Aside from Heaven

Chapter 4VF

She's doing what she can for me

~~~...~~~

Epilogue

Spring 1367

For the last time -

in this lifetime

William walked the gardens of the Tower of London with his king. Despite being 75 years of age, William still walked upright, proud, and with purpose. He had a feeling Vivienne put things in the tea she made him drink daily to help with the crick in his knees and the ache in his back. The thought of getting back on his horse to return to Gisborne, nauseated him and for not the first time, he seriously considered riding back home in the coach with his wife. Once they were out of sight of London, that is.

There was a persistent tap on his shoulder. "Yes, my liege?"

"You are deep in thought, William."

The boy was long gone from this king. He'd grown; his hair was long, as was his beard and both were graying. William smiled ruefully. "I enjoy the gardens in the spring." This much was true. The greenhouses and gardens at his many residences bloomed with a wide variety of flowers and herbs, as well as various fruit trees. His wife's love of growing things brought him peace in this turbulent life and after the hell of Edward II's reign, William could honestly say the arrival of Vivienne into his life, changed it from dark to – well, not so dark. He was aware the king was talking.

"I remember walking in this very garden with you right after I was made king. I had to take many steps to keep up with you! I still have to take many steps!" He looked up and smiled at The Black Knight. "I know we have had our differences," William steeled his look, "but you have always been a true and loyal servant." The man put both hands behind his back. "You were kind to a child and I will never forget that. You have done things for me that no one else would have done. 'Tis a secret I will take to my grave and no one will be the wiser. Fulks has agreed to dispose of my father's missives upon my death, if I do not do it sooner."

William locked his jaw. That secret would come out some day, but not during this man's life or his own current one. Fulks had privately promised to not dispose of the Fieschi missive nor any of Edward's letters from his father. In fact, William's youngest would make certain they were rolled up in a secure tube and laying with several others in Guy of Gisborne's burial vault beneath Ripley's before they left to return home. Someday, in another life, that letter would find its way somewhere else and the entire, sordid affair would come to light. Edward thought his father was buried in a merchant's grave in the South of France. The truth was, the man had been dumped in a vented iron keg and dropped into The Great Sea. If he was ever found, it would be a thousand years from now and no one would know who the skeleton, if there was one left, belonged to.

They walked along another path, talking of battles and wars; their conversation falling silent when others strolled by. At one point, Edward asked him point blank had he truly been his father's assassin and openly queried how many deaths could be laid at William's feet. A look from William and he changed his question to how many men had his father ordered killed that William managed to 'rescue' much like he had rescued Edward II. Another steely look from the elder knight caused the king to clear his throat and remark perhaps that was information that should never be spoken of.

William silently agreed.

"How is your family, William?"

With this question, William relaxed a bit. "My children have made me a great grandfather several times. Hugh and his wife are happy. Fulks," with this his voice fell, "loved his first wife deeply and has no love for the second wife." Truth was, they lived in opposite ends of their estate. Henriette died trying to birth her second child, a boy who had not thrived much less survived his mother long. Fulks's second wife, Muriella, was timid and quiet and the mere sight of her could throw Fulks into dark moods not seen since his childhood. William often wondered if the marriage had ever been consummated. At least, she was wealthy and an only child. And she loved the walled garden tended so carefully by the FitzGisborne women.

"He is ever eager to go to the Continent for me."

William nodded. As Roland had been a spy for Henry II, Fulks was a similar spy for Edward. Considering his dislike for a woman who had never done anything to deserve his ire, he stayed away as often and as long as possible. William figured she was most likely relieved at her husband's many and long, unexplained absences.

Truth be told, Vivienne and Elianna felt sorry for her and often, while Fulks was gone, one or the other would retrieve her and bring her to whichever estate. She was bright, intelligent, but very reserved and mowed over by a husband who still grieved his earlier loss.

Much as Vivienne's father allowed her her way, Fulks was the same with his only child; a girl who was more at home in the barn with the horses, than in the solar, sewing and doing whatever it was that women did in a solar. As for Imaigne, Fulks's daughter, Vivienne and Elianna sought her company often and made her a part of their own circle. Unless his youngest son made arrangements and soon for her unmarried state, Harridston would return to the FitzGisborne holdings much sooner than later.

William had a feeling this little landholding would often return to his own greedy fist.

"And your children with Vivienne?"

Again, William allowed himself to smile. "Sibilla fell in love with a wild highlander from the far northern reaches of Scotland." He noticed Edward shuddered. "Luckily, he was a second son and he had no desire to go to The Church, or go a-reeving with his father and brother, so they are content to live in my mother's dower house and she is close." His smile grew bigger. "He is a hard worker, managing the property. The only problem I have with the man is his brogue is so thick, I cannot understand much of what he says. Their third child is a daughter with hair like fire." With this next admission, he leaned towards the king and whispered, "She gives her mother as much grief as her mother gave us!"

This caused Edward to roar in laughter.

"My second daughter, Phillipa, is married to the Baron of Keribworth. Neither one like to travel, so they don't. They seem to be happy. They have seven children, so I would think it's a happy marriage. Lucia married a mercier. He often transported goods from Italy and Lucia would travel with me to our main harbor to check the ledgers; she has a gift with numbers. It was inevitable they would meet. He is well established, quite a few years older than she and he is patient. They split their time between his home in York and her mother's dower home in Clun. There are no children, and I don't believe they desire any." The man had no family. So if there were none, it meant another home and another business the FitzGisborne's would take control of at some point.

