‘On that we agree,’ said Thomas. ‘Inconclusive and pointless. Much suffering, little progress. Will we never learn?’
‘Who knows? For now, our task is to win. When the king is back in London, we will turn our attention to the future. There is much to do to secure England against our enemies, and to expand our influence and interests overseas. Sugar, cotton and tobacco from the Caribbean islands and Virginia, spices from the East Indies, slaves from Africa. The opportunities for wealth and prosperity are limitless, as long as we have the courage to take them. If we don’t, the French and the Dutch will.’
‘How will we do it?’
‘The navy. A strong navy is the key. If we control the trade routes we control the trade, and if we control the trade we control its sources. The Americas, Africa, India. We must build a navy that cannot be challenged by our enemies.’
Thomas did not respond. He had never thought much about such matters. Rush clearly had. Abraham had called him an ambitious man. Ambitious and clever. Looking to the future, and ready to take whatever opportunities came his way. Not a man to be trifled with. He changed the subject. ‘Do you know Lady Romilly well?’ he asked.
Rush looked surprised. ‘Not well. I have little reason to speak to her, or, indeed, to the queen. My time is taken up with serving his majesty. Why do you ask?’
‘Mere curiosity. I understand that she is a widow with family in York. I wondered why she had left there to accompany the queen to Oxford. It seems an odd thing to do at such a time.’
Rush shrugged. ‘Loyalty, like beauty, is a matter of taste. Lady Romilly must have put her devotion to the queen before her duty to her family.’ He grinned unpleasantly. ‘Either that or she’s looking for another husband.’ Rush raised his eyebrows and looked hard at Thomas. ‘A courtier, I imagine, Master Hill, rather than a bookseller.’
As he had at the masque, Thomas let the insult pass. He did not want to get on the wrong side of this man. ‘Possibly, Master Rush, although she gave me the impression that her service to the queen would take precedence over marriage, as it has over her family.’
‘So you have spent some time with the lady, have you?’
‘A little. She seemed interested in why I was in Oxford.’
Again the eyebrows were raised. ‘Did she now? And what did you tell her?’
‘That I am visiting my elderly tutor. It was what Abraham and I agreed.’
‘You didn’t tell her anything of your work, I trust?’
‘No indeed. That would have been quite improper.’
‘Improper and foolish. Oxford is a dangerous place, and it is best to trust no one.’
Thomas was sick of being told that Oxford was a dangerous place, and having started it he now wanted to end this conversation before it got any more awkward. ‘Quite so. I shall take every precaution. Now, if you will forgive me, I shall retire. The journey has tired me.’
‘As you wish. Good night, Master Hill. And remember what I have said.’
Lying on his bed, Thomas replayed the dinner conversation in his mind. Was Rush suspicious of Jane Romilly? Or was he just suspicious of everyone? Thomas had not asked about seeing Rush in Merton. Best not to ruffle his feathers. And ‘The king will have the advantage in cavalry,’ Rush had said, ‘and his enemies in infantry.’ No ‘we’ or ‘they’. An oddly dispassionate manner of speaking. Intellect rather than emotion. A clever man. And his bag had been searched — he was sure of it. A thief or a traitor?
They set off again at dawn and covered the eighteen miles to Newbury in a little over three hours. Outside the town they en countered a troop of dragoons who had been sent to meet them. From the dragoons’ captain, they learned that Prince Rupert and his cavalry had arrived from Gloucester two days earlier to find the town already occupied by Essex’s quartermasters, busy arranging provisions for the Parliamentary army. The prince had wasted no time in taking them prisoner, and had assumed control of the town. The bulk of Essex’s army was still twenty miles from the town, having been overtaken by the prince’s cavalry.
Their carriage passed through the cavalry’s encampments, proceeded into the town, which, like Oxford, was heaving with soldiers and their equipment, and was led to a large house by the market square. There the carriage stopped and they were shown inside by the captain. ‘This house has been requisitioned for you, Master Rush. Sir Henry was happy to oblige.’
