The Sun in Splendour - Plaidy Jean (электронную книгу бесплатно без регистрации .txt) 📗

Buckingham had been Richard's first man. Now what? Morton asked himself. He felt gleeful. He summed up Buckingham— feckless, unreliable, friend today and enemy tomorrow. He was surprised Richard had put so much faith in him.

Morton had not been idle during his captivity. He had been making plans. He was going to stir up trouble for Richard of Gloucester and he felt he knew how to do it. It was not that he wanted to support the Woodvilles although he might have to make a pretence of doing so. That was not important; he was rather good at making a pretence. He had his eyes on someone over the seas, someone who could be said to belong to the House of Lancaster. Morton would like to see the red rose win the final triumph over the white. A great excitement gripped him as he wondered how he could use this rift which had clearly sprung up between Buckingham and Gloucester. Gloucester was a strong man; it would not be easy to fault him; but Buckingham was weak and vain; he was over excitable and impulsive, and could not see very far ahead. He was the ideal dupe.

Buckingham had turned to the Bishop.

T have been a good friend to Gloucester,' boasted Buckingham. 'I have put him on the throne.'

That is so,' agreed Morton. Flattery was what the Duke wanted. That was easy. 'But for your good services methinks we should not have this King set above us.'

'I put him up ... I could put him down.'

There may be something in that, my lord/

'He has a claim to the throne it is true.'

'When he declares his brother's children bastards, yes.'

The two men surveyed each other. Did they want to put Edward the Fifth back on the throne?

Morton knew that was not the aim of the ambitious Duke. Nor was it his.

As soon as he realized that Richard was aware of his infidelity to him he had begun to plot. And he was in touch with a very resourceful lady who was very clever and had had one idea in her head since the death of Edward when it had become clear that there was going to be considerable conflict while a boy king reigned.

This was Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, whose third husband was Lord Stanley. But Margaret's first marriage had been to Edmund Tudor and the result of that marriage was

her son, Henry Tudor, and it was on this son that Margaret's hopes were fixed.

Margaret's ambitious plan was to make him King of England. That he was worthy, she insisted. His grandfather was Owen who had married Katherine widow of Henry the Fifth, and his mother Margaret Beaufort, was the daughter of the first Duke of Somerset, John Beaufort, who was the son of another John Beaufort who himself was the son of John of Gaunt and Catherine Swynford. Margaret insisted that her son Henry Tudor had royal blood from both sides and if there were queshons of his legitimacy on both sides she would brush that aside. The Beauforts had been legitimized by Henry the Fourth; and she insisted that Katherine of Valois had married Owen Tudor.

In Margaret's eyes Henry Tudor had a claim to the throne.

Morton was interested in the idea. If Henry Tudor became King he would bring back the House of Lancaster. It would be the triumph of the red rose over the white—and possibly the final victory.

Richard stood in the way.

Morton had been in touch with Margaret Beaufort. She had not been idle. She was busily sounding possible recruits to her cause. That was how she had come into contact with Morton. She was married to Lord Stanley who would it seemed likely be ready to change sides at the vital moment. He had always had an eye to the main chance and he was clever enough to have ingratiated himself with Richard—until of course that fateful council in the Tower when he had been arrested. But he had quickly been released being able to give a plausible account of his activities, and was now back in the Council.

Well, he was Margaret's husband and presumably she must know that he could be relied upon when the time came. In the meantime it was useful to have him appear to be Richard's friend.

This was the plot into which Morton hoped to lure Buckingham but he could see that the noble Duke had ideas of his own.

He would have to go carefully, but he did not anticipate a great deal of trouble from the emotional Duke. His support would be the greatest help. The whole country would be aghast if Buckingham, who had done so much to put Richard on the throne, were openly to turn against him.

Tt would seem,' went on Morton, 'that my lord has regrets at the turn of events.'

'I begin to think the country has acted with some haste in offering Richard the crown.'

The country! Morton was secretly amused. Wasn't it Buckingham who had done that? But for that meering in the Guildhall and the applause of his men which they had clearly been ordered to give, would Richard have taken the crown?

Tt is only when a man comes to power that he emerges as himself.'

' 'Tis true, my lord. But you had a foresight, eh, at the Tower that day.'

'I did my lord. When Hastings, his friend, lost his head . . . without trial . . . .'

Tt was shameful. And Rivers and Grey.'

'He is a tyrant.'

'I agree.'

'My lord, could something be done about it?'

Buckingham's eyes gleamed. 'There are others with equal claims to the throne.'

He was preening himself. Already trying on the crown. This would need care, thought Morton.

He wanted Buckingham's help to further Henry Tudor but how could he get that when the conceited Duke saw himself as a contender for the throne?

'You know of my royal descent?' said the Duke.

Tdo, my lord.'

'The Woodville children are disqualified on account of their bastardy. If Richard were dethroned . . . well then.'

He was smiling and Morton smiled too.

God forbid, he thought, but he pretended to be excited and he allowed a new but subtle deference to creep into his manner when he looked at and spoke to the Duke.

Of course it would take a little time. He would go along with Buckingham; and when he judged the moment ripe he would show him how impossible it was for him to reach for the crown.

They had many discussions. Subtly the Bishop sowed the seeds of doubt in Buckingham's mind.

'If there was no truth in this Eleanor Butler story,' the Bishop pointed out, 'Richard would be exposed as an usurper.'

'Then the people would claim young Edward as their King.'

'And,' the Bishop pointed out, 'they would accept no other.'

They looked at each other intently. Inwardly they decided that

the illegitimacy of the late King's children must be adhered to otherwise there would be too many to come before the next King. Myself, thought Buckingham. Henry Tudor, thought Morton.

'There is Stillington,' said the Bishop. 'He will cling to the story. It must be true. Stillington would not have lied about such a matter. He places himself in great danger by doing so. Moreover he is a man of the Church.'

That made Buckingham smirk but he hid his cynicism because he wanted to remain on good terms with the Bishop.

There is no doubt that Edward went through that marriage with Eleanor Butler,' he said.

They talked of possibilities but whichever way they looked Richard was the true King and the only way to depose him would be to murder him.

They spent days in discussion. Buckingham could not tear himself away from his fascinating companion. Morton had ideas there was no doubt of that. He played on Buckingham's feelings to such an extent that within a week, the Duke's hatred of Richard had so increased that to destroy him became an even greater obsession than to seize the crown for himself.

'We need an army to oppose him,' said Morton slyly.

'I could raise men.'

'Enough?'

Buckingham considered.