France. A few
months earlier he had sold the family silver. Now they were dining
off silver again. He examined the coats of arms and wondered about
the previous owners.
Sir Hugh's
wine was served in a golden goblet. He raised it and proposed the
loyal toast.
'To Good King
Harry!'
'To Harry!'
the guard bellowed.
Harald was
mortified. In his father's absence it was his duty and privilege to
propose the loyal toast. The man was usurping his role. Worst of
all, there was nothing he could do about it. In a fit of pique, he
jumped to his feet.
'To my father,
Sir William Gascoigne, and all the brave lads who are fighting with
him in France to protect the sovereign rights of our noble young
king.'
He raised his
tankard and a confused babble followed as the guard tried to repeat
what he had just said.
Sir Hugh
showed him how it should be done
'To Duke
Humphrey!'
'Humph! Humph!
Humph!'
The guard
banged their tankards on the table and shouted the duke's name,
linking it with the Earl of Huntingdon. The din continued unabated.
It was what Harald hated about dining at home. No one seemed able
to do anything without making a huge amount of noise. John Baret
evidently shared his disquiet but Sir Hugh was in his element. He
rose and proposed another toast when the hubbub died down.
'To Henry
Beaufort!'
'Henry
Bigfart!'
The guard blew
raspberries and downed their wine.
Other toasts
and insults followed. The Duke of York and John Talbot were hailed
as heroes. The Earl of Suffolk was derided as a traitor together
with the entire Beaufort clan. Harald watched as huge hunks of
flesh were hacked from bone and stuffed into gaping mouths. Greasy
fingers were wiped on bread and clothing. He yearned for the linen
napkins and finger bowls that graced John Baret's table.
Sir Hugh
turned to him with a mouth full of meat.
'The chaplain
tells me you've got informants.'
Harald leant
past his mother and tried to conduct a conversation.
'I have
friends who have provided valuable information.'
'You mean
you're not paying for it?'
'No. I believe
that to be detrimental to the cause of justice.'
The
proposition seemed novel to Sir Hugh.
'What have
they told you?'
'Roger Knowles
is bribing people to say that Judith was unfaithful.'
'Do you know
who they are?'
'Yes.'
'How would you
categorise them?'
'Some are easy
to refute. Others are not.'
'Tell me about
them.'
'Henry Knowles
is easy to refute and so is Jane Etheridge.'
'Where's the
weakness?'
'One was too
young and the other was in France.
'Can you prove
that?'
'Yes.'
Nothing he'd
been taught at Oxford had prepared Harald for such an
interrogation. Hugh Orpington rattled out the questions and the
chaplain took notes. Both were awash with wine and slurred their
words. Yet, when they'd finished, he had divulged everything he
knew about Roger Knowles and the case he had against him.
***
Sir Hugh led
them into Dorchester. He was dressed in a gown trimmed with white
fur and mounted on a white horse. Harald's mother followed in a
carriage with three other ladies. Harald rode behind with the rest
of the party, including William. Heavily armed outriders guarded
their flanks. Men in mail marched at their rear. His mother had
insisted that William be present in court. That had added to
Harald's embarrassment. His son knew where babies came from and was
exhibiting an unhealthy interest in girls. William reminded him of
Guy at the same age. People stopped and pointed as they rode
past.
The case had
sparked public interest and it wasn't difficult to imagine why.
Disputes over wills and boundaries were two-a-penny. Sex sometimes
reared its ugly head but rarely in such an intriguing manner.
Harald took his seeing glasses from their pouch and held them to
his eyes. His vision wasn't perfect but he could see enough of the
courthouse to know that Roger Knowles was already there. His escort
was larger than before but looked no fitter than those who had
fared so badly against Robin.
They
months earlier he had sold the family silver. Now they were dining
off silver again. He examined the coats of arms and wondered about
the previous owners.
Sir Hugh's
wine was served in a golden goblet. He raised it and proposed the
loyal toast.
'To Good King
Harry!'
'To Harry!'
the guard bellowed.
Harald was
mortified. In his father's absence it was his duty and privilege to
propose the loyal toast. The man was usurping his role. Worst of
all, there was nothing he could do about it. In a fit of pique, he
jumped to his feet.
'To my father,
Sir William Gascoigne, and all the brave lads who are fighting with
him in France to protect the sovereign rights of our noble young
king.'
He raised his
tankard and a confused babble followed as the guard tried to repeat
what he had just said.
Sir Hugh
showed him how it should be done
'To Duke
Humphrey!'
'Humph! Humph!
Humph!'
The guard
banged their tankards on the table and shouted the duke's name,
linking it with the Earl of Huntingdon. The din continued unabated.
It was what Harald hated about dining at home. No one seemed able
to do anything without making a huge amount of noise. John Baret
evidently shared his disquiet but Sir Hugh was in his element. He
rose and proposed another toast when the hubbub died down.
'To Henry
Beaufort!'
'Henry
Bigfart!'
The guard blew
raspberries and downed their wine.
Other toasts
and insults followed. The Duke of York and John Talbot were hailed
as heroes. The Earl of Suffolk was derided as a traitor together
with the entire Beaufort clan. Harald watched as huge hunks of
flesh were hacked from bone and stuffed into gaping mouths. Greasy
fingers were wiped on bread and clothing. He yearned for the linen
napkins and finger bowls that graced John Baret's table.
Sir Hugh
turned to him with a mouth full of meat.
'The chaplain
tells me you've got informants.'
Harald leant
past his mother and tried to conduct a conversation.
'I have
friends who have provided valuable information.'
'You mean
you're not paying for it?'
'No. I believe
that to be detrimental to the cause of justice.'
The
proposition seemed novel to Sir Hugh.
'What have
they told you?'
'Roger Knowles
is bribing people to say that Judith was unfaithful.'
'Do you know
who they are?'
'Yes.'
'How would you
categorise them?'
'Some are easy
to refute. Others are not.'
'Tell me about
them.'
'Henry Knowles
is easy to refute and so is Jane Etheridge.'
'Where's the
weakness?'
'One was too
young and the other was in France.
'Can you prove
that?'
'Yes.'
Nothing he'd
been taught at Oxford had prepared Harald for such an
interrogation. Hugh Orpington rattled out the questions and the
chaplain took notes. Both were awash with wine and slurred their
words. Yet, when they'd finished, he had divulged everything he
knew about Roger Knowles and the case he had against him.
***
Sir Hugh led
them into Dorchester. He was dressed in a gown trimmed with white
fur and mounted on a white horse. Harald's mother followed in a
carriage with three other ladies. Harald rode behind with the rest
of the party, including William. Heavily armed outriders guarded
their flanks. Men in mail marched at their rear. His mother had
insisted that William be present in court. That had added to
Harald's embarrassment. His son knew where babies came from and was
exhibiting an unhealthy interest in girls. William reminded him of
Guy at the same age. People stopped and pointed as they rode
past.
The case had
sparked public interest and it wasn't difficult to imagine why.
Disputes over wills and boundaries were two-a-penny. Sex sometimes
reared its ugly head but rarely in such an intriguing manner.
Harald took his seeing glasses from their pouch and held them to
his eyes. His vision wasn't perfect but he could see enough of the
courthouse to know that Roger Knowles was already there. His escort
was larger than before but looked no fitter than those who had
fared so badly against Robin.
They
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