Wednesday 13 August 2008

Crossing the threshold

Richard needed to talk to his unexpected ally Elizabeth. Elizabeth was puzzled by his actions, though. Had he just used her help to grab power for himself? What had become of her sons, the princes in the Tower? How could she trust a man who had accused her of sorcery? She hoped she had not misjudged him, but her survival instinct told her to remain in the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey.

To overcome her reluctance, Richard swore a solemn oath in public before the Lords and Bishops and the Mayor and Aldermen of London. He promised not to imprison or in any way harm Elizabeth or her daughters. He promised Elizabeth a substantial pension, and that he would ensure that her daughters were married to men becoming their station.

Despite her doubts, Elizabeth was sure that Richard was not a man who would break such a pledge, and so she came out from the Abbey with her daughters.

That threshold crossed, Richard set up the crucial meeting. His experience of secret assignations with women facilitated this. When it had become clear that Anne's disease ridden body could not be risked with childbearing, he had turned to others, but as Elizabeth had already acknowledged those liaisons had remained undiscovered.

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