‘Oh,
lie
there, then. Let your tears rust your armour,’ she said, her fury lending spite to her voice. ‘I will be away for three days, four at the most. When I return, your doctors will dose you with fire in your veins. They’ll
make
you stand! Can you hear me, Henry? If you spend the rest of your life in this weak drowse, you
will
ride against York this month. For me and for your son, if not for yourself.’
Her husband looked up at her, his eyes wide and innocent.
‘I will, if you ask it of me, Margaret. As you say, if I must, I will.’
She felt her fury mount until she was certain she would slap his face. Without another word, she swept out of the rooms. The stewards of the king’s bedchamber waited in a huddle further down the hallway and Margaret strode up to them.
‘I will be absent for a few days now. Excepting your own selves, no one will speak to the king while I am away. Not a single soul, until I return. Have doctor Hatclyf ready to purge and dose him next Tuesday morning. He will rise then, to join his lords and the King’s Gallants. Is that understood?’
The men bowed and mumbled their assent, sensing her anger and cowed by it. Margaret went past them, heading down to the stables where three horses were saddled and waiting. Her own Gallants would fight soon, the first army sworn to her that she had ever known. All else would wait while she witnessed that battle and saw the first triumph of Lancaster, so long kindled from the embers. It was Friday evening and she would race to see them destroy Salisbury at Blore Heath. Not even Derry Brewer knew she would be there, riding with just two swordsmen to keep her safe from brigands on the road.
21
Blore Heath was vast, open land, mile upon mile of scrub gorse and brown grasses. Salisbury’s three thousand had made good time over the previous six days, cutting across country and using the main roads only when they matched the direct line south-west to Ludlow Castle. With foot soldiers and cavalry alone, he could have covered the distance in four hard marches, but his carts had slowed his progress to a crawl on boggy ground. He’d suspected from the beginning that this would be no raid or single clash of arms. For all Salisbury knew, he would not see peace and home again for a year or more – so he moved at the pace of his slowest cart teams, carrying food and equipment, tools, spare mounts and small forges, everything he might need for a campaign. The alternative was to rush into battle unprepared, or to depend on York for aid and materiel. Each morning, Salisbury fretted at the lost time, then made the decision once again and pushed on with the carts bringing up the rear. Half the previous day had been lost wrestling the heavy wagons down and across a stream bed, though hundreds of men had made the work light.
At least the heath was dry land, with brown rolling hills stretching away south. Salisbury had good maps with him. He had chosen the shortest path to Ludlow and pressed on at the best speed they could make. When one of his forward scouts came galloping back in, his marching ranks were already halfway across the heathland, scattering sheep and heading towards a brook with no bridges marked. Salisbury’s thoughts lay ahead to crossing that obstacle and he looked up with a frown as the rider reined in. Two more were racing closer and he felt his pulse quicken.
‘Armed men lie ahead, my lord. I saw pikes and flags across a dip in the land.’
‘How many?’ Salisbury replied, staring out as if he could see through the folds and hills of the heath ahead.
‘I could not see, my lord, though it was a great number. I caught sight of them and returned with the news.’
Both turned to the next man riding in. He was panting as he touched his forelock.
‘How many?’ Salisbury snapped again. The third rider was coming at full gallop and the news was already spreading through the marching ranks.
‘Twice or three times the men here, my lord.’
The second scout pointed as he spoke.
‘They are hidden by that hill and the line of gorse and trees you can see there.’
Salisbury called a halt then, his order passed from captain to captain until the entire mass of men stood still on the heath grasses, all too conscious of the lack of cover all around. The third scout confirmed the numbers and Salisbury swore to himself. He had hoped they were wrong, that such a host could not have been brought together by those standing against him.
‘Very well. Go out again and examine the land between us. Find me a crossing place over that brook.’ Salisbury turned to the other scouts. ‘You two – get as close as you can, but if they give chase, stay out of range. I need your eyes to watch them. Go!’
