Текст книги "The Sun in Splendour"

Автор книги: Jean Plaidy

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Jane talked to him a great deal about the Queen. She was rather sad about her; Hastings believed her conscience worried her. Had she wronged the Queen by taking her husband from her? Hastings laughed at that. Edward had had many mistresses and the fact that Jane had been his favourite had not harmed the Queen in any way.

The King was in the Palace of the Tower and no one whom he wished to see was prevented from seeing him—except his mother and his brother and sisters who were in Sanctuary. No one prevented them but what would have happened to them if they had emerged was uncertain.

He was delighted to see Hastings, knowing him as his father's best friend. He did know that his mother did not like Hastings but he had a vague idea that it was due to the fact that they went out a great deal together drinking and carousing with women. It was

understandable. But all the same Edward could not help being attracted by Hastings.

Hastings had a similar charm to that of the late King. He was good-looking, easy to talk to and made a young King who was not very sure of himself feel absolutely comfortable in his presence. He was very different from his Uncle Gloucester who was so serious always and made him feel at a disadvantage. Mistress Jane Shore visited him too. No one stopped her and he had always liked Jane. She was always so merry and at the same time she seemed to understand that he grew tired quickly and that when his gums bled and his teeth hurt he was a little irritable.

Jane would say: 'Oh it's those old gums again is it. Not really our King who scowls at me?'

She understood that he didn't want to be miserable but he couldn't help it; and that made him feel a great deal better.

'I wish I could see my mother/ he said. 'I wish she would come here. Why does she have to hide herself away?'

'I could go and see her in the Sanctuary and tell her you want to see her.'

'Would you, Jane?'

'But of course. There is nothing to stop my visiting her.'

'I am the King. I should be the one to say who goes where.'

'You will in time.'

'Anyone would think my uncle Richard was the King. I wish my brother Richard would come here. We could play together and I wouldn't be so lonely.'

'I will go to Sanctuary and tell them what you say,' Jane promised him.

Later she talked to Hastings about the sadness of the little King. 'Poor child, for he is nothing more, to be there in the Tower with all that ceremony! I don't think he enjoys his kingship very much. He would rather be with his family. I know you don't like the Woodvilles, William, but they are devoted to each other.'

Hastings was thoughtful. He did not like the Woodvilles. They had always been his enemies and particularly so since Edward had bestowed the Captaincy of Calais upon him. If they could have done so they would have destroyed him. He had supported Gloucester because he was so strongly against the Woodvilles, and he had thought he would be Gloucester's right-hand man as he had been Edward's. But Buckingham had arrived– Buckingham who had never done anything before this day. And

now here he was firmly beside the Protector so that everyone else was relegated to the background.

Hastings was turning more and more against Gloucester with every day. Perhaps Jane had something to do with this. She liked the Woodvilles; she had this ridiculous notion that she owed something to the Queen because she had taken her husband. The Woodvilles were powerful even though Rivers and Richard Grey were in prison, Dorset in exile and the Queen and her family in Sanctuary.

Then it began to dawn on Hastings—with a little prompting from Jane—that as by siding with Gloucester against them he had promoted Gloucester, so perhaps he could relegate Gloucester to a secondary place by supporting the Woodvilles. His visits to the young King showed him clearly where the boy's sympathies lay. The King wanted to be with his family; he trusted his family; he had been brought up by Woodvilles to believe in their greatness and goodness and he had learned his lessons well. Any who wanted to be friends with the King would have to be friends with the Woodvilles.

This last decided Hastings. He had finished with Gloucester who had taken Buckingham so strongly to his side so that there was room for no one else, although but for him the King would have been crowned before Gloucester even knew of his brother's death. Very well, he would turn to the Woodvilles. He would feel his way with them and the first thing would be to let the Queen know of his change of heart.

Tf I went to the Sanctuary it would be noticed at once,' said Hastings. 'Gloucester would hear of it and I should be under arrest in no time.'

'I have promised the King that I will visit his mother,' said Jane. 'Why should I not take some communication from you?'

So it was arranged, and Jane Shore paid frequent visits to the Sanctuary.

