by David Field
When Elizabeth was admitted to Mary’s presence in the drawing room at Hunsdon she stood defiantly on the carpet a few feet away and asked, ‘Must I now curtsey to the sister I always beat at tennis?’
‘That depends upon how much you value your head. I have not yet forgotten your plotting with Seymour.’
Elizabeth kept a defiant expression on her face as her heart began beating faster. ‘You would not execute your own sister, at a time when you wish your newly acquired loyal subjects to love you and applaud your regal mercy?’
‘There is more than one way to ensure the loyalty of one’s subjects, in the same way that there is only one way to worship God.’
‘Fear, in both cases,’ Elizabeth observed acidly.
Mary’s face hardened. ‘In order to minimise the time in which we are required to commune in this manner which I find distasteful, and in a strange way somewhat poisonous, let me leave you in no doubt that you are as much my subject as those usurpers who will shortly feed the crows on Tower Hill. Beginning with the most evil of them all.’
‘The Lady Jane?’ Elizabeth asked.
Mary shook her head. ‘She was merely the innocent dupe of the real architect of the treason. I speak of her father-in-law Dudley, who will be executed as my second act as Queen. My first was the release of Norfolk, who will no doubt be more than content to preside over the trials of Jane Grey and her husband. I shall also place Cranmer on trial, then have him burned for the heretic that he is.’
‘And what do you intend for me?’ Elizabeth asked in a continued tone of defiance that masked her nervousness.
‘A life of obedience, both to the true Church and to your rightful Queen. Fate may have made us sisters, but that has hardly made us warm friends, has it? You will meet up with me again north of London and join me in my triumphal procession into the city, giving such appearance of sisterly joy as you are capable of. You will then attend me at Court with at least the pretence of loyalty.’
‘And if I choose not to?’
‘I do not recall offering you any choice. When I am ordering the trial of one unwanted relative, I can, with the same expenditure of breath, make it two. Now, leave me, and prepare to depart for London.’
It was a chastened and terrified Elizabeth who called for Kat Ashley once she had reached the privacy of her own allocated chambers and could beg for the sort of comforting cuddle that she had known as a child.
XXVI
‘How did you manage to become our guard?’ Grace asked Allan, in the chambers in the Lieutenant’s House that offered a clear view of the outer wall of the Bell Tower through the barred window.
Jane pretended to eat as she diplomatically sat with her back to them at the table, listening intently to what Allan had to tell them.
‘When I left Durham House, I had no idea where to go,’ Allan explained. ‘I was so heartbroken at what seemed to be your rejection of me — no, don’t apologise again, you’ve done that a thousand times already, just let me finish my story. My first thought was to go home to Attenborough, then I couldn’t bear the thought that I’d never see you again, so I began to ask myself what might be the fastest way to acquire a title and an estate, and come back and claim you.’
‘So you never gave up hope of me?’ Grace asked eagerly.
‘I eventually remembered that when we rescued you and Jane from Windsor, Sir John had made me the messenger between his force and that of the Lieutenant of the Tower. I hoped he might remember me, so I rode down here and volunteered for the King’s service, as it was then. I thought that distinguished service for the King might be the swiftest means of obtaining a title and an estate, and I was very lucky. Not only did the Lieutenant remember me, but he seemed to have formed a good opinion of me as a leader of men, so he appointed me as a Captain. The Yeomen Warders are all seasoned fighters, but they lack officers, since men with that level of experience are normally gentry in their own right.’
‘And were you here when we first arrived?’ Grace asked.
Allan grinned. ‘I certainly was. You could have knocked me over with a codfish when I saw the ceremonial procession and learned that Jane was Queen. I was assigned to duties at the animal house that day, but I was able to see the cavalcade from a distance. Then a few days ago, we were advised by the Lieutenant during our morning roster that Jane was now a prisoner, along with her husband and her Senior Lady. I could see that he wasn’t very happy to be telling us that and so I took my chance and explained that I knew the Dudley family, and that you might all be happier if you were guarded by a friendly face. He seemed relieved to hear that and allocated me to my present duties. But I didn’t tell him that I once served as squire to Sir John, or that you and I were ... well, you know?’
