Enemy at the Gate (18 page)

We were close to Brill when we hit trouble.  There was a castle nearby; it had been a palace in Saxon times and Stephen must have fortified it for there were banners hung from its walls.  Although we skirted it I fear we were seen for we heard a horn sounded. I knew that we were close to the River Thames.  It was perhaps ten or fifteen miles away.  I took a chance.  "Let us outrun them.  Dick, order the archers to guard the rear. Sir Harold, take the squires and find the river!"

I did not know this area at all and we were now relying on the sun to guide us.  We had to keep heading south.  We could not afford the luxury of reading the occasional signpost. There had been few enough of them anyway. After a couple of miles of the chase Rafe caught up with us, "Lord there are twenty or so men following. They are gaining on us."

"In that case bring your men through us.  Ride ahead and we will ambush them. You and the archers choose the spot."

"Aye lord."

The archers were lighter than we were and their horses could go faster. Unlike many lords I made sure my archers had the same horses as my men at arms.  We would reap the reward this day. Soon the archers came through us.  The last one, Ralph of Wales said, "They are whipping their horses, lord! They will surely kill them!"

"We will lead them to your ambush." When they had passed me I said, "Draw your weapons and prepare to turn and charge them. When I give the word flee and we will draw them to our ambush."

In situations like this the worst thing that a leader could do was to panic.

Alan son of Alan was at the rear and he shouted, "Lord, they are forty paces from me."

I turned and saw that they were gaining on us but their horses were lathered.  "Turn and charge them!"

My men were prepared and the column split in two as we wheeled around. Suddenly they found themselves being charged. They did not expect it. I rode directly at their leader, a knight. Rolf was galloping hard and he was very responsive.  I feinted to go shield side of the knight and as he tried to turn his weary horse I pulled Rolf to the right.  Standing in my stirrups I brought my sword across the knight's neck. He tumbled to the right pulling his horse down with him.  The next two riders next to him were thrown from their horses.  Dick had slain a man at arms and I shouted, "Fall back!"

I continued my wheel and galloped up the road to our waiting archers.  The fallen horses delayed them and they dropped back to sixty paces behind us. I saw trees ahead and knew it would be a good ambush sight.  I glimpsed my men hiding there. As I passed Ralph he gave a whistle.  I rode forty paces and shouted, "Turn and face them!"

I wanted their attention on us.  Angered at the loss of the knight and three men they came hard towards me. They passed the ambush without even knowing it was there. My archers released at less than twenty paces.  No one can survive that.  The first twelve all died and the ones at the rear, seeing their comrades slain turned tail and headed back to their castle. Their departure meant we had time to rest.  We collected the horses, hauberks and arms as well as the few coins they had with them and then headed for the river and Harold. When we reached the three of them they were with ten men at arms. I recognised the livery of Sir Brian fitz Court.  We had reached friends and we would sleep safe that night.

Our greeting and our welcome was as warm as I could remember.  The Baron had been holding out for as long as I had. The difference was that he had been assailed many times by the forces of Stephen the Usurper. He had, however, a strong castle and a fine position. He was the most westerly of the Empress' supporters. He guarded a valuable crossing of the Thames.

He threw his arms around me when I dismounted. He was a huge bear of a man. "I have longed to meet you, Earl. This is an honour.  We face enemies here but you face Stephen and the Scots as well.  You have a reputation as a doughty fighter."

"And it is good to meet someone else who did not bend the knee to this Count of Blois! I have much to tell you and much to ask too."

"We will eat first."

Edgar said, "Lord, is there a healer?"

"Someone is hurt?"

"Stephen the Grim and Oswald suffered wounds."

I was annoyed with myself for failing to check on my men.  The Baron said, "Aye, Father John in the chapel.  He is a good man with a needle!" I must have hesitated for the Baron put his huge arm around me and said, "Come, let the priest do what he must. You can do nothing by worrying and we have much to speak of."

I went, reluctantly with him. He was a man of prodigious appetite and he could both talk and eat,  Poor Tristan who faced him spent the entire time wiping morsels of food from his face. When I told him of the attack he nodded, "Stephen fortified the old palace at Brill and he uses it as a base for a column of men at arms who prey on any who try to cross the Thames.  You did well to emerge with your lives."

"We handled them roughly and I think that other travellers will be safe for a while." He nodded. "What news of the Empress?"

"She is still in Arundel and Stephen prosecutes the siege.  I think if the King's widow was not in the castle he might have tried harder. It is, however, a powerful castle.  It will not be easy for him to take it."

"And the Earl of Gloucester?"

"He is in Bristol. The Empress needs to be reunited with him."

"How many men do you have, Baron?"

"A sound garrison but not enough to relieve the siege."

"I was not thinking that but we are the foremost thorns in Stephen's side.  If we took our conroi towards Arundel with banners and standards he might think we led an army which would relieve the siege. You are surrounded by enemies here. It would not take much to spread the rumour that the Baron of Wallingford and the Earl of Cleveland have raised an army to rescue the Empress. If it failed we could retreat back to your castle.  If is but fifty miles.  We could be there in half a day."

"By God but you are a man after my own heart! Are your men fit to travel?"

"Aye but our horses will need a day or two to recover. We rode them hard."

"Then we will leave the day after the morrow. That will give us time to spread the rumours. It will be good to see our banners together.  The Usurper will shit himself!"

Even without out deception word would have spread that I had reached Wallingford.  My banner was flown from the tower and my men strode around with their distinctive liveries. They were free with their words and spoke of rescuing the Empress. After speaking with the Baron I had discovered that Stephen had had to spread his forces thinly.  He would find it hard to keep up the siege and send a force to defeat us.  I began to believe that our presence alone might raise the siege.

