Tombland

‘Poor Edith,’ Nicholas said sadly. ‘Everyone wished her away.’

‘And someone put her away,’ Barak added grimly.

Our attention was drawn by the sound of shouting and cursing. A crowd of some fifty people were making their way from Surrey Place to the road down to Norwich. Robert Wharton, a lawyer and landowner who had been found guilty at the Oak two days before, whom I remembered seemed to be particularly hated, was at the centre of the group, his arms tied securely in chains, eyes wide with terror as guards in breastplates tried to fend off an angry crowd from the camp, many with pitchforks and spears. Drawn by the commotion, several people had come out of St Michael’s Chapel, including Toby Lockswood.

‘What the fuck’s going on?’ Barak asked.

‘Kett said yesterday they were taking some prisoners to Norwich Castle.’

I looked at the crowd. The soldiers were trying to reach the road, the camp-men to get at Wharton. A man jabbed at him with a pitchfork, making him yell.

Nicholas said quietly. ‘He’s had no trial. Even by camp standards, this is no justice.’

Barak said, ‘He must have done some vile things to be hated so.’

Another young man made to stab Wharton with a spear. However, the guards, who were carrying halberds, had the advantage, and one used his pole to strike the spear, making its owner drop it. The man shouted angrily, ‘Do you act to protect the landlords now you have been made guards? Will you betray the commoners?’

The man leading the guards, a tall strong fellow in his fifties, rounded on him. ‘Don’t accuse me of betrayal, you fucking runt, or I’ll have your balls! I did as much as anyone to spread the word and set up this camp!’

Another shouted, ‘Ay, Master Echard, miller with half a dozen employees, like Master Robert Kett with his tannery! But who did you set it up for? The rich yeomen and traders?’

Red with rage, Echard shouldered his way through the guards and grabbed the man by the throat. ‘I did it for all the commons of Norfolk. Damn you, did you not hear our demands yesterday, which even now are on their way to the King?’ He pushed the man away; he shouted back, ‘We should not be camping here, we should be marching on London to enforce our demands!’

A crowd was gathering. Some shouted approval, others called the young man a fool. With an angry gesture Echard indicated the guards should move on. They started walking down the road, still accompanied by some hostile men who tried to make jabs at Wharton.

‘Jesu,’ Barak said. ‘They’ll kill him.’

I shook my head. ‘Wharton has enough guards.’

Nicholas walked over to the crest of the hill and looked down the road as Wharton was led to Norwich. To my surprise, I saw Toby Lockswood join him. Words were exchanged – it was too far for me to hear but they were not arguing, and Lockswood’s manner seemed unthreatening. Then he walked away and suddenly shouted, ‘We have a traitor in our midst!’ He pointed at Nicholas. ‘This fine young gentleman has just said Wharton should be freed, Captain Kett locked up, and that we are a commonwealth of rogues! Are we to allow that?’

Nicholas looked stunned, astounded. Barak and I walked quickly over to him. ‘Nick,’ Barak said urgently, ‘What happened?’

He shook his head. ‘Lockswood came up to me and started talking about the clearing-up. I never mentioned Wharton or Kett at all!’

Looking at Nicholas’s honest, astonished face, I believed him. He had said some stupid things, but had learned better, and I believed his views were slowly changing. Barak looked at Toby, who was approaching us together with a crowd of camp-men, already fired up by the melee around Wharton. Barak said quietly, ‘I believe you, Nick, but Lockswood has put you in the shit.’ He unsheathed the knife on his artificial hand. Toby looked me in the eye, a slight smile at one corner of his mouth, and I remembered his last words to Nicholas. ‘I’ll have you, boy.’ This was not about politics, it was personal.

Barak addressed the crowd, several of whom had drawn knives. ‘Come on, lads, many of you know me, and Master Shardlake is working with Captain Kett. Nicholas here said nothing of that sort.’ He looked at Toby. ‘Lockswood worked with us before the rebellion, he has a grudge against Nicholas, and has said bad things about him before, in front of Captain Kett. Let him decide this.’

Toby pointed at Nicholas and shouted, ‘That young gentleman is against us!’

I stepped forward. ‘Did anyone else hear these alleged words? Did they?’

The crowd looked between us, uncertain who to believe. At length an older man stepped forward. ‘Let the boy be taken to Surrey Place till Captain Kett is free to deal with this. The lawyer is right, justice must be seen to be done.’

Two men stepped forward and seized Nicholas by the arms. I looked at Lockswood grimly, then said to Nicholas, ‘We’ll work this out. Do not fear.’

He was led away, Toby watching with a cold smile.

* * *