White Boar and the Red Dragon, The (39 page)

What would happen when we eventually reached London was in God’s hands.

Edward V, the Young King, Stoney Stratford, 30 April 1483

I knew I would become king one day, but I had not given it any real thought yet, believing it would be many years off. My father was but forty, after all, far too young to die.

Now I am torn away from all I have known, even the people I know and trust. Uncle Richard of Gloucester is an unknown quantity to me. I have heard that he is an upright, honourable man, a great soldier, fair-minded, and certainly very loyal to my father. But I do not know him.

And he is to be my new guardian and Protector and order my life in all things from now on. His aspect seems rather grim to me. He does not often smile or say much. I do not find him approachable, as I did my dear Uncle Rivers, now taken from me, I do not know where? I think he has been arrested, but everyone is so evasive and will not answer my questions about his whereabouts, although I am now the king and they should surely obey me in all things?

Why is Uncle Richard doing any of this anyway? I do not understand his actions at all. He told me that it is needful to put me under his protection at once, before we reach London and that a plot is afoot! It seems I am in some kind of danger, but I do not know exactly what.

He says he will give me a full explanation soon and that I must trust him, as he is only carrying out the last express wishes of my late father.

Although I am the new king, it seems I am still just a child to Uncle Richard and the Duke of Buckingham, his chief supporter. I have no powers yet. I just have to do as I am told and accept their authority until I am crowned. The date of 4 May is not long off, my coronation day. Then perhaps things will change for me. Surely I can then order things the way I want them, not the way Uncle Gloucester wants them?

I must bide my time, be patient, and put my fears aside. But I am frightened, very frightened, by what has happened today. I feel cast adrift on a dark sea, with no land in sight.

Princess Elizabeth of York, Westminster Palace,
Evening, 30 April 1483

‘Quickly, quickly! Haste is of the essence! We must go into sanctuary at once! When Richard of Gloucester arrives, our lives will not be worth a fig. And we must secure Edward’s treasure! It must be taken from the Tower and come with us into the sanctuary. Once Gloucester gets his hands on it, we will never see it again, and it represents all my poor dear husband’s hard work over the years! Surely I, as his wife, have first right to it, to secure my children’s futures?

And my favourite pieces of furniture and those lovely tapestries that cost so much must come too. Hasten to get them into the sanctuary, before Gloucester arrives! Oh my god, that it has come to this. We are all undone!’

‘But, Mother, why do you fear Uncle Richard so? He was devoted to our poor dead father and has little Eddie in his protection—as father wished. What do you think he will do to us? He is now the Lord Protector! And father willed it so. So why all this haste into sanctuary? Is it really necessary?’

You stupid girl, Bess. Where are your brains? Think about it! Don’t you realise that Gloucester hates me and mine—always has done? And the feeling has been mutual from the minute I arrived at court in 1464. I do not trust him an inch. With Edward gone, we will see his true colours. He has always reminded me of a snake about to strike. And now he will. I am sure of it!

Quickly, girl, get your things together! Pack your jewellery and most precious possessions. The servants can do the rest.’

‘You are beside yourself, Mother! All will be well, I am sure of it.’

‘I think not. Now, do as you are told and do not argue the point. I think I know men better than a mere inexperienced slip of a girl!’

I just do not understand why Mother is making all this fuss. Of course, I know she is angry and upset that she has lost control over Eddie to Uncle Richard. She does like to be the controlling force—in everything. She controlled Father completely, though he was king. He was butter in her hands. He gave into her every whim. That was not good. Though she is my mother, I know her faults—only too well!

She is a hard woman, self-willed, overbearing, and most determined. She makes life difficult for anyone who dares to cross her—her own family included. I am often the victim of her vicious tongue. Her will has to be our will.

I know one’s duty is to love one’s mother. But I cannot. I have tried, God knows. She is too brittle, avaricious, and self-seeking. One does not make an enemy of her. Those who have, have paid the price. One does not go against her without expecting dire consequences. She will pursue revenge to the bitter end!

