1483 – Harry, Duke of Buckingham meets Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Anthony, Lord Rivers, at Northampton following the death of King Edward IV
‘Cousin of Buckingham, a thousand welcomes.’
Hell, Gloucester looked the worst I have ever seen him. He had been grieving, of course, and he was not a man who looked well in black; more a rust, moss and amber fellow. Instead of embracing him, I plucked off my hat and dropped to one knee, thankful the flagstones were clean. My henchmen did the same.
‘My Lord Protector,’ I murmured reverently, touching my lips to his ring.
‘I thank you, Harry.’ His voice was soft, moved with gratitude. He gripped my hand, drawing me to my feet. Then he stepped forward to greet Uncle Knyvett, Latimer and Delabere, and asked one of his pages to lead them out to join his household knights. Returning to me, he flung an arm about my shoulders. ‘Come, cousin! You must be famished, and the beef is tender…’ he glanced round to make sure mine host had been hustled out of earshot and added, ‘for Northampton.’
‘I thought to find you in poor spirits, your grace,’ I said, and saw his long chestnut lashes flicker down defensively.
‘I have done my mourning, cousin, and now must do my duty.’
I endeavoured not to freeze at as a voice behind me said, ‘Which you will do magnificently as usual, Dickon.’
Sweet Mother of God! Rivers!
‘Well, now here’s a surprise,’ I boomed. ‘I thought you ahead of us on the road.’
Cat’s big brother left the brass rings of the dividing curtain rattling as he emerged out of the inner chamber like a peacock butterfly from its chrysalis. The ash blonde hair and the expensive silver embroidery panels on his doublet made him look like a Burgundian courtier rather than a man in grief. His hanging sleeve rustled as he held out a hand to me. A plethora of gems, including a lodesterre as large as a sword pommel glittered on the long, thin fingers that reached out to clasp mine. Imagine a torch held in your face! That is what I felt as his aquamarine eyes studied me with a penetrating brilliance that reminded me sharply of the Queen.
Mind, I saw now that there were plentiful silver threads in his hair and the flesh above his feline eyes was looser. He still had an athlete’s body and could best my inches. Damn him! It irritated me that I could still feel vulnerable. Just standing before him was like having his fingernails claw my scars.
Not visible scars, though. He was too clever for that. It was he who had made my journey to manhood a torment, encouraging his younger brothers and the Grey boys, the Queen’s sons by her earlier marriage, to discomfort me in front of the court. The sudden elbow knock that would make me stumble, or an ankle hooked about my foot so that I tipped a ewer of hot lavender water into the lap of King Louis XI’s envoy. These may sound like pinpricks but a regime of maliciousness and loathing corrodes the soul. There were so many Woodvilles and there was only one of me.
I was not alone in feeling soft and fragile within my shell. I sensed discomfort ripple through Gloucester as he stood beside me, and so I turned my face reassuringly. My cousin’s skin glimmered moon-white beneath his mourning brim as he glanced from Rivers’ countenance to mine.
‘Is the Prince here as well?’ I asked, glancing towards the arras.
‘No,’ Rivers replied, sounding surprised by my question. ‘His highness is lodging in Stony Stratford. Did no one tell you?’ Belittling me, making me feel like an outsider, had always been his game.
Gloucester took breath to correct him but Rivers breezed on: ‘Yes, Harry, I know we had promised to meet with you here but any fool could see that Northampton was not going to be able accommodate everyone. I decided it was better for us all to be comfortable.’
You silver-tongued liar! I silently screamed at him. You must have planned this the moment you heard that we were coming to meet you.
‘That was thoughtful,’ I replied.
‘Shall we dine?’ Gloucester said curtly and left us to follow him along the passage while Lovell and Ratcliffe closed in behind myself and Rivers, ready to catch any snatch of words which might pass between us.
