‘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 attend the funeral was because he didn’t know that his brother was dead.’
‘You mean no one told him?’
‘Exactly and I’ll tell you why in a minute. In his will, King Edward named Richard sole protector of his children and the realm. This implied that Richard would govern the kingdom while the young King Edward the Fifth was a minor and that both boys would be his responsibility. It shows you the measure of trust that Edward placed in his brother.’
‘He'll be sorry,’ Gail said in a voice heavy with prophecy.
‘He wasn't sorry; he was dead. Shuffled off the mortal coil he did, leaving one hell of a mess behind. A Protectorate was unacceptable to the Queen who reasoned that if her son was crowned immediately then she and her family could rule in his name. Richard Gloucester, as we both know, had other ideas.
‘Young Edward was at Ludlow castle where he maintained a household as befitting the Prince of Wales. On the 14th of April, his uncle and Governor Anthony Wydville, Earl Rivers, told the boy of his father's death. The Queen immediately made arrangements for his safe conduct to London, originally planning to send a sizeable entourage. Lord Hastings, sensing trouble, insisted on only a small force which the Queen finally agreed on.
‘Lord Hastings was in London at the time of the King's death and had attended Council meetings. It soon became obvious to him that the Wydvilles planned to exclude Richard from any voice in government. Hastings hated the Wydvilles with a passion and the feeling was mutual. When he realised that they had intentionally not told Richard of his brother's death, Hastings sent word to him, giving him the bad news and suggesting that he make haste to secure his position as Protector. He suggested too that he should take young Edward into his protection and authority before the boy reached London.
‘Richard must have received Hastings’ letter with alarm. Young Edward had been raised and tutored by his mother's family. Richard must have realised that a Wydville-dominated Council, ruling on behalf of a child-king, would be a disaster for him and the country. He had to act immediately or risk the possible loss of all his wealth and power. He may well have believed too that his political and personal survival
