Poisonous Plots Read online

  “Your Queen?”

  “Aye. It is a deliberate snub. We will travel to Blois and confront my cousin. I will make sure that, while I am in the Vexin then this land is safe and secure. I will have promises from my cousin.” He smiled. “I have the seneschal of Touraine readying my knights should it require more than words.”

  It was a small force we took. There were just fifty knights and a hundred men at arms but, with my archers, servants and baggage, we numbered more than two hundred and fifty. It was not an invading army but it was a presence which the Count of Blois could not ignore. Technically we were at peace but we rode mailed with helmets hung from our saddles. It would have taken a brave man to risk the wrath of the King of England and his Warlord but some of the knights of Blois had long memories. Nowhere had the civil war been more acrimonious than here in the land between Touraine and Blois. We had but thirty miles to travel for the Count was at his mighty castle at Chaumont. It was convenient for all.

  It was still Spring but the weather was much warmer and more clement than it would have been in England. We camped outside the castle which nestled by the mighty Loire. King Henry’s intentions were peaceful. I knew that from our conversation whilst travelling east. Sir Richard knew that too and it was a happy group of knights who entered the fortress of Chaumont. There were just eight of us and we were admitted to the Great Hall.

  Theobald was Count of Blois while his brother, Henry, was count of the richer county, Champagne. Both had fought against Henry and myself during the war. We had never lost to them. Perhaps it was our easy manner which aggravated the situation or it could have been that King Henry felt that they should defer to him. I know not but the meeting started badly and deteriorated rapidly.

  “I hear that you two are to marry Louis’ daughters.”

  “And what is that to you?” Count Theobald’s tone was both disrespectful and belligerent.

  “As I am married to the mother of Alix of France I would have thought that, as a courtesy at least, we would have been approached.”

  Theobald made the mistake of laughing, “And who do you think you are, Charlemagne? Here your greatest title is Duke of Normandy! We have a King here and he is Louis.”

  King Henry reddened, “Speak softly cuz. I came here to speak and not to war.”

  Henry, Count of Champagne, chose that moment to join the conversation, “Do not confuse us with Bretons. We do not roll over at the first sight of your standard or that of your dog of war, the Warlord. This is our land and while here you speak softly to us.”

  King Henry’s eyes narrowed, “So you are part of this Capetian plot. I came here for peace but unless I receive an apology and tribute then there will be war.” Henry had, of late, controlled his temper but with his cousins he lost it.

  I thought to intervene and bring a calming voice but the Count of Champagne’s words had shown me that I was not held in high regard. My words would merely fan the flames of conflict. I had to hope that good sense would prevail. It did not. Count Theobald said, “Then war it is. Leave my castle before I have you bound as a hostage.”

  I drew my sword and said, “I am Earl Marshal of England, the last Knight of the Empress and Warlord. Any man who tries to bar our progress will die.”

  Henry smiled and put his hand on mine. “There will be no need for that Earl, will there cuz?”

  I saw fear in Theobald’s eyes and he said, “Just go. The next time we meet will be when we battle!”

  Theobald had misjudged King Henry. He thought that we would return to Tours and bring an army. He thought that would allow him and his brother to gather their forces. His main body of knights was at his castle of Blois. He was not a decisive leader like Henry. Even as we left the castle the King said to Richard Le Breton, “Ride to Tours. I want the men of Touraine. I need siege engines! If they think they can speak to me like that then they are in for a rude shock. Sir Richard D’Avranches, take your men and block the road east. We will camp here in the south.” He turned to me. “Earl Marshal, can you take and hold the bridge over the Loire?”

  “Yes, King Henry.” It was not as daunting a task it sounded. The bridge was a wooden one built on old Roman foundations. It crossed the two branches of the Loire for an island lay in the middle. I looked at the King who had been my squire once. He had come a long way. “This is a bold move, King Henry.”

  He nodded, “Aye, for once I let my temper get the better of me but I think we caught them by surprise.”

  I turned to Dick, “How many men did you see inside the castle?”

  “Not as many as the two counts might have hoped. I would estimate no more than a hundred knights.”

  “Then take our men at arms and archers to the island. If we can stop them sending messengers for help then the men of Touraine can reach us and our siege can begin.”

  The River Loire was the key to the siege. By holding the bridge King Henry could bring reinforcements from Tours and from Maine. I saw him speaking with Hugh de Morville. I had no doubt that he would bring the men of Maine to our siege. Speed was of the essence.

  The castle walls were close to the bridge and it was within crossbow range but King Henry’s sudden decision caught the sentries napping. They had no crossbows ready and I saw Dick and James lead my men safely across. I turned to Padraig. “Ride to La Flèche and fetch Sir Leofric. Tell him to approach from the north.”

  “Aye lord.” He galloped off.

  I lifted my shield from the cantle and, after removing my cloak, hung it across my back. I replaced my cloak and then donned my helmet. I spurred my horse and galloped along the road to the bridge. My men had alerted the sentries and I knew that I would have to endure crossbow bolts. As I passed the wall I heard the crack of crossbows. One whizzed over my head and one struck my back. The crossbowman must have thought he had killed me but the bolt had stuck in my shield. Another three came close and then I clattered across the rickety bridge and I was out of range.

