C Sansom - Sovereign

‘No. Of course not. That is good of her.’

‘She sends her prayers.’

‘Give her my thanks. You were right,’ I continued, ‘when you warned me not to take Rich’s threats over the Bealknap case lightly. But – I thought I had gained the advantage, as a lawyer I could not drop it. And so he put me here.’ I gave Barak a doleful smile. ‘Will you say, I told you so?’

‘No. Yours was the path of integrity.’ He rose suddenly and took my hand in both of his. ‘’Tis unbearable to see you like this,’ he burst out.

‘Then we are truly friends again?’

‘Ay.’ He made an essay at another joke. ‘Though you didn’t need to go to these lengths to win me round.’ He gripped my hand harder. I winced.

‘Careful,’ I said. ‘That manacle is tight, the skin’s rubbed raw.’

‘Sorry.’ He stepped away, looking at the gyve with distaste.

‘You are still limping,’ I said.

‘I manage.’

I looked at him. ‘Get to Hampton Court, Jack. For Jesu’s sake, get to Cranmer. But be careful.’

ALL THE REST OF that long day I waited in the cell, hoping for further news, though I knew the tasks I had set Barak would take time. I remembered the bells we had heard along the river yesterday – was it only yesterday? – that Tamasin told me were ringing as part of special services the King had ordered to celebrate the happiness of his fifth marriage. He must not yet know the suspicions about Catherine. Cranmer would need strong evidence before he dared tell the King.

RADWINTER RETURNED early in the afternoon. I was relieved to see that he did not seem to have been hurt. He was in a filthy temper though. He sat on his bed, muttering to himself so furiously that spittle gathered at the edges of his mouth. I shuddered at the sight. At one point he looked up, glared at me and said, ‘The torture, they’ve promised me the torture tomorrow, though I’ve told them all. They can’t see it’s the truth. See, Father, they break the rules! You were wrong, the rules may be made by God but men put them into action, and they break them!’ He stopped then and gave that strange impish giggle I had heard yesterday. ‘You are not my father, I know that. You’re the soft hunchback lawyer. You do not understand anything.’ Then he turned his head away.

As the light began to fail our door was unlocked again and the young turnkey appeared. He carried three clean blankets and a neatly folded set of clothes, on top of which were some bread and cheese and fruit. He laid them down on the bed. ‘A girl left these for you.’ He gave me a lascivious grin. ‘Tasty little blonde. She your doxy?’

‘No.’

He looked at Radwinter, who had turned to stare at the wall when he saw the turnkey had not come for him. ‘He is not well,’ I said quietly. ‘In his mind.’

‘Ay, we’ve had a laugh with him, saying he’ll fetch the King and Cranmer down on us. But when he sees what’s in store for him tomorrow, that’ll shock him back into his wits soon enough. Always does. Goodnight then, matey.’ He slammed the door shut.

I tore a hunk off the bread and a lump of cheese. They tasted good. I had not realized how hungry I was. ‘Radwin-ter,’ I called. ‘Do you want some?’

He turned round and I saw he had been weeping. ‘No,’ he said and looked at me. ‘They still say I killed Broderick.’

‘I believe you did not.’

‘Who did then?’

‘I do not know. But I do not think it was you.’

He looked at me hard. Something seemed to change in his eyes, the madness returning. ‘Who cares what you think?’ he spat out with renewed viciousness.

‘No one.’

‘Soft hunchback fool.’ He turned away again.

‘Dear Jesu,’ I muttered under my breath, ‘save us both from this.’

A SECOND NIGHT in the cell, less cold under the blankets Tamasin had brought but no less full of terror. Radwinter muttered and cried out in his sleep. The rain stopped then began again, harder than ever, hissing like some furious animal. Another grey dawn took shape outside and I got up, wincing at the stiffness in my limbs, making the chains clank. I ate the last of the food. Where was Barak? Had he found anything out at the Guildhall? Had he made it to Hampton Court?

They came early that morning, their keys rattling in the lock. Both turnkeys. ‘Come on,’ the fat one said cheerfully to Radwinter. ‘You’re wanted.’

THEY CAME BACK for me two hours later. ‘Time to see Sir Jacob,’ the fat one said. ‘Now, you’re not going to be any trouble, are you?’ he coaxed ominously. ‘It’s just questions this time.’

I let them lead me out to the central area where the desk was. Beyond, I could see the barred door that led up to the White Tower. A soldier was waiting there. The young turnkey nodded to him. ‘This one for the deputy warden,’ he said. The soldier took my arm as the turnkey opened the door to the staircase. The soldier indicated I should walk ahead. I stumbled and clanked my way up the narrow staircase.

I heard a murmur of male voices ahead and felt shame and horror at the prospect of being marched past the soldiers in the Great Hall again, limping, in chains, unwashed. But the soldier led me past the entrance to the hall, up a further flight to another floor with large unbarred windows and fresh rushes on the floor. He stopped before a door and knocked. Sir Jacob’s voice called, ‘Come in.’

It was a light chamber, the walls painted yellow. Tables were covered with papers organized in neat piles. Maleverer’s offices, I remembered, had always looked chaotic.

A window streaked with rain showed Tower Green, where people walked to and fro. Sir Jacob, wearing a black doublet and white shirt, sat behind a desk. He looked at me seriously.

‘This is your one chance to answer my questions truthfully.’ He spoke quietly. ‘If you fail to satisfy me, what is being done to Radwinter now will be done to you. Do you understand?’

‘Yes, Sir Jacob.’ My heart was beating fast and again I suppressed the urge to blurt out everything I knew about the Queen. But I would not betray Barak and Tamasin, not while there was still a chance Barak could get to Cranmer, get me out of here.

‘The Queen was placed under confinement yesterday,’ Sir Jacob said, ‘following information received by Archbishop Cranmer that before her marriage she had dalliance with Francis Dereham, whom she appointed her secretary in York. There may be a precontract of marriage between them, and as a lawyer you know what difficulties that may cause in her marriage to the King.’

I was silent for a moment, shocked. Then I said, ‘I know nothing of this, sir. I scarce know Dereham. Sir, I believe I may know how this has come about.’

He nodded. I spoke rapidly, telling him of Rich’s animus against me over the Bealknap case, how he had seen me leave the Queen’s tent and, later, seen Dereham speak to me. I repeated the lie I had told Rich when he saw Dereham talking to me in Hull, that Dereham had seen me at Fulford and used our meeting in the street to make further mock of me. I hesitated before saying that and from a quick intense flicker of Sir Jacob’s eyes I saw he had noticed. He was an experienced interrogator. He consulted a paper on his desk, then rapped, ‘What was your business with the Queen at Howlme?’

It was as well I worked in a profession where you needed to think on your feet. ‘It concerned one of her servants, Tamasin Reedbourne. She has a – a relationship with my assistant, Master Barak. She was in some trouble with Lady Rochford over it.’