“Ye must kill Sir Jasper Keane, of course,’’ Archibald Douglas said.
“I hae intended doing that in any event,” Tavis Stewart replied. “There is still that matter of my honor between us, and although it matters to no one else, it does matter to me. I will hae my revenge upon him.”
“They say he hae gone south to serve King Henry. He must still fear yer wife that he would try so hard to solidify his position wi’ the Tudor.”
“He needs a new wife too,” Tavis Stewart noted. “He hae neither gold nor sons to recommend him, yet ‘twill take time for that lickspittle to worm his way into King Henry’s favor. Particularly now wi’ all the Tudor’s troubles yet wi’ the Yorkists, but should, by chance, Sir Jasper Keane gain the king’s promise of confirmation to Greyfaire, he will nae live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his dishonorable conduct. That I can promise any who ask,” the Earl of Dunmor said grimly.
Chapter Twelve
Henry Tudor looked curiously upon the man before him. His name was Jasper Keane, and he was a knight from the north. The king had a certain instinct where men were concerned, and that instinct was now warning him to be cautious with Sir Jasper Keane.
“So you see, my liege, with my wife dead in childbed, there are no longer any Greys left at Greyfaire Keep. I have been master there for almost three years, and I would beg your majesty’s leave to continue on in my duties with the hope that someday I might be considered worthy to be confirmed in my wife’s inheritance.” Sir Jasper smiled toothily, bowing obsequiously.
“I am not quite certain of the recent history of Greyfaire, Sir Jasper. You must refresh my memory. Your wife was the heiress of Greyfaire? She was born a Grey?”
Jasper Keane considered lying, but then thought better of it. There were too many alive and even now in the king’s favor who could tell Henry Tudor the truth. “Rowena, may God assoil her sweet soul,” he began piously, “was married to Henry Grey, the last Grey Lord of Greyfaire, Sire. When she was widowed, I wed her.”
“There were no offspring of her first marriage?” the king queried.
“A daughter,” Sir Jasper said shortly.
“She is dead?” the king pressed gently.
“The wench was carried off in a border raid by the Scots,” he said.
“She is dead?” the king repeated.
Again Sir Jasper considered lying. When several days after Arabella’s abduction the word had come that the Earl of Dunmor had married her, Jasper Keane had been made a laughingstock in the district. There had already been a great deal of nasty talk about his hasty marriage as it was. Yet, here again, he dare not lie. “I understand the girl was married off to some nobly born bastard, Sire, but I could not say for certain. She has not communicated with me, even when her mother died. She is a feckless, spoilt wench who cares for naught but herself, I fear.”
“Still,” the king considered aloud, “she is Greyfaire’s rightful heiress.” Seeing the play of emotions cross Sir Jasper’s face, Henry Tudor knew he was wise not to promise the man anything concrete. There had been fury in the man’s eyes for a brief moment before he had quickly masked his emotions. “Have you land of your own, Sir Jasper?” the king asked in pleasant tones, not quite ready to shut the door upon this man.
“My home was destroyed by the Scots,” Sir Jasper Keane said tightly.
The king nodded. “So Greyfaire Keep is now your home?”
“Aye, my liege.”
Sir Jasper Keane obviously did not have the wherewithal to rebuild his own house, the king thought. He was hungry for legal possession of Greyfaire Keep. With it he might attract a wife with some substance of her own. He motioned to his secretary, who bent down to hear his master’s words. “This Greyfaire. Is it important? Rich? Large? In other words, is it worth having?” he demanded in low tones.
“It is a small border keep, majesty, and virtually impregnable. There is no real wealth attached to it. One village and some acreage. Its only real value is in its location. The Scots usually invade from that direction, and it has always served as the first warning outpost for England in the north.”
The king considered, and then said to his secretary, “You have heard. If you were me, would you give this keep over to Sir Jasper, or would you seek the heiress in Scotland?”
“I think, Sire, that I would consider long on it before makinganydecision. It is not that I question this knight’s word, but we really know naught of this matter but what he has told us. I think I would investigate it further, for your majesty would not willingly do Greyfaire’s heiress an injustice. Let this knight prove his loyalty to you first before you reward him. He was, I have heard, a staunch Yorkist.”
The point was well taken by Henry Tudor. “I think, Sir Jasper, that I am not in a position to grant you Greyfaire Keep at this time,” the king began. “England has, as you well know, been but recently invaded by one Lambert Simnel, masquerading as the boy Earl of Warwick, the last of the royal Plantagenets, and an army of diehard Yorkists, Irish rabble, and German mercenaries. It is to be hoped that this is the last challenge made to my throne, but until I defeat this challenge, I cannot possibly consider your request. You were a trustworthy Yorkist yourself, I understand, Sir Jasper. Do you not desire to help those who would usurp my throne?”
Jasper Keane felt panic welling up. Damn Rowena’s treasonous connections! Thank God she was dead. If he were clever he just might salvage his hopes. “It is true, Sire, that I supported Richard of Gloucester during his reign, and his brother King Edward before him. It is true that my late wife was Queen Anne Neville’s favorite cousin, but I have sworn my oath to uphold your rights, Sire, and I will not break that oath. There are none who can say that I ever broke my sacred oath. Let me prove my loyalty to you. I have knowledge of a great and secret nature that might be of importance to your majesty.”
So, his late wife had been Anne Neville’s cousin, Henry Tudor thought. He had not known this, but obviously Sir Jasper thought he did. What else was this man not telling him? “What knowledge?” the king demanded.
Sir Jasper looked nervously at the king’s personal secretary, but when the king made no move to send the man away, he spoke anyway. “Your queen’s young brothers live, Sire. They were hidden at Middleham Castle by their uncle Richard for safety’s sake.”
“And they are still there?” Henry Tudor’s voice was almost afire in his excitement.
“Nay, they were moved immediately after your majesty’s victory at Bosworth Field to the Tower, I am told. One of the two knights assigned to personally guard the princes is my relation. For obvious reasons, the princes were moved in secret with no fanfare. My late wife knew of this, and it was through her I first learned of it. That is how I was able to place my cousin in the prince’s train.”
The king’s mind was reeling with the serious implications that Sir Jasper’s words intimated. Worse, how could his wife’s two young brothers be incarcerated in the Tower and he not know about it? One surviving York prince was bad enough, but three could bring the whole kingdom down around his ears. He chose his words carefully. “This is an interesting tale you tell me, Sir Jasper, but of course it is not possible that my wife’s brothers survived their uncle’s ill intent. It is equally impossible that Edward and Richard Plantagenet are currently imprisoned within the Tower without my knowledge. Nevertheless, I will investigate what you have told me, for I know you would not fabricate such a tale simply to curry my favor. You have divulged this in order to prove your loyalty to me, and I am pleased by your display of faithfulness. Go now and join with my army as we prepare to meet the invader. If we both survive this assault upon England, we will talk again on this matter regarding Greyfaire Keep.”