Elizabeth was delighted to see her, to have news of the King, and to receive the information that Hastings was turning away from Gloucester and was ready to side with her and her family, filled her with hope.

William Catesby was talking earnestly to the Duke of

Gloucester. Richard trusted Catesby; there was a sincerity about the man which he had noticed from the first; he was well versed in the law and could offer useful advice on that subject. It was men such as Catesby and Ratcliffe that Richard liked to gather about him.

He was uneasy about Hastings. The fact that Hastings had taken Jane Shore as his mistress seemed somewhat shocking to Richard. Although he had always been dismayed by his brother's way of life and thought that side of his nature to be a flaw in the idol, he had accepted it with Edward; he could not quite do so with Hastings. He himself had lived a comparatively virtuous life—he had been faithful since his marriage and it was only before that that he had had a mistress and two illegitimate children.

He knew that he had to make allowances but Hastings had been licentious and revelled in that state; he had, the Queen had always said, led the late King into wild sexual adventures. And now that he was with Jane Shore who had already passed through Dorset's hands, Richard felt quite disgusted.

This had made him turn away from Hastings. He did not really want the man in his councils. He liked him personally. Hastings was a man who knew how to charm; he was influential but he had to be treated with care.

Now here was Catesby with a disturbing story.

Catesby had worked close to Hastings. It was Hastings who had been a kind of patron to him, who had helped him in his career; he had advanced him considerably in the counties of Northampton and Leicestershire and Hastings it was who had first brought him to Richard's notice.

Richard had liked him immediately and given him a place in his councils. Now it was very disturbing that Catesby should be talking in this way to him of Hastings.

Hastings trusted Catesby. Hastings was a little like the late King in the way he accepted what he wanted to, and looked the other way if something displeased him.

Hastings should not be so trusting.

Catesby was saying that he could not believe this was really true, but he feared it was. Hastings was in communication with the Queen.

'How so?' asked Richard.

'By way of Jane Shore. She visits the Queen in Sanctuary. I

have watched her. I have paid people in the Sanctuary to listen to what is said between the Queen and Mistress Shore.'

'And Hastings?'

'My lord, he is ready to betray you, to take sides with the Woodvilles, to get the Queen out of Sanctuary and rouse the people to the side of the King. The King thinks his mother and uncle can do no wrong.'

'1 know that well,' said Richard. 'He has made that obvious to me.'

'Hastings has hinted to me what is in his mind,' said Catesby. 'He trusts me. He looks on me as his man. My lord, 1 owe my allegiance to you . . . not to Hastings. Thus I have undertaken the painful task of telling you what is in his mind and what I have discovered about him.'

'It is a grievous shock to me,' said Richard. 'I trusted Hastings. He was my brother's best friend.'

'My lord you should trust him no more.'

'Rest assured I shall not, and when I have discovered that there is indeed a plot I shall know how to act.'

Catesby said: 'Then I have done my duty.'

'I thank you. This shall be dealt with. And in the meantime watch for me. Let me know if there is anything more passing between them. Find out all you can of how Hastings conducts himself.'

Catesby swore that he would.

After he had left Buckingham called on Richard and was told what Catesby had revealed.

Buckingham listened intently.

'Hasrings was always a fool,' he said. 'There is only one way to deal with traitors even if they are fools.'

'So thought I,' said Richard. 'But there is more to discover yet. Buckingham, there is something else of great moment that 1 would say to you. Stillington has been to me with a strange revelation. He says that my brother was not indeed married to Elizabeth Woodville.'

'Can this really be so?'

'So says he. He married my brother to Lady Eleanor Butler.'

'By God! Old Shrewsbury's daughter. Eleanor was my cousin—my sister's daughter. She would have been more suitable to be Queen of England than the Woodville woman.'

'Yes, you are right. Eleanor Butler went into a convent and died

there, but several years after my brother's so called marriage with

Elizabeth Woodville.'

Then, Richard, you are King of England.'

'It would seem so ... if Shllington speaks truth.'

'Why should he not speak truth?'

'These are weighty matters. They must be proved.'

