Magna Carta (Border Knight Book 4)

by Griff Hosker

  As we mounted I smiled. De Gray and his men had thin cloaks. They would be soaked before we reach Thorpe! By the time we reached Durham he would be thoroughly miserable. It might make him move more quickly. The ride which in summer would take just a few hours, might now take almost all day for the snow had begun to fall. Until it settled it would make the cobbled Roman roads slippery.

  Even though we were at peace I still had two of David’s archers as scouts. They rode ahead of us. Our guests rode huddled together behind my knights and me. It gave me the chance to talk to Edward and the others about Durham. “I do not expect Aimeric to be happy about this turn of events but I hope that he will not be so foolish as to try to use force against us. De Gray is the King’s representative.”

  Fótr knew the dead bishop’s nephew as well as any, “Lord, he has much to lose. He has a palace in Durham and a lodge in Auckland. He has servants and power. He has men to protect him. Why should he give all that up?”

  Edward answered with a snort, “Because he is merely a caretaker, a temporary steward. He will have coin secreted away and he will use that.”

  I shook my head, “King John does not wish him to benefit from his time in Durham. David of Stanhope and the knights of Durham told the King just what he was like. Richard de Gray has orders to allow him to leave with that which he brought. He will not go quietly into the night. We have to ensure that he does not use violence. I have already instructed Ridley and David of Wales to neutralize the guards.”

  Fótr was persistent, “And if he does not let us in?”

  “Then we will not need to worry about him making trouble for I have orders to execute him if he resists. King John was most insistent that Aimeric should pay for his abuse of power.”

  Edward and William gave me an incredulous look. I shrugged, “Do as I say, not do as I do, seems to be his creed!”

  I had deliberately not warned Aimeric of our arrival. Despite our mutual distaste he allowed me entry to his castle, palace and church. His sentries were polite. “Bad night to be out, my lord.”

  “Needs must. It is Ralph is it not?”

  The man swelled up as I remembered his name. It was only because he had been unpleasant to me once. “Yes, my lord.”

  “We will be staying the night. You can bar the gate when we are through.”

  “Yes lord.”

  I saw the question in his eyes. It mattered not. When we had spoken to Aimeric Henry Youngblood and four of my men would take over the duties of sentinel until I made the garrison swear allegiance to me and Richard de Gray. I would take no chances. As we dismounted I could not help smiling for Richard de Gray was blue with the cold and was shaking so much that speech was impossible. I waved Ridley the Giant forward and spoke quietly to him, “Guard Lord Richard de Gray, Ridley. I am not certain that his presence will be welcomed.”

  “Aye lord.” He walked over and helped the young man down. “You are here now, my lord. There will be a fire inside I have no doubt.”

  De Gray looked up at the gentle giant beside him. Even had he been capable of speech I am not certain he would have found the words to answer.

  After sending Padraig the Wanderer and my men at arms to the warrior hall, I waved to David of Wales and he led his men to the stables. The men at arms of my knights headed for the preceptory and church. They were there to protect the priests.

  It was the steward of the hall who greeted me when I banged on the door. “My lord, we are not expecting guests I am not certain…”

  I pushed the door open, “This is not a social visit. I come on the King’s orders. You now have a new master.” I leaned and said quietly so that only he could hear, “Steward, the days of Aimeric are over. Remember that if you value your position.”

  His eyes flickered to the right as he considered warning Aimeric. Then self-preservation took over. He nodded, “Of course, Earl. I am a loyal subject of the crown and the Bishop of Durham.”

  It had been some time since I had been in Durham. Philip of Poitou had been alive the last time I had walked the corridors. As I headed for the hall I heard unseemly laughter and the sound of women. This was a religious establishment of men. When I threw open the door I saw that Aimeric and his close associates, none of them priests, were having a feast. The women who were there were doxies and whores. Some looked to be younger than Sarah. The opening of the double doors and the draught of cold had an immediate and sobering effect.

  Aimeric stood and shouted, “Earl, this is most unseemly. Do you not warn a man of a visit? We are celebrating!”

  “I can see that.” I had the parchment which I had taken from Richard de Gray’s chilled hands. “This is from the King. You are dismissed from your post and another is appointed.”

  It was as though someone had slapped his face. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. “The King cannot do that. The Pope has an interdict! There can be no new bishop.”

  I smiled, as my men filtered into the hall. I saw some of Aimeric’s cronies, realising that their time was up fingering their weapons. “The new Bishop is in Rome. Perhaps even now Richard Poore is heading here to take up his role as Prince Bishop. The appointment I speak of is Lord Richard de Gray.” I waved my arm and de Gray stepped forward with his shadow, Ridley the Giant, behind. “He is here to examine the finances of the Palatinate to discover why the revenue the King should enjoy has diminished since the death of the last Bishop of Durham.”

  Bloodshed might have been avoided but for two things: Aimeric did not accept defeat gracefully and the men he had used to secure his position were not willing to lose the life they had come to enjoy. I did not know any of the mailed and armed men in the room but they were obviously mercenaries who knew their business. Two came for me and two went for Richard.

