Philippa Read online

  “And if I were interested in obtaining ownership of the late Lord Melvyn’s estate?” he queried Master Smythe, a tall, lean man with a bland and ageless face.

  “The king is interested in having it for the deer park,” Master Smythe said.

  “The king has many deer parks,” Lord Cambridge replied.

  “That is true, my lord,” the secretary said. “Perhaps it could be sold, for the king values a full purse as well as a good deer park, and Woodstock is near.”

  The meaning was clear. “I would, of course,” Lord Cambridge murmured, “want to pay a finder’s fee for any consideration on your part. A generous fee,” he finished.

  “There is another gentleman interested in the estate,” Master Smythe said. “He is the gentleman who has been renting Lord Melvyn’s pastureland.”

  “I will pay more,” Lord Cambridge said bluntly. He reached into his doublet and drew out a small chamois bag which he handed to Master Smythe. “A small token of my esteem, which I will leave with you until I have returned from inspecting Lord Melvyn’s property in Oxfordshire. And I shall tell the king of my interest in the property so there will be no difficulty for you.”

  “You know his majesty well enough to speak with him?” Master Smythe’s voice held a new note of respect. Not all courtiers knew the king well enough to speak with him. Most, in fact, did not. He took the small bag of coins from Lord Cambridge.

  “I have been speaking with the king for many years, Master Smythe, and my cousin, the lady of Friarsgate, for whose eldest daughter I wish to purchase Lord Melvyn’s estates, is a good friend of the queen. This daughter is in service to her highness.” Thomas Bolton smiled, and flicked an imaginary bit of dust from his ornate doublet.

  “There shall be no sale of Lord Melvyn’s property until you have returned from inspecting it, my lord,” the secretary said. “But you understand that I must accept the highest offer for my master, the king. That is my duty.” He was even now tucking the little bag into his own doublet. It was of a pleasing weight.

  “Of course,” Lord Cambridge said, and then he withdrew from the small room where this one of many secretaries was ensconced. The bribe had been generous. Generous enough to ensure him more than enough time to see the property in question. January was not a month for travel, but Thomas Bolton could travel rough if necessary, and it was necessary. Explaining to Philippa that he must see to some business and would be gone for several days, he left the court in the company of two Otterly men-at-arms, and rode to Oxfordshire.

  Lord Melvyn’s estate, Melville, was located north-west of the town of Oxford. The town was full of good accommodations with excellent food and drink. Lord Cambridge took the best quarters that could be found at the King’s Arms, a large comfortable inn on the edge of Oxford. If they departed early in the morning, he told his men, they could easily reach Melville and be back into the town by dark. And luck was with Thomas Bolton. After a good night’s sleep he awoke to a cold but clear and windless winter’s day. Taking food for the midday meal with them they rode out, and by the time they had returned that evening Thomas Bolton knew he had found Philippa Meredith a new dower portion. Lord Melvyn’s house was in poor repair, but that could be modernized and repaired. The next morning, to the surprise of his men, he was up early and eager to ride for London.

  “I believe I have found you an estate in Oxfordshire,” he told Philippa. “But I shall not be satisfied until it is settled. I am at the mercy of one of the king’s secretaries. And there is someone else who seeks Melville as well. He cannot possibly have as much money as I do, however. Still, I shall not crow until the matter is settled.”

  “Is that where you were, you old dear?” Philippa asked. “You missed an important event. Banon has met a young man. He is a poor Neville, but educated and with charming manners. You will like him.”

  “Do you like him, darling girl?” Lord Cambridge asked. “And what does Banon say about him? Is it possible one of my problems is already solved?”

  “Aye, I do like him, and Banon, while reticent to say a great deal, likes him too, I am certain,” Philippa replied. “But tell me about my new estate, uncle.”

  “Nay, my pet, not until I am certain it is yours,” he told her. “I do not want you disappointed. Master Smythe, one of the king’s secretaries, says there is another who would have Melville. I have not yet learned if this is so, or if he seeks to get a better price off of me which he will then skim for himself while accepting my generous bribe as well. These lower echelon servants can be both greedy and ruthless. This is a good property, Philippa, my angel, but I prefer not to be cheated and taken for a fool, for if I am it will cause your mother and me no end of difficulties in our business dealings. I will meet with Master Smythe on the morrow to hopefully conclude the negotiation.”