I adored my dear father, the king. He was a lovely, kind, and loving man. All of us children loved him dearly—and he us! But Mother—she is another matter. She even envied us his love, I know.

I miss my father unbearably. What my life will be like now that he has gone—and having to bear the brunt of all Mother’s moods and tantrums as the eIdest—I hate to think. I am now of marriageable age. If Father were here, he would be searching for another suitable husband for me after Louis, the King of France, rejected me last year for his son, the Dauphin, after an understanding of many years. Father was furious about it. And I was very upset. I had expected to be Queen of France one day!

Father promised me he would do it soon, just before his last illness. I was his favourite child always. And he always did what he promised me.

What will become of me now? I will be nothing but a mere nursemaid in the sanctuary to my young brother and sisters. And I will be at the beck and call of Mother continually. I will not be able to escape her constant demands. She has no patience with the little ones. She has always left their care to others. It will be hateful—though I do love them, because I want to spread my wings now, and I will be imprisoned against my will. I want my freedom and I want to have some fun now I am grown up. I looked forward to the court balls and meeting lots of young men who would make much of me. Now I will see no one but Mother, the children, and the servants. It is awful to think of. I want to be free more than anything now.

I do not fear Uncle Richard. I have always liked him a lot on the occasions he has come to court to see my father, which were few and far between in recent years, as he has been living in the north, where he has been ruling virtually as a king in his own right. They call him the Lord of the North, and the people there trust and love him.

He has a quiet, gentle manner. He says little, but what he does say is always to the point. He has kind eyes that crinkle at the corners when he smiles, which is rarely enough, though he has smiled at me many times. I am sure he likes me, as much as I do him. But when Father and he were together! Then there were many smiles and laughs! They were devoted to each other and loved each other’s company.

I look forward to his coming! I do not care what Mother thinks or says. Surely he can mean us no harm? Father appointed him as Protector because he trusted him so. We must trust him too, I am sure.

I confess I find him attractive as a man. If he were not married to Aunt Anne, a gentle soul, whom I respect and care for, I might dare to tell him so. Sadly, I can only do it with my eyes and show him how I like him in my manner, as things stand. But it would be hopeless anyway. Girls in my position get little choice in a marriage partner. It is all political. I have been brought up to realise and accept that.

But it does not stop me dreaming of what might have been, if things were different. I know that I am beautiful, not with such beauty as my mother had—like a porcelain doll and very delicate, but I have my mother’s hair and I see men stare at me. But I am not really interested in their stares. The only one I am interested in is out of my reach.

William Hastings, Lord Chamberlain, Westminster, 1 May 1483

My Dear Lord of Gloucester,

The news for which you have eagerly awaited is good, very good!

Your clever coup at Stoney Stratford, with no bloodlet, filled me with joy and admiration when the news reached me very late last night. It was a clever and most adroit manoeuvre you carried out on Anthony Woodville and the others in young Edward’s party, Lord Richard Grey and old Thomas Vaughan. You managed to turn the tables, evidently with no real problems!

Here, all is in confusion at the court! The erstwhile queen and her son, the Marquess of Dorset, ever my enemies both, and yours, desperately had all the queen’s most precious possessions moved into Westminster Sanctuary in great haste.

This includes the late king’s treasure from the Tower. Unfortunately, it had already been moved there before I had knowledge, or I would have stopped the transfer, if I could.

So eager was she to get herself and her goods into the abbot’s lodgings that she had a huge hole broken through the wall from Westminster Palace, so that all might be done more easily and quickly. She was ever avaricious, with an eye to the main chance. Poor Edward must be turning in his grave! She plans to lock herself and her children away inside the sanctuary, terrified, it seems, now she has lost control of the situation, of what you will do when you arrive! The marquess has disappeared—none knows where. I have men searching for him now. I believe he has taken a portion of the treasure with him.

No one seems willing to help her cause, you will be glad to hear!

