Author's Note: And here we go! things are really starting to heat up. Please give this story a like and let me know what you think of it so far! Happy reading. :)
CHAPTER NINETEEN – MIDDLEMAH, MAY-JUNE 1483
Dear Frederick,
I am sorry to hear about your father's illness, I hope and pray to God that he will soon be well. I hope too, that you are well, and sincerely apologise for not coming to join you this year. There is much turmoil in my homeland. King Edward – the man who did arrange our marriage – died a month ago, and his heir is but a boy. My caregiver, Richard, Duke of Gloucester has been named Lord Protector over the boy in the late King's will. He is still trying to secure a coronation date, but the boy's mother causes trouble every time. It seems now that she has – along with various members of her family – robbed the royal treasury to fund a rebellion.
Not only that, but the Duke must now help his best friend, who has just received word that his daughter has died. She drowned in a lake near Lovell Manor, their home. God rest little Grace's soul!
I promise that when things settle down and stable rule and normality have returned, that I will join you. Until then, I must remain, for there are several young children in my care, and I would feel a sinner to leave them during dire times such as these.
Your wife,
Marion.
(May 25, 1483).
"What news is there, my Lady?"
Lady Anne looked up from where she sat in the solar of Middleham, a letter on her lap. Maggie knelt at her feet, working on her sewing, with Katheryn hovering behind her, giving credit where credit was due and advice for improvement. Weak springtime sunlight filtered into the room, casting a light, cheerful glow about the inhabitants. The Lady shook her head as Marion entered the room, bearing a tray of fruit and cheese, her expression a stark contrast to the warm weather.
"Nothing from Dickon, I'm afraid. This one is from Nan Harrington, letting us know that Edward Stanley survived his illness, so there is no need for John to go back to Hornby. She also said she does not want any of the children traveling, for there could be Woodville spies everywhere..."
"I do agree with that," Marion nodded, placing the tray on a small table beside the Lady's chair.
From her place on the floor, Maggie let out a happy squeak. "Cheese!"
The other three in the room chuckled fondly. It was common knowledge that Maggie loved cheese, more than any other food.
"Finish your sewing, and then you may have some cheese. That applies for you too, Katheryn."
"Yes m'lady,"
"Yes Aunt Anne,"
The sunlight spilling into the room through large windows, gave the stone walls an almost bluish hue, contrasting with the warm tones of skin and fabric. Outside, birds could be heard, singing their delightful songs. Easter had come and gone, and all were glad that the time of fasting had ended; now it was summer that fast approached. As Marion sat down on a chair beside Lady Anne's, she reflected that the scene in which she sat might be peaceful, if only there was not such crisis outside of Middleham's protective walls.
News came, but although it was bad, it was not terrible, The tidbits of information in Dickon's letters painted a picture of tentative peace, with undercurrents of tension strung taught through the Court and London as a whole. The worst came later in a hastily written letter was delivered to Middleham, asking that Lady Anne go to London. She did not dare disobey her lord husband, so she left almost as soon as the letter was sent, but not before telling Marion what was happening.
"The Woodvilles are staging an uprising," she said grimly, her voice hushed so no one could hear. "Richard says he has found hidden weapons all through London, and that Lord Hastings – a man he thought to be a friend – has been part of the plot."
Marion frowned at this. "Hastings? Was he not loyal to King Edward?"
"Yes, he was, and to Richard too, we thought."
"How could he go about being a traitor while still feigning loyalty?"
Anne smiled bitterly. "He seems to have used the former King's lover as a go-between, as the woman was also lover to Hastings himself, and to Thomas Gray, kinsman to the Queen."
"Urgh, that woman had three lovers at once?" Marion shuddered in disgust.
"It seems so,"
"Right, well, that is disgusting. What is to happen here, with the household and the children? Do you wish for my niece and nephew to be sent back to their mothers?"
"John will not be safe with his mother, as his step-father is kin to the Queen... the same can be said for Katheryn. However, my lord husband did mention that James Haute has come to London – for what reason, or for which side, we know not. So, Katheryn would be safe to go home for a time, and I am sure your sister would want her firstborn with her, now more than ever."
"Of course," Marion nodded. "Was there anything else in the letter?"
