C. Sansom - Lamentation

‘I take it she knows nothing of this.’

‘No, sir. She would not have let me do it. She would have argued, it would have upset her mightily — women, they do not understand the hard necessities men can be driven to.’ He attempted a quick half-smile, man to man, as though we could at least agree on the vagaries of women. I stared back at him coldly. Though he recognized how dishonourably he had behaved, he had still not apologized. And he had disliked me from the beginning, as I disliked him. That made the next thing I said easier.

‘You will not leave yet, Martin. The game is not quite played out. A game involving the highest in the realm, which your betrayal has involved you in. When did you last meet Crabtree?’

He began to look worried. ‘Last Wednesday. I meet him once a week at the house near St Bartholomew’s, to give him what information I have. If there is urgent intelligence I am to leave a message that I wish to see him at a tavern nearby. I did that when I learned you had been burning books.’ He had the grace to lower his head as he said that.

‘For now you will say and do nothing. We shall go on apparently as before. I may need you to go to the tavern with a message, I do not know yet.’

He looked seriously worried now. ‘Could Agnes and I not just leave now?’

‘No. And if you go before I say you can, I will ensure you never work again. Now, I have to send a message to Hampton Court.’

Martin looked frightened. He must have realized Stice was connected to the heresy hunt, that politics was involved, but he had doubtless preferred not to think about it. ‘Is that understood?’ I asked sternly.

‘Yes, sir. I will do as you command.’ He took a deep breath, and before my eyes his face composed itself into its normal expressionless mask. He rose from his chair, a little shakily, and took up the silver bowl.

My appointment with Rowland was for two o’clock, and it was almost that now. My stomach rumbling with hunger, I left the house and walked down to Lincoln’s Inn. When I was shown into his chamber the Treasurer was sitting behind his desk as usual. He smiled at me, quite unashamed. ‘So the Privy Council let you go, Brother Shardlake?’

‘Yes. They recognized Mistress Slanning’s accusations for the rubbish they were.’

He inclined his beaky head, stroking the ends of his long beard. ‘Good. Then the matter is over, with no disgrace to Lincoln’s Inn. Secretary Paget sent a message asking me not to see you before today.’ He smiled. ‘They like to do that, ensure that the people to be brought before them have no advance warning.’ My anger must have shown in my face, for he added, ‘Take care what you say next, Brother Shardlake. Do not abuse me as you did once before: remember who I am.’

I replied quietly, ‘I know exactly who you are, Master Treasurer.’ He glared at me with his flinty eyes. ‘As the Slanning matter is over,’ I continued, ‘I take it there is nothing more to discuss. Except that, in light of my arrest, I presume someone else will attend the ceremonies to welcome the admiral later this week.’

Rowland shook his head. ‘You do presume, Brother Shardlake. The message from Secretary Paget was that if your appearance before the council led to your arrest for heresy I should find a substitute, but if you were released you should still attend. They want someone of serjeant rank and you are the only one in town, except old Serjeant Wells, who is entering his dotage and would probably turn up on the wrong day. So you will attend as planned, starting with the parade through the city on Friday. I take it you have the requisite robes and chain.’

‘The robes, no chain. Who can afford a gold chain these days?’

He frowned. ‘Then get one, Serjeant, in the name of Lincoln’s Inn, which you will be representing.’

I could not resist one piece of insolence. ‘Perhaps the Inn could provide me with one. After all, it has recently acquired the late Brother Bealknap’s estate. You will have his chain, surely.’

‘Gone to the Tower mint to be melted down like the rest of his gold,’ Rowland snapped. He waved a hand. ‘Now, that is enough, Brother.’ He pointed a skinny, inky finger at me. ‘Get a chain. And a shave as well. You look a mess.’

I needed to get the news about Brocket to Lord Parr as fast as possible, but I was hungry, and exhausted already. As I crossed the square to the refectory I realized both my hands were clenched tight into fists. Timothy’s stupidity, Brocket’s betrayal and Rowland’s insouciant rudeness had left me in a state of fury.

Feeling a little better for my meal, I went into chambers and asked Barak and Nicholas to come to my room. From the expression on Nicholas’s face Barak had told him about my arrest. When the door was closed behind us Barak said, ‘Thank God you’re out.’

‘No reply to the message you took?’

‘Nothing.’

I sat looking at him. It hurt that those I had served seemed to have abandoned me. The Queen most of all. I said, ‘Well, I must get another message to Hampton Court now. Something else has happened. It had best go direct to Lord Parr.’

‘Perhaps it might be better for me to take this one,’ Nicholas said. ‘The guards there may have instructions to hold Jack off; another messenger may get through more easily.’

I looked at him; the boy seemed himself again, after the dreadful hurt his father’s letter had caused. Yet I sensed a new sadness and seriousness in him.

Barak nodded agreement. ‘God’s blood, Nick boy, you’re learning the ways of politics fast.’ He gave him a mocking look. ‘So long as it’s not just a chance to see all the ladies inside Hampton Court.’

He answered quietly. ‘On my oath, after what has just happened to Master Shardlake, I have no wish to step into a royal palace.’

‘Thank you, Nicholas,’ I said. There was still loyalty in chambers at least, and my spirits rose a little.

‘But what happened at the council?’ Barak asked.

I told them about my appearance there, Rich’s unexpected help, and Martin’s disloyalty, concluding with my encounter with Rowland. I asked ruefully, ‘Has either of you a spare gold chain you don’t need?’

‘Rowland’s an arsehole,’ Barak said. ‘The way he cheated Bealknap, it almost makes me feel sorry for the old rogue.’ He looked at Nicholas. ‘If you make a career in the law, be sure you don’t turn out like either of them.’

Nicholas did not reply. I studied him. What would he do when his period with me came to an end in a few months? Run for the hills, if he was wise. But I hoped he would not.

‘So you still have to go to the ceremonials?’ Barak said. ‘I’m going with Tamasin to see the admiral arriving at Greenwich on Friday. She insisted.’

‘I should like to see that,’ Nicholas said.

‘I wish it were all over, these ceremonies that I must attend.’ I looked at him. ‘Try all you can to get the message through that I am about to write. It may be possible, now, to set up a meeting between Brocket and Stice at the house and then grab Stice. We may be able to find out exactly what Rich has been doing.’

Barak raised his eyebrows. ‘How? He won’t willingly betray his master. He’s not some youngster who got himself involved with crazy Anabaptists, like Myldmore and Leeman.’

‘I’ll leave that to Lord Parr,’ I answered grimly.

He looked at me askance. ‘I quite agree; but that’s a bit ruthless for you, isn’t it?’

‘I have had enough.’

‘What is Rich up to? We all thought he’d changed tack after the heresy hunt ended and Anne Askew’s book was taken. That he was helping you. But it was him, through Stice and Brocket, who reported your burning those books.’