The three riders raced off once again and Salisbury was alone to fret and worry. Without the scouts, he would have walked right into an ambush large enough to see him killed. He wanted to withdraw against such numbers, but he clenched his jaw at the thought, knowing he could not. Unless he reached York and supported him, the king’s armies would besiege and destroy his closest ally. It would not be long then before they came to Middleham with their Writs of Attainder. Salisbury gripped the high point of his nose, between his eyes, screwing his face up around the fingers. His son Warwick would have reached Ludlow by then and all Salisbury’s choices vanished on the breeze. No matter the odds, he
had
to fight. He muttered a prayer under his breath, one that was little more than a blasphemy, then called his captains to attend him.
Sixty men rode to the earl’s position in the vanguard, their faces drawn and serious. The news had already spread and Salisbury saw some of the common soldiers reaching down to touch the ground. He frowned at the superstitions of those who would tell soil to be ready for their blood.
‘Have the carts brought up to our right flank,’ he ordered, speaking with deliberate confidence. ‘We have seen the trap in time.’ As he spoke, he recalled his son’s wedding party and the Percy army that had sought to destroy him then. On that day, he had won by withdrawal, by making them fail against him. Some of the tension left him. He did not need to crush the army he faced. He had only to survive the clash and go around them. His carts could be abandoned and he knew he could maintain a fighting retreat to Ludlow, no more than two days to the south. If he sent his scouts ahead, York might even march reinforcements out to meet him. There would be a way through, if he could just find the right moment to disengage and push on.
The carts came rumbling up from the rear, forty-two heavy wagons loaded down with arms and armour, food and horseshoes, everything he had thought he might need. Their best use then was as a blockade to protect his flank, but Salisbury knew that he could not dig in. He had to reach Ludlow. He had to go on. Yet he saw his men brighten as the solid barrier of carts took shape and he nodded briskly to himself. He had run the Scots ragged on the northern marches for years. Salisbury had fought in dozens of actions in his life, enough to know numbers were not the only key to victory. Discipline and tactics mattered just as much. Perhaps it was time to see what sort of men stood for the king.
‘Archers to the fore!’ he bellowed across his men. ‘Slow advance into range. We will show these farmers how a real army fights.’
The men cheered dutifully, though as they lurched into step once again, he still saw some of them dipping down across the ranks, touching the dry grasses and crossing themselves with muttered prayers. The teams of carthorses were whipped on with them, guarding their right flank with wood, wheels and iron. His archers strung their bows and readied quivers on their hips, running their hands through the white goose feathers and swinging their free arms to loosen the muscles. Salisbury untied his shield from where it lay across the haunches of his mount, tugging it on to his armoured forearm and taking some satisfaction from the weight. He did not have to win, he reminded himself. He had to get past. After that, the bastards could have his carts and chase him all the way to Ludlow, for all he cared. The brook grew as he approached it, until he was forced to call a halt once more, swearing softly. The river had eaten away at the ground for God knew how long, so that there was a four-foot drop from the banks to the rushing waters, then another steep bank to climb. It would have been a difficult obstacle if they’d been alone on the heath. Salisbury looked up then, seeing a cloud of arrows launch like sparrows from behind the trees and hill ahead.
Audley was satisfied. The force he faced was barely a third the size of his own. Better still, he had chosen the best spot for miles to defend. Even to reach his position, Salisbury would have to cross the brook, climb a steep hill and do it all while shafts rained down on his forces. Audley watched as arrows rose on both sides, seeming to float at first and then accelerate as they dove and struck. Most fell short and the few that reached his position on the crest of the hill vanished into gorse bushes without a single cry of pain sounding from his men. The corners of Audley’s mouth raised in grim appreciation. There was one last card to play and he had found the right place to lay it down.
‘Cannon teams. Fire on the enemy!’ Audley shouted over his shoulder. He turned back immediately to watch, flinching despite himself as cracking roars sounded on his left and right. He could see twin black blurs flicker towards Salisbury’s forces, vanishing into the ranks of armoured men beyond the brook. One appeared to have no effect at all while the other must have skipped and bounced, throwing men down so that its flight could be seen in the sudden collapse of bodies. Audley whistled to himself, wishing only that he had a dozen of the heavy weapons instead of two.