‘Betrothed?’ Grace asked with a seductive grin.
‘I should have proposed when I had the chance,’ Allan admitted.
Jane cleared her mouth of mutton and turned to address them. ‘You have every chance now and I’ll pretend I’m not listening. Unless, of course, you want a witness.’
‘Well?’ Grace asked.
‘Grace Ashton, would you consent to be my wife?’
‘I’d consent to ride with you through the gates of Hell, Allan Bestwick, so yes, yes, a million times, yes!’
‘At least my Senior Lady will be in a better humour in future,’ Jane beamed across at them. ‘Now, by way of a betrothal feast, come and help me get through this mutton. It died the day after I was born, to judge by its toughness.’
Four months later, the Guildhall was crowded to capacity as the Lord Mayor Sir Thomas White, accompanied by a Commission of notables that included Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and the Earls of Bath and Derby, called for order and commanded that the prisoners be brought forth. They were escorted in by a contingent drawn from the Tower and led by Allan. In the centre was ‘Jane Dudley, wife of Guildford,’ as she was described on the indictment for high treason that consisted of an allegation that she had ‘treacherously assumed the title and power of the Queen of England.’
Guildford was arraigned alongside her, as were two of his brothers, all on the same charge of treason. Also on trial for treasonously supporting the usurpation of the crown, even though he had merely honoured the wishes of his dying monarch, was Thomas Cranmer, who was no longer regarded as the Archbishop of Canterbury, although confirmation was still awaited from Rome to remove him formally from office. It was no secret that regardless of the outcome of the treason trial, Cranmer faced a more agonising end on a funeral pyre as the penalty for his heresy, along with Hugh Latimer, King Edward’s former chaplain and Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, who were already in the Tower awaiting their fate.
Any high drama that the eager crowd might have been anticipating was blunted somewhat by the decision by Jane and Guildford to plead guilty to the technical charge, but with a mitigating claim that they had been the innocent pawns of others and, in Jane’s case, that she had simply been fulfilling the dying wish of the young Edward to whom she had been a loyal companion. They had nothing to lose by casting the primary blame on Sir John Dudley, since he had already been executed two months earlier, following his trial for treason before a judge and jury in Westminster Hall. In what may have been an attempt to mollify Queen Mary in the hope of preserving the lives of Guildford and Jane, Dudley had made a great show of renouncing his Protestant faith, which he described as ‘a plague that is on the realm.’
Whether swayed by Dudley’s recantation, or still persuaded that Jane was the harmless dupe of others who might incite sympathy were she to be either burned at the stake or hung, drawn and quartered, Mary chose to temporarily withhold the hand of vengeance and Jane and Guildford were ordered back to the Tower to await their ultimate destiny.
News of Jane’s conviction had cast a pall of misery over the London town house of the Greys, who awoke each day with the fearful apprehension of hearing that an execution date had been set. In his off-duty hours Allan Bestwick was able to visit both the Gre
ys and the grieving Dudley widow Jane, who was lodging with them following the forfeiture of the Northumberland estates, in order to keep them assured of the ongoing health of their offspring and that Jane and Guildford were in good spirits.
One evening, during a visit to the Greys to take supper, Allan found himself face to face with Richard and Kate Ashton, who were anxious for news of Grace.
‘She bides with Jane,’ he was able to tell them, ‘and she brings her much comfort by her very presence.’
‘Is she charged with any offence?’ Richard asked.
Allan shook his head. ‘None of which I have been advised, sir, but she is likely to remain with Jane until her fate is finally decided by Queen Mary. I should perhaps advise you that she has graciously consented to become my wife, once all this is over.’
‘It could drag on for years!’ Henry Grey reminded him loudly as he joined the company in front of the fire. ‘We must take steps to have her freed.’
Allan gave them all a discouraging look. ‘The Tower is the most secure fortress in the realm and you can be assured, from my own experience, that it is well guarded.’
