Henry II (The Anarchy Book 13)

by Griff Hosker

  “That will not be easy, lord.”

  “I know, Richard. Our priority is the Queen’s safety. You and your squire will be responsible for her. Along with James the three of you will take her from the field. No matter what happens to the rest of us I charge you with escorting her to Henry.”

  “And the Duke’s brother?”

  “If we can take him alive then so much the better but I want no one risking their lives to try to do so. If he fights, then he risks death. It is my responsibility and I will answer to the Duke.” They nodded. “As for the rest of the knights? It is unlikely that they will yield for they are landless. They will either fight to the death or flee. It depends upon how much Geoffrey has promised them.”

  They nodded.

  “Dick, you and the archers, you will find them and keep a close watch without being seen.” I took a deep breath. “I will ride down the road and meet with the Queen. I leave you in command, Dick. When Geoffrey tries to attack the Queen then you stop him.”

  He frowned, “You would go alone, lord?”

  “No, I will take Raymond of Le Mans. We will play the part of a knight and his squire seeking work.”

  “I am your squire, lord! It should be me.” I shook my head. James was brave but I needed someone with experience who was fluent in French.

  “James, you do not speak French well, nor, I am afraid, do you have the experience yet for this. I need you to help Sir Richard to secure the Queen.”

  “This is a great risk, lord. You have made many enemies in France.”

  I laughed, “Dick, I cannot think of somewhere I have not made enemies. It is a risk but the stakes for which we play are the highest. I have made up my mind. Raymond, we leave now. Bring a spare horse. We may need it.”

  James said, “I will get you supplies, lord.”

  I could tell he was upset at being left behind. I went to him and pulled his shoulder around so that he faced me. “This is no reflection on you, James, but I need someone who can not only pass for someone who is French but someone who has done this before. Raymond is such a one.”

  Raymond was a killer. He was one of the best men with a knife that I had ever seen. He had great skills with a sword and, as a horseman, few were his equal. The youngest of three sons his choice of careers had been the priesthood or hire out his sword. Fortunately for me he chose the way of the sword.

  “Where will you find her, lord?”

  I hesitated. The information I was about to give was only known by the Queen, Henry and myself. It had only reached us the day we had left and the message had been sealed. Henry would not have told anyone. He had realised his mistake of involving too many people. I could not hide it from them. I had asked them to risk their lives and I would need to trust them. “She has been staying, this past week, at the convent of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It is less than sixty miles from here. If we ride overnight, then we can reach it before dawn.”

  Dick nodded, “You would have a chance and that would bring you back earlier than Geoffrey or anyone knows.”

  “Perhaps but I know not what baggage the Queen brings.” James brought my horse. I clasped Dick’s arm. “My life is in your hands, old friend. I know that it will be safe.”

  “Aye lord, although never have you taken such a risk. Your love for young Henry and his mother is truly a great and noble one.”

  “It has been my life’s work. So long as Henry becomes King of England then my life will not have been in vain. If we can bring Eleanor safely to him then it will not have been a total waste. No matter what happens to me, I charge you with bringing her safely to Henry.”

  “I will bring both of you to Henry, my lord. Go with God.”

  I mounted and said, “Come Raymond let us vanish into the night.”

  Travelling at night would keep us from being seen but it also increased our chances of being stopped for few people travelled on dark and dangerous roads. I hoped that we would be able to talk our way out of any trouble. When we emerged from the forest I breathed a sigh of relief. I had not wanted to alert Geoffrey if he was close by and watching the road. We pass Illeaiae without incident and headed along the old road to Paris.

  The weather had warmed slightly but there was a cold wind from the east which made the night feel colder. It may have been my age. I was no longer a young man. I knew that I would pay the price for being in the saddle for six hours or more. There would be bleeding. When I had been younger, I had laughed at Wulfstan, Osric and the other retainers of my father who had complained of the discomforts of riding long distances. They had liked soft saddles and easy horses. Now I understood. As the miles passed beneath our hooves I begged forgiveness.

  Our horses kept up a steady pace. We did not talk. We needed to be vigilant. Our noses told us when we approached towns. We smelled the wood smoke and we walked our horses through the huts, houses and farms that we passed. When we saw a darker and larger shadow looming up then we knew it would be a castle and then we rode hard. It was too dark to see the mile markers left from the Roman times. Nor did I have a map to study. I knew it was less than sixty miles to our destination. What we could not do was ask anyone. If word spread, then the hunters would be upon us. The cloudy sky did not help us. The scudding clouds brought brief showers and hid the moon.

  We halted at a crossroads when I thought we had ridden for about three hours. The signs told us that we were close to Boissettes and the road to the south led to Houdan. We fed the horses some grain and then some water. We drank after they did.

  “I think we are no more than twenty miles from the convent.” I pointed north, “The Seine lies there.”

  Raymond nodded and tore a piece of the two day old bread off and dipped it in the water to soften it. “Perhaps the Queen should have gone by boat. It might have been safer.”

  “Too obvious and the river could be watched. This is a good route. We have seen few castles and hardly any people. The trouble is that it is an easy road to ambush someone. You and I will have a difficult task ahead of us.”