'By God, they must be. And when they are .... This is good

news. We shall have a mature king, a king who knows how to

govern. There will be no regency ... no protectorate ... no boy

King. It is an answer from Heaven.'

'Not so fast, my lord. First we must prove it. There is much to

be done. What I fear more than anything is to plunge this country

into civil war. We have had enough of that. We want no more

wars.'

'But you must be proclaimed King.'

'Not yet. Let us wait. Let it be proved. Let us test the mood of

the people.'

'The people will acclaim their true King.'

'We must first make sure that they are ready to do so.'

Richard stared ahead of him. He had let out the secret. That it

would have tremendous consequences he had no doubt.

It was a devastating discovery. Men such as Buckingham could act rashly. Buckingham's idea was that Richard should immediately claim the throne. It was what Buckingham would have done had he been in Richard's position. As a matter of fact Buckingham himself believed that he had claim to the throne—a flimsy one it was true but he made it clear sometimes that he was aware of it.

Richard found himself in a quandary. He wanted to be in command because he knew he was capable of ruling. He had proved that by the order he had kept in the North. He wanted to keep the country prosperous and at peace and the last thing he wanted was a civil war.

The young King disliked him more every day and one of the main reasons was that he was imprisoning Lord Rivers and Richard Grey, and the fact that his mother was in Sanctuary. Young Edward blamed Gloucester for this, which was logical enough; but the King did not understand that his mother and his maternal relations would ruin the country if they ever came to

complete power. Lord Rivers was indeed a charming man; he had become a champion in the jousts, he had all the Woodville good looks; he was quite saintly when he remembered to be but he was as avaricious as the rest of the family and he wanted to govern the King. That was what all the Woodvilles wanted. So did Richard for that matter. The difference was that Edward the Fourth had appointed his brother as Protector and guardian of the King for he knew—as Richard knew—that Richard alone was capable of governing the country in the wise strong way which the late King had followed.

Yet the King disliked his uncle. The only way in which Richard could win his regard was by freeing the Woodvilles and to do that he would have to become one of them. There were so many of them and they had gathered so much power and riches during Edward's lifetime that they would absorb him. He would become a minor figure. He would in fact become a follower of the Woodvilles. It would mean too that he would have to sacrifice his friends—Buckingham, Northumberland, Catesby, Ratcliffe .... It was unthinkable. He ... a Plantagenet to become a hanger-on of the Woodvilles!

The alternative to all this was to take power himself. It seemed to him that he had every right to do this. In the first place he had been appointed by his brother to be the Protector of the Realm and the young King. And now Stillington had come along with this revelation. If it were indeed true that his brother had not been legally married to Elizabeth Woodville he, Richard of Gloucester, was the true King of England.

He could take power with a free conscience. If the people would accept him as their King, he could prevent civil war. He could rule in peace as his brother had done. It was his duty to take the crown. It was also becoming his dearest wish.

But he must go carefully. He had rarely ever been rash. He liked to weigh up a situahon, decide on how to act, then consider the consequences—the good and the bad for there were invariably good and bad in all matters.

This marriage with Eleanor Butler would have to be proved. Its consequences would be so overwhelming that there must be no hurrying into a decision on it. He must have time to think on it.

In the meantime there were other pressing matters to be dealt with. Hastings, for instance. Hashngs had great power. He had believed him to be loyal. Hastings had warned him of the King's

death and the need to come prepared to London. That had stood him in great stead. Without that warning he might not have heard of his brother's death unril after young Edward's coronation and that would have been too late. He owed something to Hastings.

Yet Hastings was in touch with Elizabeth Woodville; he had seen the King. Jane Shore took messages to the Sanctuary. They were plotting against him. Richard hated disloyalty more than anything. He had chosen his motto 'Loyalty binds me' because it meant so much to him.

If Hastings were deceiving him, he deserved to die, and die he must, for he would be the link between the King and the Wood-villes and if his conspiracy were allowed to proceed it could be the end of Richard. They would have no compunction in beheading him, he knew. They hated and feared him; and the King could give his ready consent.

There must be prompt action. He sent for Richard Ratcliffe, a man whom he trusted. Ratcliffe had been Comptroller of King Edward's household and his efficient management of affairs had aroused Richard's interest in him. He came from Lancashire and Richard knew his family in the North. He was a man he trusted.