When we left we used the main roads.  We did not want to be hidden.  The Baron left plenty of men to guard his castle and when we rode we took the horses we had captured and spread them around the column as spares. That, and the fact that we rode with more distance between us than was normal meant that observers saw a huge army snaking its way south.  Ralph of Wales and my archers rode ahead of us to ensure that any prying eyes were too far away to count men.  They just measured the distance on the road which we occupied.

We had reached the tiny manor of Lurgashall when we met our first opposition. We were thirteen miles from Arundel but, more importantly we had passed the crossroads with the London Road from Arundel.  We had cut the Usurper's lines of communication with his heartland and his supporters.  Crossbow men used the manor to try to ambush us. Our archers sprung the trap and Edgar and his men flushed them out and slew them but two riders escaped and headed south. That did not worry me.  We wanted Stephen to know we were coming.

We entered the manor house.  We had been ready to rest our horses for the final push and this seemed as appropriate a place as any. The lord of the manor and his family had fled but conveniently left food cooking.  We ate a hot meal.  I summoned Dick, "Send a couple of scouts south.  Let us see what is ahead."

The Baron was in a much better humour with food in his stomach. "There is nothing which tastes finer than a meal taken from another! This venture has proved interesting, Earl. I had thought that we would have met opposition on this road before now."

"Stephen is now beset on all sides.  The Bishop of Ely is stirring up unrest in the east.  The Earl of Chester and his Welsh allies have Lincoln and much of the land to the west. With the Earl of Gloucester in Bristol the Usurper knows not where to go."

"Think you that the tide has turned?"

I shook my head,  "It has taken four years to subdue Normandy and we both know that Stephen has bought many of the barons.  They may have no honour but they will fight to hold on to the lands and titles which the Usurper has given. My unborn grandchild may be married before this war is over."

"That is cold comfort, my lord.  I would have expected more optimism from you. The world knows that you are the most loyal supporter of the Empress just as you were of her father."

"I have seen too much betrayal for optimism. We have a Bishop of Durham who watches and waits.  Even the Earl of Gloucester's son in law was on the side of the Usurper until Stephen gave away the Earl's lands."

We were preparing to ride the last few miles when my archers rode in. James son of Robert and Will Red Legs had ridden hard. "My lord, King Stephen comes!"

"Does he come for war?"

"No lord.  He has a strong escort, that is all."

The Baron clapped me on the back, "By God, Cleveland you were right! He comes to talk!"

"Before you think this is over wait until we speak with him.  He may come to ask for our surrender.  He may have taken the castle."

"No, lord.  Arundel is too big a nut to crack.  He will have to wait it out and starve them into submission."

In that I agreed with the Baron.  As we had discovered it was only the wooden castles which could be taken by assault.  The rest needed lengthy sieges or deception as we had proved at Lincoln.

The Baron and I gathered our knights to meet with Stephen.  As the most senior noble it would be me who would speak with the Usurper. He arrived with a retinue of a hundred.  Half were knights and the rest men at arms. I doubted that he could have left many knights at the siege.  This was a ploy to cow us. He wanted us to think he had more knights than he did.  We had done the same.  This was a war of deception as well as bloody battles.

He halted ten feet from me.  Neither of us dismounted although we both took off our helmets to show that we were here to speak and not to fight. We both knew, however, that one false move from either side could result in a bloody encounter. As I stared into his eyes I wondered if I should break the convention and fight him.  I was certain that I could defeat him. Even as the thought entered my head it disappeared.  I could not behave so basely.

"Well, Earl, what brings you this far from your river? Have you come to gloat about the trick you used to gain Lincoln?"

"No, nor did I come to compliment you on the trap you set for us on the Great North Road.  We have come to fetch the Empress Matilda, the rightful heir to the crown of England."

"Is this all that you bring? This motley crew of brigands?"

I smiled, "It is all that you can see although we managed to capture Lincoln with just six men.  If I were you I would worry about that."

"So you did come to gloat!"

"Relieve the siege and allow the Empress to leave!"

"I cannot do that."

I shrugged, "The Empress is safe enough in the walls of Arundel.  It is to be a battle then or perhaps I will use my men's skills at night. Will you sleep easy at night knowing that my men of the woods, my archers, are wandering abroad?"

For the first time doubt filled his face. Stephen came from Blois.  Archers there were rare. They preferred the crossbow.  The skill of my archers was known not only in England but Normandy and Blois.  They were hated and feared. I had fine knights and men at arms but the weapon most of my enemies feared was my archers.

"I do not wish my cousin harm."

"You have a strange way of showing it."

"If I let her leave the castle to your protection would you persuade her to return to Anjou?"

I laughed, "England waits for four years for her to return and you want me to put her on a boat back to her husband?  I think you have been eating the mushrooms which make a man mad!"

Even as I had been speaking he had been looking at the faces of my men. He saw no doubts there.  He had a garrison to subdue and two of his most resilient enemies before him.  If we attacked and he lost this battle it might mean he would lose the war and with it his borrowed crown. He nodded, "Very well. I will allow you, Earl, to fetch the Empress but I want her far to the west and away from London!"

I could see why he wished that.  If the Empress was in Wallingford then the people of London might rise up in support.  I thought it unlikely but I understood his reasons. I cared not. I had what I wanted.

"And the Baron here can travel back to his castle unmolested?"

He nodded, "You have my word."

"Good then you have my word that we will not slit your men's throats this night!"

I saw that I had angered many of the knights who were close to their leader.  Stephen smiled, "It is good speaking with you Earl for you never change.  You have a steel stake for a spine and you never bend. Come, let us go else we will not reached Arundel before dark."