“You should have paid more attention to your tutor, Jack,” Richard said absently.
Jack scowled. “All right, suppose you tell me what is says.”
“I can’t,” Richard replied. “I haven’t read it myself.”
“You must have some inkling,” Jack protested. Getting no reply he continued sarcastically. “So, you just strolled in there, no one said a word, they merely handed you that and, not remotely inquisitive, you asked no questions and left?”
He received only a withering look and was forced to wait until they returned to Richard’s tent before his brother decided to finally study the documents. After a lengthy read, which tried Jack’s patience immensely, Richard looked up smiling.
“Come on then, tell me,” Jack growled.
“It appears I have a manor and land at Burton near Lincoln, with a forest, a mill, and all rents from the village and farm land thereabouts,” Richard finally volunteered.
Jack was amazed. “How you managed that I don’t…”
“I thought you wanted to know.” Richard looked up from the papers darkly.
“Sorry, continue,” Jack muttered through tight lips.
“And a house in Chapel Street in London,” Richard concluded.
“Well, that’s an improvement on our present situation. What will you do next?” Jack asked eagerly.
“I have little choice in that. I have to accompany Mary to London as she makes her triumphal entry into the city. However, in view of this,” Richard indicated the papers, “I think I shall send half of the men to Burton, to find out what I have and what it’s worth.”
The bestowal had piqued Jack’s curiosity, and if asked, he would have left straight away. Burton was not more than a day’s ride from Framlingham. They could be there tonight, appraise the place, and be back here before the procession to London. “So when do I leave?”
“Did I say you should go?” Richard responded shortly.
“No. I just thought that as you were going to London I would…” Jack’s words trailed off.
Richard relented, “Alright, I would like you to go to Burton, find out what we have and what it’s worth and send a report down to me in London. I’m following Mary as she enters the city and it could be a long journey, so send one of the men with the report to Chapel Street and I’ll pick it up when I get there.”
“You’ll need to give me a letter of representation. Otherwise, no one will take
me seriously when I get there.” Jack sounded as if he liked the plan.
“Not a problem. Find out what kind of annual income we can expect from this manor, if any. I suspect it’s a fairly small place and not up to supporting much more than its own upkeep, but it’s a start.”
“It’s a bloody good start, I’d say. You have certainly moved yourself up in the world. This time let us try and hang on to it, though,” Jack said warningly.
“If I was ever cautious, Jack, we would not have ended up with Burton in the first place. It’s a game of chance we are playing, and as the rewards are high, the stakes must be as well,” Richard replied.
“Well let’s hope your luck holds out, eh?” Jack said, then asked, “Mat told me you almost rode straight through the middle of the Earl of Oxford’s men on the way here. What happened?”
Richard regarded him with serious grey eyes. “I told the Earl that Mary had already turned her sights on London and had taken her supporters and left Framlingham.”
Jack’s brows furrowed. “And he believed you?”
Richard nodded slowly. “He did. The Earl has been receiving and sending messages through Whickham to Byrne and the rest of the supporters, I’d added my own messages, so he had no reason to disbelieve me.”
Jack still remained confused. “But how? What did you tell him that made him believe you?”
“Just enough, Jack. He had been sure Northumberland had been a fool to leave London, and as soon as he heard Mary was marching there then it was the excuse he needed to return himself. His was a half-hearted rebellion at best.”
“I never know which side we are supposed to be on!” Jack sounded exasperated.
“I would have thought the answer to that was fairly obvious,” Richard said, rubbing a hand over his face.
“No, it’s not obvious, one moment we are working for Byrne supporting Northumberland, then we’ve swapped to Mary, and then when you rode here you swapped back to supporting him again when it suited you,” Jack sounded utterly confused.
“You are getting too caught up in the details. We, Jack, are on our side.”
The pair returned to the camp raucously drunk. Dan received the body of Jack as it slid from the horse’s saddle and Richard hauled him to the tent, his own feet a little unsure. He dumped Jack on the bed none to carefully and slept soon after on the rug-spread floor.
†
Hal clearly saw that Richard Fitzwarren was surrounded by his own men and heading to Framlingham. So he cut his losses and returned to his master with what news he had.
London had declared for Mary with Cecil himself making the declaration.
Harry knew his father had pledged himself to the Queen, so he had no worries about the change of policy. That had little effect on Harry. What really did annoy him, though, was that Richard had allied himself to Mary long before the tide had changed. Richard had been playing both sides for as much as he could get, and that he had ended up the better for it, Harry did not doubt.