Baron's War Read online

  Baron’s War

  Book 3

  in the

  Border Knight 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.

  Dedicated to Isabelle May Hosker, my first granddaughter!

  Prologue

  When my family had lost the title of Earl of Cleveland I thought that my world had ended. Through hard work and raw courage, I had clawed back some of that power and I hoped that someday I would have the title returned too. Prince Arthur had lost his title but he had not been patient. I had thought that Prince Arthur would have realised that he had allies other than the French King. He was young and he still believed that King Phillip was looking after his interests. He was not. He had one aim and that was to recover Normandy, Anjou and Maine. Instead of trusting in me and in knights such as William des Rocher, Arthur had gathered an army and was marching on Mirebeau to take his mother and sister away from King John’s mother, Eleanor. It was a catastrophic mistake. Constance had taken her daughter there for safe keeping and now King John was heading to Mirebeau. All my good work and the men I had lost had been in vain! To make matters worse King Phillip now had an army and he was threatening the Norman borders. I was in great danger of being caught in the middle as King John fought King Phillip and Arthur. Whoever won I would be the loser!

  I could do nothing about either Prince Arthur or King Phillip. I commanded a few knights and less than a hundred men at arms. All we could was to weather the storm. We made preparations for war. We had good defences and we had strong warriors. We had, however, lost warriors when we had returned from doing a favour for William des Roches. There was no use bleating about my position. I had made my own bed. I had chosen to oppose King John. I had defied him in his court. I had killed his Bishop of Durham and now, thanks to my manor in Anjou, I was a thorn in his side. I wondered why he did not come to squash me. My castle was a strong one but King John commanded many hundreds of knights. If he came it would fall. It would be a bloody battle but we would lose.

  Sir Richard of East Harlsey, who had fled King John too and was now one of my household knights, had a theory about that, “He cannot risk losing to you. You bested him when you defied him in England and did not bend the knee. He has sent killers after you and they have failed. He will hope that you are defeated by King Phillip. The French have tried to take this castle and failed. He is not the best general that I have ever seen. If it was not for William des Roches then King John might have lost already and might still be in England, hiding in the White Tower. Now that Longchamp has added defences that will be where he will hide.”

  I was not certain. Normandy and Anjou were too valuable for him to let them go. He would fight. What would happen when Phillip got his hands on Arthur’s mother and sister did not bear thinking about. “Perhaps you are right but we will prepare for war. I will send to England. We need news of how the land lies. I cannot believe that there are not more Barons such as you who wish to shake off the shackles of this monster.”

  Sir Richard shook his head, “They need a figurehead for them to follow and to replace King John. I fear that the English need a King and, sad though it is, King John is the one we have.”

  “Then when Prince Arthur has rid himself of this foolishness we must bring him here and use him to rally the loyal barons here and in England.”

  Disaster at Mirebeau

  Chapter 1

  My home at La Flèche was still secure; for the time being. ‘Swan of Stockton’ had just returned from England when a rider galloped in with the news. It was one of Sir Guy’s men. The livery was recognised. We knew Sir Guy de Changé and I trusted him. There were few men I did trust.

  “Sir Thomas, King John has captured Prince Arthur and the Maid of Brittany. He is taking them to Falaise. Sir Hubert de Burgh is to be his gaoler.”

  “And his sister?”

  “Sir Guy believes that she is to be taken to England.” The messenger lowered his voice. “My lord begs you to do nothing impetuous. Prince Arthur is escorted by the whole of King John’s army. The King hopes that you will try to take him. William des Roches believes that this is an attempt to draw you from your castle.”

  I nodded, “And King Phillip?”

  “There is good news. Now that he has been thwarted he has retired to the border.”

  Handing a silver coin to the messenger I said, “I know that this message comes from the seneschal at Angers. I pray he continues to keep me informed.”

  “I believe he will.”

  When he had gone I summoned my knights. I included Edward for he would soon be knighted. Sir William had been my squire. Sir Henry had come to me as a penniless knight and Sir Richard and his nephew, Ralph, had been driven from their homes by King John. It was not the largest conroi in Anjou but, for me, it was the best.

  “Once again, my friends, disaster has struck. Prince Arthur is now a prisoner of King John. My hope lies in the fact that he will be a prisoner at Falaise. That is not too far from here. His gaoler is also a kind man. My aim is to find some way to extricate him from King John’s clutches.”

  “Will he not try to trap you, lord?”

  “I would expect nothing less but I will first send a couple of trusted men to scout it out for me. I tell you this for I fear that when King Phillip recovers from the loss of Prince Arthur and Lady Eleanor then he will turn his eye to us. We must be ready. Sir Henry, you have Bazouges. How are the defences?”

  “We are still building them, lord. We have the outer wall built and we have the keep begun but we need another six months to finish.”