  “Thank you, uncle,” Philippa told him. “No one else has ever been so good to me as you. Mama says it too about you.”

  “You are my only family,” Lord Cambridge said. “I would be lost without you.”

  Immediately after the mass, and before the morning meal, the lord of Otterly Court met with the king’s secretary. There was another man with him, soberly dressed, his face windburned like the visage of someone who worked out of doors. He stared openmouthed for a moment at Lord Cambridge in his scarlet velvet knee-length coat with pleats from its high yoke, and the flared, fur-lined sleeves. Then the man’s eyes went to Lord Cambridge’s slashed and beaded leather slippers that had been dyed to match his coat.

  “Good morrow, Master Smythe. I assume you are prepared to do business,” Thomas Bolton said pleasantly, nodding at the other man.

  “This is Robert Burton, the earl of Witton’s secretary and agent, my lord. He will be bidding on Lord Melvyn’s property for his master. Would you care to open the bidding, my lord?” The secretary smiled rather toothily, which was a surprise to Lord Cambridge. He did not believe he had ever seen one of the king’s secretaries smile.

  “One hundred and fifty guineas,” Thomas Bolton said. It was a more than generous price, and he was not of a mind to dally with the purchase. He saw Robert Burton swallow hard.

  “Two hundred guineas,” the agent finally said.

  “Three hundred guineas,” Lord Cambridge answered.

  “My lord! The property is not worth that price,” the agent cried.

  “Ah, Master Burton, but it is to me,” Lord Cambridge replied.

  Robert Burton shook his head, and looked at Master Smythe. “I cannot offer more than I have, sir.”

  “Then the property is won by Lord Cambridge,” Smythe replied. “May I see the color of your coin, my lord?”

  Thomas Bolton drew a large leather bag from his doublet, and handed it to the secretary. “Count it out, Master Smythe, and take another ten guineas for yourself. I was prepared to pay more if I had to, but the earl of Witton obviously was not. I will wait while you tally up my purchase.”

  “My lord, may I ask why you want this property?” Master Burton inquired politely.

  “It is a gift to a relative,” Lord Cambridge said quietly.

  The agent nodded. “My master will be most disappointed,” he said. Then with a small bow he withdrew himself from the little chamber.

  “I would speak with you privily, Master Burton,” Thomas Bolton called after him.

  The agent raised his hand to signal that he had heard as he closed the door.

  “What do you know of this earl of Witton?” Lord Cambridge asked the secretary.

  “Precious little, my lord. He has been in his majesty’s service, but other than that he is a stranger to me.” He finished piling up several stacks of coins he had removed from the leather bag. Then slowly and deliberately he counted out the ten additional pounds. Carefully closing the bag he handed it back to Thomas Bolton, along with a bill of sale and the deed to the property known as Melville.

  Lord Cambridge accepted it all, smiling. “You knew I should be the high bidder, Master Smythe,” he said. “You are
a clever fellow.”

  “You will find while the bill of sale is in your name, my lord, the property has been put in the name of your young cousin, Mistress Philippa Bolton,” the secretary said.

  Now Thomas Bolton was truly impressed. “Are you content in the king’s service, Smythe?” he asked the man.

  “It is difficult for a man in my position to gain the advancement he desires. I am not one of the cardinal’s men, my lord. I was recommended to my current position several years ago by Lord Willoughby, who wed with the queen’s friend, Maria de Salinas. But I have no powerful patron to aid me.”

  “You have not answered my question, Smythe. Are you content in the king’s service? Or would you prefer employment somewhere where you might have more responsibility and respect?” Lord Cambridge said.

  “If such a position should become available, if it were offered to me by the right master, I could leave the king’s service with a clear conscience,” Master Smythe said. “I am not important, but simply one of many.”

  “And I am not an important man,” Lord Cambridge replied. “But I am a rich man with a bent for trade and possibly the need for someone like you. We shall talk again, William Smythe, before I return north. Would you mind living in the north?”

