Chapter Five #2
Walter sipped at his wine. “That is what makes you an excellent commander, Garret,” he said. “You always have your wits about you.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Walter continued to sip at the now-cooling wine, finally turning to the knights still in the room. “I am sure you have duties you all must attend to,” he said. “Do not let me keep you.”
That was a kind way of kicking them out of the chamber. Rhys and Gart headed for the door first, ever the obedient soldiers, followed quickly by Gavin and Knox. Even Zayin was moving for the door but Walter stopped him.
“Zayin,” he said quietly. “You will remain.”
Zayin paused but not before he caught curious glances from Knox and Gavin. When the four knights were out of the chamber and the heavy oak door shut securely behind them, Walter turned to Garret.
“I know they are your men and you trust them, but what I have to say is not for their ears, at least not now,” he said. “You may tell them in time but, at the moment, you and I have matters to discuss. Zayin, come over here. Your counsel may be required.”
Interested, Zayin headed over to the table where Walter and Garret were standing. Walter drained his cup before continuing.
“With the preparation for John’s gathering over the past few weeks, I have withheld some information because I felt it was something that could wait,” he said to Garret.
“You had enough on your mind with preparing Westminster for the onslaught of John’s supporters.
But now that the party is over, it is time that you know a few things. ”
Garret was genuinely curious. “What is it, my lord?”
Walter moved to the nearest chair. “Where to start is more the question,” he said. “I suppose I shall start with Richard. He is in France, as you know, attempting to regain Norman lands that he believes belong to him.”
“I know, my lord.”
Walter held up a finger. “What you do not know is that this military operation is becoming larger by the day,” he said.
“Richard has been calling his English nobles in to France, men of great wealth. Thousands of troops are moving to Southampton and Portsmouth for transports to take then to Le Havre. Did you not notice that the House of de Lohr has been conspicuously absent from London as of late? That is because Christopher is moving men to France. Richard has called upon him and his army, which is of grave concern to me.”
Garret’s brow furrowed. “I have not seen David or Chris in a couple of months,” he said. “But they made no mention of moving into France with Richard at the time.”
“That is because this has all come about in the past month or so. But I will tell you why this concerns me so – the House of de Lohr has one of the largest armies in England and certainly the largest on the Welsh Marches, and that army is dedicated to Richard. With most of that army in France, that will create an opportunity for John the likes of which he might not see ever again.”
Garret was catching on quickly. “He will stage a move against his brother, then?” he asked. But there was some confusion there. “But he has been supporting his brother for the past two years. There has been no hint of rebellion from John.”
Walter nodded faintly. “With John, rebellion is always a possibility,” he said.
“Richard has called on his other great houses as well – de Russe, de Lara, de Royans. In fact, Juston de Royans is moving south from Yorkshire with his army, or so I have been told. They are all answering Richard’s call. ”
“And you believe John may take advantage of this?”
“England will be drained of men loyal to the king. If you were John, what would you do? I fear the temptation will be too great.”
Garret didn’t like the sound of any of that.
In fact, he began shaking his head. “Does Richard not understand this?” he asked.
“He is calling away all of his supporters. Those of us left behind will be the last line of defense between him and his ambitious brother if, in fact, John decides he is no longer an ally of Richard. He has switched loyalties before, too many times to count.”
Walter nodded. “I know,” he said. “That is why I do not trust him. In fact, I have sent word to de Lohr and de Royans about this. I am asking them to leave at least one-third of their men behind. De Winter is already in France but he has left a few thousand men in and around Norfolk to maintain some control there. De Velt, too – they have control of Coventry and the surrounding area.”
“What of Wellesbourne and de Reyne?”
“They are moving men, but I understand less than half their respective armies. That means Wellesbourne will hold fast against Warwick and de Reyne has control of the Northumberland coast.”
“What of de Wolfe?”
Walter held up a finger. “Ah,” he said. “The heart of England shall be secured by de Wolfe. The Earl of Wolverhampton has already been in touch with me. He is sending a small amount of men, merging it with the de Lohr army. In truth, Garret, I do not believe it will be dire, but if John takes this opportunity, we must be ready to respond.”
