‘And do you have anything to say?’
‘Not really.’ He sighed. ‘Sometimes I can’t help but feel I’ve been given a fruitless task. Nothing has happened – save I’ve been kept from you. Almost as if I’ve been got out of the way.’
‘I do not think so, Nicholas. Why bother?’
‘And all Malvern seems to do when he is here is watch Thomas Howe – while pretending that he isn’t.’
‘What?’ She held up a hand. ‘Howe is on this ship?’
‘Spends most of his time in his cabin or in the hold. He’s the purser, in charge of the supplies.’
‘I know what a purser does.’ She frowned. ‘But a purser serves under the master. Why would Howe want that role?’
‘He didn’t have it to start with. The old purser took sick and had to be replaced. As I understand it, Howe agreed to step in, even though it brings him no pay. He wants to serve near the Duke, so he says. What I think is he wants to be noticed.’
‘He wants to serve near the Duke …’ She rubbed her chin in thought. ‘Have you spoken with him, then?’
‘I’ve listened in to his conversation, what there is of it. I’ve made it my business to, seeing who his wife is. It’s not hard to find some task in the hold when the ship’s stuck near port, with supplies coming all the time.’
‘Has he recognised you?’
‘We never met in London. I think he resents it, mind, being here. Even for one of them, he always keeps himself apart. Except whenever the Duke is around, and he just stares.’
She drummed her fingers on the desk. ‘Nicholas, I think Howe might be Gemini. If he is taking a somewhat opportune chance to serve on the flagship, I think it all the more.’
‘Howe Gemini?’ He swung his legs round to sit up straight. ‘With Cornelia as Virgo, perhaps?’
She nodded. ‘If Malvern put you on the Royal Charles, he must have thought Gemini would be stationed here. And now Howe is here, and you say Malvern is watching him too.’
‘But Howe didn’t take up his post until about the time I came on board.’
‘That I cannot understand. But I found plenty in London to suggest Howe’s involvement. A printing press in his warehouse, for one, and a hidden pile of tracts that were almost seditious.’
He whistled. ‘Mercia, I was doubtful of Howe too. I’ve followed him as much as I can, but he hasn’t done anything strange. When I said he keeps himself apart, I meant from the officers as much as from us tars. The only person he pays notice to is the Duke.’
A chill feeling set in as the ship rocked underneath her. ‘Nicholas, what if Howe’s interest in him is not to be noticed, but for something else entirely?’
‘Meaning what?’
‘Say he is Gemini. At first I assumed his role for the Dutch would be the same as Virgo’s, to seek intelligence to pass on about the fleet. But the map I took from the whorehouse had a cross right here in Harwich, next to the letters R and C.’ She slammed down her hand, making Nicholas jump. ‘Hell’s teeth, the Royal Charles! Nicholas, what if … what if Howe is after the Duke himself?’
‘Christ.’ He stared at her. ‘If that’s right, it would certainly shift the balance against us.’
‘At the start of the first major battle of the war. It would send our fleet into turmoil and allow the Dutch an easy victory. There have been attempts on his life before, but even so … dear God, Nicholas. Could Howe be here to kill the Duke?’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
She waited in the cabin while Nicholas scoured the ship. Although nothing could have happened during those ten long minutes, still her nails were more ragged by the time he came back.
‘No sign of him,’ he said. ‘Howe is nowhere on the ship.’
‘How is that possible? Hell’s teeth, Nicholas, could he have gone to shore?’ She leapt up. ‘The Duke is there now, not to mention the King. If Howe is involved, heaven knows what he plans. Come.’ She opened the door. ‘We must find Henry and return on the boat that brought me here.’
‘I didn’t see him either. Your new … friend.’
‘Friend.’ She waved a dismissive hand. ‘He must be somewhere.’
But they could not find Raff either, and the master was in no mood to answer her questions. Then she looked over the side of the ship.
‘The boat has gone!’ Quickly, she looked around. Opposite the rope ladder that still dangled over the side, a wheezing sailor was coiling a heavy rope.
