The Traitor’s Mark

by D. K. Wilson

  ‘That’s not true!’ he shouted. ‘I may have complained about Padman’s preaching, but I never ...’ Now he was shaking. He sat quickly on an upturned barrel. ‘I had no idea that they would ... You can’t implicate me in that business.’

  Time for another lie. ‘We have arrested a couple of the villains. I’ve no doubt that, with a little persuasion, they will reveal the names of everyone involved. Everyone.’

  ‘But I’m not involved!’ Belleville squealed. ‘I only offered them shelter as a favour to a gentleman from London.’

  ‘Ferdinand Brooke?’

  He stared at the ground. I guessed that Brooke had sworn him to secrecy and threatened the direst retribution if he broke silence.

  ‘Master Belleville,’ I said, ‘have you ever seen a man hanged, drawn and quartered?’

  He shook his head, then looked up, panic-stricken. ‘Master Treviot, you must believe—’

  ‘I will believe you,’ I said, ‘when you tell me all you know about these men and their plans.’

  ‘Brooke came to see me. A fine-looking gentleman. Expensive clothes. He said he had been sent by his majesty to seek out loyal subjects willing to take part in a secret enterprise.’

  ‘Doubtless you were flattered.’

  ‘He sounded very plausible. He said the leading members of the king’s Council were weeding out people who were pouring poison into the king’s ear and placing false teachers in many churches.’

  I thought, Now we’re getting somewhere. I said, ‘Did he name these great men?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Oh, come now ...’

  ‘On my troth, Master Treviot, he said I didn’t need to know.’

  That could have been true, although I was not wholly convinced. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘we’ll let that pass. For now. The commission will have more questions for you soon. Meanwhile, you’ll be given in charge to the captain and taken to jail.’

  ‘No, Master Treviot, please!’ He was perspiring freely. He clasped his hands in supplication. ‘I see now that the man Brooke was a traitor but it was only a small thing he asked of me. He was looking for somewhere his cut-throat villains could hide.’

  At last. I felt a surge of triumph. One more blow on the nail’s head and this quaking fellow would deliver Black Harry into our hands. ‘So where are these villains?’

  Belleville looked around him, as though there might be eavesdroppers at hand. ‘Promise you won’t let it be known I told you,’ he whined.

  ‘You’re in no position to demand conditions,’ I snapped. ‘Where are these traitors hiding?’

  ‘The old convent at Swansford,’ he mumbled, almost inaudibly.

  ‘Part of your plunder from the Dissolution.’ I could not resist the taunt.

  ‘’Tis still as I bought it. I haven’t decided what to do with it yet. Perhaps a hospital, school or almshouses.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll find some way to salve your conscience,’ I said. ‘Now, how many people has Black Harry with him?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I haven’t been there.’

  ‘I hope for your sake you can prove that when he comes to trial. You’ve really no idea how many scoundrels you are succouring?’

  ‘Perhaps half a dozen. Look, you must believe that I’m not privy to their plans. If I’d known what they intended to do—’

  ‘You would have kept your mouth shut and looked forward to reaping your reward, like the grasping, immoral coward you are. Well, you don’t deserve it, but I will have a word with Dr Legh and tell him you’ve been cooperative. Go with these men and wait in the gatehouse until we send for you again.’

  When Belleville had been marched away by the guards, Morice and I returned to the hall and had a hurried conversation with Legh.

  ‘It seems your guess was right, Master Treviot,’ he said. ‘Now we must follow up this information without delay. How far is this Swansford nunnery?’

  ‘Fifteen or sixteen miles,’ James said.

  ‘Well, I cannot go. Master Morice and I are fully occupied. You must see to it, Treviot. Go to Swansford and bring in as many of the gang as you can for questioning. How many men will you want?’

  I said, ‘If you can spare six of his grace’s guard, I’ll take the same number of my own men.’ My calmly reasoned reply concealed my pleasure at the prospect of arresting Black Harry personally.

  Legh agreed. ‘I’ll see that the troops are ready at first light.’

  When I went to the gatehouse Belleville looked up anxiously. ‘What did he say?’

