But no Bretons reached the castle. This was one occasion when John really did arouse himself and he went into action to make sure that they were turned out of Normandy.

He sent a message to the castle, and when Hubert heard that the King’s emissary had come and would speak with him alone his heart sank because he guessed what the orders would be.

He received him in his bedchamber and shut the door so that none could hear.

‘What news?’ he asked.

‘The King’s orders are for your ears alone. The Duke of Brittany is to be fettered.’

‘Fettered! He is safe enough here. I have guards. I watch over him myself.’

‘The King’s orders. There is another. The King says that you are to do your duty as commanded by him. He expects news without delay.’

Hubert bowed his head.

As he feared, the time had come.


‘Must I wear these fetters, Hubert?’

‘It is the King’s orders that you should.’

‘But I didn’t before.’

‘No, but since then, as you know, your supporters have been trying to reach you.’

‘So the King is afraid of them?’

‘It would seem so.’

‘To be fettered so! It is humiliating for a prince.’

‘For all men,’ replied Hubert. ‘They have their feelings just like princes.’

‘But the higher a man is in rank the deeper the humiliation.’

‘I’ll tell you what,’ said Hubert. ‘When you and I are together we will undo the fetters.’

‘You don’t like to see me chained any more than I like it myself, Hubert.’

‘Of course I don’t.’

‘Because at heart, Hubert, you care for my welfare, do you not? I believe you hoped my friends would come and take me away.’

There was a lump in Hubert’s throat.

‘You did. You did,’ cried Arthur. ‘Confess it.’

‘For your sake, yes.’

‘Oh dear, dear Hubert. And let me tell you this. I thought: If they take me, what of Hubert? John will be so angry. What will he do to Hubert? For he will blame him. I couldn’t bear that, Hubert. He is such a wicked man. He does terrible things to those who anger him. I would take you with me, Hubert. Yes, I would. I had thought it all out. I was going to tell them: Bind Hubert de Burgh. Make him my prisoner. That was what I was going to do. I would have changed our positions … and then we could have stayed friends.’

‘But it did not come to pass,’ said Hubert.

And to himself he said: Oh God, I wish it had.


There was another messenger at Falaise. He too came from the King. He wished to know if Hubert de Burgh had a message for the King.

‘The time has not yet come,’ said Hubert.

‘I was told to say that the King expects to have news soon. He grows impatient with delay.’

‘He shall have news soon,’ said Hubert, and he stood at a turret window watching the messenger ride away.

He knew now that the moment had come. All he had to do was give the order and merely stand by and see it carried out.

He shut himself in his bedchamber. He knelt and cried out to God to show him a way out of this terrible situation in which he found himself. But there was no way. He tried to persuade himself. John was right up to a point. There could not be peace while Arthur lived – but if he were a poor maimed creature no one, not even the Bretons, could wish to see him on the throne.

Better for the boy to die, a thousand times better.

There was no way, of course. That was clear. He had no recourse but to carry out the King’s orders.

He sent for two attendants, loutish men who would perform any deed for money. He knew that they had been used before for brutal tasks and found a certain pleasure in performing them.

They would do their work and do it quickly, which was best.

He spoke to them and told them what the King’s orders were.

‘’Tis so, my lord,’ cried one. ‘And not surprised am I. I’ve been waiting for it.’

‘When the deed is done,’ said Hubert, ‘you two will go from here. You will not mention a word of what has happened. You know the punishment for such as you who think fit to chatter.’

‘We’ll be silent as the grave, my lord. When should the work be done?’

‘Soon,’ said Hubert firmly. ‘Let us have done with it.’

‘We’ll do it with the irons, my lord.’

Hubert was shivering.

‘Go to,’ he said turning away. ‘Be ready and wait upon my call.’

He went to his room; he knelt and prayed for strength.

‘I would I had died before I were called upon to do this,’ he whispered. Then he rose and went into that room which was now a prison cell and which he feared would shortly be the scene of the greatest tragedy of his life. It would haunt him for ever more, and make him wish he had never been born to play a part in it.

‘Hubert, ’tis you then. Welcome. Come, take off my fetters. Is it to be chess? Why, what ails you?’

‘My boy, I feel unwell today.’

