Lamentation (The Shardlake Series Book 6) (12 page)

The Lamentation of a Sinner, Made by Queen Catherine, Bewailing the Ignorance of her Blind Life.

Most gentle and Christian reader, if matters should be rather confirmed by their reporters than the reports warranted by the matters, I must justly bewail our time, wherein evil deeds be well worded, and good acts evil turned. But since truth is, that things be not good for their praises, but praised for their goodness, I do not . . .

There the page ended, torn off. I looked at the Queen. ‘This is your writing?’

She nodded. ‘That is the opening of my book.
Lamentation of a Sinner
.’

Lord Parr said, ‘Okedene read it and of course grasped its import from the heading. By God’s mercy he is a good reformer. He brought it personally to the palace and arranged for it to be delivered into my hands. I interviewed him at once. Only then did he call the coroner. He has told him all he saw, except, at my instruction, about this piece of paper. Fortunately, the coroner is a sympathizer with reform, and has promised that if anything comes to light he will inform me. And he has been very well paid,’ he added bluntly. ‘With the promise of more to come.’

The Queen spoke then, an edge of desperation in her voice, ‘But he has discovered nothing, nothing. And so I suggested we come to you, Matthew. You are the only one whom I know outside the court who could carry out such an investigation. But only if you will. I know the terrible dangers—’

‘He has promised,’ Lord Parr said.

I nodded. ‘I have.’

‘Then I thank you, Matthew, from the bottom of my heart.’

I looked at the torn paper. ‘The obvious conclusion is that Greening was trying to keep the manuscript from the intruders, and whoever killed him snatched it out of his hands, but part of the top page tore away.’

‘Yes,’ said Lord Parr. ‘And whoever killed him heard Master Okedene breaking down the door and fled. So desperate were they to avoid identification that they did not even pause to prise the piece of paper from the dead man’s hands.’

‘Or did not notice it at the time, more likely,’ I said.

Lord Parr nodded. ‘You should know that this was not the first attempt on Greening’s life. He lived as well as worked in that hovel, in the most wretched poverty.’ He wrinkled his nose in aristocratic distaste. ‘As I mentioned, he has a young apprentice. Five days before, this boy arrived for work early in the morning and found two men trying to break into the shed. He called the alarm and they fled. From the apprentice’s account they were different men from those who attacked and killed Greening shortly after.’

Cranmer said, ‘Our first thought was that Greening had the manuscript given to him for printing. But that makes no sense. A Catholic might print it, so the book could be distributed around the streets, to the Queen’s ruin, but no reformer.’

‘Yes.’ I considered. ‘Surely if it fell into Greening’s hands and his views were as you say, he would do exactly what Okedene did, return it. Could Greening have been a secret Catholic?’

Cranmer shook his head. ‘I have had discreet enquiries made. Greening was a radical, a known man, all his life. And his parents before him.’ He gave me a meaningful look.

A ‘known man’. That meant Greening’s family belonged to the old English sect of Lollardy. Over a hundred years before Luther, the Lollards had come to similar conclusions about the centrality of the Bible in the cause of salvation, and were known for their radical views about the Mass. Many of them had gravitated to the most extreme edges of Protestantism; with their long history of persecution, they had experience of being an underground community. They were as unlikely as any radicals to wish the Queen harm.

I asked, ‘Is there anything else in the document that could identify it as the Queen’s work?’

‘It is all in the Queen’s hand.’

‘But the work as a whole would not be instantly identifiable, like that opening passage?’

‘Even a superficial reading would identify the author.’ Lord Parr looked at the Queen. ‘It is, after all, a
personal
confession of sinfulness and salvation. It is obviously the Queen’s work.’ He shook his head. ‘But we have no idea who has it now, or how it came into Greening’s possession. The inquest was held two days ago; it returned a verdict of murder by persons unknown.’

The Queen looked at me. ‘We have been waiting like rabbits caught in a snare for something to happen, for the book to appear on the streets, but there has been nothing for eleven days save silence. We three have fretted day and night over what to do and decided the matter must be investigated, and not by someone closely associated with the court.’ She held my gaze, her eyes full of appeal. ‘And so Matthew, forgive me, my mind turned to you. But even now, I say again, I only
ask
if you will help me. I do not command; I will not. I have enough blood on my hands through my writing of that book; but for me, poor Greening would still be alive.’ She added sadly, ‘I meant only to do good, but truly the Bible says, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”’ She sat back, exhausted.