  “I hope we are granted six months. Just do your best.” I turned to my former squire. “And La Lude?”

  “We began the work some time ago. The workmen are almost finished.” He smiled, “We both know, lord, that one can never finish building defences but if the French come then we can give you warning and, I believe, hold out until you arrive.”

  “I know you both lack numbers and I promise that as soon as more men come from England then they shall join you.”

  Sir Richard asked, “What about Bretons, lord? Would they not fight for their Duke?”

  “From what I learned at Le Goulet they have abandoned him. They now play games to gain thrones. They vie with each other for the favour of John or Phillip. It is Englishmen and Welshmen that we can rely on.”

  Edward asked, “Lord, what news did the ‘Swan’ bring?”

  “I know not. When the rider arrived, I spoke with him and I had forgotten our ship. Edward go and speak with the captain and see what he has brought.”

  Geoffrey, my steward arrived, “Wine, my lord?”

  “I think so, Geoffrey. I have used King John’s name too many times and I need the taste removing from my tongue.”

  Sir Henry said, “They must fear you, lord.”

  “They may but that brings me no comfort.”

  Sir Henry was a thoughtful knight. He had come to me with little hope of becoming a knight despite the training. It had made him cautious. “Lord, the estate you have in Whorlton, you may be able to use that to your advantage.”

/>   “How so?”

  “The Dowager Queen said that so long as you did not rebel then it was yours. She was quite clear on the matter.”

  “And?”

  “You could send Sir William or Sir Edward to take charge of the manor. It would give you better access to the lady in England and you would know what was going on. Sir William and Edward have never rebelled.” I had not thought of that and the idea deserved merit. It is much to put on the shoulders of one so young.” Sir Henry pressed his point home. “Lord, you have given them their spurs. When a man becomes a knight then they have to change.”

  I looked at Sir William, “How would you feel about going to England?” He hesitated and, in that hesitation, I knew his heart. I waved my hand as though to make the question vanish. “You have answered me. I will think on this. Say nothing to Edward. He has much to think of with the ceremony.”

  Sir William said, “I am sorry, lord, I feel that I have let you down but my wife is happy and settled in La Lude.”

  “William, you know me. I want honesty above all things.”

  Edward returned with ten men and a piece of parchment. “Lord here are four archers and six men at arms. They have come to join us.”

  I nodded, “Sir Henry, Sir William, they are your men. Speak with them while I read this missive. Edward, I need to speak with you too.”

  “Aye lord.”

  I slit the seal on the parchment.

  You know who you are and you know that we think about you each day.

  England is a troubled land. There are spies everywhere. Men cannot speak with their neighbours for fear of the Sheriffs. The barons have no power and there is a feeling that they need to change the way the country is ruled. Rebellion and the talk of rebellion fills the halls of the lords of this land. Our only hope is Arthur or his sister.

  I know that you are an island of hope in a sea of treachery but I pray that you can summon some of the power of the Warlord. The land needs a hero. We need someone behind whom we can unite. My grandfather did so when King Henry II was just a boy. I know that you have it in you. Our family’s name still commands respect. We may have lost our lands but we have not lost the support of the people of the valley.

  I do not ask you to come back to England yet; you have a family and there is too much treachery but you need to come soon.

  She who prays for you each night and yearns for the day when the knight returns whence he came.

  I read it over and over. My knights looked at me as I folded the letter. I smiled, “This was not a happy missive. Our homeland is troubled and while we are safe here, or relatively safe, our people at home suffer. We must rescue the Prince!”

  I saw, from their faces, that the prospect daunted my knights. It was a hundred miles to Falaise. It would take, whichever men I sent, at least ten days to get there and assess the situation and return.

  I stood, “I know this is hard but we are true knights and a true knight does not baulk at that which seems impossible. We think our way through the problem. Until then we are on a war footing. I cannot see King Phillip resting too long. We are a thorn in his side and close enough to his borders for us to be seen as something he can remove.” They stood. “Sir William, Sir Henry, return to your castles and make them as strong as they can be.”

  I sought out Griff Jameson and Tom Robertson. Both were fine archers and, more importantly, had been born in this land. I had others who were as good as archers and scouts but I needed two men who could blend in. I would not order them to go. The journey was both dangerous and difficult. “I would ask you to travel to Falaise and discover where they are holding Arthur, Duke of Brittany. I will not order you to go for you would be putting yourselves in harm’s way and if you decline I will not think any less of you.”

  Griff looked at Tom, “Lord we know how important the Duke is to this land. We will go. As for the danger? The only safe places in this land lie within ten miles of this castle. We will go.” He looked at Tom, “Perhaps we will go to see William of La Flèche. We could take samples of wine and pretend to be wine merchants.”

  I cocked an eye at them, “With bows?”

