Plainly not yet. As she led Mistress Hercy back to the chair, Dame Frevisse and Daved finished straightening the bedcover over the bed, with Dame Frevisse asking him when they were done, “You have some thought of how to have him out of here with no one knowing?”
‘London is going to rise against Cade and his rebels within a day, I would guess,“ Daved answered. ”If we can keep Raulyn’s body hidden until then, and when the trouble starts send most of the household men out to the fight and gather the women upstairs to the parlor…“ He paused with that a question to Mistress Hercy. She nodded it could be done. ”… that gives me a clear way to shift Raulyn’s body away, out of the house.“ He looked to Dame Frevisse. ”Perhaps with your men’s help?“
‘No,“ she said flatly.
Daved accepted that without question and went on, “We’ll set them to guard the front gate then, leaving the rearyard to me. Some guard has to be kept, and the fight isn’t ours. That’s reason enough to explain why we don’t join in. I’ll take Raulyn’s body out, away somewhere, and leave it in a street or alley as if he was killed there. There’ll be bodies enough no one is likely to ask close questions about his.”
Mistress Hercy had been regathering both her wits and her strength while he talked. Now she nodded and said, “That could work. Yes. We’ll make it work.”
‘Understand,“ Daved said, his voice hard. ”All of today you will have to seem as if nothing has happened or is going to happen. All of you. If we’re found out, if Pernell ever knows, all of this is for naught.“
‘We’ll do what has to be done,“ Mistress Hercy said. With hope, her will had come back. ”All of us.“
‘Then do you and Dame Frevisse go away now to your beds. Sleep if you can. At least lie down and rest or you’ll be no use to Pernell or even yourselves this day.“
Mistress Hercy stood up, this time without Anne’s help, but said suddenly, “The knife.” She looked around to where it had fallen. “It has to go back to the kitchen.”
‘I’ll see to it,“ Daved answered, taking it up and putting it through his belt at his back before he started for the stairs, saying, ”Put out the candle.“ Dame Frevisse did, and in the instant darkness Daved ordered, ”Give your eyes a moment to be used to it, then come.“
They did, Anne standing aside to let Mistress Hercy and Dame Frevisse feel their way from the room and down the stairs ahead of her. Behind her, Daved closed the door with a small snick of the latch. In the hall the starlight through the unshuttered windows lessened the darkness enough for her to see the two women going away from her, but she stayed where she was, no word needed between her and Daved as he drew her into the solar.
With the door shut, they were as alone as they could hope to be, and still with no word between them, he guided her to the room’s middle, turned her toward him, and took her in his arms. Wordless, they held to each other for a long, long moment, until Anne lifted her face to him and they kissed with a hunger not simply for each other but for comfort and some promise of safety that neither of them could give, until Anne pulled back a very little, drew a long, trembling breath, and said, hushed as if there were someone else there to hear her, “He’s truly dead and she truly did it? This isn’t a bad dream in a bad night’s sleep?”
‘He’s truly dead and she truly did it,“ Daved said quietly. ”Nor are we sleeping.“
‘Pernell…“
But the mere thought of Pernell kept Anne from going on. It was for Daved to say gently, “It’s better she have this grief than the grief of knowing what Raulyn had done. He could not be left to go free, knowing what we know about him. But how could Pernell have lived with knowing her children had been fathered on her by the man who murdered her son? Mistress Hercy saw it clearly enough. There was no other way than this.”
‘I know,“ Anne whispered. ”But Raulyn… I can’t make it hold true in my mind that he killed the friars and Hal, too.“
‘I know,“ Daved said, the words hard and bitten. ”I’ve had to work at holding to it. I thought he was my friend. I’ve trusted my life to him here.“
Anne wished she could see his face, the better to guess how deeply his pain went, but all she could offer was, “He never meant for Brother Michael to know of you. He never meant.”
