‘That’s right.’ Neither of us had heard Ned come in. He sighed heavily as he sank into a chair. ‘Cool cloths should reduce the fever but we shan’t know till then what else ails her.’
‘Surely, ’twas the fall into the water …’
‘No, Thomas, that was, like the fever, a symptom, not a cause. We must try to discern why her humours are so seriously out of balance.’
‘Might it be the case that she is with child, as she believes, and that against her will?’
‘I think not. She is frantic in mind and half-wishes what she most fears.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Few of us do. Only those who have been to the dark, Godless place where life seems too great a burden to be longer borne can know what it is like. We had a brother at Famfield once who had so great a desire for heaven that he hated this world and everything in it. His confessor tried to make him see that God alone determines our life span and that to wish to shorten it is a sin. His bodily decline and death troubled the community greatly, but, alas, we were unable to prevent him achieving his wish. I still pray for him often. All I can tell you about Adie is that she will recover only when she truly wishes to do so. God be praised, she did not drown, but what matters is that she wanted to. If that desire remains strong within her it will kill her no less assuredly than the water.’
‘That must never happen!’ I cried. ‘We must help her back to her right mind. I’ll have someone sit with her all the time …’
‘I’ve already taken the liberty of organising that,’ Ned said. ‘I will be told as soon as there is any change in her condition. Tomorrow I will send someone into Tonbridge with a list for the apothecary there. He is reasonably competent and should be able to provide the simples I lack here,’
‘And I have already despatched a messenger to bring her brother to Hemmings,’ I said. ‘’Tis even more urgent, now, that he comes to comfort Adie. And to answer certain questions I will have for him about her past. That is where secrets are often locked away.’
Throughout the night I rose several times to visit the sick room but there was never any change in Adie’s condition. This was hardly the best preparation for the task I had to perform the following day but I was up long before dawn and, after a final check on Adie, I set off with my chosen escort. Bart had asked to come with me and I could hardly deny him the pleasure of seeing Black Harry arrested. At Hadbourne I collected six of the guards who were encamped in the grounds of James Dewey’s house. We set out as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky.
The deserted nunnery of Swansford lay in a dish-shaped hollow. As we gazed down from the wooded hills which rimmed it, the buildings lay submerged in an inland sea of mist. We descended into the grey gloom where the only sound was the drip, drip of moisture from overhead branches.
We stopped at the gate, which was locked and hung with a hand-painted sign warning NO ENTRY TRESPASSERS WILL BE PUNISHED. To reinforce the message, for the benefit of the illiterate, a crude image of a man standing in the pillory was drawn below the lettering. The complete ineffectiveness of Belleville’s threat was obvious from the many gaps in the outer wall. It was obvious that locals had helped themselves to supplies of free stone.
The guard captain sent in a couple of his men on foot to spy out the land. They were back after about half an hour.
‘Did you see any of the gang?’ the captain asked.
‘No, Sir,’ one of the scouts replied, ‘but four horses are tethered inside the inner gate. I reckon the villains are in the eastern block. Most of the conventual buildings are semi-derelict and the chapel has lost its roof.’
‘I’ll wager old Belleville has sold off the slate for a comfortable profit,’ Bart muttered.
‘What about escape routes?’ the captain asked.
‘Apart from the main drive, there’s only a track running south to another gate,’ the first trooper replied.
‘Then here’s what we do.’ The captain outlined his tactics with calm professionalism. ‘We go in on foot, as silently as possible. Master Treviot, if you take your men round to the south side and block that route, we will search the buildings. While we’re doing that someone will need to collect the horses and bring them here.’ He eyed Bart’s empty sleeve. ‘Perhaps your friend would like to do that.’
Ignoring Bart’s muttered protest, I agreed. ‘We don’t know how well armed they’ll be,’ I said.
The captain drew a flintlock handgun from his saddle holster. Having checked its mechanism, he dismounted. ‘Don’t worry about us, Master Treviot. My lads handle their swords well and we’re protected.’ He tapped his breastplate. ‘We’ll also have the advantage of surprise. My hope is we can round them all up inside the building. If any run out of the back they’ll find themselves caught between your men and mine. I’ll give you a few minutes to get your party in position. When you hear my trumpeter give one long blast on his instrument that will be the signal that we’re going in.’
We skirted the buildings at a distance of about a hundred yards. We found the track the guardsman had mentioned and took up position where it entered an overgrown orchard.
‘This undergrowth should stop anyone trying to escape us,’ I said.
We formed a line between the nearest trees on either side and stared at the wall of mist.
Walt said, ‘Anyone running from the house won’t see us before it’s too late.’
‘True,’ I replied. ‘Of course, we won’t see him either.’
He stamped his feet. ‘Let’s hope for some action. The damp’s getting into my bones.’
‘You’re really keen for a fight, aren’t you?’
‘After what these cowardly pigs have done I certainly am. Don’t you want to settle scores, Master Thomas?’
‘I suppose I’d rather leave the fighting to the experts,’ I said. ‘I don’t want any of you to get hurt.’
At that moment the shrill blast of a trumpet pierced the autumn calm.
‘No more talking from now on,’ I ordered. ‘We mustn’t give away our position.’
And so we waited, screwing our eyes for any sign of figures emerging from the thinning mist. We waited. And waited.
After what seemed an age, Bart whispered, ‘Perhaps they’ve already gone.’
The same thought had struck me. I felt sure that Belleville would not have warned Black Harry – not after the very real scare I gave him. And yet …
There was a loud crash as somewhere a door was thrown open. Then confused shouts.
I drew my dagger and flexed my legs, ready to spring forward.
The clamour ceased. Then there came another sound. Running footsteps. A man broke clear of the mist. Then another.
With a snarl, Walt sprang forward, brandishing a club. He swung the weapon and caught the fellow a blow between the shoulders that sent him sprawling. Walt stood over his victim, club raised, ready for any reaction, but the man stayed where he had fallen.
Meanwhile, the second fugitive reacted quickly. Seeing his companion down, he veered sideways, making for the trees. Long grass and briars were his undoing. He stumbled. Before he could regain his footing, two of my men leaped upon him.
‘Keep watching!’ I shouted. ‘There may be more!’
But no other gang members appeared. After a couple of minutes, I went over to inspect our captives. I hoped I would find myself looking down at Black Harry. I was dis-appointed. One, a wispy-bearded fellow, lay at Walt’s feet, unconscious. The other, a younger man, lay squirming and screaming oaths.
‘Tie their hands,’ I ordered, ‘and bring them along. Let’s see what’s happening in the building.’
We went in through an open door and entered a kitchen. Following noises coming from beyond, we entered a long, barrel-vaulted room that had obviously been the nuns’ refectory. It was bare of all furniture and in the middle some of the guards formed a circle around two men who were sitting on the floor with their hands tied. We dragged our unconscious prisoners in and threw them down alongside their colleagues.