Edward appeared in deep thought. "For a man who managed to make sure his sons married very well, you seem to have decided that your daughters should marry very happy."

"They live well." He paused. "I married their mother for love. It made me very happy. Do you not love your Queen?"

At that moment, laughter broke out across the gardens, a group of young women, barely out of girlhood, strode across the paths, giggling and chattering together. One, a golden haired beauty, looked at the two men, her eyes locking for a few moments on the king. They shared a quick, secret smile, one that was noticed only by the aging knight by the king's side. Just as quickly, she turned away, continuing her conversation with her friends, no one else the wiser. "Sire?"

Edward was quiet, watching, staring until the women turned a corner, behind a hedge and were lost from sight. "I love Phillipa, you know that," he whispered, still watching the hedge intently, as if to stare a hole through it. "She's been ill and I worry." It was a whisper and his voice dropped further. "A man has needs. You know that." He snapped up quickly. "Your lady wife was your mistress. You defied me for her."

William looked ahead and proceed to follow the path. "Sire, do you wish to revisit that?"

For a moment, he thought Edward would, before the man shrugged. He lengthened his stride to catch up and step slightly ahead of William. "One of my courtiers once told me long ago he dressed his mistress in golden garments and paraded her about. I always found that funny."

This brought William up. He made the comment in a moment of foolish anger. At that moment, William realized the king was more than enamored of the chit. He made it a point to tuck the information deep in his mind; find out who the girl was and how far the two had gone.

He also decided to make discrete inquiries to find out how many people knew about this possible relationship. "Are you planning on dressing your Queen in robes of gold?"

The king snorted. "My wife, whom I love, is a spend-thrift. Was one when I married her and will be one when she dies. Not," his finger went up to wag at the man trailing him, "that I would deny her any luxury she desired."

There was another spat of laughter from further away behind the hedges and it stopped the king in his tracks.

Ah yes. We must find out how far this infatuation has gone. Fulks will be happy to scurry around the maids...

"With your wife unwell," William spoke carefully, "your majesty should beware of young women who would take advantage and use one for nefarious purposes."

"Like your wife used you?" Before William could bow up at the insult, Edward pounded him on the back and laughed. "But I am jesting! You know that I am jesting! The Lady Vivienne is a saint to put up with you!" And with that, the man moved away and down the path, unaware that his favored knight and loyal Earl was glaring daggers at his royal back.

"Ah, yes. Just a joke. Always a joke." And with that, he followed his liege, already planning to leave London and return home for the rest of this life.

That's all I want to know

Fanfare – by Michael Iceberg

began October 2015

Fini April 2020

William Edward FitzGisborne– 1292 – 1371

m Mellisande of Harridston – 1308 to d1336

Hugh - 1310

Fulks - 1313

Cecilia – 1317 d1317

m Vivienne of Clun (b1316) 1336 - 1371 (his death)

Sibilla b 1335

Phillipa b 1337

Lucia b 1340

Notes and apologies.

Early in 2008, excavations at Hulton Abbey in Staffordshire yielded several surprises, included a drawn and quartered body in an unmarked grave or tomb. The skeleton was originally discovered in the 1970's. It was missing the body parts that were given to Hugh the Younger's widow. The body was male and was over the age of 34. (Hugh was 40 upon his death.) Death has been determined to be between 1050 and 1385. The owner of Hulton Abbey at the of Hugh's death was Hugh Audley, brother-in-law to Hugh the Younger.

On January 20, 1356, Edward Balliol surrendered his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III in exchange for an English pension. He spent the rest of his life living in obscurity. He died in 1367, at Wheatley, Doncaster, Yorkshire , England. The location of his grave is believed to be under a Doncaster Post Office. Edward was the eldest son of John Balliol, erstwhile King of the Scots, and Isabella de Warenne, daughter of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Alice de Lusignan. Alice was daughter of Hugh X de Lusignan and Isabella of Angoulême, widow of John, King of England.

I also wish to apologize to the memory of Manuel Fieschi. It was not my intent to make claims about his private life that may or may not be true. To the best of my research, he never traveled to Aigues-Mortes and played footsies with Edward II. I simply found it interesting that he knew Edward II was alive and well in Europe. One wonders how he knew or found out.

The letter was discovered by a French archivist in 1878 in an official register in Montpellier dated before 1368 which had been the property of Gaucelm de Deaux, Bishop of Maguelonne. Montpellier is around 35 minutes to Aigues-Mortes by todays transportation.

Late in her life, Edward's beloved wife, Queen Phillipa's health began to deteriorate. Edward's eye was caught by a young lady-in-waiting – Alice Perrers. She bore him three children, and their affair was either secret or kept quiet, so Phillipa never found out about it. Upon Phillipa's death, their affair became public knowledge. Edward gifted her with jewels, lands and paraded her about the country in golden robes. Later in his life, as he became infirm, she pretty much ruled in his place, something unheard of in that time of not only a woman, but a woman with no royal connections. Her presence and power angered the nobility. But that is another story...