  Dick shook his head, “Why do you put yourself in such danger, Warlord?”

  “There was little danger, Dick. My shield was beneath my cloak.”

  James walked back from the island where he had tied his horse. “What now, lord?”

  “The same as Pontorson, we stop men leaving across the bridge. The difference is that we do it in plain sight and I do not think that they will send for help north. East and south are where their strength lies. Sir Richard has the harder task for Blois is just twelve miles east of us. He is a doughty warrior and he has proved himself. He will prevail.”

  I saw that my men at arms had had the wit to take some of the horses from the servants when we had left the main army. We would have tents. They were a well-organised team and while the archers arrayed themselves to shower the gate with arrows should anyone try to escape, half my men at arms hurried across the bridge to chop down some of the trees. With so few of us we might need a barrier. The other half were erecting tents and digging a pit for a fire. I took off my helmet.

  James’ squire, Robert of La Flèche, came to help me with my cloak. He had to tug the bolt out of the shield. “I am sorry, Earl, but your cloak is torn. You will need a seamstress.”

  “It could have been worse, Robert of La Flèche, had I not had my shield I might have needed a healer!”

  It was dark before we had completed our preparations for the defence of the bridge. Dick and his archers used some of the men at arms’ shields to move a little closer to the walls. That way they could keep a close eye on the gate. The men of Chaumont did not respond. We had heard the clash of arms to the east of us. They had tried to send for help and had, I hoped, been stopped. The King was on the road to the south and would prevent an escape in that direction. Night would be our enemy. I sent Robert of Ely and Tom the Badger east along the river bank. If I had been in the castle then I would have tried to use the water to get a message to Blois.

  As darkness became complete my men had managed to lay the logs they had cut close to the end of the bridge
. We now had a parapet of our own. Dick and the archers used some of the smaller branches and willow branches to fashion crude pavise which could be placed along the top of the log barrier. We could hold them inside but the only way we could take it would be by siege engine. We did not have enough men to assault either the gate or the walls even though the bridge was the perfect place to do so. Our task would be to hold. Here, we would not use fire. This was a stone castle. More than that it was built on a hill. Its name meant bald hill.

  I took a watch and then retired. I was getting too old for such things. I was woken early in the morning by James. “Lord, I am sorry to wake you but Robert and Tom have a prisoner. They found four men attempting to sail up the river to Blois. Three were killed but there is one survivor.”

  In the past my name had been much maligned. I had been accused of heinous acts of which I was entirely innocent. That night, however, as I faced the young noble who had gone for help my ill-deserved reputation came to my aid. He was terrified. He saw my surcoat and his eyes widened. His hand went to his crucifix and he began to chant a prayer. I was tempted to smile but then realised that his fear might reveal information. I stared at him in silence.

  Eventually he broke the silence, “Do not tear out my heart, my lord! I had no choice. I had to fetch help or my master would have been angry.”

  “And who is your master?”

  “Odo of Isigny, lord.” He seemed almost relieved to be able to give me the information.

  “And he is within the castle?”

  “Yes lord.”

  “And how many knights are there?”

  He frowned, not because he did not want to give me the answer but because he wanted to give me the right information. “Ninety knights and their squires lord but I may be mistaken about the exact number.” His voice was shaking.

  “Men at arms and crossbows?”

  “A hundred men at arms and forty crossbows.” I frowned. That was a larger number than I had expected. The man took it the wrong way. “I might be wrong, lord, I only know roughly.”

  I felt sorry for him. “Alan son of Alan, take this man and watch him.”

  Alan had been watching and he smiled, “Aye, lord. He will be safe with me.”

  The information was useful but I would not be able to get it to King Henry yet. I stayed awake until dawn. I helped the morning watch build up the fire to heat the porridge we made. It would fill us and keep us going. When we fought food was fuel. The morning was almost an anti-climax. Nothing had changed. The banners still flew from the turrets and towers. Men stood to on the walls and we saw the distinctive shape of crossbows. At noon we heard the sound of horses. My men at arms went to the north side of the bridge and formed a shield wall. I saw them relax when they recognised Padraig, Sir Leofric and the men of La Flèche. Our numbers were immediately trebled and, even more importantly, we had far more archers than I could have hoped. With Dick to command them we had an offensive weapon which could end the siege quickly. It all depended upon King Henry.

  I realised that I needed to speak with him. I summoned James, Sir Leofric and Dick. “I am going to try to get around the castle and speak with the King. Dick, you command here. I will take Gilles de Loir, Guiscard the Gascon, Jean de Le Lude and Geoffrey FitzMaurice. James, fetch them to me. Dick have your archers cover us while we go.”

  I could see that none of them were happy but I was Warlord and they obeyed. I took my shield for I would need it and I held my helmet in my hand. My men arrived. “We are going to cross the bridge and run along the path which passes between the castle and the river. We will go to Richard D’Avranches. Our purpose is to pass on information and to discover what the King’s plan is.”

  They did not seem worried. “Aye lord.”

