‘They are excellent and I have consumed more than I should already,’ I said politely. There was a question I needed to ask and I put it to the whole room. ‘May I ask, did any of you watch the king’s procession to the abbey for the re-crowning ceremony?’ Everyone stared blankly at me. It seemed there had been no news spread in the city about the event, a task Warwick had undertaken to organize. No wonder the crowd had been minimal. Warwick prided himself on his ability to spread information and I feared his failure in this matter was an indication of his indifference to my brother’s cause. For him glory lay in France, where his daughter Anne had now married Prince Édouard and was, he hoped, the future Queen of England.

To steer the conversation elsewhere, I offered my belated condolences for the passing of the children’s grandmother Mette, which were accepted with downcast eyes – then all were gazing at me once more. I said, ‘I seem to remember an infant called Jem. Was it short for Jeremiah?’

‘Ah yes, Jem is at sea with his cousin Gilbert, Mildy’s brother. We think he will make a sailor. It would be good to have a ship’s captain in the family now that trade has picked up with the Low Countries.’

I made no comment on this. A declaration of war with Burgundy was part of the agreement Warwick had made with King Louis in return for his ships and men. The ‘Spider’ wanted to destroy a treaty Edward had made with the Dukes of Burgundy and Brittany. Such a war would once more bring a halt to trade with Flanders and seriously affect London Merchant Venturers like Gilbert Vintner, who so far had backed Warwick. It was going to take some serious palm greasing on the earl’s part to keep them sweet. No wonder he had been anxious to collect revenue from his northern estates.

At dusk William climbed the stair from his legal office and the whole household gathered around a long trestle set before the fire, including Martin the legal apprentice, Dolly the housemaid and Jake, who they called the gong boy, suitably scrubbed up from his weekly tasks of mucking out the stables, byres and latrines. I was impressed with the easy relationship evident between the family and their servants; there was no lack of respect given to William and Meg but they encouraged conversation between all occupants of the house. I had come to appreciate such a refectory system during my wandering days in Europe, when most meals on the road had been taken at communal tables in inns and monastery hostels.