I said – could only say, ‘How would you have me proceed?’

Cranmer and Lord Parr exchanged a glance. Relief? Hope?

Doubt as to the wisdom of placing this thing in my hands? Lord Parr stood abruptly and began pacing the room. ‘We have a plan, though you must tell us if you see flaws in it. The matter is urgent and I think must be approached from both ends. So far as Greening’s murder is concerned, agents of the Archbishop have spoken with his parents through their vicar. They know nothing of the book, of course, but want the murderer found. They live in the Chilterns, so cannot easily come to London.’

‘The Chilterns, yes.’ I knew the district had long been known for Lollardy.

‘They have willingly given you a power of attorney on their behalf. So far as they are concerned, wealthy friends of their son wish to discover his murderer, nothing more. Now the inquest is over, investigations have been left in the hands of the local constable, a man called Fletcher, a plodder. You will know, Serjeant, that if a murderer is not found within forty-eight hours the constables lose interest, as the chances of finding the perpetrator are slim. I should think Fletcher will be glad if you take over the work from him. Speak to Greening’s apprentice, his neighbours, his associates; look round the workshop. But say nothing about the book. Except to Okedene, who, thank God, is a man who knows how to keep his mouth shut. He is utterly loyal to reform and understands the importance of this.’ Lord Parr looked at me with steely intensity.

‘I will, my Lord.’

‘The other aspect of the mission is to discover who stole the manuscript from here. It has to be someone with access to the Queen’s chamber. You will have to be sworn in as an assistant on the Queen’s Learned Council, as of this afternoon. You will be given a new robe with the Queen’s badge sewn into it; wear the robe when you are making enquiries within the palace. Wear your ordinary robe when you are looking into the Greening murder – there you should not be visibly connected to the Queen.’

‘Very well.’

Lord Parr nodded approvingly. Cranmer glanced at me, then quickly away; a look of pity, I thought, or perhaps doubt.

Lord Parr continued, ‘So far as investigations at the palace are concerned, you are known to have worked for the Queen on legal cases before. The story we will put around is that a valuable jewel, a ring bequeathed to her by her stepdaughter, has been stolen from the Queen’s coffer. Just to be sure, I have taken the ring and have it in safekeeping. It is worth a great deal. The Queen’s closeness to Margaret Neville, too, is well known; everyone will understand her eagerness that it be found. You will have authority to question servants in the Queen’s household about who might have gained access to that coffer. As it happens, some time ago a pageboy stole a jewel from one of the Queen’s ladies and after an investigation was caught. At the Queen’s insistence he was pardoned, because of his youth. People will remember that.’ He looked at me. ‘I would conduct the investigation myself, but for someone of my seniority to be seen taking this on personally would cause surprise. And in this place an outsider can often see things more clearly.’ He sighed. ‘The world of the court is an incestuous one. I am happier on my estates, I confess, but my duty lies here now.’

‘I am known as an enemy to certain on the King’s Council.’ I spoke hesitantly. ‘The Duke of Norfolk; above all, Richard Rich. And I once angered the King himself.’

Cranmer said, ‘Those are old matters, Matthew. And your investigations will be confined to the Queen’s household. If you uncover anything that seems to go wider, tell us and we will deal with it. I will not be returning to Canterbury until this is settled.’

‘Forgive me, my Lord Archbishop,’ I said, ‘but word may still get to Norfolk or Rich. You spoke of spies reporting what Gardiner said to you from the King’s Privy Chamber . . .’

‘Sympathizers,’ Cranmer replied reprovingly, ‘not spies.’

‘But may there not be those within the Queen’s household who sympathize with the opponents of reform? The very fact the manuscript was stolen suggests as much.’

‘That is the strange thing. We guard secrets very carefully in the Queen’s household.’ Cranmer looked at the Queen. ‘Her majesty inspires great loyalty, which was tested during the heresy hunt. We can identify no one who could, or would, have done this.’