  “Not at all, my lord,” said Master Smythe and smiled for a second time that day, surprised that Lord Cambridge had remembered his Christian name, and suddenly being absolutely certain that despite his foppish airs, Thomas Bolton, Lord Cambridge, was a most clever and astute gentleman.

  Lord Cambridge nodded, and then without another word he left the secretary, going out into the corridor where he found Robert Burton. “Thank you for waiting, Master Burton. Let us go someplace where we may speak in private.” They found a secluded alcove with a window seat overlooking an inner court, and settled themselves. “Now, Master Burton, tell me about your master, the earl of Witton. He has served the king in some capacity? And why did he wish Lord Melvyn’s lands?”

  Robert Burton hesitated. He had waited out of curiosity, but he was anxious to return home to tell his master of the fact they had lost the land to a stranger.

  “Come, come, Master Burton,” Lord Cambridge said quietly. “I may be able to assuage your disappointment if you give me the correct answers. Is your master wed?”

  “Nay, sir,” came the reply.

  “How old is he?” The next question snapped.

  “I would not know, sir, but he has only been earl this year past since his da died of the sweat. My master is not an old man, but he is not a youth either.”

  “Why is he not wed?”

  “My lord! I would not be privy to such information. I am merely a secretary,” Robert Burton replied.

  “Come, sir, servants know more than their masters, and that is certain,” Thomas Bolton said with the hint of a smile. “Have you not lived on the earl’s estate since your birth? Can you recall when your master was born?”

  “Aye, I was twelve when his lordship was birthed,” Master Burton said.

  “And how old are you now, sir?” was the next question.

  “I am forty-two this September past, my lord,” came the answer.

  “Then your master is thirty, Robert Burton. ’Tis a good age. Now tell me, do you know if your master is betrothed to any woman?”

  “Oh, no, sir, but he be looking, or so my sister who serves in the house says,” came the reply.

  “Good! Good! Now one other question, Robert Burton. Is your master sound of body and mind, and fair to gaze upon?”

  “He is a good and fair master, my lord, and the lasses say he is handsome,” the bailiff said.

  “Why does your master want Melville?” Lord Cambridge asked.

  “We have been renting the pasturage on Lord Melvyn’s lands for years, my lord. When he died with no heirs my master thought it was a good time to purchase the land. Who else would want it? But alas, you did! The earl will be most disappointed.”

  “Perhaps I may assuage his disappointment,” Lord Cambridge said. “Tell your master to come and see me. There may be a way that he can obtain Melville. I am Thomas Bolton, Lord Cambridge. My home is on the river near Richmond and Westminster. Bolton House. Any wherryman will know.”

  Robert Burton stood up. “Thank you, my lord, I will tell my master what you have said to me. I believe he will come, for he very much desires old Lord Melvyn’s lands. A new owner might wish that pasturage for themselves, and would not rent it.” He bowed politely and hurried off, leaving Thomas Bolton considering that he might very well have all their problems solved, providing of course that the earl of Witton was amenable.

  Robert Burton left London as quickly as he could and rode north and just slightly west for the earl of Witton’s lands, which were called Brierewode. He pushed himself, stopping when it grew dark only to eat and rest his horse for a few hours. At the first light he was up and riding once more. Reaching his master’s estates after several days, he gave his exhausted horse into the keeping of a stable boy and hurried into the house to find the earl in his library.

  Crispin St. Claire looked up as his secretary entered the room. “How much did it cost us, Rob?” he asked.

  Robert Burton shook his head. “We lost it, my lord.”

  “What?” The earl of Witton was astounded. “Did I not tell you you could bid up to two hundred guineas?”

  “There were three bids, my lord. The first was for one hundred and fifty gold guineas. It was made by a Lord Cambridge. Two hundred, says I, not wanting to prolong it. Three hundred, says this other gentleman.” He shrugged. “My lord, what was I to do?”

  “The property isn’t worth all that gold coin,” the earl exclaimed.

