‘No, sir. She would not have let me do it. She would have argued, it would have upset her mightily – women, they do not understand the hard necessities men can be driven to.’ He attempted a quick half-smile, man to man, as though we could at least agree on the vagaries of women. I stared back at him coldly. Though he recognized how dishonourably he had behaved, he had still not apologized. And he had disliked me from the beginning, as I disliked him. That made the next thing I said easier.

‘You will not leave yet, Martin. The game is not quite played out. A game involving the highest in the realm, which your betrayal has involved you in. When did you last meet Crabtree?’

He began to look worried. ‘Last Wednesday. I meet him once a week at the house near St Bartholomew’s, to give him what information I have. If there is urgent intelligence I am to leave a message that I wish to see him at a tavern nearby. I did that when I learned you had been burning books.’ He had the grace to lower his head as he said that.

‘For now you will say and do nothing. We shall go on apparently as before. I may need you to go to the tavern with a message, I do not know yet.’

He looked seriously worried now. ‘Could Agnes and I not just leave now?’

‘No. And if you go before I say you can, I will ensure you never work again. Now, I have to send a message to Hampton Court.’

Martin looked frightened. He must have realized Stice was connected to the heresy hunt, that politics was involved, but he had doubtless preferred not to think about it. ‘Is that understood?’ I asked sternly.

‘Yes, sir. I will do as you command.’ He took a deep breath, and before my eyes his face composed itself into its normal expressionless mask. He rose from his chair, a little shakily, and took up the silver bowl.

MY APPOINTMENT WITH ROWLAND was for two o’clock, and it was almost that now. My stomach rumbling with hunger, I left the house and walked down to Lincoln’s Inn. When I was shown into his chamber the Treasurer was sitting behind his desk as usual. He smiled at me, quite unashamed. ‘So the Privy Council let you go, Brother Shardlake?’

‘Yes. They recognized Mistress Slanning’s accusations for the rubbish they were.’