Poisonous Plots Read online

  “And you Dick? Are you ready to hang up your bow? I know you have no family but do you not tire of war?”

  “It is not war which keeps me going, lord. It is the company of warriors. When I was an outlaw there were some good men and there were others whom I would have scraped off my boot. Since I came to serve you I have found the company of men whom I would choose as brothers. As you know, lord, many of them have died but their memory lingers in my dreams. These young warriors and archers are there for me to pass on that which I have learned. When I am gone it will be my legacy that there are archers who learned from Dick of Sherwood. These archers will still be there to protect the valley. I will sleep happier knowing that.”

  “You are hale and hearty. I will go to my grave before you.”

  He laughed, “Lord, none of us are due an early death. Our deeds should have granted us an extension.”

  When we reached Rouen, I begged leave to ride to the Priory with Dick and some of my men at arms. I needed to speak with Maud. On the last day of the voyage I had tried to break through the barrier that William had built around him. I had failed and I saw him sinking deeper into despair. He was not helped by his knights who seemed to aggravate the situation.

  Leaving James to procure horses for the rest of my men I rode with Dick, Padraig, Roger of Bath and Alain of Auxerre. As we rode south, through Normandy, we could see the preparations for war. Men were marching to Rouen. Henry had summoned his lords before we had sailed. The only delay now would be giving his precious horses time to rest and to await those lords whose manors were some way away. Of course, the news would reach the Bretons. Our only advantage was that they would have no idea where we would strike.

  Padraig was in awe of Dick. When my Captain of Archers had stripped off on the ship to bathe in sea water Padraig could not believe his chest and oak like arms. As we rode through the Norman countryside he had beset him with questions about how he had achieved that frame.

  Roger of Bath asked, “Will we be fighting alongside other conroi, lord?”

  “I doubt it. I am here to advise the King. He will not be personally leading the attacks and so my archers and your men will be like a mobile reserve. Unlike the other conroi we will all be mounted. When we go to battle I will lead you.”

  “Lord, you need not. Let others bear the burden.”

  I turned to look at him. “I know what is in your mind, Roger of Bath. You see the white hair, what little there is, you see the growing paunch and you see an old man” I held up my hand to silence his protests. “I have been a warrior my whole life and I will die in battle. Hopefully that will not be for some time. Ridley, my father, died defending Norton. Perhaps that will be my fate too.”

  “I meant nothing lord other than to ask you to take more care. You are a rarity. You are a lord men like to follow.”

  Once again we were admitted to the Priory quickly. Surprisingly the Empress looked a little healthier. Judith and Margaret smiled. Maud shook her head, “These two biddies think that I am better because you are here. Tell them that is a nonsense, Earl!”

  “If I thought that my presence would make you well, my lady, then I would never leave your side.”

  Her frail, blue lined hand touched my briefly, “Ever the gentleman. Now sit and tell me what brings you back so quickly.” I knew that it would not be easy. I told her of Becket, his decision, his treachery and his flight. I watched her take that in. “And there is more, is there not?”

  “Your son has taken this badly. It has caused a falling out between him and his brother. William is at Rouen. He will take no part in the fighting. My fear is that he and his knights go to Pontigny to take matters into their own hands.”

  Once again her hand touched mine. “Ever do you watch over me and my family. Was there ever a more faithful, loyal and devoted knight?” She turned, “Judith, have my baggage prepared. I have had enough of priory life. It is time that I was a mother again. We ride to Rouen.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  Maud turned to me. “I know that I have been hidden here for some time but that does not mean that I am deaf and blind. There are many who come here to speak with me. I listen and I learn. You are right to worry. I said nothing when last you came for I had not heard it before but I have now learned that Thomas Becket spent a week at Louis’ palace on the Seine. I fear he has been bought by Louis. When I am in Rouen I will be able to use those who still owe me favours.”

  I glanced at Margaret, “But you are unwell.”