T want you to ride with all speed to York. Take this letter from me and it is to be put into the hands of the Mayor. I want him to raise men and come south to assist me, and to do so with all speed.'

He had written that he needed men and arms to assist him against the Queen and her blood adherents and affinity who, he was assured, intended to destroy him and his cousin the Duke of Buckingham, as the old royal blood of the realm.

This,' said Richard, 'is of the utmost importance. Delay could cost me my life. Impress this on my good friends in the North.'

'I will do this, my lord, and leave at once.'

Richard Ratcliffe took the letters and set off.

But Richard of Gloucester knew that he could not afford to wait for help from the North.

It was Friday, the thirteenth of June, two days after Ratcliffe had left for the North. The Protector had summoned the Council to assemble in the Tower for a meeting. There was nothing

strange about this for meetings at this time occurred frequently and the Tower was usually chosen for them "to take place.

Among those who were to attend were Archbishop Rotherham, Morton Bishop of Ely, Lord Stanley and Lord Hastings.

Richard knew exactly what he had to do.

It was going to be extremely distasteful, but it had to be done. It was either that or his own head and disaster for England as he saw it. So he must not shirk his duty. His brother had not when it came to the point. Clarence had signed his death warrant when he had taunted Edward with the illegitimacy of his children.

Edward had been strong, as Richard must be.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun dappled the water of the Thames as his barge bore him along. He alighted and looked back along the river and then turned to face the Tower. The King was there ... in the Palace. He must remain there until the Protector had decided how best to act.

He met Bishop Morton as he was about to enter the council chamber. He was affable though in his heart he was deeply suspicious of the Bishop. A staunch Lancastrian who had changed sides and served Edward of York when it was expedient to do so. Richard could never like such men; he would have had more respect for him if he had refused to serve Edward and had gone into exile. Not the ambitious Bishop. He was very comfortable in his palace in Ely Place; where he had the most magnificent gardens.

T hear your strawberries are particularly fine this year. Bishop,' said Richard.

That's so, my lord. The weather has been right for them/

T trust you will give me an opportunity to sample them.'

'My lord, it will be an honour. I will have them sent to Crosby Place. I doubt not the Lady Anne will like them.'

'Thankyou. Bishop.'

Stanley, Rotherham and Hastings had arrived. They all looked relaxed. It was clear that they had no notion yet as to what was about to take place.

Richard veiled the distaste he felt on beholding Hastings. He must have come straight from Jane Shore. He looked jaunty, younger than of late. He was clearly enjoying the company of the late King's favourite mistress.

The council meeting proceeded and after a while Richard said:

'My lords, will you continue without me for a while. There is something to which I have to attend. I shall be with you ere long.'

That was the first intimation the members of the Council had that morning that something strange might be afoot. That Richard should suddenly leave them in this way was unusual. It was almost as though he were preparing himself for some ordeal and wished to steel himself before attempting it.

Hastings was thinking that although Richard appeared to be cool he had seemed a little preoccupied. For instance he had not glanced Hastings' way since he had appeared. But there was all that chat about Morton's strawberries. That was natural enough. Hastings thought: I imagined this. It is because of Jane. She was worried because he was getting very deeply involved in the conspiracy with the Queen.

Richard had come back. He looked quite different from the man who had left the council chamber. His face was white; there was a look of bitter determination in his eyes.

He spoke quietly but firmly. 'My lords, you know well who it was whom my brother set up as guardian of his son, do you not?'

'Indeed yes, my lord. It was you ... his brother.'

'That is true. But there are traitors who would deprive me of my rights . . . who would destroy me. What punishment would they deserve who are guilty of this?'

No one spoke. They were all so astonished, taken off their guard as they were.

'You do not answer me. My Lord Hastings, what think you?'

'Well, my lord, if any have done this they deserve to be punished.'

'Whoever they be, my lord Hastings, whoever they be? I will tell you who have sought to do this to me. I will name these traitors. They have plotted against me .... The Queen is one . . . and Jane Shore, my brother's mistress, is another. These two have worked together . . . against me.'

