‘Come, sit down, Sir Thomas. There.’ He indicated one of a handful of cushioned chairs on the other side of his desk, arranged in a shallow arc. ‘You too, my dear Francis.’
Thomas did as he was bid and sat in the middle of the chairs so that the other man would be displaced from the centre, the implicit position of most importance. Once they were settled Sir Robert leaned forward and fixed Thomas with a steady gaze. His expression was good-natured and he spoke in a pleasant tone. ‘I trust your journey was not too troubling?’
‘Not at all, sir. The roads were safe and the snow was only light. I made good time.’
‘So I see. You reached London earlier than I thought you would.’ Thomas smiled faintly. ‘A man who is summoned by the Secretary of State does not tarry a moment longer than he can help it, Sir Robert. And so here I am, at your pleasure.’
‘Indeed, and I dare say that the cause of my request is uppermost in your mind.’
‘Of course.’
‘Then let me say that your being here is due to the delicacy of the task I have in mind for you. Even though our blessed sovereign has been on the throne for five years, there are still many who take exception to her elevation to the throne and not just because of her espousal of the Protestant faith. I take it you know of John Knox?’
‘I have heard the name.’
‘And you are no doubt aware that he cries out against the very principle of a woman succeeding to the throne. Perhaps you have read some of his pamphlets on the matter.’
‘It would be a foolish man who dared to read his arguments, Sir Robert. His pamphlets are banned. It is a capital offence to be discovered in possession of them, I believe.’
‘Quite so. But you are familiar with his thoughts.’
‘I have heard of them,’ Thomas replied carefully, aware that he was being watched closely by the other man in the room, who no doubt served as a witness. ‘Though I cannot recall who was speaking at the time.’
‘Naturally.’ Sir Robert smiled. ‘And it would be pointless for me to press you on the matter, still less to subject you to the pains in order to encourage your memory of the names of those involved.’ He chuckled as if to underscore the levity of the comment, but Thomas understood the threat of torture well enough. He was completely in this man’s power, regardless of his views of Knox or any of those who opposed Queen Elizabeth. As a Catholic his jeopardy was doubled. He returned Sir Robert’s gaze without expression. There was an uncomfortable silence before Sir Robert eased himself back a short distance and raised his hands slightly.
‘Ah! Pardon me, I forget my manners. I should have introduced you two gentlemen. Sir Thomas, it is my pleasure to acquaint you with Sir Francis Walsingham, the partner of my labours in the service of our sovereign. I trust him implicitly,’ Sir Robert added with emphasis.
Thomas turned towards him and nodded. ‘Walsingham.’
The other man stared back and responded coldly, ‘It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Thomas.’
‘You must forgive Sir Francis,’ the host laughed. ‘He is no lover of the Church of Rome and sometimes that causes him to forget certain social niceties. But come now, let us not dance about the point any longer. I can assure you, Sir Thomas, that you have not been asked here for the sake of persecution. I have a task for you. One that will be an opportunity to serve your sovereign and your country and put the question of your loyalty to both beyond reproach.’
‘I do not consider my loyalty to either to be in doubt,’ Thomas countered evenly.
‘Of course not. You know your own heart and I would not have asked you here if I had any doubts. Let us take that as settled. Agreed?’ He shot Walsingham a warning glance. The latter nodded.
‘There. Which brings us to the first question I have to put to you, Sir Thomas. I believe that you were visited two days ago by a French knight who belongs to the rather select Holy Order of the Hospitaller Knights of St John.’ He turned to Walsingham. ‘That is their title, is it not?’
‘More or less.’
Cecil’s eyes fixed on Thomas and the good-natured wrinkles that spread out at their corners eased into a cold, heartless stare. ‘Would you be so good as to tell us why a French knight from a Catholic military order might travel across Europe to pay a visit to you, Sir Thomas?’
CHAPTER TEN
So, as he had suspected, Philippe de Nanterre’s visit was the reason he was here, Thomas thought wryly. For twenty years he had done all that was in his power to avoid attention or attract suspicion and now it was all undone by the young knight and his masters on Malta. His abiding feeling was resentment rather than fear and he returned Cecil’s gaze without flinching as he replied. ‘He came to deliver a letter.’
‘What letter?’ Walsingham cut in. ‘Where is it?’
‘At home. In my study.’
‘And what did it say?’
‘The letter was addressed to me, Sir Francis. I do not see why I should share its contents with you.’
‘Really?’ For the first time Walsingham smiled, his thin lips parting to reveal neat but stained teeth. ‘I wonder what you have to hide.’
‘Nothing.’
‘Then tell us.’
Thomas gritted his teeth and felt the first surge of anger ripple through his veins as he stared at Walsingham. The man was perhaps ten years his junior and in the prime of life, but he had lived in London too long and the pallor of his complexion told of lack of fitness and strength. In a fight, Thomas knew that he could break the man into pieces and the mere thought of it fired the taste for violence he had long suppressed. There was the true danger and he forced himself to edge back from the temptation. He closed his eyes for a moment and drew a steady breath. There was nothing to be gained from this confrontation.
