Westminster, april 28, 1442
Today, news has reached us from Rouen. This morning the Duchess of York, Lady Cecily Neville, had blessed her husband the Duke of York with a son and heir. The boy will be known as Edward, Earl of March. The time of birth however, is suspicious and this author wonders about the dubious circumstances of the conception of this baby boy.
Rumours have reached us that Richard III, Duke of York, was absent nine months ago. The Duke has been away for five weeks to oversee the siege of Pointoise. Contacts within the staff at Rouen have told us that, while the Duke was away, the Duchess had more than a usual amount of meetings with a certain archer by the name of Blaybourne. Lady’s maids have confessed that the Duchess behaved in a very flirtatious way, and that she may have lifted her skirts on at least one occasion. This obviously raises questions on the boy’s legitimacy. The Duke of York himself does not seem to have any doubts and is said to have been overjoyed by the birth of a son. Midwives have been heard telling that the boy was, in fact, a bit small. Could it simply be that the boy was born too early?
I guess we’ll have to wait for the boys appearance in future: Will he look like his legal father? For now, we congratulate the Duke and Duchess of York on the birth of their heir and hope he will bring great things to this country in future.
~Anonymous authors W.J.K and A.H.