‘Thank you, sir.’ She took a deep breath, then said, ‘My husband, I know he is not always easy, but it is I who insisted we must go to John today – the fault is all mine.’

‘No fault to want to see your son.’ I reached for my purse which I had put on the desk. ‘Here, take some money, you will need it on the journey.’ I gave her a half-sovereign. She clutched it tightly and lowered her head. Then, with a desperate effort at her old cheerfulness, she said, ‘Make sure Timothy and Josephine stay out of mischief, sir.’

I waited till Martin returned and confirmed he had delivered the message. I gave him the reference. I did not want to watch them leave, so I left the house again and walked to Lincoln’s Inn. I needed to speak to Barak and Nicholas and take their counsel.

I TOOK THEM BOTH INTO my office and told them what had just happened. I said, ‘This means Stice must be dealt with tomorrow.’

‘What grounds are there to lift him?’ Barak asked. ‘He hasn’t done anything illegal, and Rich won’t be pleased.’

‘That’s a matter for Lord Parr. I will look for him at this great banquet at Hampton Court tomorrow afternoon. My last assignment for Treasurer Rowland. From what I gleaned from the instructions, it will be just a matter of standing round with hundreds of others,’ I said bitterly, ‘showing d’Annebault how many prosperous Englishmen with gold chains there are. Though most are struggling with the taxes to pay for the war, while many thousands more that he will not see struggle simply to exist.’

Barak raised his eyebrows. ‘You sound like one of the extreme radicals.’

I shrugged. ‘Anyway, I should be able to find Lord Parr then.’

‘What if you don’t? Among all that throng?’

‘I will.’ Then all the anger that had been building in me in these last few days burst out and I banged a fist on my desk, making the glass inkpot jump and spill ink. ‘I’ll find what Rich and Stice have been up to. Damn them, spying on me for months, kidnapping Nicholas, cozening me into working for them. I’ll have no more of it! I’m tired to death of being used, used, used!’

It was seldom I lost my temper, and Barak and Nicholas looked at each other. Nicholas said tentatively, ‘Might it not be better to leave the matter where it is, sir? Your faithless steward is gone. Anne Askew’s book is taken abroad, the Queen’s book vanished. And it was taken by different men, not Stice. There is now no trace of the men who killed Greening and those others in his group.’

‘And no evidence at all they are connected to Rich,’ Barak agreed. ‘Quite the opposite.’