  Maud glared at her lady in waiting, “Do not listen to dried up old women. I was a little under the weather but now I am recovered. This will help me Alfraed. Fear not.”

  The journey back was much slower. It was not Maud which slowed us down but all the baggage that they brought with them. It was like she was moving home and there were chests full of clothes, jewels and the detritus of a lifetime. I sent Alain of Auxerre ahead for the brothers needed to know that their mother was on her way.

  I rode next to the closed carriage in which the three ladies rode. Maud had rolled up the side panel so that we could talk. Dick rode on the other side. He knew the two ladies as well as any.

  “I was always impressed, Alfraed, that you managed to keep so many men loyal to you for so long. How do you manage it?”

  I shrugged, “Athelstan who was my teacher always impressed on me to be fair to my men and to lead from the front. I have never altered my philosophy and it seems to work.”

  “I know that my brother, Robert, admired that in you and my father certainly did. I am not certain that Henry would have had his crown if it were not for you and your men of the north.”

  The sun was beginning to dip in the west for we were approaching Rouen and she said, somewhat sadly, “All those men who fought and died to gain the throne for my son. What would their view be of the way events have turned out?”

  “Most of my men were soldiers first. It was good that they fought for a rightful cause but they would have fought and died in any case. The knights and nobles chose a side. Many gambled and they lost.”

  “And there were others, like Ranulf of Chester, who switched with the weather. You were loyal and you were true.” She suddenly laughed, “Do you remember fleeing Oxford Castle over the frozen moat?”

  I smiled, “Aye I do. It was a foolish thing to do.”

  “Yet it succeeded and you saved the Empress and her son. It is a shame that history will not record your deeds.”

  I frowned, “I did not do them for history, my lady. I did them because I swore an oath and …” I was suddenly aware that Padraig was close by, “well you know.”

  Maud smiled and asked, “And who is this new squire?”

  “He is Padraig. He was my translator in Ireland and he chose to follow me here. I will be knighting James soon. He is training Padraig.”

  Maud looked sadly at James, “Your father was one of my knights, James. He was a true knight and gentleman. I was saddened to hear of his death.”

  James nodded, “I miss him. I hope he would be proud of me.”

  I nodded, “He would be, James. All speak well of my squire. When you are given your spurs, there will be a cheer from heaven.”

  “Amen to that lord.”

  I was almost sad when Rouen appeared in the light of the setting sun. The moments I had enjoyed with my lady and my squires were special.

  Maud swept into Rouen as though she was the ruler of the land and not her son. She knew the castle well and she had those knights who had been quartered with her son, William moved, so that she could be near him. Henry was less than pleased but he could not gainsay his mother. William, in contrast, seemed delighted to have her close by. Both of them benefitted from the arrangement. William was more at peace and Maud did not deteriorate at quickly. I had but three days to enjoy Maud’s company and then I left with the army. We went to war.

  Chapter 4

  This time my men were not needed as scouts. Sir Richard D’Avranches and his men knew the are
a well and his men at arms acted as scouts. Despite the success my men had had few other lords used archers. They preferred men at arms and crossbowmen. I could not work out the reason except, perhaps, the time it took to train a good archer. A crossbowman could be taught to use a crossbow in a few weeks. My archers could hide in plain sight and were the best offensive weapon I knew. My men at arms and archers rode with the bulk of the army. They were not happy about this position. They regarded the van as the place of honour but Dick explained to them the reasons. I just had James and Padraig with me. Their task would be to pass messages. James had done well and acquired good horses for us. I rode a fine palfrey and James led my war horse. I was not certain that I would be needing a war horse. The war Henry had envisaged was one which would hit smaller places and strangle the larger ones.