  He nodded, “Serving you, Warlord, I have seen few easy tasks. Life is more interesting this way.”

  “I chose you because you can think. If anything happens to me then get the Queen to the safety of our archers. Do it any way you can.”

  The horses rested, I pulled my weary frame on to the back of my horse. Dawn would not be far away. In many ways that would help us. Our vigilance paid off ten miles down the road. We had managed to spot a mile marker and when we saw one then the rest became easier to see. We would know how far we had to travel. We were taking it steady and, ahead, I heard the jingle of bridles and bits. There were trees lining the road and we led the three horses behind them and waited. We both drew our swords. I hoped we would not need them but it paid to be ready. The noise of the approaching horsemen grew. It was obvious that it was more than a couple of riders.

  The column of twenty riders rode down the darkened road. They were riding steadily rather than urgently. I began to think we had escaped scrutiny for the last two riders were ten paces from us. Suddenly there was the sound of something falling and hitting the ground.

  One of the riders said, “Hold up. The strap on my shield has broken.”

  “You are the worst excuse for a man at arms I have ever seen, Henri.”

  It was pitch black but our eyes were accustomed to the dark and I could just make them out. The column had stopped and men were taking the opportunity to drink. The man at arms called Henri began to walk back, looking for something. I saw, just four paces from his horse, his shield.

  “It’s not my fault. I told the captain my shield needed repairs but he said we had to leave immediately.”

  “Of course he did! When that report came in about the English knight being seen do you think that his majesty would allow him to be wandering around the Vexin?”

  Henri reached his horse and he took a leather strap from his saddlebag and began to tie the shield to the cantle, “He will be long gone by now. I did not b
elieve the report anyway. What would the wolf devil be doing with three men in a piss poor village like Illeaiae?”

  “Let those with titles worry about such things. We just obey orders. Besides these English knights carry much gold with them. If he is there with just three men then we can become rich.”

  A voice from the front shouted, “Come on you two! We have wasted enough time as it is.”

  We waited until we could no longer hear them and then rejoined the road, “Well Raymond, I think we were seen. I hope that Dick has his wits about him.”

  Raymond laughed, “There were just twenty of them, Warlord, they will not cause Dick and his archers a problem.”

  I spurred my horse for we needed to reach the convent before it was morning. I did not want to fall foul of a second column.

  We heard the bell ringing for matins and smelled the incense in the air. Mixed with wood smoke it identified a church at the very least. We spied it as we turned a bend in the road. It was recently constructed and looked it. There were still new buildings being erected. Lock and tackle as well as stones and mortar were the clear evidence of current work. We halted close to a stand of trees. There was a wall which ran all the way around it and the double doors were closed.

  I rode my horses next to the wall and handed my reins to Raymond. “Stay here and I will go in.” I stood on the saddle and grabbed the top of the wall. I pulled myself up to the top. I saw no guards and I rolled over. I found myself in one of the gardens. I could hear the sound of a service. There was chanting. The Queen would not be in the church. This was a service for those who lived here. I followed the smell of baking bread. Those in the kitchen would know where she was.

  With a dagger in my beltI silently slid into the open door. Heads immediately turned as I spoke, “Where can I find the Queen?”

  I think my calm voice, my sudden appearance and my martial appearance made them too shocked to shout an alarm. One of the cooks pointed and said, “She is in the refectory. We are about to take her breakfast.”

  I grabbed a hot roll and bit into it, “Good.” I pointed to the boy who was cleaning the pots. “You go to the gate and let in my man and our horses.”

  The cook said, “But who are you?”

  I smiled, “I am a friend of the Queen and she has asked me to take her home.” I pulled back my cloak and pointedly sheathed my dagger. “If I wished any harm here I would have brought more than one man and there would be blood spilled already. Now go!” I barked the last word and the boy ran from the kitchen out of the door I had just used.

  I pointed to a servant girl, “You, take me to the refectory.” I was normally politer with servants but I needed them to be afraid of me and do exactly as I said. The girl nodded and gestured for me to follow her.

  We walked down a short narrow corridor. It was obviously used just by servants. It was rude and crude with bare brickwork. I heard voices and the girl opened a door and gestured for me to enter.

  The Queen and her six ladies were there as well as two knights. As I stepped into the room the knights drew their swords. The Queen snapped, “Sheath your weapons. This man is a friend.” The two young knights did so but they scowled. The Queen laughed, “Be more gracious. I have just saved your lives. This is the Earl of Cleveland; King Henry’s Champion! He would have slain you before you could have drawn your weapons.”

  They both bowed and one said, “Apologies, my lord.”

  “I have asked for my squire and our horses to be admitted, go and help him and then prepare your horses. We leave within the hour.”

  I could see they were going to question me but the Queen said, “Do as the Earl says.” When they had gone, she said, “Now explain to me, my lord. The plan was to reach the rendezvous on the nineteenth. Has something wrong awry?”

  I motioned for her to come closer, “Your majesty, the Duke’s brother is waiting for you. I fear he means no good. He left his father’s funeral and took men with him. The Duke and I suspect he knows of the plan and means to kidnap you or worse.”

