The Prince of Lies

by Anne Lyle

  “That should steady it until the surgeon can treat you,” she told him.

  She gave the man a final reassuring pat on the shoulder and continued with her search.

  At the Tower gatehouse the guards blocked Mal’s way with crossed partizans.

  “Sorry, sir, no one is allowed into the Tower without a warrant from the Privy Council. King’s orders.”

  “Which king?” Mal asked, dreading the answer.

  “King Robert, of course.” The warder squinted at him against the light. “Unless you know different, sir.”

  “No. But you know how rumour spreads in times like these. One knows not whom to trust.”

  “Quite, sir.”

  Mal hesitated. “My wife and son are within–”

  “Sorry, sir, no exceptions. If you have a letter for them, I’d be glad to convey it…” The man looked hopeful, no doubt expecting a little silver for his troubles.

  “Alas, I have neither pen nor paper.” He looked over his shoulder at the sun, now well past its zenith. Still a good few hours until curfew. “I shall be back in all haste, with letters for both of them. Have you seen a gelding hereabouts? Chestnut, sixteen hands, white stocking on his near hind fetlock? I rode him in the procession, but I was called away on the King’s business.”

  “A fair few beasts was rounded up, sir. Can’t remember all of them.”

  An idea came to him. “What about the horse the assassin was riding?”

  The guard shrugged.

  “Send a message to the stables. I want that horse found and brought to me, immediately.”

  “The chestnut, or the other one?”

  “Both.” When the guard did not make a move to obey, he added, “Now. Or must I report your negligence to my lord the Duke of Suffolk?”

  “No, sir. Right away, sir.” He ducked into the gatehouse for a moment before setting off down the causeway.

  Mal turned back to Sandy. “Go home, and let Ned know what’s happened. I’ll be back before curfew, God willing.”

  “I should–”

  “There’s nothing you can do. Kit will be as safe in there as anywhere. Please, Sandy.”

  His brother said nothing; the taut line of his mouth and the distrustful look he gave Mal made words unnecessary. After a moment he turned and walked away. Mal let out a long breath. He had more important things to deal with than Sandy’s sulks.

  In the time it took for the guard to return with the horses, Mal had managed to persuade his fellows to provide paper and ink to write a letter to Coby. There was nothing to seal it with, of course, and he dared not send anything too obviously ciphered, so he wrote a simple but heartfelt message wishing her well and praying that he would see both her and Kit soon. He handed it over, along with a few coins to speed it on its way.

  “There you go, sir,” the first guard said, passing him Hector’s reins. “And here’s the other one you was asking about.”

  “This is it? You’re certain?”

  The second horse was a sturdy grey nag, dwarfed by Hector. Mal looked it over, noting its well-worn shoes and the sores in the corners of its mouth where the bit had rubbed.

  “A hard-worked beast.”

  “Aye, sir. The stablemaster says he would never have let a mangy beast like that go out in the King’s coronation procession.”

  “Good. Now we shall find our man,” Mal said with a smile. “He may have killed himself, but he forgot one rather large witness.”

  “Oh?”

  “Every horse knows its way home. I intend to let this one loose, and follow it.”

  He mounted Hector, leaned over the pommel of his saddle and gave the nag a slap on its rump. It made no move. He slapped it again. The horse turned and looked at Hector. Mal sighed. Of course. It would not want to take the lead with a larger, more dominant animal around. He dismounted and handed Hector’s reins to the guard.

  “Keep him here, will you? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  With a prayer to Saint Michael that the creature wouldn’t outrun him in the crowded streets, he led the nag a little way down the street and gave it another slap on the rump. It whinnied and broke into a trot. Mal jogged along behind it, ignoring the strange looks he got from passers-by.

  “You’re going to have to run faster than that, my lord!” a man shouted, to uproarious laughter from his companions.

  The nag led Mal about half a mile westwards then turned right, heading up Gracechurch Street towards Bishopsgate. Mal laboured after it, breath grating his throat, cursing his idleness these past few years. Time was he would have thought nothing of such a chase; now he was sweating and panting like an old man.