‘You are ill? What is it? Tell me. Something terrible has happened. They are going to take you away. I shall never see you any more.’

Hubert sat down and covered his face with his hands.

‘It’s true,’ cried Arthur. ‘I shan’t allow it, Hubert. Let’s run away from here, together. We’ll escape to Brittany. High honours shall be yours. We won’t worry about the crown and John and all that. We’ll just be friends as we have been here.’

Hubert did not answer.

‘Hubert, Hubert, look at me.’

He pulled Hubert’s hands from his face and stared at him aghast.

‘I never saw such sorrow in a face,’ said Arthur.

Hubert put him from him and stood up. He clapped his hands and the two men came in with the brazier and the irons.

‘What means this?’ cried Arthur shrilly.

Hubert did not answer. The tears had started to fall down his cheeks.

‘Oh God, have mercy on me. Oh God, help me. Hubert, they are going to burn out my eyes.’

One of the men said: ‘Ready, my lord?’

‘Not yet,’ said Hubert quickly. ‘One moment yet.’

Arthur had fallen to the floor; he clutched at Hubert’s legs. ‘Hubert, my friend Hubert,’ he cried. ‘You can’t let them do this to me. You are my friend.’

‘Arthur …’

‘Yes, Hubert, yes?’

‘These are the King’s orders. I am his man. I must obey.’

‘Not this, Hubert. You could never do this. If you did you would kill yourself because you couldn’t bear it. You’d jump from the tower and take me with you … because neither of us could bear to live … like that.’

‘Mayhap you are right. I could not endure it … but do it I must.’

‘You cannot … Hubert. You cannot.’

‘The irons are hot, my lord,’ said one of the men. ‘Shall we bind him now? ’Tis hard to do when they struggle.’

Hubert put up a hand to silence them. He knelt beside Arthur on the floor. Arthur took his hand and lifted his face.

‘Look at my eyes, Hubert. Do not flinch. Look at them and remember that we love each other. You cannot let them do this. I would never let them do it to you. I promise you that. If they tried to, I would kill them rather. Not my eyes, Hubert … anything but my eyes. Have you ever thought what it would be like never to see the sky again and the grass and the walls of a castle, the flint glistening in the sun? Have you thought what it would be like never to look into the face of a friend, to see him smile, to see his eyes light up at the sight of you? You couldn’t rob me of that, Hubert, could you?’

‘I must,’ cried Hubert. ‘I must.’

‘You could not. I know you well. You will not, Hubert.’

How long the silence seemed to go on. Then Hubert stood up. His voice rang out clear and strong. ‘Take away those things. We shall not be using them.’

The men trained to obey without question immediately started to remove the brazier.

They had gone and the silence went on and then suddenly Arthur and his jailer were sobbing in each other’s arms.


‘We must think now how best to act,’ said Hubert.

‘Oh, you are indeed my friend,’ cried Arthur.

‘We are in danger; you must know that well. Thank God I was the one given this foul task. I was sad once because it was given to me but if it had been given to another …’

Arthur shivered. ‘None but you would have been brave enough to defy John,’ said Arthur proudly.

‘Let us not forget that we have defied him. He must not know.’

Arthur clung to Hubert’s arms. ‘I do fear him, Hubert. I boasted and said I didn’t. But I do. I do. I believe Satan is kinder than he is and all the devils in hell less cruel.’

‘You may well be right. I shall have to tell him the deed is done, for he will be sending soon to know that it is.’

‘What if he comes to look at me? He will. I know he will. He will not be able to resist taunting me.’

‘I had thought of that. I must say that you died while it was being done. We must find a hiding place for you, where you can live in peace until the time shall come when you can be free.’

‘Where, Hubert, where?’

‘’Twere safer in this castle for a while. If I can remain here … its custodian … and why should I not? … we can keep our secret.’

‘We will do it, Hubert.’

‘And I will say that you are dead and buried.’

‘Where should I be buried?’

‘I must think of that. But in the meantime I must bribe those ruffians.’

‘Can you trust them?’

‘By paying them well and threatening them with what I will have done to them if they betray us. They are safe enough, for no one will know that they were here. It is a good plan and I think it will work. I have good friends in a Cistercian abbey not far from here. They will help me in this and I shall tell the King that I had you buried quietly there.’