The queen and the marquess sent messengers far and wide during the night, I have been informed, to those whom they assumed were Woodville supporters, beseeching them to raise an army to wrest the young king away from you by force, but no one has so far responded. Her so-called friends are both evasive and non-cooperative, thank goodness! Perhaps the queen realises now how truly hated she was. She was only tolerated because Edward was so much loved by the people. So now she has her back literally up against the wall and does nothing but weep and bemoan her lot. It is about time she was brought down and her haughty arrogance received a damaging blow, which, I assure you, it now has!

The Woodville cause has collapsed completely!

The chancellor, Thomas Rotherham, the Archbishop of York, when he heard the news from me this morning, at once seized the Great Seal, his precious charge, and rushed to the queen at Westminster Sanctuary, pressing it into her hands personally. He has always been a supporter of the Woodvilles, God knows why!

But this afternoon, being informed of the illegality of his action, he went back quickly to the sanctuary and demanded its return. He is obviously too old and indecisive to hold such an important position any more! The Lords have at last recognised this and taken the Great Seal off him permanently. It is now in a place of safety, you will be relieved to know!

I was up at crack of dawn, sending messages and notes here and there, greeting all the lords and gentlemen who have flocked to my standard. I hope it is to offer you support, but I expect a lot have just come to seek counsel or gain my protection in the changed circumstances. As the late king’s dearest friend, people seem to trust me in these conflicting and confusing times. They must believe that, in your absence, I know exactly what the late king, Edward, wished for the good of the country and the Crown Prince.

I today gathered the Lords in an informal assembly and warmly defended your actions as right and proper in the circumstances. When your letter arrived, they were further reassured, as it was read out to them and your good intentions revealed. Your explanation satisfied them when you vowed that you had not captured the young king, but had rescued him and the realm, both of which had fallen into the hands of those who, having ruined the honour and health of your father, would not be expected to show any more respect for his son!

They agreed that you were right to do this for your own safety, also for the safety of the kingdom and young Edward, and to arrest Rivers, Grey, and Vaughan.

They actually cheered when you wrote that you would soon bring the new king to London for his coronation, though that event would now be some time further off than 4 May, which the Woodvilles had worked towards, to ensure they got into power quickly.

Everything you have done has been approved wholeheartedly by the Lords, and they eagerly await your entrance to London with Edward, as indeed I do, my lord.

There are only two bad things to report to you.

On 29 April, the Woodville fleet, commanded by Edward Woodville, sailed with a portion of the late king’s treasure on board, which the Marquess of Dorset had pilfered and was obviously determined to get away from England as soon as possible to feather his own nest! Perhaps he forsaw the outcome of his family’s attempts to take power. He deserted the queen and her children fast enough in the sanctuary. These self-seeking Woodvilles! They are not even loyal to each other! You would think he would have stayed and supported his mother in the circumstances!

I will acquaint you at once of any more developments here as soon as they occur.

I await your arrival with alacrity.

I remain your trusted friend and supporter,

William Hastings,

Lord Chamberlain

Edward V, Westminster Palace of the Bishop of London,
4 May 1483

My uncle Richard of Gloucester has take great pains, I must admit, to put me at my ease and comfort and reassure me, though I find it very hard to relax in his presence, as I still feel very uneasy and resentful at what his actions, lawful or not—though he assures me they are wholly lawful—have meant for me personally.

I understand that my late father’s wishes are paramount to his actions, but what about my wishes? I am King now, after all. Am I to have no say in who my companions are to be? I do not like the men appointed to care for my personal needs, though they are respectful and not unkind. I miss my familiar body servants so. Most had been with me all my life. I feel all at sea, as if on a leaky boat which may sink at any moment. I have no idea whether I am really safe now, as Uncle Richard insists I am, or whether I am being deceived. It will have to be proved to me that all is for the best, before I really begin to relax and trust this stranger uncle and the Duke of Buckingham, his close companion and supporter.