Despite her mild and unassuming persona, Catherine was a strong and resilient person. She accepted that her husband was a lascivious and lustful man, lacking any sense of propriety and decorum, and she settled down to make the most of her life in England as best she could.
I saw little of her these days, but there was hardly a week went by that I did not converse in some way with Anne, Duchess of York. If I was not working away, I always met James at some time on Monday to hand in and discuss reports of my work from the previous week, and Anne was always there for a friendly chat, usually bringing with her some sort of beverage or light refreshment.
Anne had become the new queen’s closest friend and confidant, and while together they must have talked about me, because Catherine used Anne to pass on her good wishes and to inquire into my wellbeing. But I became rather worried when she began to covertly hand to me sealed letters asking questions about the time I spent with Charles here in London, but also about our adventures together fleeing from Cromwell’s army. I thought it wrong to be writing to me at all… wrong for her as well as for me, and I am sure there were many who would have considered talking about the king in this way behind his back to be treasonable.
I knew of course that there was no malice in her questions so I decided to put my trust in James and tell him.
He just laughed it off saying, ‘I think it most likely she is planning a little mischief. But I can quite understand why you are worried. I will explain to them both your concerns.’
‘I don’t want to upset her, or for her to break contact with me altogether.’
‘You just want her to use a little common sense.’
‘I wouldn’t have put it so bluntly, but that’s the message I would like you to pass on.’
***
For the next two months I worked locally, never moving further than Greenwich, but all the time I was thinking about my unfinished work in Hampshire. I explained to my Lord James my intention to return to the New Forest, and from there to work my way home along the coast, checking any castle I thought to be of strategic value to the defence of the realm on the way. Eventually ending my journey at Rochester, just a few miles from Upnor Castle in Chatham.
‘How long do you think that will take?’
‘I would guess at six to eight weeks, perhaps longer.’
‘Then you had better take a couple of extra guards in case I need to know where you are, use them as couriers, keep your scroll of entitlement with you at all times and call here before you set off to collect some money for expenses.’
I was halfway out of the room when I remembered something rather disturbing while checking a ship near St Catherine’s Wharf.
‘There is one other thing I meant to ask you. Can we not find a better way of recruiting for the navy than sending out press gangs? I find it so distressing to see women… sometimes with children begging for their husbands not to be taken from their families, knowing full well that they may never see them again.’
‘We only recruit in that way at a time of war.’
‘But just two days ago I saw two men snatched at St Catherine’s Wharf.’
James looked surprised, even shocked. ‘I know nothing of them, they must be privateers. I’ll look into it. You have my word on that.’
***
For a soldier… being assigned to protect me while on my travels was considered to be a pleasant and privileged job among the royal guards housed at the Tower, an opportunity to escape the boredom and drudgery of life in the city, a chance to escape into the countryside.
I didn’t want to be the one to cause disharmony, or be accused of favouring my friends, so I ordered my two regular guards to choose the new ones who were to accompany us on our journey to Hampshire.
Now with my quartet of cheerful and grateful guards behind me, we set off out of London at a gallop. I was enthusiastic and excited at the prospect of working freelance and to my own agenda again, and decided this time to start in Portchester in Hampshire as that was the only anchorage in the region I had yet to visit. There was also a number of boatyards and castles in that area.
***
It was the end of July and one of the hottest days of the year the day we left London, we arrived in Portchester on the second day after sleeping overnight beneath the stars.
After a couple of days in Portchester, I moved across country to Lyndhurst to complete my unfinished report on the harvesting, seasoning and storage of timber from the king’s woodland in the New Forest. The work took longer than expected, eventually we returned to the coast at Christchurch two weeks behind schedule.
From there, I dispatched my two new messengers to London… instructing them to meet me at Hurst Castle in no more than three days’ time. Hurst was the first of a list of castles I intended to visit along the south coast of Hampshire, Sussex and Kent, ending eventually at Rochester, close to Upnor Castle which was a castle I had already covered in detail some months earlier.
We were enjoying one of the best summers I can remember, with brilliant August sun during the day and cool clear skies at night.
We always tried to camp close to a tavern but never once did we spend the night inside… always choosing to sleep beneath the stars; some as bright as sparkling diamonds and others faint and soft as a fading dream. Occasionally we would wake in the morning soaking from a heavy mist, but nothing could dampen our spirits.
While on the Isle of Wight checking Carisbrooke Castle, I wrote to Anne telling her where I was, what I was doing and when I expected to be passing through Lewes. I thought it unlikely, but I was hoping she might be able to get away from her family and meet me there, though it did occur to me that her father may intercept the letter before it reached her.
The next time I dispatched my couriers to London, I ordered them to make a detour along the coast to Lewes.
