She waited a long time for a reply from Lancaster and finally she sent another messenger. This time the answer came back. It had been folly to deny the Queen admittance to her own castle. The Queen was seething with rage and unlikely to allow the matter to pass. Lancaster dissociated himself from the affair. The Badlesmeres alone would have to face the storm they had stirred up.
He, Lancaster, had had no hand in it and he did not intend to become involved now.
Even Edward was roused from the lethargy into which he had fallen on the banishment of the Despensers.
Isabella raged at him. ‘It must not be allowed to pass. What would the people think of a King who did not avenge such an insult to his wife?’
Yes, he agreed, something must be done. Lancaster had declared he was not involved so it should not be a difficult matter to take Leeds and let Isabella have her revenge on the Badlesmeres.
When the people of London heard of the insult to the Queen they were enraged. They marched through the streets demanding she be avenged. Many of them were strong able-bodied men and had taken part in battles when the need had arisen. They were ready to do so again for their darling Isabella.
Edward caught their enthusiasm and within a short time he was marching at the head of a sizeable army to Leeds. It was exhilarating to find that his men were with him. They could not wait for the battle. They were determined to take Leeds and then let those who had dared behave so callously to their beloved Isabella begin to say their prayers.
Leeds Castle had been built on two islands in a lake of about fifteen acres in size. The islands were connected by a double drawbridge but the two separate buildings were capable of making a separate defence. The water passed between the buildings in three places, which was of great use to the defenders.
Nevertheless Edward had brought up a formidable army and they made a fierce attack. Within a few days Lady Badlesmere was forced to surrender. Her husband had given her his support in what she had done but he had not returned to the castle to help her withstand the siege.
The army stormed in, at its head Edward the King.
Lady Badlesmere was brought before him. She faced him boldly, and showed no sign of fear.
‘What made you treat the Queen in this way?’ he asked.
She answered: ‘I was custodian of the castle in my husband’s absence. It was my right to say who and who should not enter.’
‘You are mistaken, woman. Leeds Castle belongs to the Queen. Yet you denied her admittance. That is treason.’
She did not flinch even then, knowing the penalties. She said: ‘Lord Badlesmere will support me.’
‘We will leave it to him to cut down the rope on which you shall hang on your battlements.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘So be it,’ she said. ‘I shall be another victim to the tyranny of kings.’
Edwards was astonished that she could talk thus in face of death and in his heart he knew it would be impossible to put such a woman to death.
In fact he could not bring himself to hang a woman. She should be imprisoned, he said. Let her be taken to London and lodged in the Tower.
His advisers shook their heads. She deserved hanging. Think what she had done to the Queen. But Edward would not listen. Instead they hanged the seneschal Walter Colepepper and eleven of his servants, which was grossly unfair for they had merely obeyed their mistress’s orders.
However punishment had to be meted out to someone.
The bold Lady Badlesmere was taken to London and as she passed through the streets the people came out to jeer at her and throw rubbish at her and threatened her with what they would do to her.
The guards managed to protect her from the angry crowds and she was taken to a dungeon in the Tower.
Edward was triumphant. The capture of Leeds was his first success in battle.
He felt like a conqueror.
Isabella was delighted. He had acted for her and for the first time had shown he had some regard for her. She received him warmly in London. It was good that the Badlesmere woman had not been hanged but had been brought to the Tower. Had she been hanged they could have made a martyr of her.
‘You must take advantage of your success,’ she told him. ‘Look you, Edward, the whole of London is on your side. The barons will see this and perhaps not be quite so eager to stand against you.’
She was right. Several of the barons who had been dismayed that the Queen should have been denied access to her own castle now came to the King with their followers to show him that they had had enough of Lancaster’s vacillating.
‘Now is the time to break Lancaster’s power,’ said the Queen.
They were together, she and Edward, as they had never been before, but if he thought she would forget past insults at the turn of fortune he was mistaken.
The victory at Leeds had been an easy one— an army against one woman defending a castle— and the Queen was working towards a goal which did not include the King. But she would make use of him now; and as Lancaster had proved to be no real friend to her― although in the beginning it had seemed that he might be― she was ready to eliminate him.
‘You know Lancaster is a traitor,’ she said to the King.
‘I have had ample evidence of that,’ replied Edward. ‘He has been against me constantly.’
‘And have you wondered why in their raids the Scots never touched his lands?’
‘I know there are rumours that he has an understanding with Robert the Bruce.’
‘An understanding with Robert the Bruce! When he is your subject!’
She said: ‘We must if we can, lay hands on the letters which have passed between Bruce and Lancaster and if we do― oh if we do― then who can deny that we have a traitor in our midst?’
Edward’s mood had changed. He was all set for success now. He marched up to the Welsh border and the Mortimers’ land.
The Mortimers immediately sent word to Lancaster that the King’s army was on the march. They should join together and then they could defeat him.
Edward was not famous for his prowess in battle and with the might of their two armies they would be invincible.
Lancaster’s reply was that this would be so but he failed to send his army, and without him the Mortimers were not strong enough to face those thousands of the King’s supporters who now that they had a more resolute Edward at their head (since his victory at Leeds), were ready to their hearts into the fight.
The result of the encounter was the débâcle of the Marcher men and much to Edward’s surprise he found that two of his most formidable enemies were his prisoners— Roger de Mortimer, Lord of Chirk, and his nephew, Roger de Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore.
They were immediately sent to the Tower.
It was success such as Edward had never dared dream of. He knew now how his father had felt throughout his long fighting life.
THE END OF LANCASTER
HE now turned his attention to Lancaster.
Letters had been found. It was true that Lancaster had been in communication with the King of Scotland and in the letters he had sent to Bruce he had signed himself King Arthur. That was ominous and Isabella was right.
He must destroy Lancaster. There could be no peace for him until that was done.
With this object in view he planned to march north.
It was now clear that Lancaster was taking a firm stand against the King. He did indeed parley with the Scots whose great desire was to see a civil war in England. Sir Andrew Harclay, who was the warden of Carlisle, was aware of this and came in great haste to Edward to inform him of what was happening.