‘I know you will be anxious about Harri, Jane, as I am about Walter, but I am sure we will soon hear news from my nephew Richard, who was charged with their care. Unfortunately I do not know what instructions he had in the event of this outcome but he is a sensible and trustworthy young man and he will have kept the boys safe, I am certain of that.’

‘Let us pray that is so, my lady, and may I say how sorry I am for your loss.’ They were trite words but it was all I could think of to say. Because he was Lord Jasper’s sworn enemy, Lord Herbert had not stood high in my estimation but I knew Lady Anne’s mourning would be more heartfelt than social convention required.

Her eyes instantly filled with fresh tears but her voice was harsh and fierce. ‘It is more than just a loss it is a desecration! My lord was not killed in the battle, he was captured and the next day he was taken before the Earl of Warwick in Northampton. There was no trial, no reference to a higher authority. It seems that not only has Warwick invaded the king’s peace, he has wickedly taken the law of the kingdom into his own hands. He arbitrarily sentenced my lord to death for treason, along with his younger brother Richard, his second in command.’

There was a pause while she drew several deep breaths to steady herself. ‘I am told that Lord William pleaded on his knees for his brother’s life, saying that only he was responsible for any perceived offence, but Richard was marched out there and then to the scaffold. He was only twenty-eight. William was given time to write a codicil to his will and then he, too, met the axe. I can imagine King Edward’s fury and despair when he heard of these deeds, for my lord and his brother were his most faithful servants.’

Shocked and horrified by what Lady Anne told me, I was at a loss for words. Finally, after a long silence she reached out and clutched my hand, whether to offer comfort or express her anger I could not tell. Her eyes were screwed tight shut as she added, ‘I cannot think how I am going to tell my children of this terrible deed and I do not know who to go to for help or redress.’

At length I found my tongue. ‘Does anyone know where King Edward is, my lady? Will he bring a force against Warwick perhaps?’ I was clutching at straws, hoping as well that Jasper had not been involved in these executions and hardly believing that it would be possible.