Richard sent back a message that he would be delighted to meet Rivers and the King at Northampton.
There was a further message from Hastings. He implored Gloucester to make haste to intercept the King. The Woodvilles were in command. They were eyeing him, Hastings, suspiciously because he had reminded them that the late King had appointed Richard as Protector. He believed they would seek to remove him. He begged Richard to come with all speed.
Richard pondered the state of affairs. He saw that he alone could avert civil war. There would be many to side with Hastings. Buckingham was one. He had always hated Elizabeth Woodville ever since he was a child and had been forced to marry her sister. The Queen had managed to make the Council agree to the date of the coronation, so she had many with her for they realised that the Woodvilles had already assumed so much power that it would be difficult to dislodge them. But Richard promised himself that he was going to curb the power of the Woodvilles. He had often warned Edward against granting them so much power. Well, now that Edward was not here, something might be done about it.
He waited with eagerness his meeting with Rivers.
It was a sunny afternoon of the twenty-ninth of April that Richard with his retinue reached Northampton. There was no sign of Rivers and the King’s cavalcade.
Enquiries brought the information that they had already passed through the town and had gone in the direction of Stony Stratford.
This was disturbing and looked as though Rivers had no intention of meeting Richard, who decided that he must stay in the town for a night as his men and horses needed a rest. There was good news. Another courier had arrived and this one came from the Duke of Buckingham who was in the vicinity and on his way to join up with Richard.
Richard ordered that his men should be lodged where they could find places to take them while he himself went to an inn with a few intimates and there settled to spend the night.
They had scarcely arrived at the inn when a horseman came riding into the yard.
It could be Buckingham,’ said Richard; but to his amazement it was not. It was Anthony Lord Rivers.
Anthony came to Richard and bowed low. ‘My lord Protector,’ he said, ‘I come with all speed to welcome you and to explain why I was unable to keep my appointment here with you. It seemed there would not be enough accommodation here for your followers and those of the King so we agreed that he should go on to Stony Stratford and that I would return and explain the position to you here.’
A neat explanation, thought Richard, but he did not believe it was true. The Woodvilles wanted to get the King to Westminster and crowned so that there would be no need for a Protector.
Richard made a pretence of accepting the explanation and invited Rivers to dine with him. Anthony declared that he would be honoured to do so and while they were talking the Duke of Buckingham arrived.
Richard received him with a show of pleasure. Rivers feigned to do the same but he was disturbed for Buckingham was an enemy of the Woodvilles even though he had married into the family – but perhaps it was because of that that he hated them.
Rivers, going back to the inn in which he was to spend the night, was uneasy.
Richard never betrayed his feelings so it was not easy to know whether he had been duped by the explanation that there had not been room in town, or not. The young King, however, was at Stony Stratford and as that was fourteen miles closer to London this seemed a wise move on the part of Rivers.
It was a friendly supper party. The three of them – Gloucester, Buckingham and Rivers appeared to be in agreement about all they discussed. Gloucester was perhaps a little silent, but then that was his way. Rivers would have been astonished if he had been otherwise. Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham talked enough for two men. Volatile and ebullient Buckingham made it a merry party so that Rivers’s suspicions were completely lulled. Moreover Buckingham had never greatly interested himself in state affairs. Rivers regarded him as a dilettante, a lover of luxury, somewhat lazy. Until now in spite of his high rank, he had chosen to live in the country away from affairs. He had married Catherine Woodville, sister of the Queen, when he was very young and having been forced into a marriage for which he had had no desire had always been resentful towards the Woodvilles. Rivers knew that he was not friendlily disposed towards the family but he thought that he was too indifferent to state affairs to consider working against them and that this meeting must be, as Buckingham hinted, accidental.
They parted on the best of terms and Rivers went back to the inn which was a short distance from that one in which Gloucester and Buckingham were to spend the night, promising himself that he would be off early next morning before they arose.
After he had gone Buckingham went with Gloucester to his room. They looked at each other very seriously for a few moments and then Gloucester said: ‘Well, what is it?’
‘He will get the King to London before you,’ said Buckingham.
‘No, he will not,’ replied Richard.
‘My lord, the King lies at Stony Stratford. You may be sure that Rivers plans to have him away before we get to him.’
‘It shall not be.’
‘He will have sent messages to Stony Stratford without doubt.’
‘I have stopped all messengers leaving the town.’
Buckingham smiled.
‘So the King will stay at Stony Stratford until I arrive to conduct him to London,’ went on Gloucester.
Buckingham nodded. ‘You are wise, Lord Protector. I came here to join you, to offer my services. The Woodvilles are in charge ... at the moment. They plan to rule the country.’
‘I know that well. They deliberately refrained from telling me of my brother’s death although they knew that he had named me Protector of the Realm and the King’s guardian.’
‘They are determined to get the boy crowned and then he will be surrounded by the Woodvilles who will proceed to rule. It must never be.’
‘It shall never be,’ said Richard.
He was regarding Buckingham quizzically. Buckingham was fierce in his condemnation of the Woodvilles. He was a considerable ally, representing one of the most noble families in the land as he did. Richard was confident of his ability to conduct affairs in the way his brother would have wished them to go, but the more friends he had the better. Hastings had proved himself an ally; and now Buckingham.
His confidence was growing. Not that he needed support. Richard had always done what he considered right without too much consideration of the cost.
He now said: ‘Firm action is needed, firm and immediate action.’
‘My lord,’ said Buckingham, ‘you will know what action to take.’
Anthony had returned to his room in a mood bordering almost on complacency. Gloucester had been affable – rather unexpectedly so. He had never while the King was alive shown any great regard for the Woodvilles and Anthony knew he had made his brother aware that he considered the marriage of the King and Queen most unsuitable. As for Buckingham he behaved as one might expect a brother-in-law to – but it was the first time he had.
Rivers smiled as he settled into his bed. Of course they realised, these two, that he, Rivers, was of greater importance now than he had ever been. The King was devoted to him and anyone who wished for favour in the new reign would have first to consider Lord Rivers. The Queen too perhaps for he had taught Edward to revere his mother. He was certain that there were good times ahead for the whole Woodville clan.