The Tintern Treasure Read Online Free

heard was on the Monday and, to begin with, I discounted it all as malicious gossip. Up until then, everyone had spoken well – more than well, if the truth be told – of King Richard, and it seemed universally acknowledged that Parliament’s offer of the crown to him had been a very good thing. But as the week wore on, other and more convincing details reached us. Many of the late king’s friends and loyal supporters in the south and west had risen on behalf of his son and were determined to restore the boy to his throne. There was a story that an attempt had been made to rescue him and his brother, the little Duke of York, from the Tower. By the time I left Bristol for Hereford early Thursday morning, the rumours were gaining credence everywhere, and when I reached Gloucester, proclamations against the rebels confirmed their truth.’
    The lawyer paused as his supper was borne triumphantly into the ale-room by the goodwife, who had produced a fricassee of chicken and mushrooms in very short order and was expecting to be congratulated on her efforts.
    Nothing but silence greeted her, however, and she unloaded her tray, setting a place for one on the table with an offended sniff. There was also a certain amount of thumping and spilled ale as she placed another full jug and a fresh beaker alongside the dish of fricassee. Then the door banged behind her and we heard her muttering angrily to herself as she retreated to the kitchen. The landlord raised his eyebrows at my fellow pedlar and myself – a look which plainly said,
Women!
– but which went unnoticed by the lawyer as he drew his stool to the table and set about his supper with a will.
    I gave up my stool to the landlord, dragged forward a bench from beside the opposite wall and shared it with Oliver Tockney. We allowed Master Heathersett to take the edge off his hunger before continuing to question him.
    I got in first. ‘You were saying, sir, that proclamations against the rebels were being issued at Gloucester, in which case there can be no doubt that these rumours are true and that there has been a rising in the south and west in favour of the lord Edward. Do you have any idea of what is happening elsewhere?’
    The lawyer made no answer, his mouth being full, rendering it impossible for him to reply immediately. But Oliver Tockney said, ‘If the news has reached York, King Richard will be on his way south to confront the rebels. He may in any case have already started on his return journey to London.’
    And not before time, I thought to myself. The king had, in my estimation, lingered far too long in his beloved Yorkshire. It would not endear him to his subjects in the south, whose suspicions of anyone living north of The Wash were ineradicably inbred.
    With a determined effort, Lawyer Heathersett cleared his mouth, waving his spoon about in an agitated manner as he did so. When he was at last able to speak, he said excitedly, ‘But that’s not all! I haven’t told you everything yet.’ He took a gulp of ale and continued, ‘I’m here on business with a fellow lawyer. Here, in Hereford. He, himself, has only just returned from Wales and he says that the Welsh are also up in arms on behalf of Henry Tudor . . .’
    â€˜Henry Tudor!’ I broke in scornfully. ‘No one’s going to rebel in favour of Henry Tudor! He hasn’t a shred of entitlement to the throne!’
    Geoffrey Heathersett’s judicial instincts asserted themselves. ‘Indeed, he has,’ he argued with asperity, ‘on both the spear and distaff side.’
    â€˜Both bastard lines,’ I contested hotly. ‘Neither the Beauforts nor the Tudors have a legal claim to the throne.’
    The lawyer shrugged. ‘That won’t stop the disaffected backing them. Henry Tudor is the last scion of the House of Lancaster, and the Lancastrians, as you know, have never accepted the Yorkist claim to be the