Chapter 155: A Mother’s Sorrow
July, 1462
“And the food must be salted in a particular way. Lady Holland doesn’t like it to be too sweet.” Cecily said referring to her granddaughter Lady Cecily Holland. It was her birthday soon and as such Cecily wanted everything to be perfect for her.
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Thomas Hartley, Steward of the Royal Household said.
“And ensure that the meat is just the right amount of tender.” Cecily said, remembering something that Anne had said the other day.
“Which meats would Your Majesty liked served?” Thomas asked.
“The beef and the venison of course.” Her granddaughter liked both. “But also some pork.” Cecily preferred pork.
“Of course, Majesty.” Thomas said making a note of that.
Cecily nodded and turned toward the door, where a soldier appeared. He was covered in mud, which suggested he had just arrived from somewhere. Immediately, her heart started hammering. This could only mean news from Ludlow.
“Your Majesty.” The soldier said, bowing. His accent was thick, he sounded as if he were from the Marches.
“What is it?” Cecily demanded. Hiding her nervousness behind a shadow of coldness.
“I come from Ludlow. I bring word from the King.” The soldier said.
“A letter?” Cecily asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The soldier said, he reached into a bag that Cecily just noticed he’d been carrying and pulled out a letter, which he handed to her.
Cecily looked at the seal on the letter. It wasn’t Edward’s seal, that made her heart race. Had something happened to her son? But the soldier had said that the letter was from the King?
She broke the seal and then opened the letter and stared at the writing on the page.
She didn’t recognise the writing. It wasn’t Edward’s and it wasn’t Edmund’s. So, whose writing, was it?
Cecily took a breath to calm herself down, then started to read.
Your Majesty,
I apologies for causing a panic, as I know this will have done.
I write to inform you about what has occurred at Ludlow.
I shall spare you the gory details of the battle, but I shall let you know that we won the fight.
After much going backwards and forwards, we managed to push the Lancastrians away from Ludlow.
We managed to break their wings, killing Aubrey de Vere and his brother, as well as the Earl of Devon and capturing the Duke of Buckingham.
However, this victory has come at a price.
Cecily took another breath. There was bad news coming, she could feel it. She looked back at the letter and continued to read.
His Majesty King Edward has died. The King fought like a lion and brought down Aubrey de Vere, his brother and the Earl of Devon, he even got close to killing the Welsh sheep, Owen Tudor. But his actions wrought a heavy toll on his body and His Majesty passed away from his wounds.
Ludlow is secure and myself and the Earl of Pembroke shall endeavour to protect the castle before deciding on a new course of action.
Yours
Sir William Hastings.
Cecily finished reading the letter then looked up. Her son was dead. Edward was dead. Ludlow was safe, but her little boy was dead. Cecily wanted to scream, she wanted to yell, but the words and motions wouldn’t come. Instead she just stared straight ahead.
Edward was dead. He had died in Ludlow, his old childhood home, but without his mother there to be there for him.
And Edmund? Hastings hadn’t mentioned Edmund. If Edward was dead that meant that Edmund was the King, and yet Hastings had not mentioned him. Why would he not mention Edmund? Had something happened to Edmund? Had he been taken prisoner?
Cecily looked at the soldier then and asked. “What happened to the Duke of York?”
“Majesty?” The soldier replied sounding confused.
She held up the letter. “What happened to the Duke of York?”
The soldier shook his head. “I do not know, Majesty. I was only told to deliver the letter to you.”
Something sunk within in her then. What had happened to Edmund? Why was he not mentioned in the letter? What should she do? Should she send another letter to Hastings, or would that be too dangerous? Should she speak with Margaret? The girl would be Queen now, if Edmund was alive. Why hadn’t Hastings mentioned Edmund?