‘The letter was from Sir Oliver Stokely, in Malta,’ he began. ‘He has requested that I honour my oath to the Order and return to defend the island against the host that the Turkish Sultan is gathering to hurl upon Malta. That is the substance of it.’
‘Sir Oliver Stokely,’ Cecil mused with a faint smile. ‘A distant cousin of mine, as it happens. We were close as children, until he let his faith lead him astray. More than a little astray in the end, as his presence in Malta eloquently demonstrates. But I digress. I assume your guest required a response from you before continuing with his travels.’
‘He did.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘I accepted.’
Cecil and Walsingham exchanged a brief glance and Thomas thought he sensed their disappointment with his reply. The former returned his gaze to Thomas.
‘Why did you accept?’
‘I swore an oath that is still binding. The Grand Master has summoned me and I must go.’
‘You still consider you are bound by an oath taken so many years ago?’
‘A man is only as good as his word,’ Thomas replied. ‘Even so, it is a long time since I shared the aims and beliefs of the Order.’
‘Then you disagree with defending Christendom from the Turks?’
‘No. I believe in self-defence. I have lived long and seen enough to know that only a fool turns the other cheek. What I wish for is peace between men and their faiths. What has the war with Islam ever given us but bloodshed, sorrow and destruction? Do you know how many years the Order has been waging its war against the enemy? Over five centuries.’ For a brief moment Thomas sensed the terrible burden of such a length of time devoted to unremitting hatred and violence. Generation upon generation steeped in the gore of innocents. He shook his head slowly. ‘I would rather the struggle came to an end and there was peace between Christendom and the Sultan.’
‘Peace with the Sultan?’ Walsingham laughed harshly. ‘Did you ever hear of such a thing?’
Thomas looked at him. ‘If I have to kill again then it will not be in the name of religion.’
‘Yet you were happy to become a mercenary and to kill for money for many years,’ Walsingham sneered, and was about to speak again when
his superior raised a hand to stop him.
Cecil folded his hands together and regarded Thomas thoughtfully. ‘It is an admirable sentiment, Sir Thomas, truly. In a better world than this I would share your convictions. However, the world is filled with sinners going about their mischief and we must do what we can to obstruct them. The Sultan is one such man who must be stopped. Your former comrade, Sir Oliver, was correct to write that your Order is in peril on Malta. We have heard the same from our own sources.’
Thomas’s eyes narrowed. ‘Pardon me, Sir Robert, but how would you know what Sir Oliver wrote to me?’
‘Ah.’ A pained look crossed Cecil’s face. ‘I had hoped to return this to you a bit later on.’ He fished a hand into his robe and extracted a folded piece of paper with a familiar broken seal, and slid it across the table towards Thomas. He stared at the letter in frank surprise.
‘How did you get this?’
‘Do you imagine that we would permit a foreign soldier free passage across England without ensuring that his every movement was observed?’
‘You had him followed to my house?’
‘Of course.’
Then it struck Thomas. ‘But this letter was in my study this morning. I placed it there, in my desk. I am certain of it.’
‘Yes, you did. But one of my agents called at your house after you had left. He managed to persuade a servant to relate all that had passed and it was a simple matter to search your study. The letter was found and brought to me as swiftly as possible. Sir Francis and I were able to read it a good two hours before you arrived.’
‘Did your man harm any of my servants in order to get your information?’ Thomas asked quietly.
‘He didn’t have to.’ Cecil smiled. ‘Your servants are Catholics, like yourself. It was a simple matter to remind them of the fate that befalls those accused of heresy, and a somewhat lower standard of proof is required to charge a servant than a man of status like yourself, Sir Thomas.’
‘Although that can be arranged,’ Walsingham added darkly.
‘Sir Francis, if you please, there’s no need to threaten our guest.’ Cecil turned back to Thomas. ‘There, the letter is your property. Please take it. I regret that we had to read it, but in my position I have to guard against any potential threat to Her Majesty. You must understand that.’
‘I understand perfectly,’ Thomas replied as he retrieved the letter, holding it by the tips of his fingers as if it had been sullied. ‘There is no base behaviour or abuse of common law that you will not use to bend people to your will.’
Cecil shrugged easily. ‘I do what I must.’
‘And was it necessary to steal this letter? Why ask me about the purpose of Sir Philippe’s mission if you knew all this from reading the message?’
‘We had to know that you were telling the truth. We had to know if you were hiding anything from us. As it is you have passed the test.’
‘How gratifying,’ Thomas replied sourly. ‘Then I think it is time for you to explain this task which you mentioned earlier. Although you should know that I will not help you to persecute my fellow Catholics here in England.’