‘You,’ she commanded. ‘The boat I came here on. Where is it?’
‘It left a few minutes back.’ The man let out a loud belly laugh. ‘Don’t tell me you’re trapped here with us?’ He gurned at Nicholas. ‘Hey, Wildmoor. I reckon she likes you.’
‘Shut up,’ growled Nicholas. ‘Did you see who left on the boat?’
‘How can I tell you, if you want me to shut up?’
‘If you don’t, I’ll do more than just tell you.’
‘Easy, precious! It was him. The new purser.’
‘Thomas Howe?’ said Mercia.
‘Don’t know his name, but he seemed right nervous. Think he heard some of the lads talking about you coming aboard, and the next thing I knew he was going down the ladder. I guessed he was taking advantage, heading back to shore to sort out these damned supplies we badly need. There’s not much time left to get them.’
‘And the man I came with?’ she pursued.
‘Look, I don’t see everything that goes on. I have work to do.’
He went back to coiling his rope. Panicked, Mercia ran a frantic hand along her hair.
‘Nicholas, if Howe has gone to shore, we need another boat. If I had known he was on board, I would have been more careful not to be seen.’ She looked around. ‘And where is Henry? I cannot believe he has taken Howe and left me here. Not after—’
‘’Tis not your fault. But I know what to do. Wait back in that cabin.’
He dashed off, leaving her alone on the deck – alone with what seemed like hundreds of sailors. ‘Have you never seen a woman?’ she snapped at their roving eyes. Uncomfortable, she did as Nicholas suggested and retreated to the empty cabin, ordering the sailor at the rope to tell him where she had gone.
‘What, you want him to follow you?’ he guffawed. ‘It is his lucky day.’
Ignoring his lewdness, she hurried to the cabin, where she sat on the bed, waiting. Feeling hemmed in by the windowless space, she walked the two paces to the desk. Then she studied a chart on the wall, adjusted the lamp hanging from the ceiling so that it swung more freely, and sat down again on the bed.
Three-quarters of an hour passed. Beginning to worry that every shout she heard was the signal that the Duke of York had arrived to take command, she was about to brave the leers on deck when finally the door swung open. She looked up and was startled to see not Nicholas, but Giles Malvern come in, a finger to his lips.
‘I got here as quickly as I could,’ he said. ‘Fortunate nobody over there needed my administrations.’
‘How?’ she said. ‘Have you come across from your ship?’
He nodded. ‘’Tis anchored quite near. When he arrived in Harwich, I told your man to raise a certain pennant if he wanted me. As soon as I could get away, I used a boat to row across. The same boat I shall now use to row you to shore, as it seems is your wish.’
She got to her feet. ‘Most clever. Where is Nicholas now?’
‘Caught shirking in his duties by the master, thanks to us. He has been ordered to attend to some work in the hold. I fear you must make do with me.’
‘Then shall we go? It could be urgent.’
‘Yes, but …’ He hesitated. ‘Mercia, the last I heard, you were in the Tower, and then you were not. I cannot believe you simply walked free of that place, but nobody I can ask is willing to tell me the truth. It is as though they are pretending you do not exist.’
‘That seems like the truth of it. Let us merely say I am still hunting for Virgo. For now, let us pursue Thomas Howe.’
&n
bsp; ‘Why?’
‘Because he has taken my boat. And … because I think he is Gemini.’
‘Yes,’ he said, disappointing her with his nonchalance. ‘Wildmoor said as much. But he cannot be.’
‘But he must! I found a seditious pamphlet at his warehouse, hidden near a locked-away printing press. Either he or an accomplice picked up Bellecour’s reports from the whorehouse, and … Mr Malvern? Are you listening to me?’
‘I suppose I shall have to admit it.’ He sighed. ‘Howe is working for me.’
‘What?’
