Poisonous Plots Read online

  Poisonous Plots

  Book 16

  in the

  Anarchy Series

  By

  Griff Hosker

  Published by Sword Books Ltd 2018

  Copyright © Griff Hosker First Edition

  The author has asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

  All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  Thanks to Design for Writers for the cover and logo.

  The Anarchy Series

  England 1120-1180

  English Knight

  Knight of the Empress

  Northern Knight

  Baron of the North

  Earl

  King Henry’s Champion

  The King is Dead

  Warlord of the North

  Enemy at the Gate

  Warlord's War

  Kingmaker

  Henry II

  Crusader

  The Welsh Marches

  Irish War

  Poisonous Plots

  Part One

  Becket, Brittany and Blois

  Prologue

  William FitzEmpress was Henry’s younger brother. I liked him. When his elder brother, Geoffrey had rebelled, William had fought alongside Henry. He had shown himself to be both knowledgeable about war and skilled. He had helped to end the siege of Chinon. Geoffrey was now dead and Henry had but one legitimate brother. William was as loyal a warrior as I had ever known. When the brothers summoned me to London I took it as an honour that both King Henry and William FitzEmpress asked me to take a message to their mother, the Empress Matilda. William was to marry Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Surrey. She was one of the great heiresses in England. She was widow of William of Blois, count of Boulogne and Mortain, the son of King Stephen, and a cousin of William. Because of the relationship as cousins William had to seek permission of Thomas Becket, the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.

  We all expected it to be a formality. Others with closer blood ties had been granted permission. I did not mind the task. Empress Matilda still held the keys to my heart. Even though it meant I would not see my family in Stockton for longer than I would have liked, I looked forward to the journey. I took with me my two squires, James and Padraig. Padraig had been my translator in Ireland but he had chosen to follow me. It meant that, soon, I would be able to knight young James. I took William of Kingston’s ship and after he had dropped me at Rouen he headed for La Flèche. There he would pick us up after my task had been performed. I borrowed horses from the castellan.

  Matilda lived in one of the priories she had endowed. She still took an interest in the governance of Normandy but most of her time was given over to endowing churches. She also provided advice and guidance for many of the monarchs of Europe. She had survived two husbands and more intrigue than most people might expect in five lifetimes. She had lived all of her life with great temporal power and, as she grew older, she looked for more spiritual knowledge.

  I was both excited and apprehensive as I waited to see her. I could not enter the Priory but there was, in the grounds, a hall which was used for visitors. My squires and I were housed there. They had diplomatically taken themselves off to see to the horses so that I could be alone with the Empress. I think they were both intimidated to be in the presence of such a legendary lady. I was pleased for I wished to be alone with Maud.

  When she entered the room, with Judith and Margaret, her two ladies I was shocked at her appearance. It had been years since I had last seen her. The two women supported her arms and almost laid her in the chair. She had aged. More, she was ill. Like me she was over sixty years old but she looked frail. Her two ladies had also aged but they looked more robust. There was still the sparkle in her eyes and she was still the same Maud within for she said, “I am pleased that you are still the honest knight who cannot disguise his feelings. You are shocked at the old lady before you.” She turned to her ladies, “You may leave us. I am certain that the Earl will escort me back when we are done.”

  Margaret said, “Are you certain, my lady? We can wait without.”

  “I am certain.”

  They nodded and Margaret, as she passed me, said, “It is good that you have come, my lord but be gentle with her.” She whispered, “She is unwell.”

  I nodded, “I can see.”

  When we were alone I moved my chair so that it was next to hers and I held her two hands in mine. “It has been many years.”

  “Too many years,” She smiled. I saw that there was little flesh upon her face. “And our son does well?”

  “He does.”

  We just smiled and looked at each other. Eventually she broke the silence, “Alfraed, I know that you would not travel all the way here and risk gossip without good reason.”

  “It has, I confess, been hard to keep away all these years.”

  “And I see the years in your face and in your gait for you have been wounded and hurt in the service of our son and your land.”

  I nodded, “I made a promise, when I became a knight of the Empress, that I would do so.”

  “And now you are the last knight.”

  “I am the last knight.” As we looked at each other I thought of the others who were all now dead. I felt myself becoming sad and I knew that none of them would wish that. “Your son, William wishes to marry Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Surrey. I am here to tell you of his intentions.”

  She frowned. “The marriage would bring my son much land and power yet is there not an issue of sanguinity?”

  “There may be, my lady, but I have to tell you that they are in love. I know how that feels. They have a chance of happiness. That opportunity was denied us would you deny it your son?”

  “I would not for you know how much I dote in William. It is others who may wish to put obstacles in the way.” The Empress knew the ways of devious minds for she had often been the victim of them.

  Perhaps it was the sight of Maud which made my thinking slower, “I know not what you mean?”

