The Queen smiled slowly: ‘Aye, my lord Bishop, I have tested him.’
‘Yes,’ said the Bishop, ‘a strong man. He could rouse the Marcher country.’
‘He must first escape.’
‘From the Tower! I’ll swear he is most rigorously guarded.’
‘He has friends.’
‘Who, my lady?’
‘The Sub-lieutenant, Gerard Alspaye.’
‘That is good. He could do much.’
‘My lord Bishop what could you do?’
‘Nothing from inside the Tower. Outside. I could have horses waiting at an agreed spot. I could have a boat waiting to take him across the river to that spot and another at the coast.’
‘And would you do this, my lord?’
‘I would do my best for you, my lady.’
‘I thank you with all my heart.’
‘If we can rid this country of its evil influences the whole of England will thank you with all their hearts.’
‘I can and will with the help of God and my very good friends.’
‘Then the first thing is to get Mortimer from the Tower. What will he do in France?’
‘Go to my brother. Let him know how I am held here. Get help from him. I
shall try to join him― if that is possible. But I must have my son Edward with me.’
‘I see. It would mean civil war.’
‘If the King can find any to stand with him.’
‘There will be some I doubt not. The Despensers will be there and mistake
not behind the pretty face is a wily mind.’
‘I know it well. But first we must free Mortimer. I pin my hopes on him. My lord Bishop I rely on you to provide what we shall need once Mortimer is free of the Tower.’
‘Let the rest be arranged from within and then we must be sure that we work together.’
‘God’s blessings on you, Bishop. You are a good friend to me and to your
country.’
With God’s help, my lady, I will serve you both until He sees fit to take me.’
She was satisfied. Her excitement was intense. All was going as she could
wish.
―――――――
There were whispered conversations in the darkness of the night. They were getting reckless. The need to be together obsessed them; as did the knowledge that soon they must be parted. Alspaye was getting anxious. It was possible to arrange these meetings but they must necessarily become increasingly
dangerous as suspicions must inevitably arise. It might be feasible one night, or even two, to leave a door unlocked, a corridor unguarded, to make guards sleepy with wine. But these occasions were becoming too frequent.
‘We must not jeopardize the plan,’ said Mortimer.
‘Indeed we must not,’ agreed Isabella, ‘but when you are in France we shall no longer be together.’
‘But you must follow me. You must use all your skill to do so.’
‘I shall. I shall. You may rely on me.’
They embraced passionately; they talked earnestly; and they continued to
meet.
Gerard de Alspaye was uneasy. What would happen to him, he wondered,
when such an important prisoner as Roger de Mortimer escaped from the
Tower? He would be blamed. His head would not be worth much he was sure.
There was only one course of action for him to pursue, said Isabella. When Mortimer went, he must go with him.
Alspaye’s spirits were considerably lightened at the prospect.
There were meetings with Adam outside. He had engaged the help of two
rich Londoners, John de Gisors, and Richard de Bettoyne, who would provide the boat which would take Mortimer and Alspaye across the river and the horses which could carry them to the coast. They would see that these were waiting ready at the appointed places. Speed was essential and the fugitives must get to France immediately, for it would be dangerous for them to linger in England for even one day longer than they need. As soon as the disappearance was discovered the hue and cry would follow and even Edward would realize the
danger of letting a man like Mortimer escape from his clutches.
‘Well, let it be soon,’ agreed the Queen, and she added that it was fortunate that summer had come.
Alspaye said: ‘On the night of the first of August the Tower guards always celebrate the feast of St Peter ad Vincula.’
‘On this occasion,’ Mortimer interrupted, ‘it should be a specially merry
feast. We must make sure that the wine flows freely.’
‘I shall put two notorious imbibers in charge of my lord,’ went on Alspaye,
‘and shall see that they are well supplied with liquor. I’ll warrant it will not be long before we have them in a drunken stupor. That will give us an opportunity to make our preparations.’
Many plans had been discussed and discarded and they had come to the
conclusion that the safest way was for Mortimer to escape by means of a rope ladder. He had, of course, to get out of his cell and although most of the guards would be drinking heavily there could be one or two abstainers and it was
logical to suppose that on such an occasion they would be especially alert.
Mortimer’s dungeon was next to the kitchens and from these it was possible to get out onto a roof of an inner ward. This was where the rope ladder would come in. For several weeks Mortimer with the help of Alspaye had managed to loosen a portion of the stones in the wall. It was not difficult for Alspaye to say he wished to speak with the prisoner and dismiss the guards while he did so.
During the time they spent together the two men worked on the wall so that by the first of August it was a simple matter to lift out the stones which they had loosened and make a big enough hole for them to pass through.
They would then be in the kitchens where Alspaye must make sure that the
servants were either carousing with their guards or too drunk to notice what was happening. From the kitchens they could reach one of the inner wards and there it was that they would need the rope ladder to take them into the outer ward and they could from there make their way to that spot on the river where the London merchants, John de Gisors and Richard de Bettoyne, would have a boat waiting.
They had gone over the plan in their minds, looking for possible defects. To be discovered would mean certain death for Mortimer and Alspaye. But they
were determined they would succeed.
The Queen was perhaps the most anxious of the three. She had seen in
Mortimer her great hope. Moreover she was passionately in love with him and to have found a man who was not only her lover but her saviour seemed
miraculous to her.
She was terrified that something would happen to him.
The first of August dawned. She went along to the little church of St Peter ad Avincula on Tower Green and asked the saint’s help in this project.
During the morning Mortimer was allowed to walk in the garden and
Alspaye dismissed the guards with instructions to wait by the palings and while he and Mortimer walked they ran through the details once more.
The Queen joined them.
‘I know I should not have come,’ she said, ‘but I had to. After tonight it will be long ere I see you both.’
‘We must make sure that it is not too long,’ said Mortimer. ‘I shall be unable to endure it. I shall find some way to escape to France.’
‘It would be better if it did not appear to be an escape,’ said Mortimer. ‘If you could come on some pretext and bring young Edward with you.’
‘I will do it. I will do it.’
They clasped hands. It was the nearest to an embrace.
She was amazed and delighted by Mortimer’s calm. He was a man of action
and he could not help but be exhilarated at the prospect of escaping from
imprisonment even though it would mean a temporary separation from the
Queen. He had no doubts of the success of the venture.
Nor, when she was with him, had she.
They did not linger too long in the gardens. Alspaye escorted Mortimer back to his dungeon and in her apartments the Queen told her attendants that she wished to be alone. She was too tense for light conversation and she was afraid that her manner might betray something.