Harshly, tightening his hold on her, Daved said, “He never meant that, no. What he meant was to have me gone so he could have his chance at you. What he meant was to open his way to greater wealth through Lucie’s marriage. What he meant was to keep himself safe by way of the friar’s death. Everything he did was for himself. At least when Mistress Hercy killed, it was for someone else.”
Anne nodded, understanding all that, and leaned her head against him. Gently against her hair he said, “Pernell will have grief but never know all the worst. For that, your silence as well as Mistress Hercy’s and the nun’s will be needed. Can you do it?”
‘Along with all else I keep silent about?“ Anne gave a single, broken laugh. ”Oh, surely.“ But the tears of her fear and misery were too close behind that laugh, and Daved gathered her more closely to him and for a long moment that was enough, simply to have him holding her.
But it was not enough when so much else was still unspoken, and against her hair he said softly, “You know that when this is done—as soon as I’ve done this thing—I’ll leave London. Make my way to the coast, probably, and take ship from there. Away from England.”
Holding more tightly to him, Anne whispered, “Yes.”
‘Let be whatever questions there will be about Raulyn’s death, all that the friar found out against me may come out. I do not count on Master Naylor to keep silent on it, once other danger is past. I must not be here if he tells.“
‘I know,“ she whispered.
‘You know that I’ll not…“ There was a break in Daved’s voice that matched whatever was breaking inside of her; but despite her silent willing of him to say nothing more, he went on, ”You know that when I leave, I’ll not be back soon.“
For a long moment Anne held off from answering that, then said quietly against his chest, “If ever.”
A longer silence passed between them then before Daved agreed as quietly, “If ever. Yes.”
Chapter 29
There was upset in the morning when Raulyn was nowhere to be found and those who had kept the gates swore he had come in and not gone out. Mistress Hercy fixed a hard look on Pers and declared someone had not been looking when he had. Pers protested loudly he’d kept good watch last night, which seemed to fix in everyone’s mind that he had not and that their master had gone out for reasons of his own and would come back when he would, it was none of their business.
What Mistress Hercy told Pernell to keep her from worry, Frevisse did not know, nor did she see Pernell at all, which made the day somewhat easier than it might have been. But it was a long day, as days perforce were at midsummer, and made the longer with waiting for even one of the things that might go wrong to go wrong. Frevisse spent it mostly at the parlor’s southward window, pretending to read and trying to pray when the hours for the Offices came but mostly thinking around and around where her thoughts had already gone too many times. Now and again shouting surged from one place and another along London’s streets, and there were shouting matches more than a few times at the barriers either end of St. Swithin’s Lane, but still nothing came to fighting that she heard and that far, at least, her prayers were answered.
Anne, too, kept to herself except when with Pernell, sometimes pacing the parlor, sometimes sitting at the other window, twice sitting to sew with Lucie, taking both their minds from other things by teaching her a new stitch for her sampler; but never once did any word pass between her and Frevisse the whole day.
Father Tomas came in the late morning and spent a time with Pernell and Mistress Hercy, but he no more than sketched a blessing in the air at Frevisse and Anne as he passed through the parlor. Emme, when she brought dinner upstairs, said he had brought men who had carried Brother Michae
l’s body away to the church, to lie there for the crowner to see and until the streets were safe to return it to Grey Friars. “Whenever that may be,” Emme gloomed as she went away.
Frevisse expected Daved Weir to bring some word of what more was happening, if only to have the chance to speak again with Anne, but he did not. Master Naylor came in early afternoon during one of the whiles she was alone to say that all was much as yesterday in the streets. Keeping impatience from her voice—if only barely—Frevisse said, “That much I’ve been able to hear for myself.” Then brought herself to ask, “Has Master Grene returned?”
‘Not sign of him nor any word. Master Weir has been up and down the street asking after him.“ Master Naylor paused. Frevisse could almost see the question he was chewing over before, not sounding much as if he wanted to, he asked, ”What do you mean to do about this Master Weir and his uncle being Jews? Since I doubt Master Grene will do aught, now the friar is dead.“
‘I mean to do nothing.“
‘Nothing?“
‘Now they’ve been found out, they’ll leave and not come back, surely.“
‘It could have been the uncle who killed the friar.“
‘Do you think it was?“
Master Naylor gave her one of his long-faced looks. “If he had, my thought is he’d have finished the matter by coming in after his nephew and had him out of here, one way or another.”