‘Again! Fire again!’ he roared. ‘Aim for the centre!’ The teams rushed around like ants on a carcass and he was glaring at them as minutes passed and they were still not ready.
Salisbury had not been idle when he saw how exposed he was to their range. The entire middle section of Salisbury’s forces was pulling back, leaving dead men behind in ones and twos to show where roundshot or arrows had struck.
Audley showed his teeth as the cannons fired once again, crashing across the still air. That second shot was less lucky, with one ball disappearing into the ground and the other killing a single man as he turned to run. Salisbury’s forces jerked into greater speed even so, beginning to panic. Audley jerked round as the Queen’s Gallants roared wildly, driven to instant frenzy by the sight of their enemies running before them.
‘Hold steady there!’ Audley bawled at them. ‘Captains! Hold them back!’ To his fury, the captains could do nothing. Some of his men were already running over the edge of the crest, racing down the other side towards the brook. Audley cursed, his voice growing hoarse as he bellowed for the rest to stay in their position.
Thousands of men poured past him, their faces wild with battle-lust and excitement.
‘God damn it!’ Audley said. ‘Bring my horse, quickly!’ He was buffeted by the mob his men had become, throwing away all the advantages of the land in their desire to kill a fleeing enemy. Audley was just about alight with rage at the stupidity and fecklessness of the Gallants, but there was no help for it. He had nine thousand to the enemy’s three and he could not let them shriek themselves into a rabble against well-trained soldiers. As he mounted, he saw the first of them plunging into the river, leaping down from the banks and crashing through the running water in great surges of spray.
Ahead of them, on the rising ground above the brook, Salisbury’s forces came to a halt and reformed in good order. Audley felt his heart pound with fear as they began a steady march down towards his men, still struggling through the water and over the banks.
In a single, mad rush, his Gallants had given away all their advantages but one. They still outnumbered the enemy, but Salisbury’s soldiers were marching downhill against tiring men.
Audley kicked his mount down the slope, reaching the brook and crashing into it at a dangerous speed. He shouted for the Gallants to stand and hold as he went, but the river was wider and deeper than they had known and men struggled in it, exhausting themselves as the numbers piled up. Hundreds stood shivering, calling to those ahead to move on while they waited to clamber up in turn.
Ahead, Salisbury’s first rank struck, a wall of sword and axemen holding shields before them. On the wings, Audley could see their horsemen in formation, waiting to counter his own mounted knights and sergeants. They had come down to the brook in slow procession, the more experienced men immune to the urge to chase. Audley could not let his cavalry remain on the far side, though he cursed his luck and the poor discipline of the young fools he led. He dragged a horn from where it bounced by his knee and blew a double note to charge. It served to bring some calm to the foot soldiers as well, who turned and saw Baron Audley was present to command them.
Salisbury’s forces pushed forward step by step, commanding the hill above that side of the brook and killing anyone who made it across to stand against them. For a time, the slaughter was appalling and a shiver of fear rippled through Gallants who could see only death ahead. Thousands were still dry, unable even to reach the river in the press of shouting, angry men. Audley had forced his mount through them and gathered a dozen captains, with four or five hundred men finding the wits to stand and hold while the rest came out of the river. Salisbury saw the danger, and his horns could be heard blowing across the heath as his men pressed the Gallants cruelly and his archers shot from the wings until the river began to run red with tumbling bodies.
The men around Audley were cut down by a solid line of mailed soldiers, killing with terrible efficiency. He heard the thunder of hooves as Salisbury’s cavalry engaged his own, hammering together hard enough to shake the ground as the two armies struggled on. One group of riders cut straight through his hedge knights and swung in against the flank of the Gallants, sweeping them away until they reached Audley himself. He barely had time to raise his shield and sword before an axe crashed against his chest, hammering a great dent in the plate and making him blow blood. He felt his strength falter as he swung his sword down from behind in a great strike that cut his opponent at the joint of his neck and shoulder, sending the knight reeling. Two more came crashing in and Audley saw a mace raised. He could not bring his sword back in time and the heavy iron club stove in his helmet, breaking his skull and toppling him to the ground.