  We camped, the first night, in the small hamlet of Servon. There was neither castle nor hall there but it was on the road to Rennes and, if the enemy were watching us, they would realise that we could head to Mont St. Michel. We had no intention of doing so but so long as we could keep the Count de Rennes wondering it served our purposes. We needed the Count to be unsure of our intentions. King Henry also kept as few people as possible within his inner circle. The French King’s plots and Becket’s behaviour had made him suspicious. Only six of us knew his plan. The army was moving at a snail’s pace but once we neared Pontorson we would split up and our army would move like mercury. The King was deliberately moving slowly so that the spies who were watching us would tell the Count and he would try to predict our movements based upon our slow and steady approach.

  With guards surrounding the seven of us he went over his plans one more time. “The six columns will strike quickly. We have moved slowly up to now. The time for swift action is upon us. I want every animal which lies within twenty miles of here capturing. Every knight and man at arms should be killed or captured. Wooden castles will be taken. Leave stone ones isolated. Drive the people south to Rennes. I want the city filling so that when we approach they do not have enough food to feed the refugees who have fled there.”

  Sir Richard D’Avranches said, “And what of Pontorson? It has a stone castle and protects the road. It would be dangerous for us to leave it astride our supply lines for it has many knights within it. We have to reduce it.”

  The King nodded, “It will be our first demonstration of our power. In the carts and wagons we have the equipment to build siege machines. The day after tomorrow we surround it. By then the Warlord and his men will have cut the road to Rennes.”

  They all looked at me. Sir Richard shook his head, “My liege, he has but thirty men.”

  I smiled, “Nearer twenty but you make a good point. All I need to do is stop messengers and small numbers from leaving. If the garrison leaves then that suits us. Your forces will replace mine. Remember I have archers.”

  “We have crossbows!”

  “Yes, Lord Hugo, but in the time it takes to loose a bolt and reload my archers can send up to twenty arrows. My archers can stop even knights from passing us. Our arrows can penetrate mail.”

  King Henry nodded, “Believe me, my lords, I have seen them at work. Had the Warlord brought his full force of archers we could have sat and drank wine while they took the whole of Brittany.” He nodded towards me, “My former master thought that this might give you all the chance to earn some treasure and garner glory!”

  That night I sat with my men. We were such a small conroi that it was easy. “Tomorrow we let others take risks. We are there to support. As soon as we have taken Macey we ride south and west to reach the road from Pontorson. Our task is to close the road.” I nodded to Dick. “Sir Richard here will make the decisions about the ambush.”

  The archers all smiled at my use of his title. It was rarely accorded him and yet he was the most respected man in my whole retinue.

  That night while Padraig saw to the horses I spoke with James. “Before we return to England I would have you knighted.”

  “Am I ready?”

  I laughed, “You are as modest as your father. You have been ready these many years but I was selfish and needed a squire. I think Padraig will make a good squire. He has developed under your tutelage and besides I think my days of battle are numbered. When that is done we will need to find you a squire. After we are released from the King’s service we will head to La Flèche and I will speak with Sir Leofric. He said he knows some likely young men who would make good squires.”

  King Henry himself led our column. The knights who rode with him at the fore were the knights he had grown up with in Anjou and Normandy when he had been a child. In all he led fifty knights with another forty men at arms. Some of the knights had brought the local fyrd and they swelled our numbers to over two hundred. King Henry was clever. The fyrd would not be any use in a battle but they would make our force appear larger than it was. It also freed up squires to fight for the fyrd would be able to guard the baggage. We would be the largest column.

  Macey had a fortified hall with a ditch running around it. The baron who was lord of the manor was a rich man. He profited from pilgrims travelling along his road to visit Mont St. Michel. In many ways he was little more than a brigand for he charged, excessively, those who used the road. As our conroi approached we heard the sound of horns from within the hamlet. Even as we drew close I saw a single rider gallop off.

  Tom the Fletcher said, “Do you want me and the lads to get him, my lord?”

