September 1215 A.D. – London – Reviewing Progress

William Marshal leant back in his chair, his hands under his chin, with lips pursed and brow furrowed. He was an old man now, well into his seventh decade. And he had a long history of intrigues at the highest level.

But this was different. He was playing for the highest stakes imaginable. And he was also deceiving two of Europe’s most important royals. He could not confide these plans to any of his usual confidants. Not even John of Early, his most loyal and faithful supporter, with whom he had shared so many triumphs and disasters over the decades. The only man who knew some of the plot details, and with whom he could share a little of his concerns, was the Temple Master in London.

It was Aymer St. Mawr who had come to him with the request, from the Grand Master in the Holy Land, no longer the Gerard he’d met in Jerusalem some three decades earlier, but Guillame de Chartres. A source of funding was apparently required for a Holy cause. No details had been provided even to the London Master. Just that the Templars needed a large fortune that could be acquired and stored in secret.

The Templars had been true to their word after his visit to Saladin, and had provided assistance to the Marshal at several key moments in his career. They had been a key part of the army that defeated Meilyr in Ireland. More recently, they had provided a private space at their Temple in London for the Marshal to advise King John, on his issues with the barons. The Earl would have liked to help Aymer St. Mawr, but initially he had thought there was no opportunity for him to offer substantive assistance.

Although wealthy, he didn’t have the sort of funds the Templars required. But then his thoughts had turned to all the plots with which he was currently involved. Gradually an idea began to emerge. At first he rejected it as too outrageous, even for him. Regicide was surely a step too far. After briefly discussing an outline with Aymer though, it had started to seem more reasonable. And William still bore King John nothing but ill will.

Since then the plan had taken on a life of its own. He was certain that there was now a real chance to make his scheme become a reality. If this succeeded the Templars would be forever in his debt. He should be buried in that Church of theirs.

The Marshal thought what his next step should be. He had confidence in the French knight Allard and would not need to meet with him again until the following summer. Unless anything went wrong, which a lot of things could. And he had Louis of France’s assurances to keep the pressure up on the English king. The liaison with the son of the French King was by far the most dangerous leg of the plot.

He needed a reason to convince the King that he needed to keep the royal wealth with him. Louis’ invasion of England had provided that justification. John didn’t dare leave treasure around the country even in secure storage for fear that the French would overcome these caches. William had also reminded King John, that he might well need most of his wealth to hire mercenaries. It would be especially important if Louis continued his menacing advances through the country. The instructions had gone out to the King’s Treasurer to start the process of gathering the King’s riches together.

William Marshal was woken from his revelry, by the approach of one of his servants.

“Sir, the Templar Master, St Mawr has arrived. Am I to allow him entrance as you requested?”

William nodded his assent, and the Templar was shown into the room and took a seat next to the old man. He looked up at the Templar Master with great hooded eyes.

“How has the first part gone? Have you word from Brother Allard? Was he well received at the Abbey?”

“Yes, my Lord. The letter with the papal seal resolved any doubts the Abbot may have harboured.”

It was, thought William, good that by virtue of his experience at court, he himself was such an experienced politician. Vital, he thought, to build as large a consensus as possible, when the plot involved removing a King. A word with the Pope’s representative in London had convinced the Marshal that Innocent III shared his frustration with King John.

Of course he could only allude to his plans. The Pope would never willingly involve his office directly with such an option. But William had explained to the Pope’s representative, that all he needed was for the Abbot at Furness, to support the Templars in securing funds for a genuine Christian purpose. And a letter confirming Innocent III’s agreement had been duly forthcoming. By giving the Templar knight the letter and sending him to the north the old nobleman felt he had crossed the Rubicon.

“Master Templar, the die is cast for us now. If the plan succeeds, then I shall need to move on to other matters of state. Not least the succession, and how to prevent the French from taking the entire Kingdom.”