Arthur

Chapter 38

Elizabeth of York; London, England. March of 1502.

“I know what you have done.”

The accusing tone came out of my lips as swiftly as a curse.

“And I will be revenged for this.”

Slowly, Lady Margaret Beaufort stood up from her oratory, looking expressionless as always.

“What do you think you know, Elizabeth?”

“I know what you’ve done to my family seventeen years ago.”

“Whatever you have in mind, do not blame me. Your family brought their tragedy upon themselves.”

“Do not speak of my family in such way.”

She raised an eyebrow, daring me continue.

“I have an interesting story to tell you,” I said, sitting down. “And I think you should listen to it. It concerns you very much.”

“What is it?”

“I am sure you remember when my father died,” I started. “It was a surprise to everyone. He was young and apparently healthy.”

“With the lifestyle he had, it was not really a surprise,” she interrupted me, but I pretended I did not hear it.

“And I am sure you remember what happened next. My brother Edward was called from Wales to be crowned. My uncle Richard took him from the guardianship of our uncle Anthony Rivers and my brother Richard Grey. Edward was sent to the Tower.”

“Yes, I remember all those old stories, Elizabeth,” she said, impatiently. “What is your point?”

“Those are not old stories,” I replied. “I remember. England remembers it. No one has ever stopped wondering what happened to my brothers. Those children trapped in the Tower.”

“Your uncle Richard locked them up and killed them. Everyone knows that.”

“He did lock them up,” I agreed. “Whatever his reasons were. I know there was much tension between him and my mother. I understand that now. But he did not kill my brothers.”

“Who else could have? Richard did not want anybody on his ambitious way to the throne.”

“He already had the throne and he had named my brothers illegitimate. He needed no more,” I reminded her. “But there were other people and other interests.”

“Other interests?” she asked, unshakably. “What could possibly be? No one would harm two children.”

“I say there were people who were very interested in encouraging the enmity between my uncle and my mother,” I said, looking at her reaction. “Someone who could use the instability in the country to make way to their own interests.”

“What are you insinuating?”

“I am saying, Lady Margaret, that you were the one sending letters to my mother while we were in sanctuary reporting Richard’s and Anne Neville’s actions. You made sure my mother would see their very action as a conspiracy against her. At the same time, your husband, Lord Stanley, was at court, on Richard’s side. Isn’t it the Stanley way to do things? Always on the winning side?”

“You make no sense,” she said acidly.

“My mother believed Richard had her killed Edward. Richard believed my mother had something to do with their disappearance. In truth, no one knew what had happened to them.”