  She looked remarkably calm. “Thank you. What do we do about this then?”

  “We have to try to take Geoffrey before he can take you. My men are waiting. They will stop Geoffrey and those bachelor knights he leads.”

  She laughed. Once again, she was the bright young girl I had met years earlier, “How wonderful! You use a queen as bait!”

  “I promise that you shall come to no harm.”

  “Oh, I know that. I grew up hearing tales of how your rescued the Empress. She never even had a hair of her head put out of place. Why you even spirited her out of a besieged castle across a frozen moat. Sixty miles through France should be easy compared with that.”

  “It would be, my lady, if your former husband had not sent men to the rendezvous.”

  She looked alarmed for the first time. “He knows?”

  “He knows something. Tell me, how many men do you have as guards?”

  “You saw Sir Jean and Sir Stephen. They each have a squire and two men at arms.”

  “Are they loyal to you, or to King Louis?”

  “You are no fool, Earl. They say me but I suspect my husband.”

  “It cannot be helped.” I leaned in, “Tell me do you need these women?”

  “Why?”

  “It will be a fast ride and may be a hard ride. If we can leave them here then so much the better.”

  She nodded, “Ladies, I have to ask if you are ready for a chase across France pursued by those who wish me harm?”

  In answer they clapped their hands together and squealed. It was then that I noticed they were all young. In fact, they looked to be the age of Henry and his brothers. I nodded, “Then get your belongings and whatever food you can carry. We do not stop save we have to.”

  The servants brought in hot bread, fresh cheese and ham. The ladies all took some as did the Queen. It gave me hope that we might just pull off this ridiculous escape. I grabbed some of the bread and cheese. Raymond had taken the saddles off the two horses we had ridden and was rubbing them down. We would now reap the benefit.

  I handed him a loaf and cut a piece from the cheese. “Here eat this. It will take time to saddle their horses.”

  “Aye Warlord.”

  I leaned in, “We cannot trust the men at arms and knights. Be prepared to take drastic action.”

  “I will.” He smiled, “Have they started shaving yet?”

  I laughed, “Possibly. Our priority is the Queen. If we have to abandon the ladies and their escort, then so be it.”

  “Can the Queen ride, lord?”

  “I am hoping so!”

  They had the horses ready quicker than I anticipated. The ladies mounted. I was pleasantly surprised when the Queen and two of her ladies rode as we did. Only four rode side saddle.

  The Abbess came from the Church; the service had finished and she must have been told of my arrival. “Your majesty, where are you going? You are not supposed to leave yet.”

  “Thank you for all of your help but I must leave now.”

  “What do I tell the King?”

  “Why the truth of course. I left for Normandy!” She pulled her horse’s head around and digging her heels in said, “Why do we wait, Warlord?”

  As she galloped past us Raymond said, wryly, “I think she can ride, my lord.”

  Chapter 13

  The two knights tried to ride next to the Queen. I spurred my horse ahead of them. “You two and your men at arms and squires guard the rear. You protect the ladies. My squire and I will watch the queen. If King Louis sends men after us, then you delay them.”

  Their look to each other told me that they would not. It did not matter. If they were behind us, then their presence alone would slow up any pursuit. I caught up with the Queen. “Raymond, take the lead. Keep twenty paces in front of us.”

  “Yes lord.”

  “Why twenty paces, lord?”

  “Because, your majesty, if there is an ambush then he will set it off.” />
  “But he might be killed!”

  “He knows that.” I said it calmly for it was true but Eleanor turned and looked at me as though I had spoken a foreign language. “Any of my men would do the same. They are oathsworn.” I smiled at her. “I too have taken an oath and if we are attacked then I would happily sacrifice my life so that you could reach Henry.”

  “You are nothing like the lords I met in Aquitaine and France. They hunt and hawk. They gamble and they joust. They sing sweet songs of love but they have no honour. I can see why Henry is the way he is. He has learned much from you. I can see the similarity.”

  We rode in silence for the next few miles. The day was a cloudy one. If it had been summer, then it might have been muggy but this was spring and it made for good conditions in which to ride. We would be seen, I knew that. However, the Queen’s route was a good one. There was just one castle on the whole route and that was some way off yet.

  I was keen to establish a steady rhythm and a healthy lead over any potential pursuers. I was aware that I was riding with others who might not be as disciplined as we were. When we came to the crossroads we stopped. Raymond changed horses. He would ride the spare. I would change at the next stop. When the rear guard rode in I saw that one of the French squires was missing.

  “Sir Jean, where is your squire?”

  “His horse went lame. He has gone in search of another.”

  Raymond caught my eye and shook his head. I nodded. The squire had returned to the palace to tell the King of the Queen’s departure. We would soon have pursuers and I knew that the knights would try to slow us up.

  “Mount!”

  “Surely, we can rest a little longer, lord?” Sir Jean urged me.

  “I am afraid not. We have one more stop before we can breathe a little easier.”

  “Surely we stop for the night! Our last meal was before we left.”

  “No Sir Stephen. If you brought no food, then you will go hungry. If the ladies need to stop then we stop. Other than that, we ride! We have grain for the horses. We stop to feed them. They are more important now than any of us.”