into custody, ostensibly to prevent her from helping her son's cause and then terrorised her into surrendering her inheritance to him despite the fact that he had absolutely no right to it. He didn't use physical force or anything. The tactic he used was to suggest that she come up for a visit to Middleham, a journey which, because of her great age, the distance and the fact that it was winter, would most certainly have killed her.’
‘That's terrible!’
‘Terrible or not, it worked a treat and he got away with it. King Edward obviously turned a blind eye despite the fact that he knew what his brother was doing was unlawful. Actually, many estates were carved up by George and Richard without regard for the feelings of others.’ Laura caught their waiter’s eye. ‘Want another glass of wine, Gail?’
‘Sure, why not?’
Laura smiled. ‘You’re not worried about drinking too much tonight?’
‘No husband, no kids, get on with the Story.’
‘Right, okay. In 1476 - Richard would be twenty four by then - the remains of his father and brother Edmund were taken from their resting place at Pontefract and reburied with solemn ceremony at Fotheringhay. It was probably the last time that Edward, George and Richard spent time together on reasonably friendly terms.
‘You see, George’s wife Isabel died shortly afterwards and the following January his sister Margaret's husband Charles, Duke of Burgundy was killed at the battle of Nancy. Margaret had no children, but Charles left an heiress, Mary, his only child from a previous marriage. What a wonderful idea. Why not marry George and Mary? Margaret was all for it and so was George since Mary, besides being one wealthy lady and desirable, was also the granddaughter of John of Gaunt and thus had a very nice claim to the English throne. King Edward vetoed the idea. The Queen must have really pulled George's chain when she suggested her brother Anthony, Lord Rivers as a possible bridegroom instead, but again Edward declined.
‘Actually, George had been a pain in the proverbial for some time. Having his ambitions thwarted yet again must have sent him over the edge. He started to bad mouth King Edward, spreading rumours that he was a bastard and therefore an unlawful king. George's hatred of the Queen boiled over early in 1477. Apparently, Isabel had a servant named Ankarette Twynho, a respectable widow of good family. When the Duchess died, Ankarette entered the Queen’s service. On the 14th of April, George had Ankarette arrested and imprisoned at Warwick Castle. She was accused of complicity with the Queen to poison the Duchess of Clarence. There was a trial of sorts, but everyone was so afraid of George that they did what he wanted them to do, which was to convict the lady. The poor woman was found guilty and immediately executed along with a John Thoresby, who was convicted of poisoning the Duchess's baby.
‘The King retaliated. In May, Dr. John Stacey and Thomas Burdett - a member of George's household - were both found guilty of complicity to murder the King by witchcraft.
‘Georgie didn't get the hint. He continued to carry on irresponsibly and may even have been involved in a minor rebellion against the King. He continued to press his poison story, openly accusing the Queen of murdering his wife, and refusing to either eat or drink at Court. The Queen was more than insulted. She firmly believed that George was a major danger to the safety of her sons.’ Laura chuckled. ‘Astute lady was our Liz; right family, wrong brother.’
Gail delivered a withering glance, but said nothing.
‘Anyhow, she began to press King Edward hard and finally, when George interrupted a session of Council at Westminster, publicly denouncing the King's justice regarding Stacey and Burdett, Eddie finally snapped.
‘George was arrested and sent to the Tower. In January 1478 he was put on trial for “heinous unnatural and loathly treason”. Treason by a brother was highly unusual and George had done so at least twice. King Edward could ill afford to forgive George yet again. For the safety of the realm and his throne, he declared his brother guilty of the crime of treason against the crown. Such a verdict, by the way, carried with it an automatic death sentence. George died in the Tower on February 19, 1478; drowned, it is believed, in a vat of malmsey wine.’
Gail had finished her meal by then. Satisfied and not yet ready for dessert, she leaned back comfortably in her chair. ‘Shakespeare has Richard as one of the prime movers behind George's death. He saw George as an obstacle to his own ambitions. True?’
Laura shrugged. ‘Certainly Richard profited nicely from George's death in terms of titles and properties, so frankly, I can't see him shedding too many tears. Anyhow, he stayed well clear of the court, partly because he was disgusted by the King's excesses. I wouldn't call Richard a prude exactly, but by all accounts, King Edward went way beyond the bounds of decency, seducing married women and carrying on in a most undignified manner. The King was not alone in all this either. The Queen's family, notably her two sons from her first marriage and one of her brothers, were just as involved in this scandalous behaviour. Another participant was Lord Hastings who introduced King Edward to Mistress Jane Shore, who very quickly became a royal favourite.
‘King Edward left the north of England in Richard’s capable hands. Everything he asked for was granted him, so by degrees Richard became the most powerful man in the country and he began to flex that power, gathering to him men whose loyalty would be to him first and the King second. Not a difficult task really since many regarded the royal affinity as mainly Wydville-based. Most of Richard's supporters were northerners who had a natural dislike and mistrust of anyone south of the Trent. A dangerous imbalance of power was generated which would ultimately lead to disaster.’
Laura paused, suddenly saddened. ‘And disaster did strike on the 9th of April, 1483. At just forty years of age, King Edward died. Richard was in the north and did not attend his brother's funeral and as far as I’m concerned the Story stops there. What happened next is best discussed when we’re at the Tower of London where we’ll have the benefit of atmosphere to augment the tale.’
‘What? You can’t stop now.’
‘Yes I can,’ Laura said indignantly. ‘What I’ve talked about so far is pretty dry old history. He did this, she was that, but I’m determined to go slowly and methodically through the time from King Edward's death in April 1483 until King Richard's death, August 1485. The Tower of London was where it all started and so shall we. You, my dear sister-in-law, shall have to wait.’ With that final, emphatic statement, Laura closed her notebook.
‘Does this mean it's dessert time?’
‘Go for it.’
After an interval of nearly catatonic indecision and two mind changes, Gail finally settled on the Black Forest Cake slathered with extra whipped cream and freshly cut chocolate curls. Just as the waiter was about to place the dish in front of Gail, Laura asked if it might be possible to adjourn to the room next door. Promising to follow with Gail's dessert and coffee, he escorted them into the lounge. Laura selected a small alcove away from the bustle of the dining area and spread herself out across the small, pale pink leather sofa. Gail sunk into the matching wing chair. It was almost 7:30 p.m.
Laura watched as Gail tackled her dessert, musing on the truth of the saying that some people eat to live and others live to eat. The waiter brought a large pot of coffee.
‘Drink that and you won't sleep tonight,’ Gail warned.
‘Nothing but nothing is going to keep me awake, thank you.’
‘Please continue with the Story. I'm not tired yet and I so enjoy it. I want to be up to speed before the Tower tomorrow.’
Laura sighed. ‘Okay, but straight to bed afterwards.’
‘Right, Mum,’ Gail said in a high pitched voice.
Laura rolled her eyes, picked up her notes again, turned to a new section, and began.
‘The reason why Richard didn’t