C Sansom - Sovereign

‘Ay, it is. I have been looking all over this damned place for you. Maleverer wants to see us both, at King’s Manor.’

‘Oh.’ Suddenly my head was clear, my self-indulgent gloom chased away.

‘A representative of the Privy Council is there. He wants to talk to us about the missing papers. Now.’

WE STOOD AGAIN before Maleverer’s desk. A pair of guards had escorted us through King’s Manor, where richly dressed servants and officials walked in decorous silence. The King and Queen would be upstairs now, in the royal apartments. I remembered the men that morning, labouring to get the King’s giant mattress upstairs.

Maleverer sat behind his desk, dressed in a red silk doublet, a chain of office round his neck. He motioned Barak and me to stand before his desk and sat surveying us.

‘Well, sir lawyer, I told you the Privy Council would be sending someone to talk to you.’ He smiled evilly as footsteps were audible outside. ‘You will be interested to see whom they have sent.’

I did not reply. There was a peremptory knock at the door. Maleverer stood up and in the instant before he bowed deeply his expression was transformed from hulking bully to fawning courtier as Sir Richard Rich, swathed in a magnificent beaver-lined robe of dark-green velvet, walked in.

‘Sir Richard. This is an honour. Please take my chair.’

‘Thank you, Sir William,’ Rich replied smoothly. He sat down, Maleverer taking up a respectful position beside him. Rich looked at me, his pale features puckering into an acid smile.

‘Master Shardlake, my brother in the law. I saw you in York the other night. I know Master Shardlake, Sir William.’

‘He is a great nuisance,’ Maleverer said.

‘I know that well.’ Rich’s cold grey eyes scanned my face. ‘We had several – encounters – last year, and have another pending in Chancery.’

‘Indeed?’

‘But did you know, Sir William, the King did Brother Shardlake the honour of speaking to him this afternoon. Or at least, speaking of him.’

‘I gathered something had happened.’

‘It is the talk of all the law clerks. Brother Shardlake was appointed to present the gripes and whines of the York petitioners to His Majesty at Fulford Cross, together with a Yorker lawyer -’

‘Old Wrenne.’

‘Is that his name? You should have seen Brother Shardlake and this Wrenne standing before the King. Wrenne is a very tall and straight old fellow, and from a distance they looked like some proud old pensioner out with his bent crone of a wife.’ Rich laughed. ‘The King remarked they breed fine fellows in the north, finer than some of the creatures the south can produce.’

Maleverer looked at me, then smiled. ‘His Majesty ever knew the value of a timely jest. That will have gone down well with the Yorkers.’

‘So it did. They stood there cackling with laughter.’

Maleverer gave me an evil grin. ‘You see, Master Shardlake, you have helped the King a little in bending the north to his will.’

I fought to keep my voice under control. ‘Then I am happier for it.’

Maleverer laughed. ‘Well answered, eh, Sir Richard?’

Rich grunted. ‘Sarcastically answered, if I know the mind of our friend.’ He made a steeple of his fingers and leaned forward. ‘But now, there are other matters on hand. Master Shardlake, you had possession of a cache of papers – very important papers, more than you can know. And you let them be stolen. Sir William has told me what happened, but I want the story from your own lips.’

‘Very well, Sir Richard.’

I told him of our visit to Oldroyd’s house, the discovery of the secret panel in the wall and the papers, and how I had been struck down. Rich frowned mightily when I told him how Barak had tried to open the box.

‘You had no right to open that casket. Your duty was to leave it till Sir William returned.’

‘I am sorry, Sir Richard.’

‘And I,’ Barak said.

Rich snorted, then turned his gaze to Barak. ‘You seem to think you can still take liberties, you churl, as though Lord Cromwell were still alive. Well, he is not. You are a pair of meddling fools.’ He frowned thoughtfully for a moment. ‘Who saw you bring the casket to King’s Manor?’

‘When we came into the house, Lady Rochford and her lady Mistress Marlin were with secretary Dereham. They looked over at us. My coat was dusty.’

Rich’s eyes widened. ‘How come you to have acquaintances in that quarter?’

‘Not acquaintances, Sir Richard. But – er…’ I looked at Barak.

‘There was some dalliance between this Barak and a kitchenmaid under Mistress Marlin’s authority,’ Maleverer said.

‘Who else?’ Rich snapped.

‘Only Master Craike, who let us leave the casket in his office. And Master Wrenne whom we met on the way, and the sergeant at the gate.’

‘I’ve questioned all three,’ Maleverer said. ‘And the girl. And Oldroyd’s apprentice, but he said nothing useful either.’

‘Many others that we do not know must have seen us,’ I said.

Rich sat considering. ‘Have you questioned Lady Rochford about the casket?’ he asked.

‘No, sir. I questioned Jennet Marlin. I did not think I could interfere with members of the Queen’s household.’

Rich nodded. ‘No, Lady Rochford and Dereham can’t be questioned by the likes of you, but the Queen’s Chamberlain could put some careful questions to them. As for that Mistress Marlin, she has a fiancé in the Tower. Suspected of being part of a Gray’s Inn link to the spring conspiracy.’

‘She was investigated and declared safe to come on the Progress,’ Maleverer said.

‘I will arrange to have some questions asked of Lady Rochford and Dereham. And you can question the Marlin woman again. We shall see if that throws anything up.’ Rich turned and pointed a long finger at me, then Barak. ‘And you had better keep your curiosity to yourself, Brother Shardlake. You know too much as it is. Some on the Privy Council think that is reason to send you back to London, but I think I would rather have you under my eye. Besides, the Archbishop wants you to look after Broderick. Not that you’ve done well there, either. I hear someone tried to poison him.’

‘Yes, Sir Richard.’

‘And he won’t say whom?’

‘No. I have wondered…’

‘Well?’

‘Whether he is party to the plot to poison him. I know he wishes to die.’

Rich looked at Maleverer. ‘Is that possible?’

‘It could be. He’s an unusual one. He was well groped in York Castle, but said not a word. The torturers there feared he’d die if they went on much longer.’

‘What instruments do they have there?’

‘The rack, pokers, the usual. But the men are not skilled.’

‘And the locals cannot be trusted with what Broderick might know. Hence the King’s order he be taken to the Tower, where the real professionals will work on him.’ He shook his head. ‘Yet time passes.’

‘Hopefully he will be on a boat in a few days,’ Maleverer said.

‘We must hope for a fair wind. We could send him by road, but that’s not safe and the roads are still in a mess from the rains and the passage of the Progress.’ Rich turned to me. ‘What is his state of health now?’

‘Weak still from the poisoning.’ I hesitated. ‘I saw him earlier today. He was talking about the Mouldwarp legend. He seems to believe in it.’

Rich looked at Maleverer. ‘There were papers about that legend in the box.’

‘It was a common currency among the rebels in the commotion time. It is of a piece with Broderick’s fanaticism.’

Rich cast sharp eyes at me. ‘Why should Broderick relate the Mouldwarp legend to you? He can hardly have thought you would credit it. Can he?’