‘I take no offence, Sir Harry,’ I responded. ‘Master Hugh has every right to be angry. In truth, I cannot recall what I said in the heat of the moment but I solemnly swear that I had no part in what happened afterwards. I only learned about it days later.’
‘Is it true,’ my host asked, ‘that you subsequently took the woman in question under your own roof?’
I nodded. ‘She had been seriously wounded. She needed care. I felt in some part responsible for her misfortune.’
‘And the “care” you offered — did it include revenging her injury?’
‘On my oath, Sir Harry, such a thought never occurred to me,’ I said.
Hugh muttered something I did not hear but his father said, ‘You are an honourable man, Master Treviot. I accept your assurances.’
With a feeling of considerable relief, I thanked him and added, ‘I would not have you think that I know nothing of what you feel. A very dear friend of mine was brutally murdered recently. My first reaction was to obtain justice for him but now I am coming to realise that retribution is like a briar. If it is not stopped, it spreads rapidly and takes root over and again.’
Sir Harry sighed deeply. ‘You are right. Sometimes I feel that nursing grief is driving me to an early grave. Hugh, the time has come to call a halt. We have learned everything we can. Prayer is now all we can offer for Nathaniel. Let that be sufficient.’
The conversation moved on to pleasanter topics. It seemed that a weight had, indeed, been lifted from the older man’s shoulders and he had a fund of interesting stories to tell about life at court.
‘Is life very different here with the new queen?’ I asked.
Father and son exchanged glances before Sir Harry replied cautiously, ‘Queen Jane’s greatest advantage is that she is not Queen Anne. She is quiet and submissive. No one could ever have described her predecessor as possessing those qualities. Anne had a mind of her own and did not hesitate to express it — even to the king. Life around the court was never dull in her day. She was lively and sometimes indiscreet.’
Hugh sniggered. ‘You should have heard what she said about her husband’s performance in — ’
‘Hugh! Enough!’ Sir Harry struck the table with his palm.
‘Did you like Queen Anne, Hugh?’ I asked.
‘Well enough but her family were insufferable, especially her brother, George Boleyn.’
‘What was wrong with him?’
‘Always surrounded by preachers and trying to ram his New Learning down other people’s throats.’
‘Wasn’t the queen of the same persuasion?’
‘Oh, aye, she was always getting her companions to read holy books. But all that was, of course, in her own private chambers. On the king’s side we saw little of it.’
‘Yet, despite her piety, she was committing adultery with other men, including her own brother,’ I suggested.
Hugh laughed. ‘If you believe that — ’
Once again his father intervened. ‘Master Treviot doesn’t want to hear all our court gossip. I have an idea: why don’t you take our guest for a ride in the park? His Majesty is hunting this afternoon. You will be able to watch.’
‘That’s very kind, Sir Harry,’ I said, ‘but I have to wait upon Lord Cromwell’s pleasure.’
‘That won’t be a problem. I’ll have a man in Cromwell’s chambers. He will find you as soon as My Lord summons you.’
‘Cromwell won’t be back in his office for some time,’ Hugh said. ‘His Majesty sent for him to the hunting field. I saw him leave. I think the king wants him to be present for informal talks with his “special guest”.’ His lips curled in a sneer.
‘You mean Aske?’
‘Who else? We all have to dance attendance on the traitor this Christmas. By the mass, it grates with me!’
I needed little persuading. It was important that I should buttress my reconciliation with the Seagraves. Added to that was the fact that the fire and a large dinner were making me drowsy, so the prospect of fresh air out in the deer park was appealing. Then there was also the intriguing possibility of a closer look at the man who had raised half the kingdom in revolt. I thanked Sir Harry for his hospitality and accompanied Hugh to the stables, where I had Golding saddled. Then, with my companion, I rode away from the bustle and noise of the palace.
For half a mile or so we jogged along beside the river. It was a bright, crisp, clear afternoon, the air so sharp that it made my throat tingle. Golding was also enjoying the outing. His ears twitched and he looked around him in apparent curiosity. Since Hugh was obviously less inhibited than his father about sharing court gossip, this seemed a good opportunity to discover more about the workings and personnel of the royal household.
‘Have the Seagraves been longtime attenders on His Majesty?’ I asked.
The young man was happy to boast. ‘My father has been at court as long as I remember — some fifteen years, or so. He is a great favourite with the king… especially at the gaming table. ’Tis only a matter of time before he is raised to the Council.’
‘Even so?’
‘Oh yes. He is very close to the Duke of Norfolk, who relies on him for news when he is away on campaign.’
‘That must have been very valuable to His Grace in the last few weeks,’ I suggested. ‘I gather he has had a difficult task facing the large rebel host with only a much smaller armed force. Tell me, how much truth is there in the rumour that the duke has sympathy with the Pilgrimage of Grace?’
Hugh bristled. ‘That’s a calumny put about by the Cromwell crowd. You had best not give ear to it, Master Treviot. It springs from jealousy.’
‘Jealousy?’
‘Oh yes. The jealousy of a Putney brewer’s son for the first lord of the realm.’ The thin ice of Hugh’s discretion was melting rapidly.
‘Cromwell’s strange and swift rise must be resented by the king’s traditional councillors,’ I mused. ‘How do you think it can be explained?’
Hugh scoffed. ‘That’s easy. He promises to give His Majesty whatever His Majesty wants.’
‘I thought that was what all royal councillors did, but, then, I know little of politics.’
Hugh took obvious pleasure in enlightening me. ‘It isn’t always possible. For example, when His Majesty sent the duke north to meet the rebels, he demanded a military victory. His Grace had hell’s own job explaining that he would have to negotiate in order to get the traitors to disperse. The king was furious for two or three days. We all kept out of the way as much as possible. Eventually His Majesty realised that My Lord Norfolk was right.’
‘I see. A councillor’s job is obviously not an easy one.’
‘Not with this king. The old cardinal discovered that right enough.’
‘Wolsey?’
‘Yes. Remember how powerful he was? Cock of the roost for a dozen years or more. And all by giving the king what he wanted — new ships, more taxes, military victories and so on. Then the king said he wanted rid of his wife. Wolsey couldn’t arrange it, so farewell cardinal.’
‘Still, Cromwell seems to be doing very well at the moment. There must be thousands pouring into the treasury from the confiscated abbeys.’
‘And when that source dries up and still the king wants more, what then? Master Cromwell… Oh sorry, I should say My Lord Cromwell.’ He sneered. ‘He may look all powerful at the moment but eventually he will overreach himself. Then the king will see the wisdom of putting his faith in the great nobles and not in upstarts. Take my advice, Master Treviot, don’t get too close to Cromwell.’
By this time we had turned away from the river and were riding deeper into the thickening woodland. We could hear the cries of hounds and the shouts of beaters away to our left. Rounding a bend in the track, we came to the edge of a large clearing. At a signal from Hugh I reined in Golding and looked across the open ground. It was ringed by royal guards. Opposite us was an enclosure marked out by flags. King Henry was seated within it, with Robert Aske at his right side, Cromwell at his left and a handful of other favoured royal companions.