Golden Mary: A Historical Romance Novel

By John M. Brewer

Theres a bit of bad history between Master Henry Barrowby, a member of the Commons for Bedfordshire, and nobleman Lord Lavenham. Barrowby was once engaged to Mary Swanford, whose familys land bordered his. But Lavenham stepped in and seduced Mary, leaving Barrowby heartbroken.

While helping Master Easterling, a wealthy London goldsmith, purchase church land seized by Henry VIII, Barrowby meets Easterlings daughter, Mary. Ironically, Lavenham is now courting Mary Easterling, a beautiful blond and intelligent woman. Barrowby warns Mary of Lavenhams past romantic dalliances and shenanigans.

While shopping in London, Barrowby is attacked and seriously injured by Lavenhams minions. No longer safe in his current lodgings, the Easterling family hides Barrowby during his recovery. Mary and Barrowby become lovers and plan a wedding. But Lavenham is not to be deterred. His henchmen and hirelings lure Henry out for repeated attacks, abduction, and murder in this contest of wits over church lands and the love of Golden Mary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491780527

John M. Brewer

John M. Brewer is a professor of biochemistry at the University of Georgia, and the author of more than a hundred scientific publications. Pilgrim’s Journey is his fifth novel. He and his “yoke mate” live on a lake with a canoe that figured in their courtship.

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Copyright © 2015 John Brewer.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Certain characters in this work are historical figures, and certain events portrayed did take place. However, this is a work of fiction. All of the other characters, names, and events as well as all places, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Cover by Mary Sue Brewer

Song on p. 34 of the text (Joy, dearest lover…) Gustave Reese, Music in the Renaissance, W. W. Norton & Co., reprinted with permission.

Song on p. 154 of the text (Alas, what shall I do…) John Stevens, Music & Poetry in the Early Tudor Court, Cambridge University Press, reprinted with permission.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-8053-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-8052-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015918078

iUniverse rev. date: 11/19/2015

Contents

1. First Meetings

2. At School

3. Exchange of Information

4. The King’s Man

5. A More Harmonious Visit

6. First Moves

7. Errand of Mercy

8. A Dish of Strawberries

9. Visitors

10. Master Cromwell

11. A Professional Opinion

12. Announcements and Appointments

13. Waylaid

14. Sanctuary

15. Nightmare’s End?

16. A Shopping Trip

17. A Search for Arms

18. An Easter to Remember

19. A Petition

20. A Summons

21. Duel

22. Conferences and Councils

23. A Wedding Feast

24. Brighter Days

25. A Plan

26. Journeys

27. Saint James Priory

28. Swanford

To MSB—

my soul thy memories shall treasure

1. First Meetings

near London, early spring, 1536

Henry Barrowby had finished his dinner. He was observing the interactions between the three host-family members and the other guest around the richly decorated table when one of the upper servants whispered something to the host, Master Easterling. This caused his host to frown, get up, and go to Lord Lavenham, the other guest. Henry heard Master Easterling say, My lord, your servants … but that was all he could hear. Henry concluded that there was clearly some matter involving Lord Lavenham’s servants that required Lord Lavenham’s authority to resolve.

Lord Lavenham was obviously annoyed at having his courtship of the host’s daughter interrupted. He gave Henry a hostile glance. Henry schooled his features to appear expressionless, as he now did routinely – service in Parliament seemed to require such. His host’s daughter appeared indifferent to Lord Lavenham’s disappearance. For that matter, she appeared to tolerate His Lordship’s attentions rather than to enjoy them. Either she was accustomed to such attention – which was likely, as she was a very pretty girl – or she was simply not impressed with Lord Lavenham.

Henry could not recall the daughter’s first name. She was of middle height and wore an unadorned, dark-blue gown. Though Henry knew the colour of the gown was in violation of the sumptuary laws regulating what sorts of clothing the lower orders could legally wear, no one seemed concerned about this. Her gabled cap was a lighter blue and was fringed with lace. It was worn pushed back two inches, revealing thick, bright, golden hair. She had a trim yet womanly figure along with large, blue eyes.

Henry excused himself to Easterling’s wife and went outside. He stood looking across the Thames and enjoying the fair, early-evening weather. Here in Twickenham the river looked placid. He searched in his purse for the silver toothpick his sister had given him. Finding it, he pulled it out and began cleaning his teeth, away from the table, as his mother had always enjoined when he was a boy.

Suddenly, Lord Lavenham’s servants erupted from the host’s kitchens, followed by Lord Lavenham himself. His Lordship shot an even more venomous glance at Henry: clearly what he was going to tell his servants was not something he wanted Henry to hear.

