Tombland

‘Thank you, sir. I’ve heard of a prospect in Wymondham, I may go down there.’ And with that he bowed, and walked away.

‘There you are, sir,’ Nicholas said. ‘Perhaps our luck is turning. And Barak may help us; we shall see him tomorrow evening, when we meet Josephine and her husband at his inn.’

‘You do not mind staying overnight to help us?’ I asked Toby.

‘No, sir,’ he answered determinedly. ‘I should not be sorry to settle accounts with those young villains.’

Chapter Twenty-two

That night I slept badly again. It was very hot and, once, I woke in a sweat from a dream of the dead beggar’s face. Then I began thinking about the twins. We needed to talk to them, but not in a way in which they could say we had threatened them. At last I fell asleep, only to be jerked awake by the servant knocking on the door, saying it was six o’clock.

He brought in letters on a silver tray, fetched by the post-rider who had accompanied the judges the day before. Both bore the Lady Elizabeth’s seal. The first was from Parry; it was brief:

I thank you for your letter, and hope you have made some further progress and have been able to keep matters as discreet as circumstances allow. Please let me know how things stand, by return. The Lady Elizabeth is anxious; although I have stressed to her that little new may be found at this stage, and justice must take its course. Your loving friend, Thomas Parry.

The second letter, from Elizabeth, was quite different:

I have received your letter, which in effect says nothing. Kindly reply immediately, telling me exactly what progress you have made in my cousin’s case. Time is short, and you are now instructed, should a guilty verdict transpire, to use the request for a pardon which I gave you, whatever your own thoughts about the matter.

And then the large, elaborate signature: Elizabeth .

I caught my breath. Not only was she angry that I had not made rapid progress, but she was also now instructing me, should Boleyn be found guilty, to apply for a pardon whether I thought the verdict justified or not. Should I tell Parry? But if that was what Elizabeth had decided, he would be unable to countermand her orders. He and Blanche might argue with her, but her mind was clearly set. I considered whether to wait until we had served the warrant on the locksmith and spoken to the twins. If new evidence emerged then, I could write back more positively tomorrow. But she demanded a reply by return. I therefore wrote identical letters to her and Parry, outlining my progress and saying that I would write again on the morrow. I sealed the letters and took them down to the innkeeper, paying over the exorbitant charge needed to pay the fastest post-rider, who, he assured me, would reach Hatfield the next day.

I was therefore in a worried frame of mind when I descended the broad staircase to the breakfast chamber. To my surprise Toby Lockswood had not yet arrived, but Nicholas was there, also reading a letter, frowning slightly.

‘From Beatrice Kenzy?’ I asked.

He nodded.

‘I have also had one, from the Lady Elizabeth. She is angry at what she considers my lack of progress.’

‘I’d like to see her come and tramp the streets of Norwich for days on end.’

I looked at him; such a disrespectful remark was not like Nicholas. ‘Bad news from Beatrice?’ I ventured.

He put the letter down. ‘She talks about the state of things in London, the new security measures and how a drunk beggar called words after her in the street that a lady should not be suffered to hear. As for me –’ he smiled wryly – ‘she hopes that through the Lady Elizabeth I am making worthwhile contacts in Norfolk society.’

I could not forbear a laugh. ‘Write back and tell her about the twins, and the man who knocked you on the head at the tavern.’

‘She cannot be expected to understand,’ he said more gently. ‘What really concerns me is that she says she has met a young barrister at church, and he is paying her court. She said I had better hurry back.’

‘Does she give his name?’

‘No. But it is obviously someone fully qualified, with money and stature.’ He spoke bitterly.

I said, ‘She is leading you a dance. She strikes me as one well versed in such womanly arts, no doubt well trained by her mother.’