‘There may be another way,’ Grey suggested in a guarded tone as he beckoned them to the table in the centre of the hall. ‘Although I am expelled from Council for obvious reasons, yet I remain in contact with my good friend Sir William Thomas, who is currently its Clerk. From him I learn that there is much concern over the Queen’s plan to marry, in order to provide heirs so as to block the line of accession to the Lady Elizabeth. This in itself is not, of course, of any great concern, since there are several eligible Englishmen who might be persuaded, even though she is no great beauty. But she has other ambitions, in which she is being encouraged by her cousin Charles of Spain.’
‘He is too old for even her, surely?’ Richard objected.
Grey nodded. ‘Indeed, and of course he is still married. But he has a son, Philip, who is heir apparent, not only to great tracts of Europe, but also much land in the New World that is the source of considerable wealth in the form of gold and sugar.’
‘And it is being proposed that Mary marry him?’
‘Not so much proposed, as insisted on, by the Imperial Ambassador, no less. The concern within Council is of England becoming simply another outpost of Spain, as the Netherlands have recently become. And, of course, that the old Church will be restored, even more rigidly than it was before the former Queen Katherine was put aside.’
‘Has Council expressed these concerns to Mary herself?’ Richard asked.
Grey grimaced. ‘Indeed it has and her response was that she is Queen of England and mistress of her own womb and will decide who to marry for herself, regardless of the views of Council.’
‘So what is being proposed?’ Richard asked fearfully. ‘And what is to be demanded of me?’
‘Simply your silence, at the very least, or at best perhaps your sword arm and your heritage.’
Richard’s response was a hollow laugh. ‘I have not wielded a sword for years and I am opposed to bloodshed. As for my bloodlines, who these days has any desire to see the House of York restored to the throne?’
‘The Earl of Devon, for one,’ Grey told them. ‘His grandmother was Princess Catherine of York, a sister of the Prince Richard who is reputed to have been your grandfather. He is now simply Edward Courtenay and a kinsman of Queen Mary, but one of her first acts as Queen was to release him from the Tower, where he had been sent by King Henry because of his suspected involvement in the Pole conspiracy, in which — incidentally — your name was mentioned, Richard.’
‘I knew of the plot,’ Richard confirmed, ‘and it was I who revealed Norfolk’s involvement in it to Cromwell. That’s why Norfolk plotted to have Cromwell silenced and why I have lived in fear of him all these years. They wished to use me as their figurehead, but I refused.’
‘I recall those days, when you were required to hide away at Bradgate,’ Grey nodded, ‘but you can see how your name, along with Courtney’s, would be a great beacon for those who are tired of the Tudor family, who blunder from one dynastic failure to another. Courtney also saw himself as a possible husband for Mary, after the favour she showed him in securing his release, given his staunch Catholicism and his mother’s lifelong friendship with Mary. But he is now smarting from his implied rejection as a suitor, and Gardiner has taken his part and is now encouraging him to shower attention on the Lady Elizabeth.’
‘You can now readily appreciate why I set my back against continued involvement in Court life.’ Richard smiled at Kate by his side. ‘It is a veritable snake pit of intrigue and I want none of it. And before you try to remind me once again of who my grandfather is alleged to have been, who else is prepared to act against Mary’s marriage to a Spaniard? And who among them can summon an army?’
‘Courtney has persuaded Sir Thomas Wyatt of the justice of the cause. Wyatt has a fierce hatred of the Spanish, after what he witnessed of the Inquisition while fighting alongside his father in France. He is a highly respected soldier and is committed to bring two thousand men into any uprising against Philip of Spain becoming Mary’s consort.’
‘And who else?’ Richard persisted.
‘Sir James Croft, who served with distinction in Seymour’s force during the “Rough Wooing” of Scotland. He has been a lifelong enemy of the Catholic Guise family in France and is concerned that Mary of Scotland may join forces with Philip of Spain once she is also Queen of France. This would leave England under three-way attack. Also Sir Peter Carew, a Devon adventurer and hardened soldier, who also represents Devon in the Parliament, Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, a former ally of Northumberland, Sir Nicholas Arnold, a Parliamentary member for Gloucester who formerly worked for Cromwell and who I believe you once knew, since he speaks highly of you and...’