‘In the same way that Wildmoor is. I did not want to tell you, because you did not need to know, but … it is all a ploy, Mercia.’ He sat on the bed, holding his fingers to his mouth, before letting drop his hands as if coming to a decision. ‘Initially, we were after Bellecour and Bellecour alone. We knew he was using Howe’s company to ship items abroad, and so we asked Howe to help us entrap him. Then once Bellecour was dead, our attention turned to this so-called Gemini. We arranged for Howe to serve on the Royal Charles as we arranged the same for your own man. And before you ask, neither know about the other. But the chance to have a man in the crew and another among the petty officers was too good an opportunity to ignore.’
Her mouth was half-open in shock. ‘Then how do you explain the tracts?’
‘I do not. But his personal opinions are of no interest to us, if they are not treasonous.’
‘They seemed as good as.’
‘Mrs Blakewood, sometimes you have to … use those with whom you do not agree to find out about others whom you truly want to catch. Sometimes, we are instructed to turn a blind eye, as they say.’
‘Then what of his wife? She is one of the suspects for Virgo.’
He shrugged. ‘Another reason to keep Howe close.’
‘And have you learnt much on that count?’
‘I fear not. Let us say Howe works for us only unwillingly. He shares nothing of his wife, indeed nothing but what we ask of him.’
‘And you will not tell me what you mean by unwillingly.’ She sighed. ‘Then what of the man who took Bellecour’s report from the whorehouse?’
Malvern smiled. ‘You are very good at this, Mercia. You notice much. Once this is over, I think we will have to employ your talents further. As for that man … it was me.’
The surprises were coming fast. ‘You?’
‘I told you when we met that night how I had been watching Bellecour for some time. What I did not say was that we had managed to make Bellecour believe he was leaving the information at the whorehouse for his Dutch contact to collect, when all the time it was we who were taking it, to find out what he was passing on. Then we would leave the information, mostly untouched, at the real location his true contact was using.’
‘Why?’ She frowned. ‘Why not simply apprehend Bellecour and prevent his reports from leaving at all?’
‘Because firstly, Bellecour is French, and any move on our part could have imperilled the King’s desire for an alliance with our Gallic neighbours, and secondly, if we had halted the passage of information, the Dutch would simply have cast Bellecour adrift and used someone new. Then we would have found ourselves in the situation we are in now, prevented from learning what he was sharing. For all that time, we knew precisely what the Dutch were being told, and could respond accordingly.’
She shook her head. ‘I do not believe this. Why did you not tell me when we discussed the message Nicholas took from the whorehouse?’
‘Because I was so ordered. You will have to forgive my masters. They can rather lack trust.’
‘Even after proof of Virgo’s involvement? You make it seem as if they do not want her caught at all. Does Lady Castlemaine know?’
‘I doubt it. And there is a point to what you are doing, Mercia. Now the war is truly starting, we should rather apprehend Virgo than allow her to continue. She is a spy, after all, and the Dutch will soon find her another go-between.’
‘So who do you think killed Bellecour?’
‘That I do not know. When the news came of his death, I was sent to remove his body, but there was no clue as to his killer. I assume it was his Dutch masters, who had somehow discovered the truth, or even Virgo herself. And so our careful plan was thwarted, after all.’
She pursed her lips, considering all he had said. ‘Giles, are you certain? You say you were spying on the spy, but could Virgo have known all along? Could Howe, too, be playing some duplicitous game?’
‘If he is, then he is good at it. I think I should know.’
‘Then why did he take my boat?’
‘Probably to be sure you could not flee while he went to the town to investigate your presence.’ He shrugged. ‘Whatever else Howe is, he is diligent. All he knows is you were committed to the Tower. I shall speak with him when we return to shore, if he is still there, for I have chosen to come to you instead. Now, Wildmoor mumbled something about that rogue Henry Raff?’
‘Yes, God’s wounds … Raff has gone missing. When Howe took the boat, he left us stranded. Unless Raff went with him, which would be most strange, I do not know where he can be.’
Malvern scoffed. ‘Alas, I suspect ’tis not so strange. I believe Raff is a lieutenant elsewhere?’
‘Yes.’
‘And yet he brought you here, to the Royal Charles?’
‘Again, yes.’
‘Then I suggest the sight of the Duke’s convoy heading this way might have panicked him into leaving when he saw Howe seizing your boat.’
