Henry II (The Anarchy Book 13)

by Griff Hosker

  Henry was maturing. I needed not to ask who the ‘we’ was. That was understood.

  As the Count was not a well man we took it steadily calling at the fortress of Le Mans on the way. Henry used every halt well. Henry had the ability to make knights warm to him. His grandfather had had the same ability. He began to garner support for an invasion of England when the time was right. He was clever. We had just ended a war in Normandy and knights wanted some time to enjoy the fruits of war. He did not ask them to fight for him in England. He just made himself their friend.

  Henry and I had discussed what we might do. We had decided, already, to use my enclave in the north of England as a base. That way we could ferry men to the Tees and wait until we had a large enough army to sweep down and take York. If we took York, then we controlled the north and our next target would be Lincoln. With Henry’s secure lands in the west we would have Stephen between our forces and our fortresses. It seemed a perfect plan. We would need men to take York and Lincoln but not as many as it might need to take on Stephen in his strongholds of the south.

  When we neared La Flèche I took my men at arms to visit my manor. Henry and his father with the rest of the knights headed south. Angers was but a stone’s throw from the Main on which my manor sat. When his father was settled, Henry would call and we would return to Rouen.

  Leofric’s son, Alfraed, was now ten years old and training to be a squire. I had last seen him when he was a toddler. It was he who greeted us at the gate of my manor. I had not warned them of my arrival but young Alfraed recognised my surcoat and when I dismounted he bowed, “Would you be the Earl of Cleveland and my father’s lord?”

  I smiled at the formal words of one so young, “I am and I am guessing that you would be the heir to this manor, young Alfraed of La Flèche?”

  He grinned, “I am, my lord! Can I take your horse?”

  “Of course, you can. Is your father within?”

  “He is, lord. Today he hears pleas.” He leaned in, “He does not enjoy the task, lord.”

  I spoke as quietly, “And to speak in confidence nor do I but it is the burden of being a lord.”

  Elise, Alfraed’s mother, rushed to me. She was always pleased to see me. Her hair was now flecked with grey but she was still as vivacious as ever. “You should have warned us, my lord. We could have had rooms readied.”

  “I am an old soldier, my lady. We will manage with whatever rooms you have.”

  “Do you stay long, lord?”

  “I do not know. Henry, the Duke of Normandy, will be visiting here in the next days. When he decides, we return to Rouen then we will go. For myself every moment here will be a delight.”

  Elise took me around the castle while Leofric performed his duty. Like my own wife, Adela, Elise had made the stone castle as comfortable as possible. It was not long before Leofric finished his business and joined us. My old squire looked greyer, he looked portlier but, in his eyes, I still saw the young squire who had guarded my back for so many years. “It is good to see you, lord!”

  “And I you.” The men I had brought had already relaxed for they knew many of those who served Leofric. “I would like to ride around my lands with you. I have neglected this manor for too long,”

  The next few days were truly what I needed. I met all of the dignitaries of the manor and I spoke with them all. The fact that they spoke so highly of Leofric brought me comfort. I had known he was a good knight. Their comments confirmed this. I went hunting with some of my men and Leofric. We did not manage to catch and kill many animals but it did not matter. We were warriors hunting together and there was a bond there which I doubt others would understand. I enjoyed the company of Alfraed who seemed to dog my every footstep. My grandson was dead and my son was on a crusade. Alfraed made up for that. He was both lively and engaging. When Henry and James arrived, I was almost disappointed. I had had an interlude which brought me joy. We left, three days’ later with the new men trained by Leofric. I had six new archers and six men at arms. Soon we would be going to war and we would need them.

  As we headed north, to Rouen, Henry told me that he did not think that his father would live another year. “His doctors in Angers know him and his body. He is wasting away. Tell me, Warlord, what do I do about my brother?”

  “If you give him power he will try to take what is yours for it will never be enough. He is the second son and will always want what you have. You have to come to terms with that first.”

  He nodded, “That was how I read the situation.”

  “Your grandfather understood the ambitions of a sibling and imprisoned his brother. Robert, in the tower.”

  “I cannot do that. There are many who do not like me nor my father. They would throw their weight behind my brother in the hope of toppling us and gaining power.”

  “Then you need to watch him. I would not suggest this lightly but I would try to plant a man amongst those who serve him. You need a spy.”

  “Is that honourable?”

  “If your brother is honourable and does not try to usurp you then, yes for the man could guard your brother’s back. But if, as we suspect, he has delusions of grandeur then you will need someone to watch him and report to you.”

  It took me until Le Mans to persuade him that his brother needed watching. I took pride in his belief that his brother would not try to usurp him. He was wrong but my son’s values were the ones I would have held had I had a brother.

  When we reached Rouen, we found it as we had left it. I had feared that Geoffrey would have replaced some of the officials and servants with his own. I began to wonder if I had misjudged him. He was certainly calmer. He did not smile but that had never been his nature, even as a child.

