Lamentation

There was a knock at the door. Agnes Brocket entered, her face weary and tear-stained. ‘Martin has told you our news, sir?’

‘About John? Yes. I am sorry.’

‘Thank you for letting us go, sir. We will return as soon as we can. Martin has gone out on a last piece of business.’ She smiled wanly.

So Martin had not told his wife they would not be returning. No doubt he would make up some story later. Poor Agnes, so honest and hard-working, so full of goodwill. Her son in prison, her husband’s deceits kept from her. I said gently, ‘I have been looking out at my garden. You have done much good work there, and in the house.’

‘Thank you, sir.’ She took a deep breath, then said, ‘My husband, I know he is not always easy, but it is I who insisted we must go to John today — the fault is all mine.’

‘No fault to want to see your son.’ I reached for my purse which I had put on the desk. ‘Here, take some money, you will need it on the journey.’ I gave her a half-sovereign. She clutched it tightly and lowered her head. Then, with a desperate effort at her old cheerfulness, she said, ‘Make sure Timothy and Josephine stay out of mischief, sir.’

I waited till Martin returned and confirmed he had delivered the message. I gave him the reference. I did not want to watch them leave, so I left the house again and walked to Lincoln’s Inn. I needed to speak to Barak and Nicholas and take their counsel.

I took them both into my office and told them what had just happened. I said, ‘This means Stice must be dealt with tomorrow.’

‘What grounds are there to lift him?’ Barak asked. ‘He hasn’t done anything illegal, and Rich won’t be pleased.’

‘That’s a matter for Lord Parr. I will look for him at this great banquet at Hampton Court tomorrow afternoon. My last assignment for Treasurer Rowland. From what I gleaned from the instructions, it will be just a matter of standing round with hundreds of others,’ I said bitterly, ‘showing d’Annebault how many prosperous Englishmen with gold chains there are. Though most are struggling with the taxes to pay for the war, while many thousands more that he will not see struggle simply to exist.’

Barak raised his eyebrows. ‘You sound like one of the extreme radicals.’

I shrugged. ‘Anyway, I should be able to find Lord Parr then.’

‘What if you don’t? Among all that throng?’

‘I will.’ Then all the anger that had been building in me in these last few days burst out and I banged a fist on my desk, making the glass inkpot jump and spill ink. ‘I’ll find what Rich and Stice have been up to. Damn them, spying on me for months, kidnapping Nicholas, cozening me into working for them. I’ll have no more of it! I’m tired to death of being used, used, used!’

It was seldom I lost my temper, and Barak and Nicholas looked at each other. Nicholas said tentatively, ‘Might it not be better to leave the matter where it is, sir? Your faithless steward is gone. Anne Askew’s book is taken abroad, the Queen’s book vanished. And it was taken by different men, not Stice. There is now no trace of the men who killed Greening and those others in his group.’

‘And no evidence at all they are connected to Rich,’ Barak agreed. ‘Quite the opposite.’

‘There has always been some — some third force out there, someone who employed those two murderers,’ I said. ‘But we have never been able to find out who. Whatever Rich and Stice’s reason for spying on me — as they have been since well before the book was stolen — it may be nothing to do with the Lamentation; but it is to do with the Queen. Brocket said he was told particularly to watch for any contact between us. For her sake I have to resolve this. And, yes, for mine!’

Nicholas looked at me seriously. ‘Do you want me to come to the house tomorrow?’

Barak nodded at him. ‘There is no guarantee Stice will be alone tomorrow.’

‘Lord Parr has sent a man to watch the house, he’ll know who’s coming and going.’

‘You should still have somebody with you, sir,’ Nicholas persisted. I looked at him; the expression on his freckled face was sincere, though I did not doubt that his youthful taste for adventure had been stirred again.

Barak said, ‘Well, if he goes, I’d better go too, to keep an eye on you both.’

I hesitated. ‘No, you have both done enough. I’m sure I can persuade Lord Parr to send some men.’

‘But if you can’t — ’ Barak raised his eyebrows.

I looked at them. I realized that from the moment I had sent Brocket with the message I had wanted them to offer to come. And both of them had made their offer mainly from loyalty to me. My throat felt suddenly tight. ‘We will see,’ I said.

Nicholas shook his head. ‘I wish we could have discovered who was behind those men who stole the Queen’s book.’

Barak laughed. ‘You’re doing a lot of wishing, long lad. It doesn’t look like Rich but it’s not impossible. Or it could be Wriothesley, or either of them acting on Bishop Gardiner’s orders.’