parliament.’
‘Thank you, your majesty.’
‘Lady Romilly is a loyal servant and a dear friend. He who harms her harms me. If she is also your friend, be sure to protect her from danger at all times. With your life, if needs must.’
‘That I certainly shall, your majesty.’
‘Good. We are pleased to have met you, Master Hill.’
A third bow, and a cautious retreat.
‘With my life? A little dramatic on so short an acquaintance, don’t you think?’ said Thomas.
‘The queen is not given to understatement. Do not take her too literally.’
‘I shall try not to. Now, if you will excuse me, LadyRomilly,’ he said, when they had moved into the crowd, ‘I have a letter to give to Master Rush. Then I will slip away. Perhaps we shall meet again.’
‘I would like that, Master Hill. You have told me little about yourself. Or about what really brought you to Oxford.’ Thomas took his leave with a polite smile.
Rush watched him approach. ‘Master Hill, I see you are acquainted with Lady Romilly. A charming lady. How do you come to know her?’
‘We met by chance in the street. I was able to render a small service to the lady.’
‘How fortunate. A lady to whom many would like to render a small service.’
Thomas ignored the unexpected vulgarity. ‘You kindly agreed to have a letter delivered to my sister, sir. Here it is.’
‘By all means. It shall go with the next messenger.’
‘I’m grateful, sir.’ Thomas retreated towards the gate. Tobias Rush was indeed an unusual man. Forbidding in manner, kindly in deed. Scrupulously polite one day, coarse the next. Not an easy book to read.
Having successfully navigated Blue Boar Street, he arrived back at Pembroke to be greeted just inside the gate by an indignant Fayne. ‘And what, may I ask, wasa miserable bookseller doing at the queen’s masque?’ he demanded.
‘I was invited, sir, as, I imagine, were you.’
‘Naturally I was invited. I have been presented more than once to her majesty. She is aware of my loyalty to her and my interest in the dramatic arts. What I want to know is why you were invited, and by whom?’
‘I was invited by Master Rush.’
‘Rush. I might have guessed it.’
‘Now, sir, if you will excuse me,’ said Thomas politely, ‘I have work to do.’
‘And what work would that be? Selling books? Or something more sinister? If I thought for a second that you were disloyal to the Crown, Hill, I’d have you interrogated. And don’t forget it.’
‘I shan’t. Good day, sir.’
‘And another thing, Hill. Keep away from Jane Romilly.’
Thomas did not reply. Would he have to endure this every time he set foot outside his room? The man was obsessed. A tiny room and now Jane Romilly. Why could Fayne not find somewhere else to take his pleasures? Down by the river, perhaps, where Thomas had taken them himself all those years ago. Should he tell Rush about the man? No, let it be. Perhaps the oaf would go away.
C HAPTER 5
HE STARED AT yet another pile of papers. The only thing at all interesting about decoding military reports, thought Thomas, was finding the mistakes made by their incompetent encrypters. Very few of them remembered to use the right codeword and they all sent messages full of careless errors. The only source of comfort was that, judging by the few intercepted messages that had landed on his table, the enemy’s efforts were every bit as feeble.
The subject matter was irredeemably tedious. When lacking anything better to occupy them, the king’s commanders relieved their boredom by firing off despatches on matters of excruciating banality. Why Sir Marmaduke Rawdon on the south coast thought that his majesty should be apprised of his recent attack ofgout, or Sir John Owen in North Wales felt it necessary to remind him that, to be effective, wagons need horses and horses need hay, defeated Thomas. Neither, however, were as regular in their correspondence as the gallant Earl of Northampton. By now,
‘Thank you, your majesty.’
‘Lady Romilly is a loyal servant and a dear friend. He who harms her harms me. If she is also your friend, be sure to protect her from danger at all times. With your life, if needs must.’
‘That I certainly shall, your majesty.’
‘Good. We are pleased to have met you, Master Hill.’
A third bow, and a cautious retreat.
‘With my life? A little dramatic on so short an acquaintance, don’t you think?’ said Thomas.
‘The queen is not given to understatement. Do not take her too literally.’
‘I shall try not to. Now, if you will excuse me, LadyRomilly,’ he said, when they had moved into the crowd, ‘I have a letter to give to Master Rush. Then I will slip away. Perhaps we shall meet again.’
‘I would like that, Master Hill. You have told me little about yourself. Or about what really brought you to Oxford.’ Thomas took his leave with a polite smile.
Rush watched him approach. ‘Master Hill, I see you are acquainted with Lady Romilly. A charming lady. How do you come to know her?’
‘We met by chance in the street. I was able to render a small service to the lady.’
‘How fortunate. A lady to whom many would like to render a small service.’
Thomas ignored the unexpected vulgarity. ‘You kindly agreed to have a letter delivered to my sister, sir. Here it is.’
‘By all means. It shall go with the next messenger.’
‘I’m grateful, sir.’ Thomas retreated towards the gate. Tobias Rush was indeed an unusual man. Forbidding in manner, kindly in deed. Scrupulously polite one day, coarse the next. Not an easy book to read.
Having successfully navigated Blue Boar Street, he arrived back at Pembroke to be greeted just inside the gate by an indignant Fayne. ‘And what, may I ask, wasa miserable bookseller doing at the queen’s masque?’ he demanded.
‘I was invited, sir, as, I imagine, were you.’
‘Naturally I was invited. I have been presented more than once to her majesty. She is aware of my loyalty to her and my interest in the dramatic arts. What I want to know is why you were invited, and by whom?’
‘I was invited by Master Rush.’
‘Rush. I might have guessed it.’
‘Now, sir, if you will excuse me,’ said Thomas politely, ‘I have work to do.’
‘And what work would that be? Selling books? Or something more sinister? If I thought for a second that you were disloyal to the Crown, Hill, I’d have you interrogated. And don’t forget it.’
‘I shan’t. Good day, sir.’
‘And another thing, Hill. Keep away from Jane Romilly.’
Thomas did not reply. Would he have to endure this every time he set foot outside his room? The man was obsessed. A tiny room and now Jane Romilly. Why could Fayne not find somewhere else to take his pleasures? Down by the river, perhaps, where Thomas had taken them himself all those years ago. Should he tell Rush about the man? No, let it be. Perhaps the oaf would go away.
C HAPTER 5
HE STARED AT yet another pile of papers. The only thing at all interesting about decoding military reports, thought Thomas, was finding the mistakes made by their incompetent encrypters. Very few of them remembered to use the right codeword and they all sent messages full of careless errors. The only source of comfort was that, judging by the few intercepted messages that had landed on his table, the enemy’s efforts were every bit as feeble.
The subject matter was irredeemably tedious. When lacking anything better to occupy them, the king’s commanders relieved their boredom by firing off despatches on matters of excruciating banality. Why Sir Marmaduke Rawdon on the south coast thought that his majesty should be apprised of his recent attack ofgout, or Sir John Owen in North Wales felt it necessary to remind him that, to be effective, wagons need horses and horses need hay, defeated Thomas. Neither, however, were as regular in their correspondence as the gallant Earl of Northampton. By now,
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