  ‘He said you could prove your loyalty to his majesty by your silence. Go home. Make no contact whatsoever with Black Harry. Leave the rest to us. If we find the birds have flown when we get to Swansford, we’ll know you have warned them.’

  The man’s relief was pitiable to behold. ‘I won’t say anything,’ he whined. ‘I swear it!’

  ‘Be sure you don’t. Your life depends on your doing absolutely nothing for the next twenty-four hours. Now, be off with you.’

  The commission’s business for the day was concluded shortly before dusk. I rode wearily home, too tired to think much about what awaited me on the morrow. Any elation I felt at the prospect of arresting Black Harry had long since evaporated. I certainly felt no pride at my day’s work. Not content with becoming a conspirator, I had turned inquisitor.

  Such morose thoughts were quickly swept aside when I reached Hemmings. I had scarcely dismounted when Bart came running from the house.

  ‘Saints be praised that you’re here, Master Thomas. Come quickly. It’s Adie!’

  Chapter 23

  He hurried me upstairs and we entered the chamber Adie shared with Lizzie. The shutters were closed and the bed curtains drawn on two sides. The light of a single lamp illumined the worried features of a dozen or more people who were gathered round the bed. Adie lay there, eyes closed, the bleached pallor of her face accentuated by the dark hair spread out on the pillow. Ned was kneeling close beside her, applying a damp cloth to her brow, which glistened with sweat. There was scarcely any rise and fall of the bedclothes to indicate the breath of life.

  ‘What’s happened?’ I demanded.

  Lizzie turned and silently beckoned me to follow. She led the way to my chamber.

  ‘She’s very sick.’ Lizzie’s usual composure had deserted her and her cheeks bore the stains of tears.

  ‘So, what is it, a sudden fever?’

  ‘Yes, but there is worse. If it weren’t for the boys she’d be dead.’

  ‘Tell me everything.’

  ‘’Twas just before noon. Young Carl was looking from the classroom window, bored with his lesson. From there the bridge is just visible. He saw Adie climb on the parapet, then disappear. If he had not acted quickly ...’ Lizzie dabbed her eyes with a kerchief. ‘He yelled to your tutor and rushed downstairs, out of the house, shouting to everyone to follow. When they got to the bridge they saw her a few yards downstream. Without any hesitation, the two older boys ran along the bank and waded in. The tutor followed. Between them they got her partly out of the water but the weight of her sodden clothes was almost wrenching her from their grasp. Praise God, they were able to hold her till some of the servants came. When I got there I feared we were too late. Adie looked terrible; wet hair straggled over her face, arms hanging down limply. I couldn’t see her breathing. The men picked her up and ran back here. Then – I suppose it was the jolting – she suddenly coughed up water. We got her into dry clothes and put her to bed and Ned’s been with her ever since. She has a fever and she hasn’t moved or spoken – not a murmur.’

  ‘What does Ned say about her?’

  ‘He curses because he doesn’t have all his nostrums with him but he says there’s nothing he can give her at this stage.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Neither of us had heard Ned come in. He sighed heavily as he sank into a chair. ‘Cool cloths should reduce the fever but we shan’t know till then what else ails her.’

  ‘Surely, ’twas the fall into the
water ...’

  ‘No, Thomas, that was, like the fever, a symptom, not a cause. We must try to discern why her humours are so seriously out of balance.’

  ‘Might it be the case that she is with child, as she believes, and that against her will?’

  ‘I think not. She is frantic in mind and half-wishes what she most fears.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Few of us do. Only those who have been to the dark, Godless place where life seems too great a burden to be longer borne can know what it is like. We had a brother at Famfield once who had so great a desire for heaven that he hated this world and everything in it. His confessor tried to make him see that God alone determines our life span and that to wish to shorten it is a sin. His bodily decline and death troubled the community greatly, but, alas, we were unable to prevent him achieving his wish. I still pray for him often. All I can tell you about Adie is that she will recover only when she truly wishes to do so. God be praised, she did not drown, but what matters is that she wanted to. If that desire remains strong within her it will kill her no less assuredly than the water.’

  ‘That must never happen!’ I cried. ‘We must help her back to her right mind. I’ll have someone sit with her all the time ...’