  “That’s what I told Lord Cambridge,” the secretary replied. “Well, it is to me, he says. Then while the royal secretary is counting out the price plus an additional ten guineas Lord Cambridge says he should take for himself, he tells me to wait. So I did.”

  “And what did he say to you afterwards?” the earl asked, curious.

  “He asked a lot of questions about you, my lord. Then he says if you will come and see him there may be a way for you to obtain the property in question. He says any wherryman in the London vicinity will know Bolton House, his home. His name is Thomas Bolton.”

  “He probably wants to sell me the property at a profit,” the earl said, irritated. “He may even be in league with the royal secretary in this matter. I will not be diddled by some scheming courtier, damnit!”

  “I don’t think he is that, my lord,” the secretary responded. “His garments are grand, and say he is a fop. But his manner is assured and direct. I cannot reconcile the two, but I must tell you that I liked him. I did not think him dishonest.”

  “Interesting, Rob, for you are a good judge of character, and always have been,” the earl noted. “Shall I go then, and meet this Lord Cambridge?”

  “It is winter, my lord. The land is lying fallow. The cattle are in the barns, and there is little to do right now for any of us. Is winter not the time when the nobility go to court? What harm can it do you to speak with Lord Cambridge? You can be no worse off after you have spoken with him than before, I am thinking.”

  “I could be in great debt, Rob,” the earl told his secretary.

  “The land is worth no more than I offered, my lord, and you would be foolish to go into debt to obtain it. I deposited your coin with your goldsmith in London, and there it will remain until you have need of it.”

  “I will admit to being curious,” the earl said slowly, “and you are here to act on my behalf, Rob. Yet I swore I would not go back until I had found a wife.”

  “You are more apt to find one at court, I am thinking,” the secretary said, “than here. None of our near neighbors have daughters of an age to wed.”

  “I do not want some spoiled lass who thinks only of gowns, and how to spend my coin. A man must have a wife he can speak with now and again. These girls at court are naught but dancing, preening featherheads in my
opinion. They giggle, and flirt, and kiss every gentleman they can find in whatever dark corners they can find. Still, there might be just one who would suit me. A biddable lass who would manage my home, and bear my children without complaint. And not waste my coin on fripperies.”

  “You’ll never know, my lord, unless you go back to court,” Robert Burton said. “You know the king would welcome you. You served him well for eight years.”

  “I did,” the earl agreed. “Being a diplomat for Henry Tudor is not an easy task, Rob, but I served him with honor both in San Lorenzo after that idiot Howard was called home, and in Cleves as well.”

  “And you never found a lass in either place, my lord? ’Tis a pity, I think. We would have been happy to see you bring a bride home. Even a foreign lass.”

  “In San Lorenzo the ladies of the south were too free with their favors to suit me,” the earl said. “And in Cleves they were too large, and too straightlaced. Nay, give me a good English wife. If I can find one.”

  “Go back to court for the rest of the winter, my lord,” the secretary advised his master. “See what Lord Cambridge desires of you. And see if there is a pretty lass there who would suit your lordship.” Robert Burton was a servant of long and good standing with his master, and so was able to speak so freely to him.

  “Well, I must go to London if for no other reason than to see what Lord Cambridge desires from me, and whether I can cajole him into giving me the lands that are rightfully mine. If only I could have convinced Lord Melvyn to sell me his properties, but towards the end there he became dotty, and convinced that everyone around him was stealing from him. I could not reason with the man at all.”

  “He was very old, my lord,” Robert Burton reminded the earl. “They get that way sometimes when they are so old. Not all, but some.”

  The earl of Witton departed for court a few days later. By the time he reached London the court was up from Greenwich and settled at Richmond again. Presenting himself first to Cardinal Wolsey’s majordomo, he begged a place to stay from him. It had been the cardinal who had assigned him to his various missions and postings for the king. The earl of Witton doubted if King Henry would even know who he was, but the cardinal did. He was given a small cubicle where he might leave his few belongings and lay his head at night. His food would be his own concern. He might eat in the cardinal’s hall if he could find a place. The earl of Witton thanked Cardinal Wolsey’s head of household, insisting he take a little bag of coppers for his trouble.