A Dangerous Inheritance

‘But why was the Lady Eleanor not made queen?’ A

‘The King knew the marriage to be invalid, and wished the precontract to be kept secret, fearing a scandal, for he had tired of the lady; and the Bishop, knowing his good fortune depended on the King, persuaded her to keep quiet. Thus it remained a secret. I believe there was a son, whose birth was also kept secret.’

‘And Bishop Stillington is asking you to believe that, when King Edward married Elizabeth Wydeville, the Lady Eleanor was prepared to keep quiet about the fact that he was already precontracted to her?’ A

‘Apparently they persuaded the Bishop to come to me with the truth,’ the Duke explained. Kate saw that he was weary of all these questions. He must have gone over it all many times with the lords and councillors.

‘But it is inconceivable that they did not speak out when the marriage to Elizabeth Wydeville was made public! God knows, that marriage was so unpopular that they would not have lacked for supporters.’

‘A

His mother drained her goblet. ‘Proofs can be forged, my son. And do not forget that the good Bishop fell foul of King Edward five years ago and ended up in prison for a time. Maybe he had thoughts of revenge in his heart, and the hope of regaining royal favour from a new and grateful king – you.’

‘If he looks for that, he shall look in vain,’ the Duke said. ‘I do not like the man, even though I believe his story. Those were no forgeries that he showed me.’

His wife and his mother fell silent.

‘The lords and commons gathered at Westminster today accepted the fact of the precontract,’ he said defensively. ‘The Council summoned them, and Buckingham presented them with an address on a roll of parchment. The address was a supplication to me to accept the crown, and therein it was set forth that the sons of King Edward are baseborn, on the ground that he had contracted marriage with Eleanor Butler before his marriage to Queen Elizabeth. Thus it was shown to the lords and commons that King Edward and Elizabeth lived together sinfully in adultery against the laws of God, and that all their children are bastards and unable to inherit.’

Gloucester downed his wine. ‘The question of Warwick succeeding was raised, only to be rejected,’ he went on. ‘He is disbarred from the succession by my brother Clarence’s attainder; and anyway, he is too young and feeble to rule a kingdom. Therefore, as Buckingham explained to the lords and commons at Westminster today, there is at the present time no certain and incorrupt descendant of my father York but myself, who am his undoubted son and heir.’ Cecily pursed her lips at that, but held her tongue.

‘Buckingham told them I had no wish to take up the burden of the crown,’ the Duke continued, ‘but that I might be persuaded if they signed the supplication. And so he left it with them, and we shall know tomorrow how many have signed it.’

‘They may remember the fate of Lord Hastings and feel it is politic to sign,’ the Duchess Cecily observed. A

‘Hastings was a traitor!’ the Duke snapped. ‘He had to be removed. And while we are on the subject of traitors, you ought to know that Rivers and Grey were executed this day at Pontefract.’

There was a shocked silence. Kate felt sick and pushed her plate away.

‘I trust that theywere afforded the boon of a fair trial,’ the Duchess Cecily said.

‘Whose side are you on, Madam?’ the Duke exploded. ‘They had plotted my death. The Earl of Northumberland acted as chief judge.’

‘But Lord Rivers had the right to be tried by his peers in Parliament,’ his mother persisted.

‘He wastried by his peers,’ Gloucester said. ‘Let that be an end to it.’ He got up and walked to the door. ‘I am going to bed,’ he said. ‘Tomorrow will be a testing day. My lady?’ He held out his hand, and the Duchess A

‘We bid you goodnight, ladies.’ The Duke bowed and led her out of the room.

‘The lords are here!’ Mattie a

Kate had dressed herself carefully, anticipating that she should be looking her best on a day that promised to be momentous. The forest-green gown swirled in graceful lines from the black sash under her breasts, and its deep collar and cuffs were of a contrasting pale green damask. Her thick dark hair was loose, as became a maiden, and she was wearing her new gold pendant, which looked most becoming with the gown. She was ready, outwardly if not inwardly, for the previous night’s revelations had disturbed her. She had been left with the distinct impression that her father had lost a battle of words with her grandmother, and she could not understand why, for she had not the wit or the knowledge of Cecily. Clearly, Cecily saw aspects to these events of which Kate could divine nothing, and it bothered her.

Kate and Mattie arrived in the antechamber to the minstrels’ gallery above the hall at the same time as the Duchess A

‘Attend me please, Kate,’ she said. Then the Duchess Cecily arrived, and they all three passed into the gallery and stood waiting, just inside the door.

Below, crammed between the dais and the screens passage, were gathered most of the peers of England, their robes a riot of all the colours of the rainbow, their heavy collars and bejewelled bo

At the sight of the Duchesses A

‘My good lords, may I ask the meaning of this deputation?’ he asked, gazing down at the assembly. The lords bowed again, and then the Duke of Buckingham leaped forward onto the dais.

‘Your Grace, we come to present our petition, beseeching you, of your lordly goodness, to accept the crown and royal estate of this realm, so that the kingdom might escape the dangers of a disputed succession and a minority, and enjoy the blessings of peace through firm and stable government.’

Richard said nothing, but looked doubtful and troubled.

‘My good lord,’ Buckingham went on boldly, ‘we see you are reluctant to accede to our petition, but the people are adamant: they will not have the sons of King Edward to reign over them. If you refuse our reasonable and legitimate request, then we will have no alternative but to choose another to reign over us.’

There was a silence. The two duchesses were standing still as statues, their faces impassive, and Kate was so overawed by the momentousness of the occasion that she felt herself also frozen into immobility.