‘These accusations were only levelled because you are Lord Clarendon’s man,’ said Lisle, stretching out a brown hand to waylay the spy as he zig-zagged through the crowd. ‘This spat between him and Bristol is becoming increasingly bitter, and the likes of you and Willys are nothing but pawns.’
‘Then virtually everyone here is in danger, too,’ said Chaloner, gesturing around him. ‘Most have declared a preference for one side or the other.’
Lisle grimaced. ‘The follies of men never fail to amaze me. There is war brewing with the Dutch, outbreaks of a deadly plague in Venice, and distressing levels of poverty in our great capital. Yet all the Court cares about is this ridiculous squabble. I am just thankful that I have managed to resist the attempts of both sides to recruit me – there are far more productive things to occupy my time, such as my charitable work in the city’s hospitals. Do you still plan to visit me on Saturday?’
Wild horses would not have kept Chaloner from keeping the appointment. He nodded.
‘It will be a busy day for me, so come between Dillon’s hanging and the Public Anatomy – I shall be hosting Company guests after that.’
‘What are you two whispering about?’ demanded Wiseman, coming to join them. He seemed larger than ever, swelled as he was with the accolades of his success. ‘My astute detection work?’
Lisle beamed at him, to hide his own discomfort. ‘You were a credit to our Company today, and we shall make sure all our colleagues know it. Eh, Johnson?’
Johnson’s face was a mask of pure envy as he approached. ‘You need not bother, Master Lisle. I am sure he is quite capable of informing them of his cleverness himself.’
Hastily, Lisle escorted him away before there was a scene.
‘Thank you for your help,’ said Chaloner. ‘When you began your analysis, Bristol had sheathed his sword but May was still armed. I am not sure if Holles would have been able to prevent him from stabbing me if you had not intervened.’
‘Would he have tried?’ Wiseman’s expression was sombre. ‘Holles, I mean. Have you asked yourself why he left you alone with Willys? And why May was rescued so long before you?’
Chaloner regarded him uneasily. ‘Holles means me no harm. We are on the same side.’
‘Are you sure about that? I am not saying Holles did put you in a dangerous situation deliberately, only that you should not dismiss the possibility.’
‘I shall bear it in mind,’ said Chaloner tiredly, thinking Surinam was looking increasingly attractive.
‘You were lucky I was to hand, actually: I had just received news that the King’s blockage has cleared without the need for surgical intervention and was about to leave. I am performing a Private Anatomy this afternoon, you see.’
‘There seem to be rather a lot of those these days.’
Wiseman grimaced. ‘Yes, but mine will show students how the bladder is connected to the kidneys, which is something they need to know for when they perform the operation you laymen call “cutting for the stone”. The one Johnson performed yesterday, however, was to amuse rich patrons.’
‘Which rich patrons?’
‘Buckingham and his entourage. Holles was there, too, incidentally. I glanced in on my way home, and saw him looking very green around the gills. Not everyone has the stomach for dissection.’
‘Who was the subject?’
Wiseman was startled by the question. ‘You mean the corpse? I have no idea. He would have been some felon, donated by the prisons, as usual. What an extraordinary thing to ask!’
‘Not so extraordinary. Do you know who was dissected for Temple’s edification? Webb, murdered while walking home from the Guinea Company dinner. He was no felon.’
‘You are mistaken,’ said Wiseman, regarding him in astonishment. Then his face resumed its customary arrogance. ‘Of course, cadavers change their appearance after death and laymen are easily confused. Johnson probably told Temple it was Webb, but it will have been a joke, although not one in particularly good taste.’
‘I have seen my share of corpses, too, and Webb was–’
Wiseman’s eyes narrowed suddenly and he snapped his fingers. ‘Hah! I understand why you think he was anatomised – it was you Johnson saw sneaking around the other day. I thought I had seen you off the premises, but you obviously came back. There was no need – if you had told me you were experiencing a desire to drool over corpses, I would have arranged a private viewing.’
‘You are too kind. But Webb was the corpse. And I also know for a fact that he is not in his tomb in St Paul’s Cathedral. So, how did he end up in your Anatomical Theatre?’
Wiseman shrugged. ‘If you are right – and I do not believe it for a moment – then there will have been a silly mistake. Gravediggers and vergers can be shockingly careless – it makes one yearn for immortality.’ He saw Chaloner’s scepticism. ‘Come with me now, and I shall show you our procedures. There is nothing untoward, I assure you.’
It was not an appealing invitation, but Chaloner accepted anyway. He had no idea whether Willys’s murder was connected to the Webb case, but it was as good a place as any to start an investigation.
The ride to Chyrurgeons’ Hall was an uncomfortable one for Chaloner. He was daunted by the prospect of unravelling the twists and turns associated with the various murders he had been charged to solve, and disturbed by his growing conviction that Holles could not be trusted. He was used to working under the assumption that everyone was an enemy, but was disappointed in the colonel nonetheless. Wiseman sang all the way, pleased with himself and his performance at the guardhouse, and Chaloner might have enjoyed his rich bass, had the surgeon not chosen to warble a ballad by the composer – lutenist John Dowland, in which a bitter man contemplated different ways to dispatch his rivals.
When they arrived, students were already beginning to flock to the Anatomical Theatre. Wiseman muttered venomously that they were an hour early, although Chaloner sensed he was flattered; their enthusiasm was testament to the veneration in which he was held. All wore the uniform gowns and hats that marked them as Company apprentices, and there was an atmosphere of scholarly anticipation as they walked in twos and threes towards the door. Wiseman stopped humming abruptly when he saw Johnson arrive in another carriage, accompanied by Lisle. The pair were immediately waylaid by Clerk Reynell, who was gesticulating in an agitated manner. Johnson’s face darkened as he listened, then he turned and made a beeline for Wiseman.
‘Reynell says you plan to use four corpses for your demonstration today,’ he shouted furiously. ‘The fresh one that came this morning, plus three old ones from last month. What are you thinking of? The stench of rotting entrails will linger in the theatre for days, and it will spoil our guests’ appetites for the dinner after the Public Anatomy on Saturday.’
‘If they cannot stomach a little odour, then they do not deserve to eat,’ retorted Wiseman. His expression was malicious – he was delighted to be causing problems. ‘I need four cadavers for comparative purposes, or our students will go away thinking all people’s innards are the same.’