Hastings felt Hmp with fear at the mention of Jane's name. He knew what was coming. He knew her visits to the Sanctuary had been remarked on. Gloucester/cneu' ....

It had happened too suddenly for him to think clearly. He could only stare at the fierce eyes of the Protector glowing in his pale face.

'Now, if these women have conspired against me then they are traitors .... What should be the fate of traitors?' There was

silence round the table. Everyone's eyes were on Gloucester. He had turned to Hastings.

'You are silent, my lord. Tell us what should be the fate of these . . . traitors.'

Hastings forced himself to speak. 'If they have done these things and if they can be proved against them . . .'he began.

Richard turned to him. 'You answer me with your ifs and your ands. I tell you this, they have done it. And you have been with them in this treachery!'. He struck his fist on the table with such violence that all those watching drew back in their seats. 'I will make good on your body, my lord Hastings.'

There was a moment of silence. For half a second Richard wavered. He looked at Hastings. He had been fond of this man who had been Edward's greatest friend. Edward had found great pleasure in his company. But that made the remedy ever more necessary. Hastings had known that Edward had appointed him; and yet he was ready to play the traitor not only to Richard but to Edward.

There must be no softening; he must be strong. Everything depended on how he acted at this time.

He looked steadily at Hastings.

'I swear I will not dine until your head is severed from your body. You are a traitor, Hastings, and the reward of traitors should be death.'

He rapped on the table. It was the sign he had told the guards to wait for. They came in shouting: 'Treason.'

Richard looked at the guards and the ashen faces of the men about the table.

'Arrest these men,' cried Richard, indicahng Rotherham, Morton and Stanley. 'Take them away. But not my lord Hastings. No . . . not my lord Hastings. You, traitor, shall die now.'

It was the signal. The guards seized the four men. Rotherham and Morton were taken to lodgings in the Tower; Stanley went to his home under guard; but Hastings was conducted at once to the Green and a priest was found for him so that he could hastily be shriven.

Hastings, bewildered still, stood on the Green. It was so sudden. This morning he had said adieu to Jane, now his loving mistress, just as he had always wanted her to be—telling her he would soon be with her.

He had been happy. He was dabbling with conspiracy it was

true but that added a certain zest to his life. He had been reckless; he had been foolish; he had never liked the Woodvilles. He saw how foolish he had been to think of throwing in his lot with them. Gloucester was a strong man. Edward had seen that when he had named him as Protector.

And now, this was the reward of his folly. This was the end.

There was no executioner's block but men had been working at the Tower and they found a piece of wood which would serve.

The soft and balmy air caressed his face as Hashngs laid his head on the hastily improvised block and died.

The cries of Treason had been heard in the city and the apprentices had come running into the streets brandishing any weapon they could lay their hands on, while the merchants were prepared to protect their shops, and the mayor was ready to marshal his forces. If there was treason in the air, if there were to be battles then London must protect itself.

Richard immediately sent a herald into the streets who rode along sounding his trumpet and asking the people to listen to what he had to tell them. There was no cause for alarm. All that had happened was that a conspiracy had been discovered and those responsible had received their just rewards. Lord Hastings had plotted to destroy the Protector and the Duke of Buckingham and had himself been beheaded. All knew that Hastings had lured the late King to live licentiously and Hastings was at this time the lover of the late King's mistress Jane Shore—a whore and a witch; he had been with Jane Shore on the previous night and the woman was disclosed as one involved in the conspiracy.

Tut away your weapons, good citizens,' cried the herald. 'Danger has been averted by the prompt action of the Protector.'

The Londoners were delighted to do this. Trouble they did not want. But the crowds stayed in the streets to ask themselves what would happen next. It was an uneasy situation. A King who was a minor was always a source of trouble. The Queen was in Sanctuary and the Woodvilles in decline. That was good. The Londoners had never liked the rapacious Woodvilles. There was the Lord Protector who had proved himself a worthy ruler in the North to look after the country.

Tf the Lord Protector took the crown,' said some, 'it would not be a bad thing.'

There is the little King,' replied some of the women.