Henry shrugged and turned into the orchard, still cleaning his teeth. He thought Lord Lavenham’s men a villainous lot. They had liveries, but Henry could see that these were stained and patched and that the men wearing them looked sullen and resentful. Henry wandered past some apple trees and then paused at an oak. It was a good two yards across its base. Henry saw a cavity in the trunk about fifteen feet up where a great limb had torn away from the tree. Henry was still young enough to gaze at the tree and calculate how he could climb it in order to hide in the cavity.

Henry’s thoughts turned to the reason he had been invited to dine. His host was a well-known goldsmith-banker. When Henry’s father had money to invest in ventures – imports of wine, for example – he would bring the money to Easterling. However, Henry guessed that Easterling wanted to know what Parliament was going to do about the monasteries. Henry saw no reason to conceal the decision that the Crown wanted the Commons to make: the smaller monasteries, nunneries, and abbeys were to be seized immediately by the government, and the lands supporting them were to be sold. The Exchequer was empty, and King Henry always needed money. Unless he were to give everything away to his favourites, closing the smaller religious establishments would make sense.

Master Barrowby? Henry was surprised to find his host’s daughter at his elbow.

Mistress Easterling, Henry acknowledged.

Have you met Lord Lavenham before? the girl asked Henry. I thought you looked at him as though you recognized him.

Henry had, and he wondered how much he should tell this girl. Eventually he decided he had no reason whatever to spare Lavenham’s reputation, so he began:

I am from Bedfordshire. My family’s lands adjoin the lands of the Swanfords. They have only one daughter, and she and I had been intended for each other for as long as I have memory. We were supposed to marry after I was called to the bar, but she was invited to court by an aunt and went. I think she was maid to Mistress Boleyn. I discovered this when I returned home.

Henry looked out across the Thames, remembering. After a minute’s silence, he resumed his story.

I picked some roses and wrote a note to her. I journeyed to Hampton Court. After paying a shilling, I was allowed to watch the courtiers dancing. I saw my Mary. She was dancing with Lord Lavenham.

Henry paused and then continued, "It seemed to me, he was courting her. And she was greatly pleased to be courted by him. I had never seen her so animated, so happy. For another shilling, I was allowed to leave my roses and the note at the door to her room. Then I went back to London.

I was hoping for a note from her but received nothing of the sort. After a few weeks I returned to Bedfordshire, heartbroken. My father resigned his seat in the Commons in my favour, partly, I think, so he would not be connected with the measures the Commons was supposed to enact and partly to give me something to do.

(There were in fact two other reasons. First, Henry’s father and mother had hoped that marriage to Mary Swanford would settle Henry down, as his behaviour tended to be a little wild. Second, Henry’s parents were distressed at Henry’s despondency. Indeed, Henry had never experienced a major disappointment before. Service in Parliament and the responsibility of representing his shire would have to steady Henry. Now Henry would be on his own.)

At this point, Lord Lavenham approached Henry and the host’s daughter, clearly intending to secure the girl’s attention again, but she told him, If you please, my lord, I should like to have some conversation with our other dinner guest. Looking at the two men, the daughter saw they were of similar height and had a similar athletic build. But Henry had a lighter complexion, with brown hair and blue eyes, while Lord Lavenham had darker hair and eyes and a darker complexion, an impression increased by his scowl at Henry. Lord Lavenham seemed to be proposing to listen to their conversation, so the girl added rather coldly, We would prefer to hold our conversation alone.

Lavenham turned an angry red but bowed and walked away, giving Henry an unfriendly look. Henry kept his face expressionless.

What happened to her? asked the girl.

Henry sighed and told her, The servants of the two households see each other often, so it was not possible to keep secrets. Eventually my intended was with child, I believe by Lord Lavenham, and she bore him a daughter. She is living somewhere in Isleworth with a few servants.

Have you not tried to see her?

Henry was silent but roused himself to answer her question. No, and for two reasons: I have never been invited to do so, and remembering how happy she was at Lord Lavenham’s attentions, I realize that she had been merely accepting of me, not in love. So I would be doubly unwelcome.

Why did he not marry her?

Henry again sighed and told the girl, I know not his circumstances. With the proposed suppression of the smaller religious establishments, considerable land will be available for purchase, so perhaps rather than an heiress, Lavenham needs a wife with ready money.

There was silence before Henry remembered his manners and added, And a very pretty one into the bargain. He smiled and bowed.

She acknowledged this, and the two of them walked between two pear trees. Henry caught her scent on the evening breeze. Roses, he thought.

She told Henry, The reason Father and Lord Lavenham were called away was some fracas in the kitchens between Lord Lavenham’s men and our servants.

Henry was not surprised but said, Then I must get my servant. The evening advances. And the two of them walked quickly back to the house.

