Taste of Treason (3 page)

She shook her head at him, unsmiling.

“Do not tell me that you have not heard all the gossip about the strange happenings? My mistress has done her best to quash them, but you know how rumors spread.”

“I have heard nothing. My time has been taken up these last weeks tending poor souls with the sweating sickness. From dawn to the moment the sun disappears, I am working at full stretch. I have no time, energy or inclination for gossip.”

“But, Luke, this gossip should interest you.”

“What? The death of a child from the sweats?” He realized from Gwenette’s expression that his assumptions had been wrong. “Ah. Go on,” he said with a sigh.

“First I must tell you that my mistress requires to see you, but you may not come openly into court, ostensibly because of the risk of contagion, but mostly because she must speak privily with you without anyone knowing. She will come to you tomorrow night. Make sure that you are alone.”

It was as he had feared. So now he must garner all the information he could.

“I am listening,” he said.

“It started in the great chamber at Whitehall. About a month after the announcement of the Queen’s condition, the phrase ‘Thou hast been weighed in the balance and found wanting’ was scrawled on the wall. A page was dispatched to tell the King, but my mistress was staying at the palace to look after the Queen in her early days. She saw the writing and confided in me.”

“A disaffected faction, no doubt,” Luke replied, clutching at straws.

“That is as it may be,” Gwenette said, her face troubled, “two weeks ago, another such scrawl appeared. Luke, it was written in the same hand. This one said, ‘Let my people go.’ We arrived here yesterday to find those same words, again in the same hand, on the wall near the Chapel Royal.”

“So, the perpetrator is someone who has regular access to the court and has come from Whitehall to Hampton. So much is obvious. How has the King responded?”

“He ordered that the wall be scrubbed and painted over, the same as he did at Whitehall. The corridor is closed on the pretext of repairs.”

Luke was more perturbed than he cared to show. There were always threats, plots and conspiracies disturbing the seat of government, but something else was making his every sense twitch in apprehension. The fact that Gwenette had brought the old lady to him must be connected to the Queen Mother’s secret meeting with her, but why would Anne Boleyn put herself out on account of the death of an insignificant maidservant? For the moment he did not have enough information to answer the question.

“I don’t understand. What is the connection with Edith Brook?”

“Oh, Luke. I haven’t explained myself at all, have I? The poor child was not ill. Last evening she went to fill a bath for Queen Madeleine. That’s what makes it so horrible, the fact that she was within yards of the Queen.”

Luke leaned over and put his hand over hers.

“I am here. You are quite safe. Tell me.”

The memory of the horror was reflected in Gwenette’s expression. She swallowed and gazed into his eyes as if searching for the strength to say the words.

“I was there when they found her. Someone had put her in the water and slit her wrists.”

Chapter Three

Luke had encountered Queen Anne Boleyn several times during the previous summer. Memories of each meeting only intensified his trepidation at the prospect of meeting her again. To soothe his nerves, he spent the next day making up new potions and pondering the circumstances surrounding the death of Edith Brook.

He must find an errand for Rob to run, too. When his assistant had first come to him, Luke accepted the boy would need to be told about elemancers. Whilst he knew Rob would never give him away voluntarily, Luke also knew that should the lad fall into the hands of sunderers, he would be unable to withstand their interrogation. To circumvent that, Rob had willingly put himself under a Fidelis spell. If he came under examination from a sunderer on the subject of elemancers in general or Luke Ballard in particular, he was programed to utter the sentence of deliverance,
Non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es.
At which point the lords of light would take his spirit into heaven before the sunderers could cast him into eternal darkness. The Fidelis spell was strong enough to hide any connection to an elemancer long enough for the prisoner to say the necessary words. If he was unable to speak, he had to think them three times, to represent the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Even so there was no need for the boy to know the identity of Luke’s visitor, for interrogations were not the sole perquisite of sunderers. So he made a short list of ingredients he knew Corbin used on a regular basis. He could trust to Bertila’s curiosity about recent happenings at court, the ladies’ latest fashions and any other snippets of gossip to keep Rob nattering for a few hours and out of the way. She would feed him, too. Luke envied Rob. Bertila’s cooking was delicious. Those few hours would be time enough for Queen Anne to elude the vigilance of the guards and bring Luke the bad news. The situation must be grave for her to come to the apothecary’s at all, let alone in such secrecy. Mayhap that was the reason his nerves twanged like rebec strings. He spent some time after Rob’s departure concentrating on his inner serenity chamber and renewing his energies near the warmth of the fire.

* * *

The knock, when it came, was so soft that he was not certain he had heard it. Joss glanced at him and stood up. As his visitor drew the hood from her face, Flute, the Queen Mother’s greyspring, trotted out from under the skirts of his mistress’s cloak and greeted Joss. Anne resumed her usual upright posture and stretched her arms over her head.