  We had been expecting it. I wore mail and the mercenaries did not. I was sober and they were drunk. As the two men came towards me I dropped the parchment while drawing dagger and sword. Alfred also stepped next to me with his short sword. His sudden movement meant that one of the men was distracted. I blocked the sword of the other with my sword and tore my dagger across his middle. The other recovered and tried to swing at my unprotected left side. Alfred’s sword partially blocked the blow and certainly slowed it down. I was able to stab him in the neck. The blood arced across the room as it sprayed from his neck and the women screamed. Sir Edward helped Ridley to dispose of the two attacking de Gray and my knights slew three others. The rest dropped their weapons.

  “Take the weapons from the others and bind them. We will take them for trial at our next assizes.”

  One of them shouted, “What for? Defending ourselves?”

  I bent down to retrieve the document. “While I hold this and serve the wishes of the King then the crime is treason!” They were silenced. “Alfred and Gilles bind and guard Aimeric of Chartres.”

  “What for? I did nothing to you. I am not even armed.”

  “Until the finances and the accounts of the Palatinate are examined by Lord de Gray you will be held. When he is satisfied that all is legal and above board then you will be allowed to leave. I daresay France will be more attractive than Durham.”

  The last part of my sentence did not seem to bother him but the first part did. He paled. He had been embezzling. I had known that but I now saw the wisdom of King John. He was sending a man who knew how to unravel such secrets.

  “Take him away.” I was aware of the women who were still huddled together. “You ladies may leave. If you were expecting payment there will be none.” Once the mercenaries and Aimeric were taken away we were the only ones in the hall.

  Richard de Gray turned to Ridley and Edward, “I am in your debt. They would have killed me but for you!” He sounded shocked at such violence. He saw my look and shook his head, “I am not used to violence. I was training to be a priest,” he shook his head, “I have a gift for figures and it has kept me safe until now. Will I be safe here once you are gone?”

  “Stockton is not far awa
y but I will not be leaving until I can guarantee your safety. Ridley have the bodies removed and then stay here to guard our visitors. The rest of us will ascertain the loyalty of the men within Durham’s walls.”

  I went first to the preceptory and the church. The Dean, Archdeacons and the senior clergy were all there as well as the priests. “Sir Thomas, what is the meaning of this? Why are these armed men here?”

  “They are to guard you.”

  “From whom?”

  “From those who would wish you harm.” I told him of the appointment of a bishop and he looked relieved.

  “We are delivered from Aimeric?”

  “Delivered? What has he done to you?”

  “It is what he has done to God’s house. He has cut down the food which we eat. We had no one to whom we could appeal.”

  “There was me.”

  He shook his head. “He forbade us to leave. Whenever a messenger came from your castle or whenever the knights of Durham were needed we were confined to the cathedral.”

  “How long has this been going on?”

  “Since William was defeated.”

  Now I understood. With the threat gone from the north and the interdict in place it meant he could do as he wished. “Now you will be safe. Lord Richard de Gray will command until the Bishop arrives from Rome. You can trust him but I will send men here once a week to speak with you. If there is a problem then tell me!”

  “Aye lord.”

  “I would have one of your priests bring a Bible with him for I need to speak to the men.” The Dean did not question my request and a young priest picked up a heavy Bible and followed me. Leaving the priests, we went to the warrior hall after first visiting the stables. “Dick, fetch Ralph and the other sentries from the walls. Keep watch with Henry and his men until I send for you. The rest of your archers can make certain that none leave here.”

  Padraig the Wanderer and my men at arms had drawn weapons. As I passed him I cocked an eye, “They questioned our presence lord. They understand now.” I saw one of the garrison with a bloody nose.

  I walked to the centre of the room and lowered my arming hood. I laid my sword on the table. “Brother, if you would put the Bible there. You are here merely to observe.” I allowed an uncomfortable silence to descend upon the room as we waited for Ralph and the sentries. Dick and Henry accompanied them and then left.

  There were twenty-two men in all.

  “I am here to tell you that there has been a change in the management of this cathedral and this town. Aimeric of Chartres is now my prisoner. The mercenaries who survived the unwarranted attack on us are also my prisoners.” I saw fear and apprehension fill their faces. I waited. “Your fate is in your own hands. You know me and that I am a man of my word. That is a double-edged sword. I can be your friend but if I am your foe then there is no corner of this earth in which you are safe.” I paused, “As Bishop Puiset discovered.” I had their undivided attention. “Here is your choice: swear on this Bible that you will obey Richard de Gray and myself and you can continue to serve here in Durham.” I let that sink in. “If you do not swear then I can only assume that you are one of those who should be on trial and you will be arrested. I have a priest here to witness your attestation. The sword is my guarantee that you will adhere to your oath.”

  All swore, as I knew they would.

  “You may return to your duties.”

  I was weary by the time that I returned to the hall. My men had had food warmed up and we all ate at the same table. If Richard and his men were surprised he said nothing. He was still stunned at his brush with death. Edward held up the goblet of wine appreciatively. “I will say this for those villains, they keep a good table and a good cellar. This is as fine a wine as I have enjoyed since Anjou.”