Rush looked around. ‘It will do well enough, captain. Master Hill and I will base ourselves here. Have the men bring in my chest and Master Hill’s bag.’
It will do well enough to be sure, thought Thomas, admiring the high ceiling and tall windows. The walls of the entrance hall were decorated with tapestries and paintings, including a sumptuous Rubens nude and two portraits by Van Dyck, which he took to be of the owner of the house and his wife. An enormous red and gold Persian carpet covered the floor. This Sir Henry was a man of wealth, a man who would have much to lose in the event of a Parliamentary victory in this war. No wonder he had been ready to offer his house to the king.
Having taken his bag from the coachman, Thomas climbed a magnificent curving staircase, more family portraits covering the stair wall, and found a bedroom with an elegant window looking out over the square. He threw his bag on the four-poster bed and deposited himself into a large padded library chair. As he admired the room, also adorned with tapestries and paintings, the thought occurred that even war might have its good side. It was nothing short of luxurious. Velvet curtains, an embroidered silk cover on the bed, a collection of miniatures, a handsome fireplace, the padded chair and a fine rosewood writing table. Then he caught himself. It was a disgraceful notion. Nothing could excuse war and there was nothing good about it. And he had work to do.
He laid the intercepted message out on a writing table and concentrated on it once more. To Thomas, it had become the ‘Vigenère message’.
URF UBD HE XQB TF KGA OEMD RRFUO TLC WMG LRB WHT R XHGORKZ IO KPW769 WA MQFV BVMF HPL ZFTD RVV57 4SEWMFREJ VGL SVKMGE 852 GTSC WZTD QE TIJG IVL GJT RA KDOE IK EOJAAQLV GGJR MQU IOIGSI GRQF HBFZG JGY ALG EE OLWEEA GJR YIFS1 82AEL2 64SGE SC AAD ZVY JP KP WXR JB JTN XBZ77 5XNW WJBS LA LWAK371 EAIH TPA AD RVV BAP TWPVV AGDN WWJ URR VUT IW EW HTI QCT WY QDT37 1IE852 769UMHT RKC CONT WSGV WMG IEN DJEE KWIHV ZW PNU EAIH371 ZV GJR YIFSS NQ DA BV NGGCVL LD SVMC IRLKW DN KMJ BS WINDU IITAE KW42177 5OX LCIVK IJM LXMV IFS PCI UT FFZ SEPI MZTNJQGCOW3 71E ZDWZTD QE SZGJ GYB LD 574SKIFS RVIV N GFL OX LC QFV WV AZPLCJJX NX IF TNU BG IHZA OP RJWGC
Twenty-six possible encryptions for each of the four hundred and fifty-six letters, plus forty-five numbers and one hundred and thirty-eight spaces. A cipher that had never been broken. Where to begin? He made another effort to envisage its encrypter, this time with more success. He saw a small man, precise in dress and manner, a pair of spectacles perched on his sharp nose and a cap on his head. He sat in a dark room, working by the light of a single candle. This man would work carefully and make no mistakes. He might well use the square, he might use codes, but he would not use nulls or misspellings, which would offend his sense of order. What sort of keyword would he use? Nothing random, nothing too complex. A Latin word perhaps, or a religious one, or something historical. Or a million other things. Use your head, Thomas. There’s no future in playing guessing games. Concentrate on the cipher. There must be a way.
He gazed idly out of the window at the toings and froings in the square below. It was a square full of noise and bustle, and the hubbub of a town preparing to defend itself. Officers about their duties, soldiers about theirs, tradesmen about their businesses, fascinated children standing in huddles around the square, noise and movement and excitement. The king and his army were coming to Newbury, and there was to be a great battle. A great battle in which Thomas would have a part to play. That reminded him that he needed a keyword. Not too long for the sake of speed, not too short for the sake of security. Five or six letters, with no repeats. It came to him. MASQUE. Perfect. He would tell Rush the keyword for all incoming and outgoing despatches would be MASQUE.