I already knew from my notes that the old Norman Castle at Lewes was five miles from the coast, that over many years the curtain wall had been robbed of most of its stone, and that it was unoccupied. So I did not expect my review there to take much time to complete… perhaps a couple of hours and then we could be on our way along the coast to my next target which was Hastings Castle.
Of course I hoped to see Anne but thought it unlikely that she would be able to get away, and even if she could it would be with a chaperone.
As we approached the castle, it looked from a distance as though the outer curtain wall had been completely removed, the local peasants profiting from the building being unoccupied. The only part that still appeared to be complete was the barbican tower, and standing there by the doors I was surprised to see a small group of people.
I thought it unlikely that anyone would be interested in the remains of an old castle. That was until to my delight I realised that one of them was Anne.
I started to climb towards the keep as Anne came down to meet me, I was out of breath from the climb and my heart was racing when she came into my arms. Our bodies locked together as one, we kissed soft and long completely oblivious to our surroundings and our audience watching from the closed doors of the barbican.
The spell was broken when I overheard one of my guards say, ‘Now I understand why we had to go out of our way to deliver a letter to Lewes.’
Anne took my hand and we walked together to the great doors of the barbican which she opened with a key. I let her guide me through. My guards and four young women followed, I then watched Anne lock the doors behind us. My four companions, now each with a woman, moved in different directions on the ground floor.
Anne, still holding my hand, guided me up two flights of stairs into what had once been a bedroom, the remains of a four poster bed still there but now with a new mattress and pillows.
She kicked off her shoes and released her hair. ‘I have waited so long for this day Toby.’
‘As have I my love.’
&nb
sp; We made love without reserve or embarrassment, it all seemed so natural and right… we were both hungry for love and while it lasted it was frantic and hurried.
‘Who are those other women?’ I asked as we lay facing each other, our naked bodies together and my arm around her slim waist, holding her close.
‘Some local professionals,’ she said. ‘I paid them to be nice to your guards.’
‘How nice?’ I asked.
‘I have it on record that they are the best in the business.’
‘How did you manage to get hold of the keys to this place? And do you know how long it’s been unoccupied?’
‘Legend has it that when the Black Death came here 1349 the whole community was wiped out including the Noble Lords who lived here in the castle at the time, as far as I know it’s been unoccupied ever since. As for the keys, I took them off a hook in my father’s office, he is the custodian.’
‘This bedding looks new, how did you get it up here?’
‘I paid a friend two shilling to bring the mattress and I brought the pillows here myself.’
‘This friend of yours, is he male?’
‘Yes… and he’s tall and handsome too, he’s also sixty years old.’
‘How did you manage to arrange this without your father finding out?’
‘My father is in France with my brother Robert at the moment, and my mother is too busy cooing over her new granddaughter to notice me. Did I not tell you Toby I’m now an aunty? My sister-in-law, Peter’s wife, had a baby girl two weeks ago.’
She began to move her body even closer to mine, moving her hips and kissing my lips, my blood was on the move again and my breathing was racing.
‘I think I can feel that you are ready for love again my darling.’
‘A little slower this time I think,’ said I.
My guards had always been a happy bunch of chaps, but after that day in Lewes their respect and esteem towards me was off the scale.
‘Will we be coming back here again sir, are we likely to get the same treatment on our next trip?’
‘There will be more trips, but I think the next time you may well have to find and fund your own entertainment.’
***
It took me the best part of a week, working long hours behind my small improvised desk by the window of my room in St James’s Palace, to complete all my reports. When they were finally complete I sat back satisfied that my work was accurate and true. But I confess that I was a little uneasy as to how James would respond to my reports as they contained more bad news than good.
I requested an audience with the Duke of York, his secretary making an appointment for the following morning at nine o’clock.
I was there early and on the way through the corridors of the palace I bumped into Anne who was again heavy with child. She came to me, clearly wanting to quiz me about my adventures.
‘I believe you enjoyed yourself in Lewes Toby.’
Surprised that the news had travelled so quickly I asked, ‘What did she tell you?’
‘Everything I think.’
‘I hope she didn’t… but yes, it was good to see her again, I was beginning to think it would never happen.’
‘What are you two gossiping about?’ asked James as he came into the room sitting opposite me and dropping a document case on the desk.
‘Can you organise some coffee my love?’ he asked his Anne.
‘Well Toby, how was your trip, I cannot wait to see what you discovered?’
‘It was educating and interesting but also worrying my Lord. I will start with a quick report on the castles. The good news is although Cromwell seemed to take delight in destroying castles occupied by Royalists, he was less so with the ones that were strong and important to the defence of our coast. Deal and Dover are prime examples, both impressive with strong well manned fortifications. I have made suggestions for minor changes in my reports. Stuck in-between of those two is Walmer Castle, this is a small castle of little consequence, and if it belongs to the crown, I think you should sell it off… likewise Rochester. In my opinion neither are worth spending good money on. You are always crying poverty so why not raise a little by disposing of them both.