Richard raised his hand for silence. ‘Assuming that you have half the nobility of England behind you, what do you propose?’
‘The French Ambassador Antoine de Noailles has promised ships to block any attempt by the Spanish to come to Mary’s aid when we depose her in favour of the next in line, Elizabeth, who will then marry Courtenay and release our daughter. She will maintain the Protestant faith and the threat from Spain will be no more.’
‘You have already advised the French Ambassador of your plans?’ Richard asked, horrified.
Grey smiled. ‘Have no fear on that score. He will do anything to score a march over Spain.’
‘And the Lady Elizabeth? Has she given her blessing to this?’
‘We thought it better not to broach it with her until the rebellion is well under way. She is mightily fearful of Mary, and who can blame the poor lass?’
‘And you seek no more from me than the use of my name, for what it is worth?’
‘Courtenay would highly value your presence in our victory parade, where you and he may demonstrate to the people of England that the Tudors are not their only option.’
‘That will hardly endear us to the Lady Elizabeth.’
‘She was a great friend of Jane’s during their audiences with Prince Edward when he was a boy and once it is explained to her that Jane only accepted the crown because it was Edward’s dying wish, we can talk her round on the ground that one of our motivations was the release from the Tower of her — Elizabeth’s — childhood friend who was being unjustly detained there.’
‘It’s not just Jane,’ Kate reminded Richard as she placed her hand gently on the sleeve of his doublet. ‘For as long as Jane is held captive, Grace will refuse to leave her side and she will be equally lost to us.’
‘You really wish me to add my name — and my neck — to this lunatic scheme?’ Richard asked, somewhat taken aback.
‘Why should you not?’ Kate challenged him. ‘You’ve enjoyed fifteen years of graceful retirement, during which others have risked their lives to keep England peacefully governed. Perhaps it’s now your turn.’
XXVII
It went disastrously wrong. The original plan had b
een for each of the leaders of the rebellion to raise an army in their own locality, in order to converge on London and imprison Mary, replacing her with Elizabeth. But when Imperial Ambassador Simon Renard learned of the presence of French ships in a blocking position in the Channel, he suspected a plot against the throne and alerted England’s new Lord Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner. Gardiner had Edward Courtenay arrested.
‘You grew too ambitious,’ Gardiner explained to Courtenay in his cell in the Tower, to where he had been consigned for questioning and possible torture. ‘Your plot was too obvious, given your closeness with the Lady Elizabeth, and I will release you without charge only if you call off your fellow conspirators after you have named them. Do I have your agreement, or do I have to have you racked in order to persuade you to reveal their names?’
Courtenay chose the less painful option, then got word to the others, not only that their plans should proceed no further, due to Gardiner’s prior knowledge of them, but that they should look to their own safety, because Gardiner knew their identities.
The unfortunate result of the early discovery of the plot was that the planned uprisings occurred at different times and in isolation, driven by frightened men who had already passed the point of no return. Sir Peter Carew, in Devon, found that the majority of the Protestant nobility were unwilling to draw attention to themselves, given the rumour that Mary was intent on burning anyone who might be suspected of heresy. As for the Catholics in the local community, they had suffered enough for their faith already and were not about to stand in the way of the restoration of the Catholicism for which many of their friends had died. Carew’s attempt to recruit a rebel army came to nothing and he was obliged to seek sanctuary across the Channel in Normandy when he was secretly advised that a warrant had been issued for his arrest on a charge of treason.
Of the entire band of conspirators, only Sir Thomas Wyatt proved a threat to Mary. He enjoyed considerable popularity in his native Kent, where rebellion was part of the community’s heritage and Protestantism had taken a firm hold. After advancing north in a snowball process that yielded him a total force of some four thousand men, Wyatt got as far as Southwark, where he demanded that the Tower be surrendered to his forces and that Queen Mary be delivered into his custody. This outraged not only the Tower’s Lieutenant John Brydges, but almost the entire population on the north bank of the Thames, and when Brydges trained his Tower ordinance on Southwark, Wyatt marched his army to Kingston, approaching London again from the west and along the north bank.
