Kate Sedley: The Goldsmith's daughter

Next came a procession of guildsmen in all their fur-trimmed finery, followed by the Lord Mayor and his aldermen in their glory of scarlet hoods and gowns. And then a great fanfare of trumpets heralded the approach of the bride.

She walked, a small, upright figure between the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, glancing coldly to right and left, seemingly finding it difficult to move, so weighed down was she by her gown of cloth-of-gold and a multitude of jewels. All I can remember of her expression was the look of blighting indifference she cast at the crowds. Not so the Duke and Duchess, who smiled and nodded and occasionally offered a hand to be kissed. But their greetings were mechanical, and I thought how haggard they both looked. Prince Richard’s face, in particular, was pinched and lined with worry, its pallor accentuated by the rich crimson and purple of his wedding robes. Today, he must appear happy and joyful; but tomorrow, his brother would be brought to trial on a charge of high treason.

As the royal party drew nearer, I withdrew suddenly into the shadow of the chapel doorway, wishing that we had not placed ourselves to such advantage. I had no wish to be noticed by the Duke, previous encounters between us having invariably resulted in my undertaking some commission for him — commissions that had led me into personal danger. I therefore breathed a sigh of relief as he, together with the Duchess and the bride, passed into Saint Stephen’s Chapel without seeing me.

And now here at last was the little bridegroom, flanked by the King and Queen, and looking every bit as indifferent as his future wife. Boredom was written large on a face that had not yet lost the dimpled curves of infancy, and as we all watched, he gave a tremendous yawn, not bothering to conceal it behind his hand. His mother said something to him sharply, and his face puckered as if he were about to cry. Only the sudden weight of the King’s hand on his shoulder seemed to deter him, and he fought back the tears. I recollected Margaret’s strictures on the marriage of two such young children, and my heart went out to them.

Mine, it appeared, was not the only one; for while we waited outside in the cold for the Nuptial Mass to be celebrated, the general buzz of conversation was of the iniquity of such a wedding. But then, as Jack Nym had argued, it was the nobility’s way, and who were we to say it was wrong, so long as it had the sanction of the Church?

Suddenly the chapel doors were flung open, once more revealing the great cavern of warmth and light and colour, spilling out its radiance into the grey January morning. The bride and groom emerged, followed by the King and Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Two attendants advanced, carrying bowls of coins into which King and Duke dipped their hands, tossing a shower of gold to the waiting people.

Everyone was trying to catch as many coins as possible, and I, momentarily throwing caution to the wind, reached up with the rest. Because of my height, I towered over my neighbours and might have caught more than I did but for the fact that, glancing round, I found myself looking straight into the eyes of the Duke of Gloucester.

I don’t know what I expected from this exchange of glances; that Timothy Plummer would suddenly materialise at my elbow, perhaps, with orders that his master wished to see me without delay? Of course, no such thing happened: my lord of Gloucester’s Spymaster General was nowhere to be seen.

Nevertheless, I could not shake off a feeling of uneasiness. The Duke’s smile had been accompanied by a long, hard stare, and, in consequence, I was unable to enter into Adela and Jeanne’s excitement at this sign of royal recognition. It was a source of congratulation, and of some self-importance, to the two women for quite a while after the newly-wed couple and their guests had vanished into Westminster Hall for the wedding feast. But I could see that Philip was unimpressed and shared my worry.

‘You want to make yourself scarce, my lad,’ he growled in my ear, as we made our way towards the cook shops, all of us hungry from the cold and ready for our dinner. ‘The Duke of Gloucester’s nothing but a source of trouble where you’re concerned.’

I nodded. ‘The same idea has already occurred to me. But, on reflection, I believe we’re both being over-cautious. He has too much on his mind at this present to think up any commissions for me to do. Tomorrow’s trial of the Duke of Clarence must be weighing heavily on his mind. There can be no room in his thoughts for anything else.’

‘You won’t go to the trial, though, as you originally planned? You wouldn’t be so foolish as to tempt fate in that way, now would you?’ Philip urged.

‘Oh. . I’ll make sure I’m not noticed,’ I answered evasively, loath to forgo my purpose. Philip sighed heavily. ‘In that case, I wash my hands of you,’ he said.

We exchanged no further words on the subject, but my old friend’s disapproval was plain.

We caught up with our wives at one of the many stalls selling hot meat pies and steaming ribs of beef, and Adela, now that we had a little extra money on account of the two gold coins I had managed to catch, wanted to try a dish of baked porpoise tongues, a delicacy that had not before come in her way. I dissuaded her, however.

‘They may not agree with the child,’ I suggested, patting her stomach.

Reluctantly, she agreed, and settled for a meat pie instead. But then, against my advice — or, maybe, because of it — she insisted on drinking a cup of hot, spiced ale to warm her. I thought it a mistake, but was wise enough to make no further protest. Adela was too independent a woman to be driven in any direction she did not wish to go, and must be allowed to learn her lessons in her own way. I did venture to mention that the Westminster alemongers put a liberal sprinkling of pepper in their beer, but my comment was ignored.

It was no great surprise to me, therefore, as the day wore on, and as we pushed and fought our way from stall to stall through the jostling holiday crowds, to note that Adela’s face was contorted every now and then in spasms of discomfort. Eventually, it became obvious that she had lost all interest in the hats and ribbons, laces, shoes and petticoats, and in the hundred and one other goods being offered for sale, wanting nothing so much as to lie down and be quiet.

‘I’m sorry,’ she confessed at last, ‘but I’ve the most terrible burning pain in my breast. It’s the child, of course. You were right, Roger. I should have listened to you and not touched that ale.’

Jeanne Lamprey was immediately all concern, and she and Philip insisted on accompanying us nearly all the way to the Voyager in spite of our urging them to stay where they were.

‘There’s no good reason why we should spoil your holiday,’ Adela protested.

But they would have none of it, persuading us, with, I believe, some truth, that they were tired and would be glad to return home.

‘There are too many thieves and pickpockets about on these occasions,’ Philip grumbled. ‘A man’s hard-earned money isn’t safe.’

They went with us as far as the Great Conduit, where we parted company with mutual promises of seeing one another again within the next few days.

‘And take my advice,’ Philip whispered to me at parting. ‘Don’t go to Westminster Hall tomorrow.’

I went to bed worried about Adela, and with the idea of following his advice. But when, the next day, my wife declared herself so much better, and only wishful of a morning in bed in order to recover fully from yesterday’s exertions, I found myself with time on my hands. The consequence was well-nigh inevitable.

Westminster Hall was crammed to suffocation, and there was not a seat to be had anywhere. Outside, the bitter January wind was whipping through the streets, making the assembled crowds blow on their red, chapped hands and stamp their feet in an effort to combat the cold. But, by arriving early, I had just managed to squeeze through the doors, and now stood at the back of the hall in company with two dozen or so equally determined curiosity seekers. I could already feel the prickle of sweat under my arms and down my spine.