‘That’s my thought, too.“
‘So we do nothing about them? Despite they’re Jews?“
‘We welcome Master Weir’s help while he sees Master Grene through this trouble. Then he goes and doesn’t come back. That will be enough.“
Master Naylor considered that before saying, “Aye. That would be my choice. There’s trouble enough without making more.”
‘Is there any talk of Cade being forced out of London?“
‘There’s been some word running that way, yes.“
‘Will London do it, do you think?“
‘Who knows with Londoners?“ Master Naylor said and went away.
And the waiting went on, into the beginning of the long summer evening, with the clear sky colored rose and cream by the westering sun and fear beginning to twist inside of Frevisse that after all London would not rise against Cade. Not today anyway.
And then the waiting was done.
Anne, in the parlor with her then, knew it was Daved on the stairs and was on her feet and going to him, her hands out, as he came into the parlor. He met her as readily, clasping her outstretched hands, pulling her to him, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace she returned as fully as she returned his kiss.
Frevisse waited where she was, and when they had done, he set Anne back from him and ordered with edged excitement, “Best bring Mistress Hercy to hear, too.”
Anne went immediately into the bedchamber, leaving Frevisse and Daved to each other, neither of them saying anything because there was nothing to be said in the few moments before Anne returned with Mistress Hercy, who went straight to Daved, looking ten years older than she had yesterday but asking firmly as she came, “Is it time?”
‘Lord Scales is out of the Tower with his men, headed for the bridge, and the mayor and aldermen have called up the wards and are moving to join him against Cade.“
‘God save us all,“ Mistress Hercy breathed, signing herself with the cross.
Frevisse and Anne copied her. Daved did not, only went on, “Cade heard something was afoot and spent the afternoon drawing his men out of London, back into Southwark. He probably hoped that if he showed good faith that way, he could go back to dealing with the mayor and all again, but London means to take back the bridge and gates. That’s where the fight will be, at the far end of the bridge.”
‘Will that be enough to let you do… this thing?“ Mistress Hercy asked.
‘There’s still trouble enough scattered through the streets, with straggles of rebels and London troublemakers in plenty and likely more at it once night falls.“
‘When will you do it?“ Mistress Hercy asked.
‘As soon as it’s full dark.“
A burst of rabbled noise, muffled by buildings rather than distance, swung all their heads toward the southward window. It might have been anything, but as the sound rose into a clamor that could only be of men meeting with weapons and in anger, Daved said, “It’s started. What I need from you now, Mistress Hercy, is to come with me to tell your household men they can go out to the fight. They’re jumping out of their skins with wanting to. They won’t pause. The street barriers are still manned, so they’re not needed here. I’ve already spoken to the Naylors and agreed they’ll keep the foregate, and me the back. Once you have the women up here, it’s only a matter of waiting until I judge it’s dark enough to go.”
Unexpectedly Anne said, “I’ll come be watch for you in the house and at the gate.”
Daved paused, then gave a single, sharp nod. “When the first star shows, come.”
Mistress Hercy pressed a hand over her mouth, her breathing suddenly gone rapid and shallow. She had maybe been looking aside all day from what they meant to do and now was seeing it clearly for the ugly thing it was—a man’s body taken out and left somewhere like a dead, unwanted dog’s. Even Raulyn’s and despite he was dead because of her. But Frevisse had never looked aside, and when she met Daved’s level gaze, their understanding measured and matched each other’s, both of them knowing the only thing worse than doing the thing would be not to do it.
No, worse would be to attempt it and fail.
And hiding her own other thoughts, Frevisse asked, “We’re ready, then?”
Mistress Hercy drew a long breath, steadied, and said, “Yes.”
Anne only nodded, wordless.
