easier. As it was it gave rise to utterances such as those which had almost cost the man Messager his life, and incidents like that of poor Drydas which had brought him to hideous death. If only he could have been discreet; if only he did not have to have them with him all the time, to pamper them, to bestow costly gifts on them.
Oh Edward, you fool. I wonder what will be the end of you. Our son Edward is growing up. Nine years old, a reasonable age and showing every sign of being like his grandfather. That is what the people say when he rides out. He is a growing danger to you, you foolish Edward.
Edward was laughing to himself as though enjoying some private joke. He
had scarcely looked at the baby. She waited for him to tell her.
‘It’s Hugh,’ he said.
Her expression was cold, but he did not notice.
‘Did you know he is on an island in the Bristol Channel?’
‘I did not, and should he be?’ she answered. ‘Wasn’t he banished from the
country?’
‘He has turned pirate.’ Edward was laughing so much he could scarcely go
on. ‘He has an armed vessel and has captured two merchant ships. They were coming up to Bristol full of rich cargo. He has taken their cargo and sent them on empty.’
‘Does he know the penalty for piracy?’ asked Isabella.
‘Oh, Isabella, come now. It was only meant to be a joke.’
‘Do the captain of the ship and the owner of the vessel think that?’
‘They will be made to understand. But is it not just like Hugh?’
‘Exactly,’ she retorted with asperity. ‘The role of pirate should suit him well.’
‘It will not be long before he is back,’ mused Edward. ‘And I shall not rest happy until he is.’
The Queen regarded him cynically. You fool, she thought. You are signing your own death warrant.
―――――――
MORTIMER
―――――――
THE AFFAIR AT LEEDS CASTLE
IN gratitude for another birth and quick recovery, the Queen must go to the shrine of St Thomas in Canterbury to give thanks.
She set out from the Tower and what a joy it was to ride through London
where the people cheered her so loyally! She was their beautiful Queen who had remained faithful to the King and bore him children even though he behaved so badly with those leech-like friends of his.
‘God save the Queen!’ they cried, and she was amused to think that if the
King had been with her she would still have been the one they cheered.
It was a long way to Canterbury and her marshal suggested that it would be a good idea to break the journey at her Castle of Leeds and he would send a messenger on to warn the custodian, Lord Badlesmere, of their approach.
The messenger arrived at Leeds but unfortunately Lord Badlesmere was
away and Lady Badlesmere was in charge.
The Badlesmeres were firm adherents of Lancaster’s cause and stood firmly
against the King. They had been incensed by Edward’s attitude towards the
Despensers, and Lady Badlesmere who was a very forthright woman had been
heard to declare that royalty was only to be respected when it was worthy of respect.
Lord Badlesmere had given instructions that none— no matter who―
should be allowed into the castle unless they carried an order from him or from the Earl of Lancaster. And when she heard from the Queen’s messenger that the visitor was to be Queen Isabella, she decided that she was not going to swerve from the orders she had received even for her.
‘Begone!’ she cried to the messenger. ‘I will admit none to the castle unless he bears an order from my lord or the Earl of Lancaster.’
‘My lady,’ replied the messenger, ‘do you understand this is the Queen of
England?’
‘How can I be sure of that? How do I know that you may not be an enemy in
disguise?’
‘You will see for yourself when the Queen arrives.’
‘My good man, go back to your mistress. Tell her that I shall admit no one—
no one, do you understand― unless they come from my husband or the Earl of Lancaster.’
The perplexed messenger was wondering how he could go back and tell the
Queen that she was denied access to the castle when he heard the sounds of approach. The Queen’s party had arrived at the castle walls.
‘The Queen is here,’ said the messenger. ‘My lady Badlesmere, have you
considered that this castle belongs to the Queen and your husband is merely the custodian?’
‘I repeat my orders and these I intend to carry out,’ insisted Lady
Badlesmere. ‘If this is indeed the Queen, she must needs find lodging in some other place.’
The Queen hearing the dispute was astounded and commanded her guards to
approach the drawbridge, but Lady Badlesmere gave an order to her archers and from the castle walls came a stream of arrows which struck six of the Queen’s company, killing them.
Before the furious Isabella could advance, one of her bodyguards seized the bridle of her horse and forced her to retreat.
‘We must escape from this mad woman, my lady,’ he said and galloped off
with her.
The Queen was shaking with anger. How dared a subject behave thus to her!
She knew Lady Badlesmere of old. A woman who thought she was always right
and knew how to manage other people’s affairs.
‘By God,’ she cried, ‘she shall be taught a lesson for this.’
The Queen’s party minus the six dead, rode away to spend the night with
more hospitable hosts. Lady Badlesmere was in truth, a little disturbed when she found the six dead at the gates. She had them removed and immediately sent a messenger to the Earl of Lancaster.
She knew that there would be trouble. The Queen had been grossly insulted
and six of her servants had been killed. Perhaps, thought Lady Badlesmere, she had been a little rash. She believed though that Lancaster would be delighted with this insult to the royal family. After all, she had been acting on his orders and it was yet another proof that he was more important than the King.
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.