  Thankfully his tormentor slowed as it approached the gate, finding its way blocked by the guards.

  “Let it through,” Mal wheezed as he jogged up. “We’re on the King’s business.”

  The gate guards stepped aside, and the chase began again. The street beyond was near empty, and the nag’s steady trot increased in pace. At least the road was flatter here. Mal broke into a run, hoping that this burst of speed meant the beast was nearing home.

  Sure enough it slowed after another quarter of a mile and trotted up to the gates of a livery stable. Mal stumbled to a halt, his heart sinking. It was as he feared. This was a hired horse. Most likely the assassin had given a false name and the trail would go cold. Still, he had to try.

  By the time he reached the stable, a groom had taken hold of the grey nag’s bridle and was leading it into a stall.

  “You looking for a mount, sir?”

  Mal turned to look at the man who had addressed him: a short, red-faced ostler in a greasy jerkin, stinking of his trade.

  “That one,” he wheezed, pointing a shaking hand at the nag.

  The ostler looked Mal up and down. “I think you’ll need a bigger beast than our Rosie, sir, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  “Rosie? Is that the creature’s name?”

  “Aye, sir. Good little thing, steady pace, tireless. Why, what are you wanting a horse for? Would have thought a gentleman like you would keep his own, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  “It’s not for me. I’m Sir Maliverny Catlyn, here on the King’s business. That horse was used in an attack on the King this morning.”

  The ostler turned pale. “I heard the news. Anything I can do to help the King’s justice, my lord, anything.”

  “I need to know who hired that horse last.”

  “I heard it was a skrayling what shot His Majesty,” the ostler said. “Haven’t had any of those coming here in years.”

  “The assassin may have stolen the horse, but we need to know from whom.” Much as he wanted to set the story straight and exonerate the skraylings, now was not the time.

  The ostler cupped a hand to his mouth. “Davy! Who had the hire of Rosie last?”

  A groom poked his head round the stall. “Master Nathaniel, same as always.”

  “Nathaniel?”

  “A notary, Nathaniel Palmer. He has an account with us, seeing as he travels a lot with his work.”

  “And where can I find this Nathaniel Palmer?”

  The ostler gave him directions to a house just off Bishopsgate Within. Mal thanked the man, and gave him a half-crown for his trouble.

  “Feed the mare well, and let her rest,” he told them. “She has been cruelly used, and is in no way to blame for the ill she has helped cause.”

  “Of course, sir. God save the King!”

  “I hope he does,” Mal replied softly as he left. Otherwise we will have a child on the throne; a child with a monstrous brother who is bent on taking it – and the kingdom – for himself.

  When the soldiers came to take Kit back to the other boys, he wasn’t sure whether to be happy or afraid. De Vere would probably not stop taunting him and calling him a girl, and in the Tower there was nowhere to hide from him. On the other hand it had been very boring cooped up with the princesses, who just cried all the time or worse, fussed over him like he wa
s a baby. He stomped down the stairs after the soldiers, wishing his father or Uncle Sandy would come and take him away. At that thought he looked around eagerly. Perhaps the soldiers had lied and he was being taken to his father after all… but then they turned left instead of right and went through the gateway to the inner ward.

  As he feared they led him up the stairs into the Bloody Tower, to the portcullis room where he and Robert Sidney shared a bed, and left him there. When they had arrived here two days ago, he and Sidney had pretended they were soldiers in a besieged castle, sent to man the defences and drop boiling water and molten lead on their enemies’ heads. A portcullis wasn’t much use, though, if you were trying to get out rather than stop someone getting in. He leaned over the mechanism, wondering if it were possible to squeeze through the gaps.

  Someone pushed him and he toppled forwards, flailing for the nearest beam to steady himself. He turned, panting, to see Sidney smirking at him.

  “Sidney, don’t be an ass!”

  “Made you squeal.”

