‘That surprised him, Your Majesty,’ she said waspishly. ‘He was very bold when I met him before.’
I said nothing, waiting for the Queen to speak. There was silence for a moment, then she said, ‘Lady Rochford tells me Mistress Reedbourne and this man Barak are under your protection.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty.’
‘I saw you at Fulford,’ Queen Catherine said. ‘I was sorry for how you were treated there.’
‘It is of no matter.’
She took a deep breath. ‘I have been told there was an attempt on your life today.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty. A thorn branch was placed under my horse’s saddle. A friend was mounting the horse; he would have been killed had it not been for Master Barak’s quick actions.’
The Queen looked at Lady Rochford. For a moment she seemed tongue-tied. But she rallied. ‘Do you know why anyone would do such a thing, sir?’
I hesitated. ‘No, Your Majesty. But it is not the first such attack.’ I looked at Lady Rochford. ‘Sir William Maleverer has the matter in hand.’
‘See, Your Majesty!’ Lady Rochford snapped. ‘You saw how he looked at me. He thinks I had something to do with it.’
‘Do you?’ the Queen asked me, a tremble in her voice.
I hesitated again. Then: ‘I do not know who may be responsible.’
She took a deep breath. ‘I called you here, sir, to assure you it was nothing to do with my household.’
‘Thank you, Your Majesty. I believe it has to do with – another matter than that which brought us into contact with Lady Rochford.’
A look of fear again. She glanced at Lady Rochford.
‘What matter?’ Lady Rochford snapped.
‘It is to do with the conspiracy.’
She looked puzzled. ‘I see.’
The Queen raised her hands. ‘Do not tell me,’ she said. ‘They tell me nothing of politics and I do not wish to know.’ I wondered if that was her survival strategy, keeping clear of factions. She looked at me again. ‘As for what these people saw at St Mary’s –’ she glanced at Barak and Tamasin, who so far had said not a word – ‘you have all given Lady Rochford your word you would keep silent. I – I rely on that.’ She drew herself up, trying to seem like a queen instead of a frightened girl.
I bowed my head, for I could think of no reply.
‘You have told no one what you saw?’ Lady Rochford said sharply.
‘No one, I swear.’
Her tone changed, became lighter. ‘It was a mischance you saw Culpeper that night. The Queen only desired a little company of her own age, as I told you. There was nothing improper. I was with them all the time.’
‘That is the truth,’ Catherine Howard said quietly. ‘Will you believe the word of your Queen?’
I looked at her. ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’ And I did believe her. I felt surer than ever that whatever meetings she and Culpeper had had under Lady Rochford’s eye, it had gone no further than that. She would not dare. I felt sorry for her, married to King Henry and cast at her age and with little wit or intelligence among the pack of wolves that was the court.
She smiled. ‘Then I thank you. You may be sure you will be rewarded when we return to London.’
‘We seek no reward, Your Majesty.’
‘Then I thank you again. And I hope whoever has been making trouble for you is caught and dealt with as they deserve.’
‘Be sure you keep your word to us,’ Lady Rochford said. ‘I took risks in arranging this meeting. The Queen is due at Howlme Manor, we said she was coming here to change.’
The Queen turned away, and Lady Rochford waved a hand in dismissal. We bowed again and Tamasin took Barak’s arm and helped him from the tent. We walked to the edge of the field and stopped.
‘Fuck me,’ Barak said.
‘Jack,’ Tamasin said reprovingly.
‘When I answered that summons and found the Queen in there I nearly messed my pants.’
I looked at Tamasin. ‘Well?’ I asked. ‘What did you think of that?’
‘I think the Queen spoke the truth, sir.’
‘Yes. So do I. They have nothing to do with this, I am more than ever certain.’ I shook my head. ‘The Queen is so young…’
‘They say she was a saucy wench before the King’s eyes lighted on her.’
‘A silly flirt, perhaps. And Lady Rochford may get some perverse pleasure out of arranging secret meetings for her with young men, but she and the Queen are surely not so silly as to abandon all caution. They are frightened now.’ I looked over to where the hundreds of carts were being driven into the fields ‘Come, we have to find our billets.’
Barak nudged me. ‘Look over there.’
I followed his gaze to where a little group of officials stood staring at us. Craike was there, and my heart sank as I saw Sir Richard Rich. He would have seen us come out of the Queen’s tent. What would he have made of that?
Chapter Thirty-three
WE WALKED BACK TO where the soldier Templeman still stood with the horses on the grass verge by the road, eating an apple. Conical soldiers’ tents were being set up in the field behind him. Barak found it hard to move among the barging, shoving crowd, and if Tamasin and I had not been there he might have fallen. I had relied on his strength and dexterity in many tight corners; it was disconcerting, now, to have to help him walk.
I went up to Genesis. He seemed more at ease now, though with those ugly punctures on his back it would be a little time before he could be ridden again. ‘Do we know where we are berthed?’ I asked the soldier.
‘No, sir. They’ll be along to tell us when they’re ready. We’ll have to wait.’
A cart lumbered by, so close we had to step up on the verge. Barak, leaning on the crutch, slithered and would have fallen had Tamasin not caught his arm.
‘Damn it to Hell!’ he exclaimed fiercely.
‘You shouldn’t be walking among these crowds,’ I told him. ‘Listen, you and Tamasin stay here with Templeman till we know where we are to be put.’
‘What are you going to do?’ he asked.
I felt an urgent need to get away from the roiling crowd. ‘I am going to walk up to Howlme,’ I said. ‘I will find Master Wrenne, come back with him.’
‘You should keep safe with us, sir,’ Tamasin ventured. ‘It will be dark soon.’
‘I need to get away for a while. And I will be safer up there than in this tumult. Wrenne and I will find you later.’ To stop further argument, I turned brusquely away and began walking up the road to the village.
ALL AROUND people were driving carts into fields under the supervision of green-coated officers of the household, some carrying little portable desks like Craike’s. One of the carts had tipped over in the road and some soldiers were trying to free the huge horses that lay on their sides in the traces, screaming and kicking out frantically. I saw that it contained weapons: swords and crossbows and guns lay scattered all over the road. Soldiers were picking them up and taking them into the neighbouring fields, shoving passers-by away from the deadly weapons. In the next field on I saw a carriage standing on its own, guarded by half a dozen soldiers. It was painted black and bore the royal arms. Recognizing Sergeant Leacon there I went over to him, my boots squelching on the muddy grass. The carriage was windowless, the door shut. The sergeant bowed.
‘You had a safe journey?’ I asked.
‘Ay, ’twas uneventful.’ He looked at me curiously. ‘I heard about the thorns under your horse’s saddle.’
‘Does everyone on the Progress know?’
‘It caused quite a stir.’ He jerked his head at the carriage behind him. ‘Is it something to do with Broderick?’
‘I think not.’ I sighed. ‘I came for a walk, to get away from the crowds.’
He smiled. ‘I too found that great pack of people on the Progress oppressive at first, when we left London. You get used to it.’
‘I am not sure I ever could. I thought I would walk up to the village. A friend of mine has gone there. Perhaps you saw him pass? A tall old fellow with a stick, wearing a lawyer’s robe?’