  He shook his head, “Lord, if we travel with bows we sign our own death warrant for all know that the only men who travel with bows are your archers. Besides we know wine. It would seem natural. Falaise is known for cider and not wine. It would not seem unusual.”

  Tom nodded, “We could say that we came from Chinon. The red wine from there tastes similar to that in this valley. It would work, lord.”

  I nodded. They were both clever men. I was lucky to have them serve me. I might be sending them to their deaths yet they were happy to serve me. “I leave it to you.” I took a purse of coins. “If you are merchants then you had best dress as such. Buy clothes and take money for lodgings. Wine merchants do not sleep beneath the trees.”

  After they had gone I sought James Broadsword. He was one of my older warriors. He would no longer ride to war. He was a greybeard but he knew how to defend and he commanded my garrison. “James, war may be coming.” I told him of the disaster of Mirebeau. He nodded as though such events were expected. He had come to me after another such calamity. The lords would normally survive but the ordinary men would not. He had been lucky to find me and was as loyal a man as I had ever met.

  “King Phillip will send men here.” It was obvious to me that the French would attack my strategically placed town. If it was taken it would open up the whole of the Loire valley.

  “If he sends men to La Flèche then they will bleed on our defences. It would take the whole of the French army to reduce these walls, lord. If I were the French then I would take La Lude or Bazouges. Both are smaller and less well made. To get to Bazouges an army would have to pass here. I would say that they would try to take La Lude first. With that in their hands they have a crossing of Le Loir.”

  “You are right. Then we need to be able to move quickly when they do attack.”

  “You have the watch towers, lord and the signal fires. If they bring war machines to reduce the walls then we will know in plenty of time. A ram moves slowly. On the other hand, if they arrive swiftly and build machines at the castle then we have time enough but Sir Richard will need to be ready.”

  He was right. My former squire now had a family. They would be in danger too. The next day, taking Fótr and Edward with me, I rode the few miles to La Lude. As we rode I spoke with Edward. “Edward are you ready for the ceremony of the knight?”

  “I believe so, lord but, in truth, I am fearful.”

  I laughed, “A warrior who has faced overwhelming odds fears to be dubbed and given spurs?”

  “No lord. It is the responsibility. I will have a squire to train and I have not found one yet. I will have men to find and to pay. I know how to fight and yet I know not how to be a lord. Does that make sense?”

  “It does. I suppose I was lucky. I became a knight almost by accident. I had just one squire to worry about. The Holy Land taught me how to be a lord.” I had not thought of how he would pay for men. I was more concerned that I would have another knight in my conroi. I looked north. “There is a small manor at Saint-Jean. Four or five farmers till the land there. I would give you the manor and help you to build a small keep there. It is close enough for you to return to La Flèche if danger threatens and yet will give you an income. At the moment I take the tax but I have enough from my town,”

  “What of Sir Richard? Would he not want the manor?”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Sir Richard still harbours a dream of his home in East Harlsey. Since I have been given Whorlton the two are not far from each other.”

  When we reached La Lude, I saw that William had begun work on improving his defences. His new men toiled alongside the older warriors. I dismounted and Fótr took Skuld away to be watered and fed. William was wearing a kyrtle and worked alongside his men deepening the ditch and making the bailey higher. “I did not expect you so soon, lord.”

  “I spoke with J
ames Broadsword. He has a wise old head upon his shoulders. He pointed out that it is you who will be in the greatest danger. I know you have a family and I am concerned.”

  “Marguerite is a warrior’s daughter and a warrior’s wife. She is not afraid of danger. My ditches will be deeper and my walls higher when the enemy come. My farmers all train each Sunday with the bow and their sons with the sling. My walls will be defended.”

  I nodded, “Then keep men patrolling the border. As James Broadsword pointed out they can either bring war machines or build them close by. Cut down as many trees as you can. It will make your walls stronger and deny the enemy the means to make machines. As soon as you spy them then let me know! I promise that I will come with my horsemen.”

  “Of course, lord.”

  That evening I dined with Sir Richard, our squires and my wife. I could tell that something was on my wife’s mind. She was distracted. Alfred was now old enough to sit at our table and it amused me to see him trying to copy the squires for they were the closest in age to him. I knew my wife was distracted when he reached for the jug of wine Fótr had just replaced in the middle, “Alfred!”

  “But Fótr…”

  My voice was stern. It sounded harsher than my wife’s. I could not help it. That was the way I had been brought up. “Fótr is almost a man grown. Until I say then it is milk for you.”

  I saw Margaret look up at my sharp words, “I am sorry, my lord, I should have been watching him. Come Alfred, it is time for your bed.”

  “But…”

  “Do as your mother says.”

  He would learn his lesson. He would not reach for the wine again. Being taken from the table was the worst of punishments for he loved to listen in to our conversations. When they had gone I said, “Sir Richard I have decided to give Edward the manor of Saint-Jean when he is knighted.”