  ‘I’ve already taken the liberty of organising that,’ Ned said. ‘I will be told as soon as there is any change in her condition. Tomorrow I will send someone into Tonbridge with a list for the apothecary there. He is reasonably competent and should be able to provide the simples I lack here,’

  ‘And I have already despatched a messenger to bring her brother to Hemmings,’ I said. ‘’Tis even more urgent, now, that he comes to comfort Adie. And to answer certain questions I will have for him about her past. That is where secrets are often locked away.’

  Throughout the night I rose several times to visit the sick room but there was never any change in Adie’s condition. This was hardly the best preparation for the task I had to perform the following day but I was up long before dawn and, after a final check on Adie, I set off with my chosen escort. Bart had asked to come with me and I could hardly deny him the pleasure of seeing Black Harry arrested. At Hadbourne I collected six of the guards who were encamped in the grounds of James Dewey’s house. We set out as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky.

  The deserted nunnery of Swansford lay in a dish-shaped hollow. As we gazed down from the wooded hills which rimmed it, the buildings lay submerged in an inland sea of mist. We descended into the grey gloom where the only sound was the drip, drip of moisture from overhead branches.

  We stopped at the gate, which was locked and hung with a hand-painted sign warning NO ENTRY TRESPASSERS WILL BE PUNISHED. To reinforce the message, for the benefit of the illiterate, a crude image of a man standing in the pillory was drawn below the lettering. The complete ineffectiveness of Belleville’s threat was obvious from the many gaps in the outer wall. It was obvious that locals had helped themselves to supplies of free stone.

  The guard captain sent in a couple of his men on foot to spy out the land. They were back after about half an hour.

  ‘Did you see any of the gang?’ the captain asked.

  ‘No, Sir,’ one of the scouts replied, ‘but four horses are tethered inside the inner gate. I reckon the villains are in the eastern block. Most of the conventual buildings are semi-derelict and the chapel has lost its roof.’

  ‘I’ll wager old Belleville has sold off the slate for a comfortable profit,’ Bart muttered.

  ‘What about escape routes?’ the captain asked.

  ‘Apart from the main drive, there’s only a track running south to another gate,’ the first trooper replied.

  ‘Then here’s what we do.’ The captain outlined his tactics with calm professionalism. ‘We go in on foot, as silently as possible. Master Treviot, if you take your men round to the south side and block that route, we will search the buildings. While we’re doing that someone will need to collect the horses and bring them here.’ He eyed Bart’s empty sleeve. ‘Perhaps your friend would like to do that.’

  Ignoring Bart’s muttered protest, I agreed. ‘We don’t know how well armed they’ll be,’ I said.

  The captain drew a flintlock handgun from his saddle holster. Having checked its mechanism, he dismounted. ‘Don’t worry about us, Master Treviot. My lads handle their swords well and we’re protected.’ He tapped his breastplate. ‘We’ll also have the advantage of surprise. My hope is we can round them all up inside the building. If any run out of the back they’ll find themselves caught between your men and mine. I’ll give you a few minutes to get your party in position. When you hear my trumpeter give one long blast on his instrument that will be the signal that we’re going in.’

  We skirted the buildings at a distance of about a hundred yards. We found the track the guardsman had mentioned and took up position where it entered an overgrown orchard.

  ‘This undergrowth should stop anyone trying to escape us,’ I said.

  We formed a line between the nearest trees on either side and stared at the wall of mist.

  Walt said, ‘Anyone running from the house won’t see us before it’s too late.’

  ‘True,’ I replied. ‘Of course, we won’t see him either.’

  He stamped his feet. ‘Let’s hope for some action. The damp’s getting into my bones.’

  ‘You’re really keen for a fight, aren’t you?’

  ‘After what these cowardly pigs have done I certainly am. Don’t you want to settle scores, Master Thomas?’

  ‘I suppose I’d rather leave the fighting to the experts,’ I said. ‘I don’t want any of you to get hurt.’

  At that moment the shrill blast of a trumpet pierced the autumn calm.

  ‘No more talking from now on,’ I ordered. ‘We mustn’t give away our position.’