  “I still have many visitors and they tell me much. Louis of France is now an ally of the Count of Champagne and Odo, Duke of Burgundy. He seeks an Empire like our sons. If William manages to acquire Blois then the Angevin Empire is enlarged. King Louis has spies in England and he has suborned others.”

  “You have names?”

  She shook her head. “I have rumours of men in high places who seek to serve the King of France rather than the King of England.”

  “Then I must return to England and search out these enemies.”

  “That will not be easy.” Her face gave a brief contortion as though someone had struck a knife into her.

  “What is the matter, my lady?”

  “I am not well, Alfraed. I am pleased that you came for I fear I am not long for this world. I have confessed my sins and when I go to meet my maker I can do so with a head held high. My body is failing me. The potions the nuns give me only work for a short time. I fear I need to take more.”

  I took her arm and helped her to her feet, “I am sorry I took so much of your time.”

  She took my head in her hands and lowered it so that she could kiss me. She smelled of cloves and rosemary. “You can never take time from me, Alfraed. Each moment we are together is like a lifetime. I thank you for coming and I know that
you will watch over both my sons and their sons.”

  “You know that I will.”

  Judith and Margaret must have been listening at the door for they hurried in and each took an arm. Margaret said, quietly, “Thank you for coming, lord. I know that this will light not just her day but the whole month.”

  I did not sleep well that night. It was not the strange bed, it was the thought that my Maud might soon be dead. I had lived too long.

  My squires noticed my silence as we headed south to La Flèche and my manor there. I had decided to visit with Sir Leofric to discover what my Angevin knight knew of the plots and conspiracies in this part of the world. The manor was close to France, Maine, Blois and Aquitaine. It was a crossroads and I knew that he would hear much. The two of them respected my mood and they did not question me. Padraig, however, plagued James with questions about the land through which we travelled. James knew it well and told the young Irish boy of the battles we had fought in this land. It was hard to tell as we rode south from Le Mans that this have been a battleground for more than thirty years. It was now peaceful and it was prosperous.

  Sir Leofric was pleased to see me. His squire, and son, Alfraed, took my squires into the town to enjoy wine by the river. I walked the walls of my castle with Sir Leofric. I spoke of the castle before I talked of plots, intrigue and treachery. The castle was triangular in shape. Over the years he had improved it.

  “I see you have built buttresses on the north wall of the keep.”

  “Aye lord. The river protects the south and our ditch is a deep one but if the keep were to fall then we would lose the castle and the town.”

  We stood on the top of the keep. It had a good view of the surrounding land. I pointed to the bridge to the west of us. “The bridge needs repair does it not, Sir Leofric?”

  He smiled, “I take the criticism, lord for that is intentional. The bridge does not really serve us. We use the ferry across the river. The bridge is, if anything, a liability. If the French or any enemy from the south or east chose to attack that would give them an easy way in. The bridge will not support a large number of men. It is for the same reason that I have not done anything about the low-lying land to the east of us. We do not farm it for it floods when the river rises. It does not hurt us but it protects us from enemies.”

  Sir Leofric was a very clever knight. My manor was in good hands. “And that is why I am here. I have heard that the King of France is building an alliance. What do you know of his allies?”

  “There are castles being built to the east of us. Where they were once made of wood many are now of stone. There are many chevauchée from the east too. My men at arms and archers deter them from the land within twenty miles of us but I know that there are other manors which have been raided.”

  I nodded, “That is usual. It does not appear to harm the farmers overmuch. When we came south the land looked prosperous.”

  “And it is. The raids are further south and east; they are at the borderlands. I have heard that the King of France has eyes on Blois. It seems he wishes Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Surrey, as a bride for his brother.”

  “Then that is a problem for William FitzEmpress and she are to be married. I would have you keep your eyes and ears open, Sir Leofric. Send word to William of any hint of treachery no matter how slight.”

  “Of course. And I have more men for you. There are four men at arms. They are English. They came here but three months since. They had been fighting the Moors in Al Andalus. I thought to keep them here but they yearn for England.”

  “Then I will take them with me. I arranged for William of Kingston to come here to pick us up. He should be here in the next few days.”

  Sir Leofric sounded disappointed as he said, “You will not stay longer, lord? My family enjoy your company.”

  “I fear that I shall be here soon enough. King Henry has Wales and Ireland secure and he wishes to do the same with the Breton and Norman borders.”

  “Then I will get horses for your return.”

  La Flèche was always a haven for me. Leofric was my Angevin rock!