  “Did not.”

  “I heard you. Bet you wet yourself too.”

  “Did not.”

  “Pueri!”

  Both boys snapped to attention.

  “Magister.”

  “Is this any proper way for gentlemen to behave?” Master Weston glared at them both. “Cavorting like jugglers when your lord King lies in agonies?”

  “Non est, magister.”

  “Do not imagine that this unfortunate turn of events will prevent you from having lessons. The discipline of learning will take your minds off melancholy thoughts.”

  Sidney groaned and trudged through into their chamber. Kit made to follow him, but Master Weston blocked his path with his cane.

  “Not you, Catlyn. The prince wishes to speak with you.”

  Kit bowed and made his way up the spiral stair to Prince Henry’s chambers. The upper floor of the tower was divided by a wood-and-plaster wall into an L-shaped parlour and a separate bedchamber. Prince Henry sat in a chair by the window, watching him intently. There was no sign of de Vere, and Kit hoped his old enemy had gone back to the adjoining Wakefield Tower, where Prince Edward had his lodgings.

  “Your Highness.”

  “How did you like my sisters?”

  Kit blinked at the prince. “Um, they were very kind to me.”

  “Of course they were. And my beloved mother?”

  “I didn’t see her much. She looked sad and worried.”

  Henry stood up. “You don’t like me, do you, Catlyn?”

  Kit stared at the ground. “I…” He had never been very good at lying.

  “It’s all right, you can tell the truth.” He stepped closer to Kit. “But we could be friends, if you wanted. Good friends.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “My father may die of his wounds, and then Edward will be king and I will be heir. Unless something happens to him before he has a son.”

  “I hope not–” Kit realised this was the wrong thing to say. “I-I-I mean that I hope your father doesn’t die.”

  “No. Of course not. But whether he dies now or later, my friends will be important men. Even more important than they are now. I need friends who are loyal to me and no one else. Could you do that, Catlyn?”

  Kit swallowed. “I can try, Your Highness.”

  “Then you will obey me, before your father or anyone else?”

  “Anyone? Even the King?”

  “Well, no.” Henry looked annoyed. “That would be treason. And if you breathed a word that I said otherwise, I’d have to have you executed.”

  “What?” Kit backed away further, until he was up against the door. The nail heads pressed into his back.

  The prince laughed. “You should see your face, Catlyn. Of course I’m not going to have you executed. Not yet, at any rate.”

  Kit did not feel reassured.

  “You’re pretty good at Latin, aren’t you?” Henry said. “And you draw well, and I dare say you’re itching to practise with that new sword.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  “Good, I think you’ll make a fine companion. Kneel and swear your loyalty to me, and I’ll forgive you.”

  Kit knelt and placed his hands palm together, like he had seen knights do before their liege lords in tapestries and paintings. Please, Father, forgive me. He’s the prince, I cannot refuse.

  Henry clasped Kit’s hands in his own. His palms were warm against Kit’s knuckles, and yet the touch made him shiver. Kit longed to tear his hands away and run, regardless of what Henry did to him for it, but the prince had him trapped against the door.

  “Do you, Christopher Catlyn, swear allegiance to me, Henry Tudor, your lord and prince, for all your days?”

  “I so swear.” His voice came out barely above a whisper.

  “Louder, if you will.”

  “I so swear.”

  “Good. You may rise.”

  Kit got to his feet. He felt sure there ought to have been more words than that, something about God and a lord’s duty to protect his vassals, but Henry had always been impatient.

  “Now, give me your sword.”

  Kit hesitated. “It was a gift from my father–”

  “And I am your liege lord now. Give it to me.”

  Kit swallowed past the lump in his throat and unbuckled the belt. It almost slipped from his fingers, and he could not look up at the prince as he handed it over. Henry turned away and stared out of the window at the White Tower. Kit supposed he was dismissed, and backed towards the door.

  “One more thing,” Henry said over his shoulder. “Don’t think to betray me. I can read your thoughts as you sleep, and learn your innermost secrets.”