  Henry and I applied ourselves to the business of building an army. It was not as simple as it sounded. Henry’s lords in Normandy owed him service but that was only for forty days. As the forty days would begin the moment we summoned them then timing was all. He could, however, hire warriors and knights. His great grandfather had done so when he had invaded England. Finally, there were landless knights who could be tempted to follow us with the promise of land in England. We involved Geoffrey in some of these discussions. When I mentioned giving land to knights who served us he became a little more interested,

  “There are many such knights in Normandy. Give me a task, brother. Allow me to find you these knights. Perhaps I could lead them. You have proven yourself in battle but I have not had the opportunity yet.”

  Henry was wary. He gave me a quick glance before he replied, “The task is yours, brother, and I will show my gratitude to you. As for leading the knights, that will be a decision for the future. We have to choose when we will take our army to England. We have to judge the moment.”

  He seemed to accept the decision and he left the next day. My ship arrived the day after with news from home and goods to trade. I gave my letters to Captain William who turned the ship around quickly. He would leave as soon as his ship was loaded. John, my Steward, had written a long letter outlining the finances of the manor. They were interesting but I wanted news of Stephen. That came towards the end of the letter. When I had read it twice I spoke with Henry.

  “Stephen, it appears, is building a large army. I fear he intends to attack in the west.”

  “Wallingford?”

  “It guards the road from London and Oxford and it has always been an itch which Stephen could not scratch. Who commands there now?”

  “Roger of Hereford, Miles of Gloucester’s son.”

  “If I might offer advice, my lord?” Henry nodded. “My ship is due to leave. She has a cargo but there will be space. You could send supplies for Wallingford and coin to pay for more soldiers. There will be many who followed your uncle the Earl of Gloucester. If Wallingford is well supplied with food and men it should be able to hold out until we can raise an army.”

  “But we will not be ready until next year at the earliest, Earl. Can the castle hold out for six months?”

>   “It has never fallen. Stephen has besieged it at least three times and always been driven off.”

  Henry smiled, “Aye, lord, and it was normally you or my uncle who did so. You are here and my uncle is dead. Roger is little older than I.”

  “We do what we can, Duke. Worrying that what we do is not enough gains us nothing.”

  “You are right.” He turned to James, “Go and ask William of Kingston to wait for my cargo. The Earl is right. We must do something even though I think it is too little.”

  The news was the spur to encourage us to gather the army. We left the next day to visit the lords whom we would command to accompany us. After a week, we found ourselves at the castle of Raymond of Mortain. I had not seen him since the tourney. To our surprise Geoffrey, Count of Nantes, was there too.

  “The baron was good enough to offer to become my mentor much as the Earl was for you. I shall learn to be a warrior here and then, when we ride to England, I will be able to lead the knights I have raised.”

  “You have found knights to serve for land?”

  “I have forty landless knights who have pledged me their support.”

  The two brothers were reconciled. I spoke with the Baron who took me to ride around his manor. “I did not get the opportunity to speak with you after the combat, Earl. You are a cunning fighter. I now see how you gained your reputation. You were lucky the poisoned blade did not cut you. It would have meant an untimely end.”

  “I have sharp eyed men around me. Nothing escapes their attention.”

  “I noticed that you have men at arms and not household knights. Why is that?”

  “I have them but they are not with me. They guard my valley in England. If we lose that then, I fear, the Duke will find it hard to wrest his land back from the Usurper.”

  “My men and I are happy to give the Duke more than forty days’ service. I am sure that there would be others of the same mind.”

  “The trouble is, Sir Raymond, that the Duke cannot afford part of his army to decide that they have given enough service and leave. This has to be judged well. The Duke feels that the spring of next year is the earliest that we can be certain that we will have the men to defeat Stephen. Make no mistake, Stephen is a good general.”

  “Yet you defeated him at Lincoln.”

  “And like all good generals, he learned from that defeat.” We turned to ride back to the castle. “And how is young Geoffrey? He and his father parted on bad terms.”

  “He envies his older brother. There are many such second sons. It is how he was able to gather forty knights to follow him. They are in the same position. I fear, however, that he is not a natural warrior. Henry has flair and he has skills which you have honed. Geoffrey has no natural skill.”

  “If he leads men then that may not be important. Has he the mind for strategy? Can he see a weakness and exploit it?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Then that may be all that is required.”

  As we approached the castle Sir Raymond said, “Could I ask a favour, lord?”

  “Of course.”

  “My second son, Robert, would be a squire. I know that the Duke has your squire serving him, would you train my son to be a squire?”

  I shook my head, “I will do better. The Duke needs a squire. I will ask the Duke to take on Robert. My squire, James, can continue his training. The Duke needs a Norman squire.”

  “That is even better, lord. I am grateful.”

  Henry was more than happy to take on Robert. It gave him two squires and James was a good teacher. We also decided that if Sir Raymond was his mentor then we did not need to plant a spy. It sat better with Henry. As events turned out it was not a good decision.

  We left the next day for the east of the Duke’s lands. Here his barons were ready to defend their borders against France and we knew that we could not strip these castles of their knights. They would have to defend the border while we were in England. The border fort was at Nonancourt. It had been Dreux when Henry’s grandfather had been Duke but that fortress now belonged to Louis.