‘I would hardly expect a man of your integrity to do that, Sir Thomas. Well then, let us get down to brass tacks. As you know, the Turks are preparing to strike a blow against one of the cornerstones of Christian influence in the Mediterranean. If they take Malta, Sicily will be next. Then Italy and Rome itself. If Rome falls then it will be as if the death knell of our faith, Protestant as well as Catholic, has sounded. Suleiman has made no secret of his aim to be master of the known world and impose Islam on all his subjects. He has chosen a good time to unleash his forces against us. Europe is divided by war and religious faction. Spain and France are snapping at each other’s throats and the great fleet that Venice might have sent against the Turks has been decommissioned following the cowardly alliance they signed with Suleiman to safeguard their interests. So you see, your brothers in the Order can expect little help from outside in their stand against the Turks. Only Spain has promised to send what aid she can.’ Cecil paused to lend his next words emphasis. ‘If you agree to return to Malta you will be in the vanguard of the fight to save Europe from the infidel. Save Malta and save us all.’
Thomas could not resist a cynical smile. ‘So you have called me here to ask me to join the fight against Islam.’
‘That, and for one other purpose.’ Cecil sat back and wagged a finger at Walsingham. ‘You explain, Sir Francis.’
The other man collected his thoughts before he addressed Thomas. ‘Since you have elected to return to Malta you will have a chance to serve England’s interests in a more direct fashion. Earlier, you upbraided Sir Robert and myself over the measures we are obliged to pursue in order to preserve order in England.’
‘Order is one word for it,’ Thomas countered. ‘Another word would be tyranny.’
‘Either way, our actions prevent a far greater evil, namely that of civil war. Ever since King Henry denied the supremacy of the Church of Rome, our country has been riven by the tensions between Catholic and Protestant. It is a miracle that this has not flared up into open civil conflict. I need not remind you of the horrors that have taken place in the Netherlands and France. John Knott has written extensively about them.’
‘You should not give credence to all that you read in The Book of Martyrs,' said Thomas.
‘Maybe,’ said Cecil. ‘But you will not deny such atrocities took place. After all, you must have seen them with your own eyes when you served there. Even allowing for Knott’s sensationalism there is enough truth in his words to point the way to what might happen here in England if religious differences were to be expressed through violence. The streets of our cities would run with blood. So far that has been prevented because Protestants have largely been united in their opposition to Catholicism. But what if a wedge were to be driven between English nobles and the Queen? Such a division would embolden the Catholics and it would not take long before we were at each other’s throats.’
‘Perhaps,’ Thomas reflected. ‘But what would cause such a division?’ Cecil exchanged a brief glance with Walsingham before he continued. ‘There is a document in the possession of the knights in Malta that, if it were made public, could tear this country apart. The aristocrats would turn on the Queen and the common people would turn on the aristocrats, before they turned on each other. That is what we seek to prevent.’
‘You said it could tear this country apart. Why would it, pray? I find it hard to credit that a simple document might be the cause of such strife as you describe. Besides, what has such a document got to do with me, or the Order?’
‘The contents of the document are known to only a handful of men. It is best that it remains so. Such knowledge is dangerous. I can tell you that it was in the possession of an English knight from the Order some eighteen years ago. He died in Malta before he could carry the document to its ultimate destination. As far as we know, it is still in Malta. It is best for you to know only that the document exists and that it must be retrieved and brought back to me, or destroyed if that is not possible.’
‘What is to stop me reading it if I find it?’
‘There is a seal upon it. I would know if it had been tampered with. However, it will not be your job to find the document we seek. That will be the task of another man. You will take a squire with you to Malta. The man in question will be our agent. Because he will be attached to you, his presence there will not attract attention to him. His mission is to find the document. If either of you survive the coming siege then you are to return to England with the document. In the event that Malta is taken then it will be the duty of the last of the two still alive to destroy the document before it falls into the enemy’s hands. I will not disguise the grave peril attached to this mission, Sir Thomas,’ Cecil concluded. ‘But we are playing for high stakes and you will have the chance to serve your country and your faith and to save many lives. Now, I imagine you may have some questions fo
r us.’
‘Indeed I have, Sir Robert,’ Thomas replied. ‘Firstly, if this document is so important, why has it not been revealed to the world? The Order is answerable to the King of Spain. I cannot believe that Philip would not have used it if it would harm the interests of England, as you claim.’
‘Fairly stated.’ Cecil nodded. ‘We have to assume that the document has not been put to such use because the Order is ignorant of what it has in its possession.’
‘How can that be?’
‘The document left England in the hands of an English knight, Sir Peter de Launcey.’
Thomas frowned. ‘I remember him. A good man.’
‘Indeed he was. A few years after you left Malta, Sir Peter was given leave to visit his family in England when his father was dying. Soon after he returned to Malta he fell from the deck of a galley and drowned. What is not known is that King Henry entrusted him with this document, which Sir Peter was to guard for him. Henry was ill at the time and did not know if he would survive. In the event that he recovered, Sir Peter was to bring the document back to him. If Henry died, which he did, then Sir Peter was to take the document to Rome and present it to the Pope. But Sir Peter died on Malta, and Henry died at almost the same time. A small handful of his closest advisers knew of the document and were only prepared to reveal this under duress.’
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