Truthfully, she did not want to know what else Dickon had conveyed in the letter. The executions of Lords Rivers, Vaughn and Gray had been shocking, to say the least; they were actions that Marion would never have expected to come from her friend. She closed her eyes, thinking about what she knew to be happening in London – not that she knew much – and remembered something that Lady Anne had said only a few short weeks ago about the sudden reappearance of the Duke of Buckingham, from his position of disgrace in the court of Edward IV. Had he had something to do with it? Had be influenced Dickon to act as he normally would not? A quiet sigh slipped past slightly pursed lips as Marion opened her eyes and gazed at Lady Anne expectantly, ready to shoulder the burden of any more tidings – be they grim or glad – Dickon had to tell.
"Only that the young King's coronation date has been set for the twenty-second day of this month."
Shoulders sagging in relief, Marion smiled. "Well, I'm glad some good news has come of this letter! Hopefully, after the boy has been crowned, there will be peace again."
Lady Anne returned the smile, placing a thin hand on Marion's shoulder. "I agree,"
Dear Maria,
The stories I have heard coming from England are quite troubling. You call Gloucester a good man, when he has executed a man – no, four men – without trial? Then you, my wife, are a fool. I do believe now would be a better time than any to leave that God-forsaken country, and come to Germany. I should like my wife here while my lord father continues to ail. Although I do understand the importance of a woman caring for the children in her charge. Is that not what the Virgin Mary did when she agreed to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ?
People returning from the Hansa League warehouses in London say that Gloucester is trying to usurp the throne. I do not want you near him, wife, although I do understand your cause for staying in England.
Stay safe and away from trouble, Maria, I await your coming.
Your husband,
Frederick. (17, June 1483)
Scowling at the letter, Marion tucked it in her trunk with the others. Her German had improved quickly over the years, bordering on fluent in reading and writing. Although it was still annoying to see her husband call her by an incorrect name, Marion felt this letter contained more grievances than that. Why would the merchants from the League call Dickon a tyrant? Lady Anne's absence hunt like a shroud over Middleham, and with Frederick's words fresh in her mind, Marion felt her stomach clench with anxiety. Was Lady Anne safe? Was Dickon safe? Young King Edward?
Just what was happening in London?
Marion sat in the solar with Lady Anne's mother, called Anna to distinguish her from her daughter. Anna de Beauchamp had been living at Middleham since 1473, just after Marion, John and Katheryn had arrived to meet Neddy for the first time. The woman spent much time alone, was stern, and not the type of person one would want to sit and chat with for hours on end. But ever since Lady Anne had left for London, Anna had been helping Marion run the Middleham household, along with young Neddy, as Lady Anne instructed her to do as practice for when she ran her husband's household. Neddy helped, simply because it would teach him the responsibilities of a lord.
"So... we should harvest the grains now?" the young woman asked.
"Heavens no!" Anna de Beauchamp boomed. "Wait a few more weeks for them to go to seed, so that we shall have more to plant crops next spring! It must be just so, or we shall all starve!"
Marion smiled sheepishly, and was mercifully spared another verbal beating by the sudden arrival of a breathless Neddy. The boy dropped to his knees for his grandmother's blessing, before leaping to his feet and thrusting a letter at Marion.
"It's from Papa, apparently. And the messenger said it's shocking."
Marion took the letter, scanned it, then handed to Lady Anna. The woman snorted, shook her head, and roared: "Oh, that man! Of course he would do something like this!"
"What is the matter, Lady Grandam?" Neddy asked.
"Do you remember the royal cousins who came to visit with the late King Edward?" Marion asked.
"Yes,"
"Apparently, they are not so royal."
"How?"
"King Edward and Elizabeth Woodville were never properly married," Anna said nonchalantly, as if this was the most normal thing to read in a letter.
Neddy blinked his wide, dark eyes, head tilting slightly in confusion. Were the situation not so dire, Marion would have thought his expression comical.
"It seems," Marion said. "That King Edward was already married to a woman named Eleanor Butler when he wed Woodville. At least, that's what a bishop named Stillington has told your father."
"But... but that would mean that cousin Edward cannot be king, because he... because he is a bastard." Neddy mumbled the last part, shuffling from foot to foot, unable to look Marion in the eye.
She leaned forward, placing a finger under his round, little chin, guiding his eyes back to her own.
"Aye,"
"And neither can cousin Richard. S-so who is to be King?" the boy breathed, eyes wide.
Marion looked to Lady Anna, who stared grimly back. It seemed as if both women were counting in their heads. Marion gasped when the answer came to her, like a bolt of lighting being flung from the heavens.
"Dickon! Dickon is the only one left to be King!"