The Fate of Princes by Paul Doherty Page A

and again he had shown us what would happen; how the Woodvilles would dominate London, control the Tower, the Courts, the Exchequer, the Armouries and the Treasure Houses. How the Queen’s other son, the Marquis of Dorset, had the fleet in his grasp. Her able and efficient brother, the Earl Rivers, had the young Edward in Wales and would pour honeyed poison into the young prince’s ear about his other uncle far away in the north.
    I, like Ratcliffe, Catesby and Tyrrell, had agreed Richard should move; we were all swept up in the excitement: Richard’s secret alliance with Buckingham and Hastings, the seizure of the young prince at Stony Stratford, the imprisonment of Rivers and the turbulent march on London. The sudden collapse of the Woodville party seemed to indicate that God was with us and after that, like knights charging in battle, we were carried forward by the force and speed of our ownmovements. Richard could never give up the Protectorship and then, as an answer to a prayer, Bishop Stillington of Bath and Wells had declared King Edward IV’s and Elizabeth Woodville’s marriage to be bigamous. The Princes were bastard issue and, as in the twinkling of an eye, Richard seized the crown.
    I had been party to this. Oh, yes, as I now stare death in its skull-like face, I admit I had reservations, secret doubts, but I buried these. Yet, sitting in that upper chamber in Crosby Hall, I had to face fresh doubts. Was Richard an assassin? Was he a consummate actor and liar? The safest answer would have been that he was, and in two days I could have been at one of the Cinque ports and across the narrow seas to Brittany. Yet I had other doubts. Why should Richard murder two young princes? Their deaths would only alienate the people. Yet, even if he had issued the order, would a man like Brackenbury, even though he was new in his office as Constable of the Tower, agree to such a task?
    I looked at the other possibility. Did the Princes escape? Not by themselves, two young boys could never effect that. There were three possibilities. First Black Will, the varlet Slaughter, might have abducted them. Tyrrell might have done likewise, but why? A dangerous, volatile man. Sir James was loyal to King Richard. The only other possibility could be Buckingham. This over-ambitious Duke was now plotting against the King. Had he used his visit to the Tower to abduct the prisoners? I cleared my mind of all doubts and fastened on this. If Buckingham had taken the Princes, this would account for the Woodville woman’s lack of real concern; then he surely would have sent them abroad? Not to Brittany. He would not hand such powerful pawns over to the Tudor. The safest place would be the court of the grasping, shrewd, spider king, Louis XI of France.
    The next morning I kept to my chamber, constantlyreviewing my conclusions. I dismissed Percivalle’s visit for the time being as mischievous. I was certain that similar approaches must have been made to other members of Richard’s entourage (in this I was proved right). The most interesting aspect of the spy’s meeting with me was his hint that the Princes might still be alive, which confirmed my belief that they might well be in France. I called Belknap to my chamber. He came wary-eyed and watchful. I made no reference to recent happenings but told him how I wished him to travel immediately to France. He was to bear messages of good will from the Chamberlain of King Richard’s household to Louis XI and his Court.
    Richard had already sent his herald, Blanc Sanglier, to Plessis-les-Tours, and another envoy, Doctor Norton. Belknap’s mission, however, was to be informal; he was to collect information, particularly any knowledge on the part of the French about the young princes. He was to be discreet, expeditious and secretive. Surprisingly, Belknap seemed happy with such a mission. I told him that the necessary letters, warrants and credentials would be ready. He was to leave as quickly as