Daved, with a warm certainty that both lifted them and carried them forward, said, “Good then. Remember, my ladies, what’s done is done. Let’s do the rest and be done with all. Mistress Hercy, I told the household men I’d come to plead your leave to let them go. Pray, come now and give it.”
Mistress Hercy gave a crisp, assenting nod and sailed past him toward the stairs as if she had never faltered. Daved followed her, and Anne watched him go before turning away to the window overlooking the yard again. Frevisse joined her there, and in silence they watched the household’s men, clubs in hand, stream down from the hall and away across the yard and out the gateway. “Done,” Anne said; and added without looking around, “You’ll have to be the one who sees to Pernell.”
‘And now, I think,“ Frevisse said, because the women were already chattering up the stairs, and even if all else had escaped Pernell, that would want explanation. But she found that all else had not escaped Pernell. She and Lucie were together at the bedchamber window, worried over what they were hearing from the bridge without being certain what it was.
When Frevisse told her, though, Pernell was more pleased than alarmed, saying, “Thanks be to God it’s going to end,” and with a hand on her belly and the other braced on the seat, lowered herself to sit there at the window. “That’s where Raulyn has been all the day, then. Helping to ready the ward for this. He might have sent me word. Why are men so single-witted?”
She seemed not to expect an answer, and Frevisse, her choice either a lie or silence, chose silence.
From here nothing of the bridge was to be seen, and the distant clash and formless shouting of the fighting told little of what was going on, except it came no nearer, sign that thus far the Londoners must be holding their own. In the parlor the women talked, but in the bedchamber there was little to say and less to do, and finally Lucie curled up on the bed in all her clothing and went to sleep. Pernell soon lay down, too, saying, “I’ll only rest a while,” but shortly her breathing likewise evened into sleep, and Frevisse, still at the window, was alone with her own thoughts. Full dark was come. More stars than only the first were out. By now Daved must have Raulyn’s body out of the house, was likely even quit of it. And then he’d be away, soon to be quit of England
, too, and back to his true life.
But which was his true life? He lived in lies so many-layered, did he even know anymore which of his lives was true, which one a lie? She had known people who had come to think the lies they lived in were their truth. Did Daved live so deeply in his lies, they were become his truth?
She laid her hand over the pouch still hung about her neck under her gowns. So many lies. And some of them hers.
So many lies. So many deaths. So many deceptions and treacheries. So much greed and fear. And love.
Frevisse folded her hands into her lap and bowed her head and prayed for the love there was between Anne Blakhall and Daved, for the men fighting on London bridge—those still alive and those already dead—and for Raulyn’s doomed, damned soul.
She did not know how much later it was that an outcry among the women in the other room made her raise her head, first looking around to the bed to be sure Pernell and Lucie, for a mercy, still slept; then out the window where she saw the orange glow of fire off a black roil of smoke blotting out the sky above London bridge. The bridge was on fire. In the other room, after their first outcry, the other women’s voices went on, hushed and strained. Mistress Hercy came briefly into the bedchamber to be sure of the sleepers, then came to Frevisse and said in a whisper, “He must be away by now.”
‘Long since,“ Frevisse agreed.
Mistress Hercy stood a little longer, looking out at the fire-stained smoke, then went away, leaving Frevisse to her thoughts and watching. To her relief in a while it was clear that the fire was not spreading; and by the time the eastern sky was well-paled toward dawn, the battle-clamor had lessened; and by the time full daylight was come there was nothing left to hear but a few distant shouts and nothing to see but a drift of grey smoke thinning across the sky. The rebels had not won their way back into London.
By then Pernell and Lucie were awake and Mistress Hercy had brought in their breakfast tray and the news that all the household’s men were come lag-footed home, tired and dirty but no wounds among them, and all the women were in the kitchen with them, feeding them and demanding to hear about everything. The last Frevisse heard as she slipped out to the parlor was Mistress Hercy saying, “No, not Raulyn yet, dear. Give him time.”
15 The Sempster's Tale Page 30