  Dick had moved his archers up to the log barrier at the end of the bridge. We would not need to go over it. We could slip over the parapet of the bridge and still be covered by the logs. The problem would come once we tried to run east. There was some cover in the form of bushes and shrubs but a crossbow would make short work of that.

  “We will need to hold our shields on our right arms. I do not think that we will need our swords.”

  Dick shouted, “Ready lord!” My other men at arms had gone to the barrier and their shields had been added to the wall of wood. They would be safe and my archers could release over the top of the shields. We hurried across the bridge with shields held before us. Once at the bridge we were in Dick’s hands. I heard his calm and reassuring voice. “Choose your targets. Remember this first arrow will come as a shock to them. This is your best chance of a kill. These are crossbowmen. They are less than human! Kill the bastards.”

  “Aye, Captain!”

  “Release!” He had only chosen twenty archers for this task but they were the best and the twenty arrows sailed towards the shuttered slits and parapets. There were some cries and two men fell to the ditch. He turned to me and said, “Now, lord!”

  “Let us go.”

  “Release.” More arrows were sent and I heard the thud of bolts in the wall of shields and timber.

  We sprang over the parapet and I held my shield slightly away from my body to maximise the area it would cover. My four men ran to the right of me. We managed two hundred paces before the first bolts struck our shields and, by then, we were almost at the end of the castle defences. Ahead I saw the banners of Richard D’Avranches. I hoped that they would recognise my shield but just to be sure, I shouted, “Warlord! Hold your arrows and spears!”

  We were waved through a barrier of hurdles. A knight I recognised as one of Richard D’Avranches household knights greeted me, “Smartly done Warlord. Sir Richard is at the siege lines. The men of Touraine and Maine have been arriving all day. We have the castle completely surrounded.”

  I handed my shield and helmet to my men, “Wait here. See if there is a boat. It might be a safer way to travel back down the river!”

  “Aye lord.”

  As we walked I asked, “And what of Blois? Did they send men?”

  “Not yet, my lord. We have defences there. We were attacked but it was by a single conroi. Six of them paid with their lives and two more surrendered.”

  I saw Sir Richard and his men in conference. They had erected willow hurdles to distract the men on the castle walls. I saw men building a ram. “Warlord, it is good that you are here. We wondered how to get a message to you.”

  “I have Sir Leofric and his men. We can stop a sortie but we are in no position to attack.”

  “Nor do you need to. We have the castle surrounded and the King intends to use two rams. We attack at dawn the day after tomorrow. By then all of the men from Touraine and Maine will have joined us.”

  “I captured one of their men and discovered that there are ninety to a hundred knights, a hundred men at arms and forty crossbowmen in the castle although I suspect that Dick has thinned out their numbers somewhat. Of course, there will be many more men than that defending their walls.”

  “Then this castle will fall. It may not be in the first assault but it will succumb.”

  “And what would King Henry have of me?”

  “He fears that there will be a sortie across the bridge. The bridge provides the quickest way for the defenders to reach France.”

  I shrugged, “Tell the King that, if he wishes, I can destroy the bridge. It is not well made.”

  “I think he would prefer it to remain in place.”

  I knew what that meant. He was leaving me and my small force there to tempt the two counts to try to escape once the attack began. I would be prepared. When I returned to my men I saw that they had a small boat. It looked like the type the locals used to fish. There were three oars. We did not stand on ceremony. I knew the plans and I knew my part. We descended into the boat and Jean de La Lude steered us towards the north bank. My other men held their shields up. We would not need to row. The current would take us.

  In the event not a single bolt came our way and we grounded the bo
at on the sand of the island. Sir Leofric and James greeted us.

  I looked towards the castle, “Did we suffer any losses?”

  “A couple of slight wounds but nothing to worry about. What did Sir Richard say?”

  “We have a long couple of days to wait and then the attack will begin. We just get to watch but we have to watch carefully. The King thinks that the Count of Blois and his brother will try to escape across this bridge and make it to France. We have to stop them.”

  My resourceful men had fishing lines in the Loire. Sir Leofric had brought wine and fresh food. We ate day old bread, ham and cheese. As we only needed twelve men to watch the bridge the rest of us were able to rest on the island. It was strange. The castle was under siege. Men were fighting on three sides but here, on the river side it was an almost peaceful existence.

  Leofric and Dick took time to speak with each other. They had shared hardship and fought in many battles when Leofric had been my squire. I listened along with James. As his father’s name was mentioned I saw his ears prick up. He had been young when his father had died and he heard the real stories of his father now. The squires also paid close attention. Padraig had the most experience of war but even his was a limited view.

  Leofric turned to me as Dick went to check on the sentries, “My wife is always amazed, Warlord, that you still go to war. You have position and you have power. I confess my arguments have not convinced her that you are right.”

  I nodded, “And that means that you are not convinced too eh, Leofric?” He coloured. “I have never had the opportunity to learn to live in peace and be a lazy lord of the manor. You and John came to war and then you were both placed in castles. You learned how to plant roots. When William was born that should have been the time for me to learn how to live in peace. However, I was tasked with serving the Empress.” I nodded towards James, “Your father served me then as a man at arms. When he had a family, late in life, he grasped the opportunity to live in peace.”