“Amongst the booty I have eight Danish longships. I would like to keep two myself, for local transportation, but I had intended today to make a gift to you of the other six. Since 1051, when King Edward disbanded the small fleet he had, England has had nothing more than what trading ships can be requisitioned at short notice. These longboats are warships of twenty oars, ten aside, and are able to carry sixty men. If armed with cross-bows they would be a formidable force. If I did have political pretensions, I’d retain these until I became the earl of East Anglia!
“With these, you could protect the shipping moving between Dover and Calais, which would allow the ladies of the royal court to move backwards and forwards without risk, other than from storms- and if you can’t get a ship captain who can tell a storm is only two hours away he shouldn’t be in charge of the transport. If the weather is good they could sail up to London, which would be quicker and more comfortable than riding from Dover. You’d need to crew the ships of course. I don’t have the men, which is why they are laid up at Thorrington, so don’t ask me to contribute. But a levy of one man from each manor in Kent, Middlesex and Sussex, and the hiring of six professional captains, perhaps Norwegians, should take care of that. Normandy and England have no professional fighting fleet. The English are paying a massive amount of money in Danegeld for protection- it’s not just a tax. They’re not getting anything in return.
“I sold a couple of boats in Norway after I captured them. What I have been doing in Essex, on your behalf and that of the people of my Hundred, does not come cheaply and really is a royal, or at least an earl’s, responsibility. I received?57 for each ship sold- which would be?342 for six. As proof of my loyalty, you can have the six ships for nothing. When and not if the Danes come, you’ll need them- and twenty or thirty more besides.”
William looked at Regenbald who commented, “Having warships to escort the transport and passenger ships and the trading ships will give much heart to the nobles and their wives who are travelling in dangerous conditions. Wind, tide, storms and pirates are all something they have difficulty in dealing with. Small groups of a dozen or so people would be able to travel on the warships themselves. A naval force at Dover would also encourage the merchants to be more active as they would have better protection.”
William gave Regenbald a flat look. “What the merchants want is not high on my list of priorities, but making travel safe between Flanders and England would be useful.”
William was transferring his gaze to Alan when the latter interrupted and said, “You discount the benefits of the merchants too much, my liege. A successful trading voyage sees the crew spending perhaps?50 in wages and share of profits in their home town. The merchant will spend several hundred pounds buying cloth, or wool or whatever is to be exported, a substantial part of which finds its way into your coffers as taxes or other fees that you charge. Some finds its way into the coffers of your knights and is used to support their services to you.
“Most particularly, a laden merchant ship coming into one of your ports will pay port taxes, excises, import taxes and so on of perhaps?50. Each week there will be perhaps 25 or 30 vessels arriving, from which as I said you probably receive on average?50 each. That’s over?1,000 a week to the royal treasury. That amount is four times as much as you receive from your royal estates. It’s not an amount to be discarded just because you dislike the merchant class. Money is money and it matters not where it comes from.” Here Alan was talking William’s language.
“Regenbald, every time I talk to this man he talks sense, even if I don’t agree with him,” said the king. “I know that he’s on the Curia Regis. Put him on my Inner Council. As for Wivenhoe, forget it- the Charter will be in your hands tomorrow. I intended to reward you for your loyal actions with the grant of manors in Herefordshire along the Welsh border, with a view to keep you too busy to cause any more problems. I’ll get Regenbald to give you the details of those fiefs. Perhaps your novel ideas are worth the problems they cause and you’re better left in London. How would you treat the problems with the Welsh and with this Eadric ‘The Wild’?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been too busy with affairs in the east. I can look at it and make some suggestions in two to three months,” replied Alan.
“Two to three months. I thought you were going to say two to three days,” said William with some asperity.
“The English have been fighting the Welsh for 500 years and you want an answer in a week?” rejoined Alan cheekily.
William pulled a wry face and replied, “Yes, perhaps it’s not an easy answer.” After a pause he continued. “On a different vein, I’m having a Hunt in two days time. A big affair with lots of beaters- deer, boar and so on. You’re invited. Also, William de Warenne’s wife, Gundred of Flanders, is holding a soiree tomorrow night. I’ve given instructions to ensure that you and …Anne, isn’t it?… are invited. It appears we need to have you brought back to the fold of us Normans.”
“I’m not sure which will require more nerve, dancing or going out where I’m likely to get an arrow in the back,” said Alan sardonically. William raised an eyebrow in question. “Hunts are notorious places for ‘accidents’. And I hate dancing,” explained Alan. William smiled sympathetically.
Later that day, despite Alan’s objections, Owain took Alan to an armourer on Coleman Street and arranged a padded vest to be made, with metal plate inserts, to be ready the following morning. Owain was as aware as Alan of the risks of Hunts and the opportunities to dispose of opponents, and with Anne’s agreement he brooked no refusal. Alan agreed, as long as he could also wear the armoured vest to the dance. Anne refused, as she thought that the ladies were unlikely to put a knife in his ribs during the dancing. His dancing wasn’t that bad.
The soiree was held at the Great Hall in Westminster. Just as most of the Norman nobles had accompanied him to Normandy during the summer months, now they had returned with him, many with their wives. William’s wife Matilda had not yet journeyed to England as her husband was not prepared for her to risk the winter storms even for a journey of twenty or so miles.
Again conservatively dressed, Alan and Anne joined the short line for an introduction to William de Warenne and his wife Gundred. Gundred took Anne aside for a brief chat and then arranged for Alan and Anne to be introduced to the Normans in the party by Roger Bigod, the sheriff of Suffolk and who Alan had already met, and his wife Alice, of the de Tosny family.
Alice was about 22 years old, took Anne in hand and disappeared with her into the crowd.
Alan and Roger both took a cup of wine from a passing servant. Both drained them at a gulp. Alan sighed. Roger commented, “You appear to still be standing in the sun with the king.”
Clapping an open hand on Roger’s shoulder Alan replied, “We are two honest men together. A rarity in England today! Yes, I’ve spoken to the king. I’ve been promoted to his Inner Council, where we’ll discuss a load of shite that has nothing to do with the proper working of the kingdom. Thanks for forwarding the depositions of complaint I gave to you.”
“My job,” replied Roger briefly.
“But not that easy! The king is aware of your actions and honesty,” said Alan.
“You got in before I could be corrupted, and having an alternative option was beneficial. If Earl Ralph had put pressure on me before you did, who knows what I may have done? If nothing else, I can demand a higher bribe next time! By the way these two young gentlemen with me are Gilbert d’Aufay and Raoul Boutin. Raoul is a man of Richard fitzGilbert of Clare and Gilbert came with Count Robert of Mortain.” Both the men introduced were in their mid-twenties.
“Then my visit to you was a timely intervention on my part!” replied Alan, sipping at another cup of wine that had been delivered, before clasping the arm of each of the two men he had been introduced to. “How are you two getting along? You both have fiefs?”