D. Wilson - The Traitor’s Mark

‘So what do you think of this brother?’ I asked.

‘Too handsome by half,’ was her immediate response.

I laughed. ‘Must a man be ugly to gain your approval?’

‘Oh, ’tis not his looks I like not. A man may be a popinjay and yet have a heart. This Ignatius is all bound up in himself. He actually told me how inconvenient it was for him to have to come down to Kent. You’d think Adie had got sick to spite him.’

‘Yet, he is her brother. We may hope his coming lifts her spirits.’

She sniffed. ‘We may hope! Were I his sister, my spirits would be revived by fetching him a box about the ears.’

It was supper time before I had an opportunity to consider Lizzie’s judgement of our guest. My friends and I were all gathered round the hall table and I had placed Ignatius on my right. My first impressions certainly supported Lizzie’s opinion. Adie’s brother was about twenty years of age, yet he had cultivated a short square-cut beard in the latest fashion. His clothes were expensive and, on a chain around his neck, he had a pomander, which he frequently wafted beneath his nose. But it was the large ring he wore on his right hand that, to my expert eye, was most revealing. The stone, a cornelian, was good of colour, but flawed, and the gold was not of high quality.

‘A fine ring,’ I said. ‘Is it a family heirloom?’

‘Yes, it was my grandfather’s.’

‘Was it he who came first to England? The name “Imray” is Flemish, is it not?’

‘Yes, we are of an old landed family from near Antwerp.’

‘A fine city,’ I said.

‘You know it?’ There was a trace of anxiety in his voice.

‘Indeed. I am particularly impressed with that enormous cathedral. The biggest in Europe, is it not?’

‘Yes,’ he agreed, ‘it is a truly magnificent building.’

‘So how did your grandfather come to settle in England?’

‘That’s a sad story,’ Ignatius said. ‘There was a family feud that ended with my grandfather being cheated out of his inheritance. But there is still a legal battle going on and I am in hopes to recover my hereditary lands, ’ere long.’

Ned said, ‘I gather you work for Lord Graves.’

‘Well, not so much work for him,’ the young man said airily. ‘The Graves are distant relatives. His lordship is kindly providing hospitality until I can return to Flanders to take my rightful place there.’

‘How like you Leicestershire?’ Lizzie asked.

‘I like it well. There are several good families among our neighbours.’

He went on to tell a string of stories – many indiscreet – about the leading clans of Leicestershire. ‘But they are good-hearted folk,’ he concluded. ‘I think I may soon find a suitable wife there. That is, if I have time to look. His lordship is much away and he leaves me in charge of the estate.’

The conversation drifted on to such subjects as fashion, hunting and the breeding of horses, on all of which our guest had pronounced opinions. By this time Bart and Lizzie were exchanging conspiratorial smiles and sometimes putting hands to mouths to conceal laughter. When Ignatius boasted of the sums he had won at cards, Bart suggested a game of primero.

At that stage I intervened. ‘Excellent idea, but first I must steal our friend away from you. We need to discuss Adie’s future.’

I took Ignatius to my parlour and set before him some canary wine in one of my Venetian glasses.

‘I am most impressed by your family history,’ I said, ‘but one thing that puzzles me is how the sister of such a fine gentleman as you finds herself in the position of nurse to the children of a mere artisan.’

He took a long draught of wine and set down his glass with a sigh. ‘I’m sorry to have to say that she is responsible for her fall in status. Lord Graves has been very good to us, especially after our father died – worn out by the legal battle over our lands. He arranged a good match for Adriana with the son of a gentleman third in line to an earldom. Any other girl would have been delighted by the opportunity. But not Adriana. She flew into fits of angry tears at the mere mention of her suitor’s name. It was all very embarrassing.

Naturally, I did what I could to soothe his lordship’s anger but he was, very reasonably, upset. He said if she would not have the man he had chosen, he would have nothing more to do with her. As it happened, that painter fellow was in the house to take his lordship’s likeness. He offered to give Adriana a home looking after his children and she accepted. She said anywhere would be better than under Lord Graves’s roof. It was wickedly ungracious of her.’

I sat back and took a long hard look at the effete young man before me.

‘You are an entertaining guest, Master Imray. My problem is filleting out the bones of fact from all the highly coloured flesh of your fictions. Everyone here has become very fond of your sister, and I, for one, do not recognise the picture you have painted of her. Do you think we might start again, so that you can tell me the truth about her and your shared background?’

Imray covered his obvious shock with bluster. ‘Master Treviot, I greatly appreciate your hospitality to me and your care for my sister, but I’ll thank you to guard your tongue better.’

I ignored the protest. ‘Let us begin with your family origins. Most Flemings who have come to England are cloth weavers – excellent craftsmen, proud of their skill and their independence. They arrived, seeking that freedom to ply their trade that was denied them in their own land. Would I be right in assuming that your grandfather was among their number?’

Imray stared into his glass and made no comment.

I continued. ‘I suggest that like others of his honourable calling he, unfortunately, arrived in England at a bad time for independent artisans. The wealthy London cloth merchants were consistently and deliberately extending their control over all sections of the industry. Spinners, weavers and fullers were being forced to work for these clothiers on the terms they set. Many of them went out of business. Was that the fate of your grandfather, or, perhaps, your father?’

‘My father was a gentleman attendant on Lord Graves,’ Imray responded haughtily.

‘Ah, yes, he was resourceful enough to take up another career – as a falconer, I believe.’

‘Is that what my sister has told you?’

‘It is. Are you suggesting that she was lying?’

The young man’s cheeks were flushed as he struggled to retain his dignity. ‘She’s only a simple woman. She doesn’t understand how a noble household operates. Our father was very close to Lord Graves.’

‘And looked after his hunting birds.’

‘He had a natural talent for falconry. He bought and trained the best birds in Europe. Lord Graves’s mews is the finest in England. He even supplied hawks to his majesty.’ ‘Then why are you ashamed of him?’

‘I? Ashamed?’ He stood abruptly. ‘Sir, you forget yourself!’

‘Oh, do sit down,’ I said, as patiently as I could. ‘It is not my intention to insult you. My only concern is for Adriana’s welfare. You want to better yourself and become a fine gentleman. There’s nothing wrong with that; though, if you want my advice, I would suggest that putting on airs and graces doesn’t create the impression you would like to convey. However, that is your concern. Mine is for Adriana.’

Imray sat down, still sullen. ‘In that case I trust you will arrange for her to return to Leicestershire.’

‘Certainly, if she wishes to do so – and only if she wishes to do so. Now, I understand you have lost both your parents. When was that?’

‘Five years since. They were on a visit to relatives in Flanders. On the way back their ship foundered.’