I closed my eyes for a moment, longing for the gift of Sight, that I might know what I should do for my own safety. But it was not the Sight that decided me, it was my oldest fear. Someone had burned something in the kitchen and the scent of scorched meat suddenly blew into the hall with a running servant. For a moment I was not at the queen’s dinner hall, smelling roasted meat, I was in the town square of Aragon, and the scent of a burning woman was making the air stink as she screamed in horror at the sight of her own blackening legs.

I turned on my heel and dashed out of the door, careless of who saw me. I headed for the river, as my quickest and least noticeable route into the city. I went down to the landing stage and waited for a boat to come by.

I had forgotten the fears of Mary’s court, now that the Spanish were openly hated and Mary had lost the love of her people. There were four soldiers on the landing stage and another dozen of them on guard along the river bank. I had to smile and pretend I was sneaking out for a secret meeting with a lover.

‘But what’s your fancy?’ one of the young soldiers jeered. ‘Dressed like a boy but a voice like a maid? How d’you choose, my pet? What sort of a thing d’you like?’

I was spared having to find an answer by a boat swinging across the current and bringing a group of London citizens to court.

‘Are we too late? Is she still dining?’ a fat woman at the front of the boat demanded as they helped her on to the landing stage.

‘She’s still dining,’ I said.

‘Under the canopy of state and all?’ she specified.

‘As she should be,’ I confirmed.

She smiled with satisfaction. ‘I’ve never seen it before, though I’ve often promised myself the pleasure of seeing her,’ she said. ‘Do we just walk in?’

‘There is the entrance to the great hall,’ I directed her. ‘There are soldiers on the door but they will let you and your family pass. May I take your boat? I want to go to the city.’

She waved the boatman away. ‘But come back for us,’ she said to him.

I stepped into the rocking boat and waited till we were out of earshot before directing him to the steps at The Fleet. I did not want the court guards to know where I was going.

Once again I came down the road to our shop at a reluctant dawdle. I wanted to see that the place was untouched before I approached it. Suddenly, I came to an abrupt standstill. To my horror, as I turned the corner I could see that it had been broken and entered. The door was thrown wide open, the dark entrance was lit with a flickering light as two men, three men moved about inside. Outside waited a great wagon with two horses. The men were taking away great barrels of goods, I recognised the packed manuscripts that we had stored away when my father left, and I knew they would be evidence enough to hang me twice over.