“It is not easy to assume a bent back and still ensure that one is unobserved,” she said, wincing. “Rise, Master Ballard. If not old friends, we are old acquaintances. You may bring me a goblet of wine. We will sit in the shop. I do not wish to leave any trace of my presence in your kitchen.”

“More people come into the shop than my kitchen, Madam. Surely if your presence were in danger of being detected, it will be in there?”

“The mere fact that many people are in and out of this space each day will weaken any trace I might leave, Master Apothecary, or should say Dominus?” She smiled. “We do not always recognize our enemy, and should he find himself in your kitchen, he would pick up my scent. No point in wasting energy on unnecessary cleansing spells that might be detected.”

Luke nodded. Her logic was faultless. It was also no surprise that she had kept abreast of his progress.

“I know you will have taken precautions, Your Grace. Who would even think to look for your essence in my house?”

“An enemy as clever as sunderers.”

Luke said no more but led the way into the shop and gestured for her to sit. It looked as if his worst fears were about to be recognized, but then he chided himself. The old diffident Luke would have thought that, but attainment of Dominus status had engendered a surge of confidence. To his surprise, the new Luke found his blood singing with anticipation. Once they were seated, Luke leaned back and waited for Queen Anne to begin.

“Gwenette has spoken to you?”

“Aye. She told me of words on walls and the death of a servant to the Queen.”

“I asked her to give you the basic facts of the situation. The whole story is more complicated than simple words and a death.”

She paused. Anne Boleyn was skilled in presenting facts to say what she wanted them to say. Tension stiffened Luke’s leg muscles, and he could not help his mouth becoming drier as his heart beat faster. Taking a gulp of wine, he waited for her to gather her ideas and tell him the worst.

When the Queen smiled, he recognized that she had divined his thought and wondered what level of elemancy she had attained. Female elemancers were not encouraged, being barred from guild membership, but this was no ordinary woman, and rules did not apply to her. Luke, aware that she was in close contact with Elemagus Dufay, head of the Guild of Elemancers and a powerful magician, had no doubt that she was kept informed and consulted when necessary. That in itself told Luke that her magic abilities must be more than competent. Though her position as Queen Mother and a woman put severe societal restrictions on her activities, the Elemagus would need to believe the situation critical enough to bring Luke into it.

Anne interrupted his musing. “Nay, Master Ballard, I am not seeking to arrange facts to suit me, but to be certain that I present them to you with no embroidery and in the correct order, so that I give you no preconceptions about the situation.”

Luke did not reply, but sipped his wine, watching calculation flit over her face. He might only recently have attained Dominus level, but he knew that she was deciding how much to tell him and therefore being less than honest. She caught his glance and burst into peals of laughter.

“Quite right. I should have known better than to try and outwit you. Very well, you shall hear all, and I trust to your discretion.”

“I would never betray you, Your Grace.”

Her face softened.

“And you have had much trouble thrust upon you by us. And, Master Ballard, we are about to thrust more.”

From her switch to the royal plural, Luke tensed, knowing that his new mission came direct from King Henry IX, though it would have been at her instigation. Her next words confirmed his fears.

“His Majesty has entrusted to me the details of your next mission as King’s Privy Inquirer.”

“Does it involve a threat to the King’s person?”

“We do not know.” She drained her goblet and held it out to him, lapsing once more into informal speech. “Replenish my wine and I will recount all.” She waited, fondling Flute’s ears whilst Luke obeyed her. At her nod, he sat again and waited for her to continue.

“Of course, it is only to be expected that there are certain groups within the court who always want to foment strife.” Queen Anne shook her head. “For every person like you who craves neither power nor wealth, there are a hundred willing to kick and scrabble over every barrier to gain riches and influence. The biggest power base in the realm is the close circle surrounding the King. Those who desire authority would sell their soul in paradise to be one of the chosen few.”

“I understand that desire even if I do not share it, Your Grace.”

She looked at him through narrowed eyes.

“You may believe you understand the desire, but until you experience its all-consuming power, you can never hope to fight it effectively.”

“I can read men’s aspirations and hopes as well as any elemancer.”

Her irritation showed itself in an impatient sigh.

“Mayhap so, but until you can also
feel
that overwhelming desire,
taste
it, you have no idea of its power. Understanding is only part of the puzzle. Even as we speak, you are discussing theory and not reality. There must be something you would put your soul in peril to achieve.”

“I am a practical man, Your Grace, not a dealer in whims and fancies.”

“Then you have my sympathy, Master Ballard, for until there is something you want above life itself, you have never lived. Believe me. I know.”

Luke pursed his lips and waited for her to continue. Thus far he had heard nothing that he had not already known. Queen Anne waved a hand as if to waft away her irritation.

“Words on walls, aye. The beginning of our trials. I saw the first message after the initial discovery. Only a handful of people know of it. I ordered a servant to remove it and to keep silent on the matter.”

Luke did not doubt that particular servant would sooner bite out his tongue than let news of the incident slip out, for Queen Anne would know whose mouth had flapped. He suppressed a smile. Of course, she saw it and answered with a flash from those imperious black eyes.

