Tombland

‘Go to your room, Mother,’ the younger boy said gently. ‘You won’t hear them so loud from there.’

‘Yes,’ I agreed. It was bizarre to find myself suddenly in charge of Flowerdew’s household. ‘You boys go with her.’

They went, leaving me with Barak and Nicholas. Barak said quietly, ‘If there’s real trouble, and the family have to run, they’d be better off on the ground floor.’

‘It can’t come to that, surely,’ Nicholas said. Barak shrugged. We sat in silence for what seemed an age, then Nicholas stood. ‘I’m tired of doing nothing. Come, Jack, let’s walk to the end of the drive and see what’s happening.’

‘Good idea.’

They were gone half an hour or so. When they returned Barak said, ‘The road to Wymondham seems quieter, but bells are still ringing everywhere, and groups of men are crossing the paths over the fields. We went to the village, but it looked deserted. An old woman leading a donkey told us half the men have gone to Wymondham.’

‘I didn’t like the smirking look on her face,’ Nicholas added.

A servant appeared and asked if we would like lunch; it was long past time. I said we would, and asked him to take some upstairs to the family. Hardly had he gone, though, than hoof beats sounded once more on the drive, and Flowerdew and Glapthorne rode up. Flowerdew wore a satisfied smile, though his steward seemed more dubious. The two boys ran downstairs, followed by their mother. ‘What happened?’ she asked. ‘Are you safe?’

Flowerdew laughed, slapping his thigh. ‘Safe as houses. There were no more than a dozen of them. Country clods. I told them Robert Kett was the man they should be after, and gave them money to speed them on their way. I said Kett’s enclosures were larger than mine.’

‘Are they?’ I asked.

‘No,’ Flowerdew answered happily. ‘But they didn’t know that. It’s always good to win, isn’t it, Serjeant Shardlake? One in the eye for Master Kett the tanner and his butcher brother. Now, some lunch.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘Then you can get back to Norwich, the road is quiet now. Whatever’s going on at Wymondham, the sheriff’s deputy will soon put it in order.’

Nicholas said, ‘There seem to be hundreds gathering. We walked to the village, and were told the men had gone to Wymondham.’

‘They’ll soon be back, tails between their legs.’

‘Will there be hangings?’ young William asked eagerly.

Flowerdew clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I hope so; legally this is a riot.’ He smiled with real pleasure. ‘Now, food.’

‘I have already ordered some,’ I said.

‘Good man!’ he answered, so pleased at the outcome of his plan that he seemed to have forgotten I was his enemy.

* * *

OVER LUNCH FLOWERDEW , now in expansively cheerful mood, told us more of his encounter. ‘They were a mile outside Hethersett, trudging up the roads, carrying pitchforks and spades. They’d walked all the way from Morley, mostly labourers, half-naked in tatty leather jerkins, covered in dust. That leader of theirs, I’ve seen him before, he’s a Wymondham copyholder called Duffield, too big for his boots like all these yeomen who’ve scratched together a parcel of land.’ His mouth twisted with amusement. ‘From my horse I could have taken Duffield’s head off.’

‘Why didn’t you, Father?’ Edward asked excitedly.

‘Leave that to the hangman, lad. Like I said, it’s a riot, and I’ll be a witness that Duffield led them. He was bold, telling me the commons were gathering all over England to support the commissioners, and to take down illegal enclosures. As though he would know what was or wasn’t legal.’

‘Was your land enclosed legally?’ I asked.

Flowerdew ignored the question. ‘Duffield looked me in the eye like he was my equal, and said the hurdles keeping in my sheep would be taken down. He said I had best move them. Then I told them Kett was the man to get after, and I’d pay them if they went there instead. Duffield told the others it was a trick, but the money was real enough and the peasants took it gladly. All men are greedy.’

‘Or desperate,’ I said.

Flowerdew stared at me. ‘And how will destroying the sheepfolds which are all that brings money to this county help? How will common rogues rising up against the King’s authority help our country in its war with the Scotch? Though this stir won’t last.’

Mistress Flowerdew put her knife on her plate with a clatter. ‘Enough, John, enough,’ she said. ‘Why cannot we all live in peace as God intended?’ She stood up and left the room with a swish of skirts. Flowerdew looked at his sons and made a face. They smiled.

‘We should return to Norwich now,’ I said brusquely. ‘Thank you for lunch.’

Suddenly he seemed to remember how I had bested him on the matter of the fake document, and frowned, his good humour suddenly gone. ‘Very well, Brother Shardlake. Glapthorne and I will ride down to the village with you, see for ourselves what is going on. Edward, William, you may come too.’