  And so we waited, screwing our eyes for any sign of figures emerging from the thinning mist. We waited. And waited.

  After what seemed an age, Bart whispered, ‘Perhaps they’ve already gone.’

  The same thought had struck me. I felt sure that Belleville would not have warned Black Harry – not after the very real scare I gave him. And yet ...

  There was a loud crash as somewhere a door was thrown open. Then confused shouts.

  I drew my dagger and flexed my legs, ready to spring forward.

  The clamour ceased. Then there came another sound. Running footsteps. A man broke clear of the mist. Then another.

  With a snarl, Walt sprang forward, brandishing a club. He swung the weapon and caught the fellow a blow between the shoulders that sent him sprawling. Walt stood over his victim, club raised, ready for any reaction, but the man stayed where he had fallen.

  Meanwhile, the second fugitive reacted quickly. Seeing his companion down, he veered sideways, making for the trees. Long grass and briars were his undoing. He stumbled. Before he could regain his footing, two of my men leaped upon him.

  ‘Keep watching!’ I shouted. ‘There may be more!’

  But no other gang members appeared. After a couple of minutes, I went over to inspect our captives. I hoped I would find myself looking down at Black Harry. I was dis-appointed. One, a wispy-bearded fellow, lay at Walt’s feet, unconscious. The other, a younger man, lay squirming and screaming oaths.

  ‘Tie their hands,’ I ordered, ‘and bring them along. Let’s see what’s happening in the building.’

  We went in through an open door and entered a kitchen. Following noises coming from beyond, we entered a long, barrel-vaulted room that had obviously been the nuns’ refectory. It was bare of all furniture and in the middle some of the guards formed a circle around two men who were sitting on the floor with their hands tied. We dragged our unconscious prisoners in and threw them down alongside their colleagues.

  ‘Well, that wasn’t much of a fight,’ the captain observed with a smile. ‘I thought you said this Black Harry was a fierce opponent.’

  I looked at our surly captives. ‘But he isn
’t here,’ I said. ‘Are you sure you’ve found all of them?’

  ‘I’ve got two men searching the place thoroughly but we haven’t seen anyone else.’

  I went over to one of the villains and prodded him with my boot. ‘Where’s your leader?’ I demanded. ‘Where’s Harry?’

  The man gave a black-toothed grin. ‘Miles away. You’ll never catch him. He’s much too clever for you.’

  The man’s arrogance set a match to the cannon of my anger. The feelings I had held in check for the last hour exploded within me. I turned to the captain. ‘A sword please, if I may.’

  With some reluctance he drew his hand-and-a-half blade and passed it to me. I wrapped my fingers round the hilt and felt the weapon’s precise balance.

  ‘Master Treviot!’ The captain laid a hand on my arm.

  ‘No, don’t try to stop me. I’ve come too far and suffered too much to be balked now by dunghill flies like these. One of them is going to give me the information I want – or remain silent for ever. I walked along the row, prodding each prisoner with the sword’s point. ‘Which of you cowardly lorrels is going to tell me where Black Harry has gone?’

  A stocky man with a scar across one cheek was the first to reply – but not with the answer I wanted.

  He glared sullenly. ‘Call us cowards, do you? Standing there threatening men who can’t fight back.’

  ‘Cowards I call you and cowards you are!’ I shouted. ‘You murder women and children and peaceable priests.’ Images flashed through my mind of good people wantonly, brutally, mercilessly attacked by this fellow – Holbein, his children, van der Goes, and Adie, especially Adie lying now at the point of death. Even with a sword point in his belly, the wretch showed no trace of remorse or even fear. He lay there snarling like a cornered rat, and his arrogance fuelled my rage. For the first time in my life I felt bloodlust – and it tasted good. If it had been Black Harry sprawled on the floor at my mercy I would have thrust the sword through him without a further thought. As it was I leaned forward and the sharp point pierced the leather jerkin.

  Now he squealed.

  ‘Master Thomas!’

  I heard Walt’s anxious voice and waved aside his unspoken protest. Fortunately, my fury had not taken complete possession. The corner of my mind that was still functioning calmly reminded me I wanted information, not vengeance.