There was a moment’s silence, then Lord Parr said, ‘Begin now, Serjeant Shardlake; try to unravel the threads. Go to the printer’s this afternoon. Come back this evening and I will swear you in, give you your robe and brief you further.’

I hesitated again. ‘I am to work entirely on my own?’

‘Young William Cecil may be useful, he has contacts among the radicals and is trusted by them. But he does not know of the
Lamentation
, and we will keep him out of it for now, I think.’ He continued, in a lighter tone, ‘Would you believe Cecil is already twice married, though only twenty-five? His first wife died in childbirth, and now he has a second. A woman with good connections. I think he will soon be a rising man.’

The Archbishop added, ‘And where the printer’s murder is concerned, you may employ your man Barak to help you. I understand he has been useful in the past.’

‘But – ’ Lord Parr raised a warning finger – ‘he must know only that you are acting for the dead man’s parents; make no mention of the Queen or the
Lamentation
.’

I hesitated. ‘Barak is married now, with a child and another on the way. I would not put him in the way of even the possibility of danger. I have a student, Nicholas, but—’

Lord Parr interrupted. ‘I will leave that to your discretion. Perhaps he can be employed in routine matters. So long as you tell him nothing of the
Lamentation
.’ He looked at me intently again.

I nodded agreement, then turned to the Queen. She leaned forward and picked up the pearl on its chain round her neck. ‘Do you know to whom this once belonged?’ she asked quietly.

‘No, your majesty. It is very fine.’

‘Catherine Howard, who was Queen before me and who died on the block. A quicker death than burning.’ She gave a long, desperate sigh. ‘She, too, was foolish, though in a different way. All these rich things I wear, the cloth of gold and silken tissue and bright jewels, so many of them have been passed down from Queen to Queen. Always, you see, they are returned to the Department of the Queen’s Wardrobe, to be preserved or altered. They are worth so much that they cannot be discarded, any more than the great tapestries.’ She held up her richly embroidered sleeve. ‘This was once worn with a dress of Anne Boleyn’s. I have constant reminders of past events. I live in fear now, Matthew, great fear.’

‘I will do all I can, put all other work aside. I swear.’

She smiled. ‘Thank you. I knew you would succour me.’

Lord Parr inclined his head, indicating I should rise. I bowed to the Queen, who essayed another sad smile, and to Cranmer, who nodded. Lord Parr led me out, back to the window from which we had watched the King in the courtyard. The yard was empty now. I realized the window was in an angle of the corridor from which we could not be seen from either direction; ideal for private conversation. He said, ‘Thank you, sir. Believe me, we do not underestimate the difficulties, or the dangers. Come with me now and I will give you more particulars of Greening, and the power of attorney from his parents.’ He looked out over the courtyard, hesitated, then leaned closer. ‘You saw the physical state of the King. But as you will have realized from what we told you, his mind is still, mostly, sharp and clear. And it has always been full of anger and suspicion.’

Chapter Seven

I
T WAS WITH A SENSE OF RELIEF
that I rode out under the gate of the palace again. I made my way slowly towards Charing Cross. Genesis sneezed and shook his head at the dust from the Scotland Yard brickworks, which endlessly laboured to produce materials to embellish and improve Whitehall. The day was hot and the street stank. I decided I would take Nicholas with me to the printers’ quarter. It would do no harm to have someone young and sizeable beside me.

At the steps of the great Charing Cross, dozens of beggars sat as usual. More and more of them these last two years, with the polling and nipping of poor men’s wages caused by the collapsing value of the coinage. There were those who said that beggars were leeches, licking the sweat from hard-working labourers’ brows, but most of the beggars had once been working men themselves. I glanced at them, men and women and children, wearing ancient dirty rags, faces red and harsh from constant exposure to the sun, some displaying their sores and weeping scabs to invoke pity from the passers-by. One man who sat with the stump of one leg exposed wore the tatters of a soldier’s uniform; no doubt he had left his leg in Scotland or France during the last two years of war. But I averted my eyes, for it was well known that to catch the eye of one could bring a whole horde descending on you; and I had much to think on.