  Henry said, “We will stay here for a few days. I would ride around the country. I do not know it well and it is here that, one day, we will have to fight King Louis and his Frenchmen.”

  I thought it a good plan but I did not know that Henry was becoming devious. He sent James and two of his men at arms away while we were there. It took me half a day to realise it. “Where is James, lord?”

  “My squire? I have sent him on an errand. He will be back in a day or two. Fear not.” He smiled and gestured to an attentive Robert of Mortain. “Besides I have a squire here. This will be good. I shall see how he fares.”

  I did not like being kept in the dark but I could neither do anything about it nor comment on it. I had loaned James to Henry. He was right. He was his squire, albeit temporarily.

  James returned three days later. He spent some time closeted with Henry who emerged looking happy. “Tomorrow we hunt! I am in the mood for wild boar!” He turned to me, “And the day after we return to Rouen. We shall talk there, Warlord.”

  I did not wait until Rouen to speak to James. I took him to one side. Ralph of Nottingham came with us. I did not waste words. “What was the errand, James?”

  “Lord, the Duke told me to tell no one.”

  “Did he ask you to swear?”

  “No lord.”

  “Then you can tell me for you did swear an oath to me, did you not?”

  He nodded. I could see that he was not happy but he understood the nature of his oath. “I went to visit the Queen, lord.”

  “Eleanor?”

  “Yes lord. I took her a letter and brought one back for the Duke.” He hesitated. I raised my eyebrows. “And the Pope has agreed to annul her marriage to King Louis.”

  Now I understood the letters which the Duke had written before we had taken his father home. “Thank you, James. I will not tell the Duke that you spoke with me.”

  He looked relieved. “I will be happy when I am your squire once more.”

  We did not know it but that would be sooner than we had expected. When we returned to Rouen Henry took me to his chamber where he spoke to me of his plans. “Warlord, I have kept news from you. Eleanor is to divorce King Louis. It will take time but when the marriage is annulled I will marry her. She will be my queen and my lands will go from Aquitaine in the south to Normandy in the north. When we invade England, we shall have many more men than Stephen.”

  “And what of the plans to invade in the spring?”

  “That cannot be.” He took a breath. “I would have you return to England and draw Stephen’s forces north. Harry the city of York and the rich lands thereabouts. When the siege is lifted return here for I would have you escort Eleanor to Rouen.”

  “Why me, lord?”

  “Because you I can trust. You have ever been my rock and now is the time when I shall need you the most. You will be the knight who will fetch my queen.”

  Had it been anyone other than Henry I might have refused but how could I refuse the future king of England and my son?

  Chapter 8

  The late summer breezes took us swiftly north to our English home. I could not wait for the ‘Adela’ to return and so we had hired a small merchant ship. She was fast although we were a little overcrowded for I had the new men Leofric had sent. I also had James. Now that my squire had acted as a go between Henry felt he could train his own squire. I suspected that he had used James deliberately. He was a thinker and he could be devious. He would need those skills when he became king.

  Wilfred and my other men at arms made gentle fun of Ralph of Nottingham, “No more eating at the top table eh, Ralph? Back with the dogs!”

  He smiled, “Aye Wilfred, but at least I was able to make the change. It was as though I was born to it!”

  In truth, he had been a good squire. Although not as versed in the correct way to eat and behave in public places, he had been there for the more important tasks a
squire performed. He had prepared my weapons and horses as well as any squire who had ever served me. I knew that when Ralph was too old to go to war then he would make a good sergeant at arms for my castle and he would be able to train my men at arms.

  The towers of Stockton Castle were a welcome sight. The voyage home had given me the opportunity to think out a strategy. I had to draw enough forces from the siege of Wallingford to ensure that the castle could continue to hold out until the Duke could invade. Henry had asked for the Sheriff of Gloucester to send reinforcements to aid the garrison. With the food and arms he had supplied we hoped that that mighty bastion of the west could hold out.

  As I sat in my hall surrounded by my hastily summoned knights I had my plans in my head. They would need no convincing but they had to understand our role.

  I made sure they had plenty of the best wine that I had managed to bring back from Anjou. Wulfric apart, my knights enjoyed the heavy red wines of that region.

  “Next year the Duke of Normandy will return to England to claim his crown!” They cheered and banged the table, as I knew they would. When their noise had died I said, “However between now and spring we must draw as many of Stephen’s forces north as we can manage.”

  “Spring, lord?”

  “Yes, Harold, for then I return to Normandy. The Duke has another task for me.”

  I saw James cast a furtive look in my direction. I trusted my men but one careless word could jeopardise Henry’s plans. If others found out that Eleanor had chosen to marry the young Duke of Normandy then there were many who would try to stop it. Their union would make a powerful nation. I might not agree with his decision to marry the Queen of France but I knew that I would not be able to dissuade him. I agreed with him that such a marriage would make him the most powerful ruler once he had the crown of England upon his young head.

  “My aim is to isolate York and make Stephen fear that he will lose his northern granary. Sir Walter of Thirsk is a supporter of Stephen. He has a fortified hall. We will take his crops and his animals. If that does not make the Sheriff of York come forth to meet us in the field, then we will do the same with Northallerton.”