‘The Duke?’ Mercia jerked back her head, crushing her topknot against the low ceiling. ‘But Howe left an hour since!’
‘The Duke is taking a tour around the rest of the fleet first. Showing his presence, no doubt to boost the men’s spirits. Still, he will be here in minutes.’
‘My God!’ She laid a hand on the door. ‘Why did you not say so? He cannot see me here.’
‘Do not worry. The men are lining up to receive him as we speak. We will slip away unnoticed in the hubbub.’ He smiled. ‘But I would pull up your hood, all the same.’
They managed to leave the ship – barely. With a final, not-so-subtle word to Nicholas to keep an eye out for Thomas Howe regardless of what she had just heard, she jumped the last rung of the rope ladder into Malvern’s waiting boat as the Duke’s party appeared from around the bow of the nearest ship. Deftly, Malvern picked up the oars and rowed in the opposite direction, rounding the colourful stern and slipping out of sight.
‘That was close-run,’ she said. ‘I hope Nicholas will come out of this unharmed.’
‘He has served before,’ said Malvern. ‘Do not be uneasy on his account.’
Five minutes passed in silence as he manoeuvred them through the fleet. Only when they were in open water, heading back to shore, did she feel calm enough to resume their conversation.
‘Mr Malvern,’ she said, ‘if you say Gemini is not Howe, then who is?’
‘I wish I knew.’
‘You must have some idea. Why else put two men on that ship?’
‘I fear, Mrs Blakewood, I have told you too much today already.’
She sighed. ‘But is the ship safe? The Duke?’
Water splashed against the side of the boat. ‘I did not think you much cared for the Duke.’
‘I may not like him, but I do not want him harmed.’
‘There are many who would disagree.’
‘Oh? What does that mean?’
‘Merely that these past years there have been many plots against the Stuarts, most of them unknown to the people. Some are aimed against the King. Many are aimed against the Duke. He is not a popular man, not even among those who serve him, and yet he sits one illness or accident from the throne. The King is not likely to have a legitimate heir.’
‘I wish men would cease saying that. Rather think of the poor Queen.’
‘But is that not her duty? To beget an heir?’
‘The realm has an heir. Several, indeed, if you consid
er the Duke’s healthy children.’
‘And yet he is avowedly Catholic. Do you not foresee the difficulties that lie ahead if he inherits?’ He looked at her as he heaved on the oars. ‘Do you want another war? Not a trade war with the Dutch, but another conflict of brother against brother, father against son? Assuredly, I do not.’
Something in his tone gave her pause. ‘Mr Malvern, we—’
‘Giles.’
‘Giles, then. We all suffered in that war. There is not one Englishman or woman alive whose family remained whole. I should say you were taking this chance to assess me.’
He smiled. ‘Not at all. I merely wonder what you think, while we are out here alone. Whether your father’s influence has shaped your own beliefs, as my father’s did mine.’
‘Presently, my only belief is in the restoration of my manor house. Once that is done, then I can think on the right to rule, and who should have that right.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘As much as I am permitted to, that is.’
‘And yet the Duke pushed for your father’s execution,’ he pressed. ‘Were it up to him, the King would ignore your claim on your house in an instant.’
Her face set. ‘I am aware of that. But I would not condone his death merely to satisfy my own vengeance.’
‘In no circumstances?’
She frowned. ‘Why, no.’
‘Then I shall speak no more on it.’
He dipped his left oar deeper in the water, turning the boat into the harbour. The caw of circling gulls replaced their talk as they gradually came into land. Soon the boat was bobbing against the side of a barnacled pier, and Malvern was extending his hand to help her out: useful when her boot slipped, catching on a damp patch of seaweed.
‘Careful,’ he said. ‘You do not want to fall in.’
‘I do not. Thank you.’
‘Let me take you somewhere safe and then I must return to my ship. When the Dutch engage, I fear my surgeon’s knives may be much in demand.’
She looked around. Although there was still a great deal of bustle, there were far fewer people than even two hours before, and far fewer supplies on the dock.
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