  Chapter 1

  We set sail two days later. The twisting, turning river was slightly easier to navigate heading for the sea as one had the current. Even so it took us some days. Those few days allowed my squires and I to become acquainted with the four new men at arms. Tom the Badger, Richard of Ely, Geoffrey FitzMaurice and Henry son of Watt all had unique stories. Tom the Badger was named for a streak of white hair down one side of his otherwise black mane. He was young yet he had gained a reputation as a fierce warrior with a two-handed sword. Richard of Ely had served in Sicily with one of the knights of the de Hauteville family. When his lord had been killed fighting the Arabs he had escaped through Al Andalus to reach Gascony. Henry son of Watt had followed his lord to go on crusade. His lord had died in Genoa and he had joined some mercenaries who sought employment in Al Andalus. The last, Geoffrey FitzMaurice, was the most interesting of all. He was the illegitimate son of Maurice of Glyndebourne. He had been raised to be a knight. Serving as one of his father’s squires he had almost attained his spurs when his father died. His half-brother, who had inherited the land and the title, took him to Sicily and then abandoned him. Left penniless he had almost perished in that harsh land until he had been found and helped by Richard of Ely and his company. The two were the only survivors. They were as close as brothers.

  As we passed Angers I asked, “And you would serve me?”

  Richard of Ely had become the unofficial leader of the group. He was the eldest. “If I am to be honest, lord, we would serve an English knight and, if possible, in England. We have heard your name and know that you are a true knight who is honourable. Your name is legend. Aye we would serve you.”

  I looked at their faces. They appeared honest enough but one could only judge a man after facing a foe and seeing how they reacted. “I have warred for the last forty odd years and more. I cannot promise you an easy life. I have fought, in the past two years in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Normandy.”

  Tom the Badger laughed, “That sounds like my kind of war. There is no sun to burn you to a crisp nor blackamoors who wish to take your crown jewels for ornaments. The warriors you fight might be hard men, lord but they are not savages. The heathens we fought just wish to exterminate every Christian they can find and there are so many of them that to count them is like counting pebbles on a beach!”

  “Then you are my men. When we reach England, you shall wear my livery. I have mail in my castle in Stockton although I fear it will be some time until we reach there. First, we have a message to deliver to William FitzEmpress in Maldon.”

  Richard of Ely said, “We shall wear these jerkins until then lord. Sir Leofric gave us plain pale blue surcoats. They are with our war gear and we have already painted our shields the same. With the helmets and spears Sir Leofric provided we will not let you down, lord.”

  I walked to the stern to speak with Captain William. “I hope that I did not inconvenience you overmuch with my request, Captain.”

  He smiled, “No, Earl. I managed to take a cargo upriver and I have some wine aboard which we will unload at Nantes. There is always profit. Bruggas is also growing as a port although I did not call there on this trip. A sailor takes cargo where he can.”

  “Good.”

  When we reached Nantes, it was a few hours before dusk. Captain William was keen to unload and catch the evening tide. Already other ships were leaving the quayside. It was a busy port. It paid to be away from the coast when night fell. There were many rocks and shoals to the north and south of the estuary. His crew worked hard and I was pleased to see that my new men, and squires all helped. It was still light when we left the quay and followed the last ship which was heading west.

  Once we had cleared the harbour Captain William set a course to take us between the mainland and the isle of Guedel. He would keep us to the middle of the channel. Once we had passed between the island and the mainland w
e would hug the coast until we passed the headland and entered the waters known as ‘Mare Anglicum’. “How long will it take us to reach London?”

  “Seven days although if you wish to go to Maldon it might be a day or so sooner. I could land close to the town.”

  “No, I would like to see the King first and I believe he is still in London adding buildings to the White Tower. Seven or eight days is not a problem, William. Just so long as we do not have adverse weather or winds then I will be happy.”

  I went to the aft castle where William had rigged up some canvas to make a sleeping area for me and my men. I knew that many men in my position would have taken the accommodation for themselves and let their men sleep on the decks. That was not my way and never had been. We shared adversity and we shared comfort when we could.

  Padraig was still new to journeys across the sea. He had had a short journey from Ireland to Bristol and then an equally short journey from London to France. I heard him question James about what we might expect. “It only took us a few days to reach Caen. Why will it take so long to get back?”

  “The estuary is a long one and there are many ships. We will not have cleared the isle of Guedel before dawn but keeping close to the coast means the waves will not be as big. They can damage a small ship like this. Taking our time will mean a more pleasant voyage.”

  Henry son of Watt said, “You would like the Blue Sea. The waters there are blue and there are few waves.”

  Richard of Ely laughed, “Aye but there are pirates. Half-naked warriors from Africa. They row their ships and can be upon you so fast that you can’t escape. I am quite happy to be sailing in these waters. The big waves will keep away pirates and there are few galleys here.”

  I nodded, “But there are still dangers, Richard of Ely. Brittany is now in the hands of Duke Conan. He is supposed to be a subject of King Henry but he has many lords who wish to usurp him. They do as they wish. This used to be a peaceful stretch of water. Now I am no longer sure. I will be happier when we have left these waters.”