“Aye, Master Apothecary, I am still feared enough to guarantee silence. Thankfully, he is unable to read, so could not betray what was written, only that something was.”

“Do you think it was repeated because the first effort failed to gain attention?”

“Possibly, although the second message was different.” She folded her skirts about her, and laid a hand on her dog’s head. “From the Book of Exodus.”

“‘Let my people go.’ The plea from Moses to Pharaoh,”

“Indeed. One wonders who the Israelites are in this case. One does not have to puzzle over the identity of Pharaoh. Now the same phrase has appeared here at Hampton.”

“So we have a Biblical reference to someone who worships false gods, another to a tyrant, and now the murder of this poor child.”

The Queen Mother sighed. “I do not have to tell you the impact it has had on my daughter-in-law.” Anne rose and began to pace the shop. “After the birth of Elizabeth, some unnamed person placed in my chamber a book portraying me minus my head, in case I was not aware of the degree of hatred towards me. You can imagine the effect on my nerves. Many declared I was unable to bear a son. All feared I would lose the babe. No, that is not true. Many
hoped
I would miscarry. I knew I carried the heir and that made me determined to prove them wrong. As I did.”

“And do you think that was the aim in this case, Madam?” he asked. “To try and force the Queen to have her child before her time?”

She sank back onto the settle and sighed.

“I do not know, Master Ballard. I have, by my skills, been able to calm and comfort Madeleine. There is no danger that she will miscarry the child. I have further reinforced that by insisting that she and Henry come here, away from London. The delegations were glad to depart away from the sickness.”

“Praise be to God for your actions, Your Grace, but if the perpetrator is now at Hampton Court, is not the Queen still in danger?”

“Fool. Here I can protect her more effectively.”

Luke inclined his head in apology.

“Of course, Your Grace. Though I am still confused. What is my task in this matter? Which factions at court would gain any significant power with the loss of the heir or the death of the Queen?”

“You are not using your logic. This marriage was of my making. The Spanish held sway in this realm of ours for far too long. I wanted balance.” At the word, she glanced across at Luke, a sly smile on her face. “Aye, Master Ballard. Balance, the goal of every elemancer.”

“I do not understand why anyone would want to harm the Queen, for all that,” he replied.

“It is...complex. Madeleine is despised by the Protestants because she is a Catholic and distrusted by the Catholics because she is not Spanish. You must remember that Katherine of Aragon was much loved by the people. Furthermore, England holds, and has always held, the balance of power between the French and Spanish empires. The peace is finely poised and there are many who would love to plunge us into war. Fuentes, the new Spanish ambassador, daily finds occasion for directing small darts of malice towards Madeleine. He merely takes advantage of the fact that the English distrust all foreigners, but the French most of all.”

“Then surely, the most logical thing to do would be to kill the King, not the Queen?”

She banged her goblet down on the settle beside her and Luke sensed the degree of frustration and fear she had hitherto hidden.

“Why do you think I am talking to you, dolt? I have no idea who is at risk. I am still hated, despite everything I do. Why? Spanish Katherine could not give his late Majesty a boy and refused to stand aside so that I could. Had she the good of England in her heart, she would have done as the King wanted and gone willingly into a nunnery. Instead she and her cohorts brought England to the brink of schism, even after I had borne the son and heir. I must abide by the laws governing my talent, but what use is it to be an elemancer and not be permitted to use my powers to seek out traitors?”

Ah, here was the nub of it. For all her authority, influence and magic ability, she could not ensure the safety of the dynasty. For someone of her intellect, the social restrictions on women would indeed be infuriating.

“Mayhap, Your Grace, because that would upset the balance.” Luke kept his voice even in an effort to calm her temper.

Her eyes narrowed and her top lip lifted in something very like a snarl.

“Do not mock me, little man.”

“In truth, Madam, you mistake me, and forgive me if I say so, but this cannot be the first time you have encountered this form of reverse.” He gathered his thoughts. “You are too close to the problem. That would distort your conclusions. Have you no further clues as to the murderer of the Brook girl?”

He could see the Queen Mother almost physically reining in her temper.

“You are right, Dominus. I am a queen, mother to a king and for all that, I am not as free as you. As to the dead girl, I have one clue, but it does not tell me who the perpetrator is or which faction they support.”

Luke waited. Everything seemed clear to him. Somebody had decided to try and frighten the Queen into a miscarriage or worse. Should Madeleine die, it would give the culprit the opportunity to influence the King in his choice of a new wife, thereby gaining the power and influence the perpetrator sought. He put this premise to Queen Anne.

“It is not as straightforward as that. By some miracle, my son and daughter-in-law are deep in love with each other, mirroring the love that I shared with the late King. If Madeleine were to die now, I do not doubt that Henry would marry again, but it would be a long time in the future. Any who tried to persuade him into a speedy new marriage would be suspect. That, however, is not my primary concern.”