I put my hand on his shoulder. ‘Sit awhile. We don’t want you falling ill as well. What can you tell me of the patient?’
‘The next few hours will be crucial. If the fever breaks she will recover. If not …’ He shook his head. ‘I was able to get powdered Norwegian angelica from the Tonbridge apothecary. He is certainly well skilled; few people know its properties. I’m afraid I made a nuisance of myself in the kitchen. I had to make up some sort of distilling apparatus to make pure water from vapour. That dispels any injurious elements that may have penetrated it. With that I made up angelica water and got Adie to drink some.’
‘Was that the sweet odour I noticed in her room?’
‘Yes, ’tis the best herb I know for her condition. It grows only on riverbanks and draws out moist humours.’ He glanced up with one of his knowing smiles. ‘You are more than usually concerned for this young lady.’
‘Her plight feeds my anger. I will punish Black Harry for the anguish he inflicts on all his victims, even if I have to hunt him for the rest of my life. But if he should swing and Adie still die I would feel as though he had won.’
Ned stood and stretched his back. ‘Well, she is young and strong and that is enormously in her favour. Any simples or other treatments we physicians apply don’t really do anything.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Merely that they are only aids. The body heals itself – if it wants to.’
‘You still think Adie might will herself to die?’
‘I think that once the fever has broken she will need another kind of medicine, one that lies well beyond my poor skills. We must all – and you especially – make her want to live. And now, you must excuse me. I have a patient to tend.’
The following morning I returned to Hadbourne. I needed to find Morice before he moved on to Maidstone with Legh’s cavalcade. The house was a scene of considerable activity as the clergy of the region came and went to kneel before the fat lawyer and make their formal submission.
‘Is everything going well?’ I asked, as we sat outside on a bench, enjoying the warmth of an autumn sun.
‘Oh, yes. We’ve packed off a wagonload of troublemakers to Canterbury jail and yesterday in all the churches the clergy either preached on the royal supremacy or read statements affirming it.’
‘Legh has proved his worth, then.’
‘Certainly. Before he came we were only firing arrows against our enemies. Legh is a cannon by comparison, and has thoroughly breached their fortifications. Several little conspiracies have come to light that we were ignorant of before. Life is going to become very difficult for his grace’s enemies in Canterbury when we have compiled all the evidence into a report to set before the king. The guard captain tells me you had quite a productive day at Swansford.’
‘Yes, we didn’t lay our hands on the leader but as I’ve thought about it I’ve come to the conclusion that it is to our advantage that he’s still at liberty.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Black Harry has gone to Fletcham and he’s taken the priests, Horton and Garrow, with him. That can only be for the purpose of extracting confessions of heresy from them. Presumably Brooke, the arch-conspirator, will take charge of the interrogation. With any luck, we can catch them together. We might even be able to gather proof of their own little Inquisition. Connecting Brooke with a gang of convicted felons will strike right at the heart of the conspiracy against his grace.’
‘How would you like to proceed?’
‘Much as we did at Swansford; an assault by the archbishop’s armed guard.’
Morice shook his head. ‘That could be difficult – perhaps impossible.’
‘Why?’
‘His grace has no direct authority there. He would have to confer with the Bishop of London.’
‘There’s no time for such episcopal niceties!’ I exclaimed. ‘Within a few days, news will reach Fletcham that we’ve rounded up some of Brooke’s criminal henchmen. Then he is sure to run. And I wouldn’t take any wagers on the survival of his prisoners. Our only chance of complete success is surprise. We must go to Fletcham tomorrow.’
‘Yes, I understand that; I really do.’ Morice’s brow creased in a deep frown of frustration. ‘But I don’t have the authority to sanction it, and I know very well what the archbishop’s reaction will be. He’ll demand time to think about it. Then, because he’s a stickler for correct procedure, he’ll ask for cooperation from Bishop Bonner, and we know what Bonner’s reaction will be.’
‘Yes, I was in St Paul’s Yard last year when his men raided the bookstalls and went on to smash the presses of printers the bishop suspected of publishing heresy.’
‘At the best he’d create delay. At the worst he’d get news to Norfolk or Chapuys that their game was up.’
‘So you’re saying we can do nothing without his grace’s permission and if we wait for his grace’s permission we might as well do nothing. That will mean letting Brooke compile his evidence unhindered. It seems to me that someone needs to protect his grace against his grace.’
‘It wouldn’t be the first time,’ Morice muttered.
‘Could we not “borrow” some of the archiepiscopal guard for a couple of days?’
‘If we did that and the operation failed we’d be in terrible trouble.’
‘If we do nothing we’re in trouble anyway – and so is the archbishop,’ I almost shouted. ‘You politicians can always find reasons for doing nothing! Mary and all the saints. Does it take a simple merchant to show you what must be done?’
‘Let me think! Let me think!’ Morice walked a few steps along the terrace and stood staring out towards the orchard. It was several minutes before he came back to where I sat. ‘It’s all a question of timing,’ he said. ‘The evidence the commission is collecting is damning. When my report goes to his majesty, he’ll understand just how serious the campaign against the archbishop is.’
‘And how long will it take you to compile your report?’
‘The commission doesn’t complete its work for a couple of weeks.’
‘Too long,’ I said.
‘I could do an interim report and show it to his grace. That might persuade him to set his scruples aside and back a raid on Fletcham.’
‘When could you do that?’
‘By the end of the week … perhaps.’
‘By which time Norfolk will be laying before the king evidence of the archbishop’s support of alleged heretics.’
‘That really is the best I can suggest, Thomas.’
‘But, Ralph, just think what this business has already cost,’ I pleaded. ‘A good man has, by now, been brutally murdered in gathering information about Chapuys, Norfolk and Brooke. I won’t even mention what I and others I care about have been through in order to bring to justice a fanatical killer and his gang. Is all that sacrifice to be wasted? Well, not if I can help it.’
‘Then I’m sorry,’ Morice said, ‘but you may find yourself alone.’
I stood up. ‘Then that’s the way it will have to be. If it means going against the law – well, that will only prove that law and justice are not the same thing.’ I turned to enter the house.
‘Just a minute,’ Morice called. ‘Let me have a word with the captain. It might be possible to do something – unofficially. Wait here.’
It was about half an hour before he returned with the captain.
‘I’ve explained the situation to Captain Trent,’ he said.
‘I understand you want some professional help with an expedition like yesterday’s, Master Treviot.’
‘It won’t be as easy as yesterday’s,’ I said. ‘The men we’re after will probably put up more of a fight.’
‘My lads would relish that,’ Trent said. ‘They were quite disappointed with the Swansford brawl.’
Morice said, ‘I’m not very happy about this but I could spare three guards from the commission escort – just for two days.’ ‘I can detail off three good men,’ Trent said.
‘Before you agree too readily,’ Morice warned, ‘I must make it clear that this is unofficial. No one is to wear his grace’s livery. They will be acting in a private capacity for Master Treviot. This escapade has nothing to do with the archbishop or me. If anything goes wrong, I know nothing about what you are planning. If anyone is captured or … worse, I can’t help you. Is that quite understood?’