The Green Man Read Online Free PDF Page A

as King Edward’s honoured guest. I saw him myself when I was there at Duke Richard’s request to solve that business of the young Burgundian … And that’s not the only favour I’ve done His Grace over the years.’
    â€˜The duke is aware of that fact.’ Timothy stretched his arms above his head until the bones cracked. ‘Which is why the whole affair of Albany’s escape from Bristol was overlooked and hushed up. If the king had ever found out … well … that might have been a different tale altogether. However – and here, at last, we come to the nub of the matter – Albany has always remembered you kindly. He trusts you, Roger, as he seems to trust no other person, and he wants you with him on this invasion of Scotland.’
    I had to wait a moment or two before replying as the children were, by now, rampaging up and down the stairs like stampeding cattle, but when the game took another direction and the noise faded, I asked tautly, ‘Are you saying that the Duke of Albany is a party to this invasion of Scotland?’
    â€˜We’re going to make him king,’ Timothy smiled, at his blandest. ‘King Alexander the fourth.’
    â€˜And what about his brother, King James the third?’ I demanded. ‘Is he going to stand idly by while the English depose him?’
    â€˜Probably not,’ my guest conceded. ‘But he is very unpopular amongst his nobles and in the country at large – or so I’ve been reliably informed by those who should know. Indeed, members of my own network of spies tell the same story. I believe even his Danish wife isn’t over-fond of him.’
    â€˜And hasn’t he any children?’
    â€˜Three sons, but all minors. The eldest is, I think, eight. But His Grace of Gloucester tells me that in the annals of Scottish history, there is something called the Declaration of Arbroath which states that an unsatisfactory ruler can be removed by the will of the people and someone else elected to fill his place. The Scots, it seems, do not place so much emphasis on the importance of primogeniture as we do in this country.’
    I drew in a hissing breath. ‘And you’re telling me that the Duke of Albany wants me – me! – to accompany him on this harebrained adventure?’
    â€˜That is the request he has made of King Edward. And that is the request King Edward intends to grant him. And who are you to decide that it’s a harebrained adventure? Some of the wisest heads in the land have decided it’s a plan that should be pursued.’
    â€˜Then some of the “wisest heads in the land” have the brains of idiots,’ I retorted vehemently. ‘Do they seriously expect the Scots to allow the English to choose their king for them? It hasn’t happened in the past, and it won’t now.’
    For a long moment, Timothy and I stared at one another across the table. Then he lowered his eyes and coughed, but I knew in that instant that he agreed with me, although he would never admit it.
    â€˜That’s not for you nor me to say,’ he answered in a flat voice, without any trace of emotion. ‘The likes of us obey orders, Roger, my lad. We don’t query what we’re told to do.’
    True enough! But I still raised objections.
    â€˜But why in the Virgin’s name does Albany imagine that he needs me? He must surely have retainers of his own, supplied by either King Louis or King Edward.’
    â€˜As a matter of fact, he has his own small household, servants of his brother, Mar, who escaped from Scotland to France after the earl was murdered.’
    â€˜He was murdered then?’ I asked swiftly. ‘It’s certain?’
    The spymaster shrugged. ‘Not certain, no. But there are always rumours, and the more colourful the better. The point is, Albany thinks Mar was killed on the orders of their brother. He’s nervous. That, it seems, is the