As they walked, Henry could see Lord Lavenham’s six retainers sitting in the boat that had brought Lord Lavenham to the goldsmith’s house. They were even more sullen than before. In the house, Henry briefly thanked his hosts and prepared to leave. He and his man had come on horseback and would have to make haste to return to Gray’s Inn before dark.

Lord Lavenham said, We can take you to London, Barrowby.

But Henry replied, My servant and I came on horses and would get these back before dark. And I have much on my mind and wish to be alone to decide what I must do in the Commons. But I thank your Lordship for the kind offer.

Henry and his man, Tom Cross, rode quickly away from the goldsmith’s house. Henry noticed Tom’s face was bruised, his dark brown hair was mussed, his long nose was swollen and bleeding, and he was not carrying the quarterstaff he had brought from Bedfordshire. Also, Tom was clearly uncomfortable at the pace set by Henry.

Henry asked Tom, What happened?

Tom, whose lips were swollen, swallowed and told Henry, I’uz sitting in kitchen, drinking some ale, when these six came in and started taking liberties with the cooks and the serving wenches. The women didn’t like that, and I got up and tried to help them. So four or so of the liverymen started beating me. They knocked me down, kicked me, broke my staff, and put the pieces into the fire. Then steward came in, stopped them, and asked what they ’uz doin’.

Tom swallowed again, his face flushed with anger, and he went on, unusually talkative for him. Bastards said I had started it all, said I’uz doin’ what they were doin’ themselves. But the cooks and the servin’ wenches gave ’em the lie, so the steward told the liverymen to leave. An’ they did. He said he would tell their master what they had been doin’, and the women helped me up and give me some more ale.

Can you ride? Back to Gray’s Inn, I mean. If we have to, we can stop at a nearer inn. The Royal Way in Isleworth is less than two miles away.

Tom grimaced but said, I think I’ll be all right. But those bastards, sir …

Tom now was almost speechless with anger, and Henry did not blame him. Henry was angry himself; an attack on a servant was an attack on the master, in effect. And there was something else: instead of being angry at his servants, still less ashamed of their behaviour, Lavenham was angry at Henry, probably because Henry and Henry’s servant had effectively interrupted Lavenham’s courtship of the Easterling daughter.

This made Henry even more antagonistic towards Lavenham. The phrase like master, like man occurred to Henry. The behaviour of Lavenham’s servants reflected very badly on Lavenham himself. The fellow was arrogant, self-righteous, and a bully, even cruel perhaps; he was certainly completely selfish. Henry was glad he was not a courtier, for he fancied men like Lavenham were often to be found at court. He couldn’t in justice blame Lavenham for debauching his intended, for his intended contributed to her own fall, but he could and did blame Lavenham for the behaviour of his servants.

The two men were passing Isleworth, which caused Henry to think of Mary Swanford once more. Henry shook his head and returned his thoughts to Lavenham. The fellow was certainly handsome and well set up with the figure that came from participating in athletic activities, including jousting. Henry’s family could not afford the horses and armour for jousting, but he rode, hunted, practiced at single stick and wrestling, like young men of his class usually did. While at Gray’s Inn, Henry had also frequented a school that taught fighting techniques, for London was a dangerous town.

The school was, like the other such schools in England, illegal but tolerated. The school Henry patronized was run by an Italian master, Signor Marcantonio, and Henry found the curriculum most enlightening. It included what holds to apply to an opponent, how to counter these, and the use of hands, feet, and one’s weight to defeat an aggressor. Then there was instruction in the use of a sword, a sword and dagger, a sword and buckler, a sword and cloak, two daggers, or any weapons at hand to stay alive. Now, having encountered someone like Lavenham and his servants, Henry decided to return to the school and to send Tom as well.

I will get you another quarterstaff and a dagger as well, Henry said. And I will send you to a school, Tom, to learn how to fight.

Tom growled, I knows how to fight, master.

Henry responded, Every trade has its tricks, and I want you to learn these, for your own sake and for my sake as well. I would not lose so good a servant. London is dangerous enough, even without jumped-up courtiers like my Lord Lavenham and his crew of scoundrels. For that matter, I will join you, for I would discover what I overlooked or learned imperfectly during my time at the Inns of Court.

Tom nodded at this, and the two men rode their horses through the darkening streets of London.

2. At School

Parliament was not in session the next day, so Henry and Tom walked to where Signor Marcantonio’s school was. There was no sign, of course, but everyone knew the location.

The school was on the ground level; it was a large, well-lit room containing a few chairs, two wooden horses, and several stands of weapons in racks along the walls. Signor Marcantonio remembered Henry; it had been only a year or two since he had been called to the bar and had left London. Henry explained Tom’s presence, including his injuries, which Tom didn’t like but which Henry thought necessary. They were early, and there were no other students. So