He had issued a proclamation that denounced Buckingham as a rebel and traitor, ordered the Great Seal to be delivered to Richard in its white bag, and called his loyal subjects to arms. With two of his great lords, Northumberland, and Thomas, Lord Stanley, he moved to Leicester, where his troops were mustering, and pondered a move to defend London. When news came that Jack Howard had neutralized the East Anglian and southeast insurgency, he marched in the pouring rain to Coventry, intent on sweeping the southwest and Wales clean of rebels, including their leader, the perfidious duke of Buckingham. Others declaimed were Thomas, marquis of Dorset, the queen’s brother; the bishop of Salisbury; and one of the chief plotters, John Morton, bishop of Ely, who had ridden with Buckingham from Brecknock.

But two women were also colluders—two mothers in fact—each believing her son was the center of the rebel cause, so Richard learned. It was clear to him that Elizabeth must believe young Edward was alive, and he came to the swift decision that she did not deserve to hear the truth from him. Let her believe the boys had been sent away. Margaret Beaufort, on the other hand, must know they are dead from Morton and Buckingham, and so her cause was simple: to set her son Henry on the throne. For a moment, Richard felt sorry for the queen; the cleverer Beaufort woman had tricked Elizabeth into supporting Buckingham, promising that he would return the crown to young Edward. By this time, Richard was convinced Harry’s only goal was to take the crown for himself—his claim, in truth, was better than Tudor’s. “Batfowling scoundrel,” he muttered, “and bloody fool.”

A few days later, Richard issued another proclamation hoping to avoid as much bloodshed as possible: The crown promises to pardon any man who was duped into following that great rebel and traitor the duke of Buckingham, and the bishops of Salisbury and Ely, or the marquis of Dorset, whose damnable maintenance of vices make them traitors, adulterers and bawds.

Thomas Stanley chuckled. “I assume you are referring to the adulterer Dorset? Isn’t that language a little strong, my lord?”

Richard did not hesitate. “That is what he is, Lord Stanley,” he snapped. “Do not forget he was mentored by Hastings to lure my brother into debauchery, and he is bedding my brother’s whore. I would prefer my court to be safe for virtuous and God-fearing people once more.”