‘Hurst on the coast in Hampshire, and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight were occupied by Cromwell’s forces during the war, they are both well-fortified and capable of defending the western entry to the Solent.
‘The other castle on the Isle of Wight, Carisbrooke, has strong defences, is in excellent condition and is perfectly capable of causing serious damage to an invading naval armada approaching the Solent from the east. Cromwell used it as a prison during the war as I am sure you must know, as I believe that is where your father was held for a while.
‘Portchester is complete, but would be of little use in war. It has laid empty for many years and like Carisbrooke, was also used as a prison by Cromwell. As was its neighbour Southsea. Neither in my opinion are worth wasting money on.
‘Christchurch is in ruins and worth no more than the stonework it was built with. Also Pevensey which over many years has been left to rot. But someone might buy it.
‘And finally Lewes which has been plundered for its stone for many years by the local peasants. The curtain walls have almost completely gone, the only part still standing is the barbican which is complete and quite impressive. With a little restoration it would make an excellent home for someone which is why I will offer you a pound. I would like to buy it for my Anne as a present.’
‘I will have to think about that. Is that everything?’
‘I am afraid not my Lord, it’s just the beginning. My first call was to Portchester. I checked out the castle and then called on a number of local tradesmen who were under contract to provide goods and services to the docks. I found to my dismay that they all, without exception, were expected to pay managers to secure their contracts… an inducement or sweetener is what they called it.
‘The only way they could recoup their losses paid to the managers was to work the amount into their final account to the crown.
‘Likewise in Portsmouth and Southampton, and I fear it could be the same all over the country where government contracts are put out for tender. Money is being paid by the treasury to provide a lavish lifestyle for greedy managers.’
‘Do you have evidence that would stand up in a court of law Toby?’
‘I am not a lawyer my Lord, so I cannot answer that question with any amount of surety, but I suspect I could not, because I believe the wrongdoers are clever enough to have covered their tracks. To find the evidence you need… you would have to employ your own team of investigators, one in every location, people you could trust.’
‘I will have to give it some serious thought,’ said James. ‘I could ask my brother but he will just say that it’s my job and that I should sort it out myself. What else have you for me?’
‘From Portchester I went back to Lyndhurst in the New Forest to complete the checks on the timber yards… the checks that I had to abandon when Queen Catherine came to England. I was particularly impressed with the two yards I visited. They were both well organised, extremely efficient and busy, but unfortunately corrupt. The managers are running a wholesale business on the side selling timber that is not theirs to sell, timber that belongs to the crown.’
‘Who is buying it?’
‘Local builders, peasants, or anyone who has the money to pay. I asked to see accounts and was told to come back in a couple of days as the books were kept at their Southampton office. When I returned it was clear to me that someone had been working day and night to produce a duplicate set of fictitious records. Records listing reduced stocks to allow for the missing timber sold on the side.’
‘Are you familiar with the laws regarding timber production in the New Forest?’ asked James, ‘because I’m not.’
‘I researched the
history of the forest before I went there earlier in the year, and found that it was Henry VIII who originally decreed the territory to be protected for the crown. He wanted the forest for hunting, and the timber for his ships, the whole forest belongs to the crown. Later under the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Preservators were appointed… they encouraged crofters to lease coppices from the crown, but they were not allowed to put up fences. Over the years there have been many disputes over new unpopular laws imposed on them.’
‘What do you know about these Preservators?’
‘The top man is the Surveyor of the King’s Woods. He is the person the Preservators have to answer to. Each Preservator has a team of wardens and it’s the warden’s job to enforce the law and to bring to justice any malefactors. I think the current Surveyor General of the King’s Woods is someone called Andrew Tresswell, but I have never met him.’
There followed an uncomfortable silence while I waited for James to make comment. He was looking at the floor and fidgeting with his quill.
‘Is all this in your reports?’ he asked as he looked up at me.
‘Yes my Lord… and much more.’
‘I know it is not fair to put this on you, but what would you do Toby?’
‘I would take this information to the Surveyor General, and hope that he is not as corrupt as his managers. Be forceful, threaten to bring in the army, it’s the men at the top you need to stop. If he can get proof of the managers’ guilt, tell him to bring them to court and insist on severe fines or imprisonment. The alternative is to turn a blind eye.’
‘Judging by what you are telling me, I suspect those that are profiting from these transgressions are not going to take kindly to the likes of you or I interfering.’
‘I am sure you’re right, but I enjoy what I do, and realise that if I am to work responsibly and to the book it’s inevitable that I am going to make enemies.’
A maid came in with the coffee, she smiled at me and left without speaking.
‘I’ll go through these reports and get back to you later,’ said James.
I took that as a cue to retreat… leaving him to ponder over the problems I had dumped on him.
Courtier in the Royal House of Stuart Page 33