  “That’s witchcraft,” Kit said, before he could stop himself.

  Henry turned, his face like thunder. “It is the divine power of princes. Or do you doubt me already?”

  “N-n-no, Your Highness.”

  “No, of course not.” He smiled. “You may leave us.”

  Henry turned away again, and Kit scrabbled for the door latch behind him. He had never been more grateful to have lessons to go to in his life.

  Palmer’s lodgings were in a courtyard off Cornhill Street, a short walk from the Royal Exchange. A sour-faced woman of middling years answered the door, looking him up and down before offering a begrudging curtsey.

  “I’m looking for Nathaniel Palmer,” Mal said. He watched the woman’s reaction, but she betrayed no sign that she thought him dead.

  “He ain’t here. Gone to visit one of his merchant friends, I’ll warrant.”

  “But you don’t know for sure?”

  She shrugged. “He left the house this morning, like he often does. I said to him, aren’t you staying for the coronation, but he said he had pressing business.”

  “Did he say where?”

  “No.” The woman frowned. “That was the odd thing. Usually he told me where he was going and how long he would be, but this time he just said not to expect him for a while.”

  “Perhaps I had better come in. This is not a matter to discuss in the street.”

  “Who are you? And why should I let you into my house?”

  “Sir Maliverny Catlyn, on the King’s business. And you are…?”

  “Mistress Bell. His landlady.” Her eyes went wide. “This ain’t nothing to do with the shooting, is it?”

  Mal nodded curtly. Mistress Bell glanced up and down the street, then opened the door wider. Her dark eyes glinted in the shadows of the passage, eager for gossip.

  “So what’s Palmer done, then?” she asked as she showed Mal up a flight of stairs. “I heard it was a foreigner what shot the King, not an Englishman.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t say,” Mal replied. “He may not be involved at all, but it was his horse the killer was riding.”

  “You think this villain knocked him on the head and made off with the beast?” She took a key from her pocket and unlocked one of the doors. “This is
his room. I sweep it out once a week and collect his laundry. He’s very little trouble.”

  The room was plainly furnished in sombre dark woods and woollen drapery, and as neat as one might expect of a tenant with legal training. A desk stood near the window, flanked by shelves and pigeonholes for storing great quantities of documents, all bound up with string and sealing wax. If Palmer were the assassin and had allies in this conspiracy, they had not yet thought to destroy all possible evidence. Mal smiled. This lot would keep Ned occupied for quite a while.

  “What did… does Master Palmer look like?”

  Mistress Bell gave a description that matched the body on Grey’s table well enough. It was not proof in itself, but better than finding out that the horse had indisputably been stolen. Mal lit a candle, took a scrap of paper from the desk and wrote a note to Grey, sealing it with a plain blob of wax. They would have to confiscate all of Palmer’s papers, and hope they contained clues to the man’s associates.

  “Send this to Suffolk House, as fast as you may.” He pulled a handful of coins out of his pocket. “For your trouble.”

  “That’s a lot of trouble, sir,” Mistress Bell said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  “I’m afraid Master Palmer is in a great deal of trouble. One way or another, I doubt you will be seeing him again.”

  CHAPTER XXIII

  The Queen’s household was moved back to Saint Thomas’ Tower as soon as the causeway had been cleared. Juliana had protested to the guardsmen that she should be by her husband’s side in this time of crisis, but to no avail. The Privy Council had decreed, in the name of the King, that Robert’s wife and children must stay in the Tower for their own safety until all the conspirators behind the assassination attempt had been arrested. And so they had returned to what had been intended as temporary quarters, feeling more like prisoners than guests under protection.

  Coby tried to busy herself about the Queen’s apartments but there was little to do apart from sewing, listening to one of the ladies-in-waiting read, or watching the skrayling ships depart the city. She spent far too much of her time on the latter, wondering where she and Mal would take Kit if the skraylings never returned. Of course she had to get Kit out of here first, the sooner the better.