  I smiled. They could do it but that was not King Henry’s plan. He wanted riders from each of the six columns to ride to Rennes. They would each report that a small band of knights had attacked their manors. The fact that the Duke of Normandy was amongst them would make the Count worried. It was a clever plan for if the Count decided to stay behind his walls and allow us to devastate his lands he would be weakening himself. If he came to do battle then he would have to find us first. King Henry wanted to make the Bretons think that this was a series of chevauchée.

  “No, Tom. Enjoy the day. I doubt that today will tax your arm. See the people flee to the hall.” Those in the fields were racing for the apparent protection of the baron’s hall. It would do them little good.

  One of King Henry’s squires galloped up to me, “Earl Marshal, his majesty asks that you and your men take up a position to the west of the hall.”

  I nodded and wheeled my horse. Padraig carried my banner. “Let us stretch our horses’ legs.” We rode through a gap in the hedgerow and crossed the field which had been recently cleared of crops. The hall lay just two hundred paces from the crossroads. I led my men to the crossroads. I dismounted. “Tom, drive stakes in the ground and tether the horses. I do not think we will bother with horse holders.” We had too few men for such a luxury. I handed my reins to Padraig and hefted my shield. I had not needed it since Ireland. During the civil war it had rarely left my arm.

  As I led my men at arms and archers towards the hall I saw that the King and his men had also dismounted and were forming a shield wall. They had spears. I did not know the exact numbers of the garrison but I estimated it to be no more than thirty or forty men at most. The number who would fight us would be more than doubled by the farmers and villagers who had fled there.

  When we were three hundred paces from the hall I stopped. I could see light shining from helmets. There looked to be a fighting platform around the roof but there were also shuttered slits in the walls. In those would reside crossbows. “Shields!” My fourteen men at arms spread out on either side of me with their shields locked alongside mine. James and Padraig stood behind me with the banner and my archers, led by Dick, stood behind my men at arms. I knew that their bows would be strung and they would have in their hands three arrows. They were not only skilled archers they each had a keen military mind. As we began to walk purposefully forward they would be identifying dangers and targets.

  We were two hundred and fifty paces from the hall when the first bolts flew. A crossbow has a flat trajectory. While arro
ws could be rained down, crossbow bolts had to be sent towards shields and heads protected by helmets. At close range a bolt could penetrate a helmet. All that could be seen of our helmets were the tops and we were at too long a range to be worried about bolts. Our eyes were level with the top of our shields. Dick was counting the crossbows. When we were a hundred and fifty paces from the hall he said, “We can halt here, my lord. There are eight crossbows.”

  It was a simple statement but for eight crossbowmen it was a death sentence. “Halt! Padraig, wave the standard as though you are signalling to others.” Those inside would wonder why we stopped to make such an easy target. They would not know that I had archers who, hidden by our bodies and shields were already nocking arrows. They would think this was part of an elaborate strategy. They would waste time looking for warriors who were not there. The Warlord was known to be a cunning warrior.

  Dick did not shout, ‘Release’. He did not need to. Every archer had been trained by him. They practised each day. My archers were like one being. The eleven arrows arced, simultaneously, towards their targets. They were well within the range of my powerful archers. The crossbowmen were above my archers and, even if they were hidden behind the shuttered slits an arrow could be bounced off stone. Flying splinters could blind and an arrow which ricocheted could still be as deadly. More importantly the crossbows could not be used while the archers kept up a shower of arrows.

  After ten arrows from each archer Dick shouted, “Stop.”

  I said, “On my command we march another fifty paces. March!”

  We all stepped off on our right legs and moved a little closer. We were careful to place our feet for the fields over which we marched had been recently ploughed. The soil was soft but a carelessly placed foot could result in disaster. The efficacy of my archers could be seen by the fact that only four bolts were sent from the hall and struck our shields. Being closer they had a greater impact. When we stopped we were so close that we could actually see beyond the shutters. The farmers were now sending their arrows towards us from the platform on the roof. They were not using war arrows. They were using barbed hunting arrows. They could not pierce mail. They would not be able to penetrate a helmet. Their bows were not war bows, they were hunting bows.