yet the pots and the tiles you make are expensive and not the best quality.”
Egbert was not afraid to speak the truth, “And that was Henry of Wolsingham’s decision. He saved money on the charcoal we used to fire the ovens and did not allow long enough for them to bake.”
An idea formed in my mind. “And if you ran the factory, Egbert, would you make better wares?”
“Of course, but I know nothing of the selling of them. I am just a master potter and one who is close to the end of his life.”
I looked at Jonathan and Father Michael, “I see an answer here. We let these men continue to be employed. Jonathan, you shall see to their pay and do the accounts.” I saw him sigh, “Until we can find someone to take over the accounts.”
Father Michael said, “I can ask the Prior of the monastery at Blackwell for help. Often young men seek the life of a monk and find it not for them. Such men are unsuited to normal work but able to scribe. There may be such a man.”
“Good, and as for the sale of your wares I think that you will find that when people see that they pay a fair price for a serviceable pot then you will not have to sell, they will sell themselves. But you, Egbert, must make these young men your apprentices. They shall become indentured to you.”
“That was what I asked Henry of Wolsingham, but he did not wish the commitment nor the expense.”
I smiled, “The expense is not a problem. Your former master has left enough money for us to use.”
As we left I said, to the priest and my reeve, “You had better go to his home and see what remains there.”
“And then, Sir Samuel?”
“You have badgered me to build an almshouse for the poor and I have been remiss. We shall send a letter informing Henry of Wolsingham that we intend to use his home as an almshouse until he returns. What say you to that?”
He brightened, “I say that I can see God’s hand in this!”
The letter was writ and sent but no reply came. Two months after he fled us, he was discovered in Herterpol, close to the quayside with his throat cut. His murderer was never apprehended. I suspected his former employers had little time for him and one or the other had deemed him surplus to requirements. When we had searched his home, we had also found a connection to Scotland for there was a letter from the Laird of Redesdale thanking him for his assistance. He was a spy with many masters!
Chapter 10
Stockton 1186
Duke Geoffrey of Brittany and the next heir, after Richard, to the English throne, died in Paris. He was killed accidentally at a tournament but his death ended once and for all the threat he posed to his father. At the time I felt relief, but it was like the rolling of a single stone that precipitates an avalanche. In the late spring, I received a letter from King Henry summoning me to Normandy. He needed me once more. I knew that Duke Richard was in Toulouse, fighting Raymond, Count of that County. Why did King Henry need me? I guessed he needed a warlord. I did not truly understand nor did I wish to go but a command had been issued and as it was delivered by a pursuivant I could not ignore it.
Eleanor was less fragile than she had been, but I still worried about leaving her. I spoke to Ruth about the matter. My sister and I were close and had grown ever closer since the death of our parents and Eleanor’s condition. She had chosen the life of a widow rather than that of a nun following her husband’s death, but she had an appetite for life. In many respects, she was the lady of the manor. She had taken over the almshouse Father Michael and I had created and made it a place of joy for the poor. Many had their lives changed by the work my sister did.
“I do not think that you should go. Our father and grandfather were much used by this king and his mother. Our grandmother died of the plague because the Warlord was absent. This family has done enough for the Plantagenets.” The firmness in her voice often reminded me of my grandfather.
I smiled for Ruth always spoke her mind, “I know but our father and grandfather would have obeyed the missive, would they not? Besides, I think that this is a summons to war and soon the whole of the valley may be needed” She nodded. “Then the question I ask concerns my wife. How will she take it?”
Ruth was thoughtful, perceptive, and clever. She knew my wife and me as well as we knew ourselves. She took my hand in hers, “Your wife is a good woman, probably too good for she puts the lives of others above her own. She feels guilt that she has borne you but one child. I know that there is a danger she might not be able to produce another child, for she is older but you have not lain with her since…” I shook my head. “You should do so. She will cope with your absence better if you do so. She feels that you shun her.” Before I could protest, she held up her hand, “I know that you do not but she is a woman. I miss my dear departed husband, but I know he cannot share my bed. A woman needs that sort of tenderness.”
“I do not want to put her through the torture she endured the last time.”
“The last time our town was attacked, that caused the loss, and, since then you have made your home safer. Consider my words.”
I did and two nights later I told my wife that I had been ordered to leave for Normandy. We were in bed and she was in my arms. She rolled on top of me and kissed me passionately, “Then before you go lie with me one more time I beg of you. I am stronger now than I was and I have prayed to God each night to forgive me for whatever sin I committed. I know I have done something wrong to be punished.”
“You have done no wrong, my love.”
“It feels that way to me. Let us be husband and wife once more.” The urgency in her voice and the passion meant I could not refuse, and we lay together.
The next morning it was as though she had been reborn. There was a joy about her that made her voice sound as though she was singing. Ruth beamed and said quietly to me, “You have done the right thing, brother. This is the Eleanor who gave birth to Thomas. Whatever happens, you have shown that you are not only a perfect knight but a good husband too.”
I wondered at that, but my procrastination meant that I was forced to hasten our departure. The valley knights had not been requested and that pleased me for it meant I could ask Sir William to keep a watch on my castle and town. The new men were now Stockton men and I was confident that they would watch my walls. I should have knighted Jack before now, but I now had two squires for Thomas had become as proficient as Jack and I was confident in the men I led, and I just hoped that my service to the king could be brief. I also had recently acquired a page. Robin son of Alf was an orphan and had seen ten summers. His father had died fighting for my father and his mother had died of the winter chills at the same time my wife had been ill. He had been taken in and looked after in my castle for my people were ever thoughtful. Ruth had been teaching him to read and Martyn Longsword had a special affection for him and took him under his wing, showing him how to use weapons. He had pleaded with Martyn to be taken with him and Martyn asked me to consider it. Martyn had been a shield brother of Alf and I acceded. He would be safe for I would leave him, when there was danger, with the baggage and the horses. It took a month to find a ship but that helped us ensure that all the war gear we took was sound.