Garret was quickly coming to understand that.
“My father’s castle of Rushmere holds around a thousand men,” he said.
“Gaubert de Moray is loyal to the king to his very bones but I will have to ask my brother if our father is sending men to France. I have not had contact with my father in a few months so I do not know, but my brother might. He is my father’s heir, after all. ”
Walter was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Your father’s stronghold is near Wolverhampton, is it not?”
“To the south, my lord, near the Welsh Marches.”
Walter moved from rubbing his chin to scratching it.
“Do not ask your brother anything, Garret,” he said quietly, dropping his hand from his face.
“We have reason to believe that the Duke of Colchester is in support of the prince, which means your brother, as his knight, would be part of the rebellion.”
Garret’s dark eyebrows lifted. “Rickard is loyal to Richard, my lord,” he said flatly. “He would not support the prince in any rebellion against the crown.”
“He would if he was ordered to. He serves Colchester now.”
Garret didn’t have a quick response to that, mostly because it was true. In fact, a sense of horror began to creep over him. “Colchester is in collusion with the prince?” he finally said. “How would you know this?”
Walter could see that Garret was upset by the suggestion no matter how hard the man tried to pretend otherwise.
“I have an army of spies, Garret,” he muttered.
“You know this. Why do you think Colchester was at the prince’s party last night?
The prince has been trying to convince the man to lend him his support.
The bits of conversation that were heard between them last night seemed to allude to that.
Your brother might not even be aware of it. ”
“Then I will ask him.”
Walter held up a hand as if to ease the situation. “If you do, make no reference to what we suspect,” he said. “Until you can determine whose side your brother is on, tell him nothing. It could get back to his liege and then our element of surprise would be ruined.”
Although he wasn’t intending to, Walter was essentially calling Rickard a traitor to the king. It was difficult for Garret to hear but he understood the situation, perhaps more clearly than most. He struggled to drink it all in.
“Then there has been a good deal going on that you have not told me,” he said, leaning back against the table.
Walter could see the shock on the man’s face.
“There was no reason to tell you anything because you had enough on your mind as of late,” he said, “but given the situation, it is my belief that the prince and Colchester could possibly be in collusion to wrest power from Richard, and Richard is playing into their hands by demanding men from his supporters in England for his war in Normandy.”
“Does Richard know this?”
“It has been difficult to convince him of his brother’s intentions. John has been a strong supporter of Richard regaining Normandy and Richard holds true to that loyalty. It seems as if he is more than willing to forgive John for any past transgressions.”
Garret sighed heavily. “If he does not heed your warning, then he may have to retake England from his brother by this time next year,” he said. “And all of these mercenaries and supporters here at Westminster must be purged immediately and the palace secured for Richard.”
“My thoughts, exactly.”
“The White Tower, too. We must secure all of Richard’s properties.”
Walter rose from his chair, nodding his head wearily. “At least until we know what John is planning, if anything,” he said. Then, he looked to Zayin, who had been sitting quietly, listening to all that was said. “And you? What do you have to say to all of this?”
Zayin had been digesting everything, much as Garret had been.
Because the situation didn’t involve his family or his property, he had the uncanny ability to see both side of the situation clearly.
Walter knew this, which was why he’d asked the man to remain.
When Zayin looked up at the pair, realizing they were looking for his opinion, he shifted in his chair.
“If you do not wish for the prince to discover that you are suspicious of him, then I would advise against making it known that you are shoring up Richard’s properties,” he said.
“That would tell the prince that you do, indeed, suspect his motives. Although I agree that Westminster and the Tower must be secured, do it quietly. As if it is something normal, but be swift about it. Salibi, you must ask your brother what he knows. If he knows nothing, then you must ask him to discover what Colchester is up to. If you are truly suspicious that the prince and Colchester are allied against Richard, then your brother could provide proof either way. All of the spies in England could not get as close to Colchester as your brother can.”