Under Difficult Circumstances
Edward had never visited Middleham Castle before. The sight that greeted him on the horizon - the square silhouette of the stone keep, the looming flagpoles that seemed to spear low-hanging clouds - seemed brand new.
The North was a foreign land to him. Two years ago, he had lived with his sister and his royal cousins in London, safe behind the walls of Sheen Palace. When the Marquis of Dorset had bought his wardship, Edward was sent to his household in the West Country.
But now his guardian had fled to France, for reasons that the young earl could not hope to understand. All he knew was that he was being sent north, to the household and care of his aunt, the Duchess of Gloucester, where he would be reunited with his dear sister.
It felt like hours - even days - before the carriage entered the city gates, and even longer before they reached the residence of his aunt, cousin and sister.
The first face he saw was one of a young girl, only a few years older than he, standing in the entranceway behind a footman. He did not need to note her small nose, pale complexion or confident demeanour, for he knew exactly who this was.