  Richard de Gray was more concerned with his own safety than the quality of the food. “Are you certain you can trust the men who swore an oath, Earl?”

  “They swore on a Bible but my sword was there too. I doubt they will risk my ire.”

  Weary and with sentries on the walls I slept well. When I woke my good humour left me. Alfred greeted me, “Lord, Aimeric escaped in the night. He was aided by two of the servants. They killed Ralph the gateman.”

  I cursed myself. I should have made the servants swear too. Because of my lapse a man was dead. “We must get after them!”

  My son shook his head. “You cannot, lord. We did not discover the dead gate man until half an hour since. Sir William then checked on Aimeric and found that he was gone. A blizzard suddenly blew up. The tracks they made have disappeared. They are gone.”

  I was not certain. My knights had thought it for the best to let me sleep but in my heart, I knew that had I been woken we would have had a chance to catch them. It was too late now. They were long gone. “They might be gone but I will find and hang them. Have the rest of the servants brought here. I will question them personally!”

  I was not gentle in my questioning and I terrified the servants. I made them swear on a Bible and then extracted all of the information I could from them. They would have gone to Scotland. One of the servants was a Scot. They would be safe there. When the snows had gone and time allowed I would hunt for men. They would not escape me.

  Chapter 7

  Fighting for the Scots

  We tried the mercenaries fairly. We used a court of my knights and senior men at arms. We listened to their defence but, in the event, there was little to it. The Dean of Durham had been the one to condemn them. He sent a letter which told of their crimes. They included rape and murder. Aimeric had done much which was evil while ruling Durham like a fiefdom. We hanged the eight men we tried. Their bodies were left at the Norton crossroads as a warning to other transgressors. We had never had to hang any of our own people. They were generally law abiding. The most severe punishment we had imposed had been to walk to Durham cathedral on Sunday to hear the services there. That was a long day’s walk. Our locals did not poach. They asked my permission to hunt and I normally granted it. Tam the Hawker had caught poachers but they were not locals and most had been bandits or brigands. I did not have them blinded, as was my right, instead I had their first and forefingers lopped off their right hand. It marked them as poachers.

  I kept my word and either myself or one of my knights visited Durham once a week. It reassured both the clergy and the ever-nervous Richard de Gray. He did not endear himself to any of us. He never thanked us for our visits but regarded it as our duty. He seemed, however to be good at his job. When I visited at Easter he showed me the squiggles on the wax tablet.

  “There, Earl, you can see quite clearly how much Aimeric of Chartres stole!”

  I could make neither head nor tale of the squiggles. “Richard, I am a warrior, explain to me where the coin is. I am certain that the King would wish to know that.”

  He shrugged and waved his arms around, “To speak plainly, Earl, I know not. Aimeric has it. I believe that when he absconded he took the chests with him. The two servants who fled were both scribes. One was the cathedral’s reeve.”

  “Then they must have had horses waiting for them in the town. If not, then how did they get the coin?”

  He looked blankly at me, “You are the hunter, lord.”

  I cursed myself. I should have questioned those who lived close to the town. I sent Ridley the Giant with Alfred to question the folk who lived close to the gate. It did not take long to discover that a man and a woman had left the same night as Aimeric. They had Scottish accents and they had a wagon. I should have trusted my instincts and pursued them immediately. The others had said that the snow would cover the tracks. It would not have covered the tracks of a wagon. Even hours later there would have been indentations in the snow. We could have caught them. They were definitely in Scotland. Aimeric had money. From what Richard had told me it was many pounds of silver and gold. I knew that I would be blamed by King John.

  “Is there any news of the new Bishop?”

  Shaking his h
ead, he said, “The last news I had from York was a month old and Bishop elect Poore is still awaiting an audience with the Pope. However, I am confident that we will have news in a month or so.”

  How can you be so sure?”

  He smiled, “The Pope has payments to make too, Earl. It costs money to rule in Rome and the income from the Holy Land is not what it was. King Richard and his crusade was the high-water mark. Since then the Holy Land which is controlled by Christians is shrinking. The Seljuk Turks and the Egyptians are eating into it day by day.” He smiled, “I daresay he will be asking for another Crusade soon enough!”

  I left him, shaking my head. To him it was all about coin and income. I had served in the Holy Land. Warriors were dying and Christians were suffering. I headed back to Stockton with the weight of the world upon my shoulders.

  A month after Easter and we had some good news. Fótr and Petr were to become fathers. It brightened everyone’s lives. My wife and Aunt Ruth were particularly overjoyed for it showed that the two girls who had had to endure such privations had recovered. My aunt’s smile became a permanent feature. The illness of the winter was forgotten.

  William asked me to ride over to Hartburn. I wondered if it was to ask me to knight Johann. He was the oldest squire that I knew. In the event it was not. He wished to show me the fields he had cleared. It had been the lair of the wild boar. It had taken some time to completely remove the stumps and then to till goodness back into the soil but he was very proud of his achievement, as was I. As we walked his fields I asked him about Johann.