'Little Kings cause trouble,' was the answer.

But they were all delighted that there was to be no fighting in the streets.

Richard immediately called a meeting of the Council to explain the reason for his prompt action. It was always dangerous to execute men without trial.

There was not a man among them who did not realize the need for prompt action. Many of them knew that Hastings had deviated from his loyalty to Richard; they knew too of his association with Jane Shore and it was a fact that the goldsmith's wife visited the King and the Queen. It was all very plausible. Gloucester had done what any strong man would.

Richard was anxious to show that he bore no personal venom towards Hastings. The late King had asked that Hastings be buried beside him so Richard ordered that the body should be taken to Windsor and there buried close to Edward in that chapel of St George's which Edward had started to build and which was as yet incomplete. As for Hastings' widow, Katherine, she should not be deprived of her goods, and Richard would take her under his protection.

jane Shore, he said, was of little importance robbed of her protectors. She was a harlot and as such should do penance and be deprived of her possessions. He would pass her over to the Church which could decide what her penance should be, and when it was performed she should be forgotten. He would take no action against her. She had been loved by his brother and he would remember that. The penance and the loss of the goods his brother and others had bestowed on her would be punishment enough.

Now to more serious business.

Elizabeth Woodville must be persuaded to come out of Sanctuary. If she would do this she could reside with the King and he and the Duke of York could be together as they wished; and so could the King's daughters.

If, however, the Queen refused to leave Sanctuary—and she could not be forced to do so—then the Duke of York must be taken from her.

The Council agreed that the choice should be put to her.

There was a great deal of rumour flying round not only London but the entire country.

First there was the spectacle of Jane Shore's walking through the streets barefooted wrapped in a worsted robe, a lighted taper in her hand.

It was the ultimate degradahon. They had sought to humiliate her and this they had done indeed.

She was stricken with grief. She blamed herself for the death of Hastings. She had brought him into the conspiracy with the Queen. But for her he would be alive today.

She could see the people as she walked; they crowded about her, eyes filled with curiosity, with malice, and with pleasure! They had envied her once when she was the adored mistress of the King. They had cheered her often. She had always tried to do what she could for the people. They had known it and loved her for it. But on occasions like these it was not those people who came out to gloat; it was the malicious, the envious, those who considered themselves virtuous.

'Harlot,' they called her. Well, she supposed she was. A whore was not a better one because she was a King's whore.

No. She had loved the King; she had loved Hastings. The goldsmith ... no she had never loved him but she had been forced into that marriage by her father. The relationship with Dorset had not been a good one. She was ashamed of that. But where was Dorset now . . . plotting somewhere against the Protector.

The Protector despised her. She believed he always had. She knew he had deplored the King's fondness for her. The Protector was cold, aloof but just, she believed. He might have sentenced her to death himself instead of handing her over to the Bishop of London.

She was sure that remembering his brother's fondness for her he had been lenient.

This horror would pass.

Her feet were bleeding for the cobbles were sharp; she was aware of the eyes that followed her. Into the Cathedral she went with her taper; and then out once more to make confession at Paul's Cross.

Eyes watched her. All marvelled at her; because she who had so much had sunk so low.

Jane was desolate. Edward was gone; Hastings was gone.

What was there left for her?

'MY LIFE WAS LENT'

It was three days since the death of Hastings. The Council had decided that a proposition must be put to the Queen. With an armed guard they rode up the river to Westminster.

It was decided that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Bourchier, should head the deputahon to the Queen and that Lord Howard should go with him.

Richard and Buckingham would await their return in the Palace.

Elizabeth received them with great misgiving. She had heard of Hastings' execution and that Jane Shore had been set to do penance; she had also heard that Jane had been deprived of her worldly goods.

It was a great setback. Elizabeth had been hoping for a great deal from an alliance with Hastings. She and he had always been such great enemies and the fact that he had sought a reconciliation had been particularly pleasing to her.

Elizabeth had always enjoyed intrigue, and from the moment she and her mother had set out to capture the King and succeeded in doing so, she had believed she had a special talent for it.

She had looked forward to Jane Shore's visits and now of course someone had betrayed them.