![[Roger the Chapman 05] - Eve of Saint Hyacinth](https://fs.ageofbook.com/513733/thumbs/152x264/roger-the-chapman-05-eve-of-saint-hyacinth.jpg)
He frowned at Lionel. 'You'd do well to watch your step there.
You and she are both playing a dangerous game.' Lionel shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but a little colour stole into his pallid cheeks. 'You're an old woman' Timothy,' he protested. 'She and Ralph have a pact that as long as they're unwed they'll not interfere too much with one another's pleasures.'
Timothy Plummer, insulted by the epithet applied to him, retorted angrily, 'Berys told you that no doubt! And you believed her? Well, more fool you, that's all I have to say. But then, you proved yourself a deal too simple and trusting last night, Lal, didn't you?'
'Friends! Friends!' I exclaimed hurriedly, laying my hands on a shoulder of each. 'Don't, for God's sake, turn on one another at such a time as this. If Duke Richard really is in danger, he needs you to work together.' Both men looked shamefaced.
'Aye, that's true enough,' Timothy Plummer admitted.
'The last thing we must do is squabble among ourselves. Forgive me, Lal. It was only concern for you that made me speak as I did. Ralph Boyse can turn ugly on occasions. I've seen it.'
Lionel was quick to accept the apology. 'I'm sorry, too, for what I said. I didn't mean it.'
'Then that's the end of that.' Timothy snapped his fingers with relief. 'Now, we've much to discuss with the chapman, so Matt, for the last time, be off with you! And on your way back to the dormitory, get one of those idle pages to run to the buttery and bring up some wine to us here. A good malmsey, tell him. None of that inferior stuff from Crete. That's only fit for the lower servants.' Matthew departed unwillingly, dragging his feet, but at last the tower door shut behind him. Timothy waved me back to my stool and drew up one of his own. 'Right!' he continued. 'Make yourself comfortable and let me explain.'
It seemed that in the two years (or almost two years) since I had last seen Timothy Plummer he had risen to become chief Spy-Master in the Duke of Gloucester's household.
This, I gathered, was a position undefined and unacknowledged in the ducal rolls, but one, none the less, of very great importance, as everybody of any moment employed agents to spy on one another.
'For instance,' Timothy said, drawing his stool closer to mine and lowering his voice a trifle, 'I know for certain that Stephen Hudelin, Yeoman of the Chamber, is a spy for Lord Rivers, the queen's eldest brother. And through him, probably for the whole Woodville clan. I am almost equally sure that Humphrey Nanfan, also a Yeoman of the Chamber, works for my lord of Clarence, while Geoffrey Whitelock, Squire of the Household, is in the pay of the king.'
'Wait!' I protested. 'Wait! Are you asking me to believe that both King Edward and the Duke of Clarence set spies about their own brother?'
Timothy glanced at Lionel Arrowsmith with a resigned shrug of his shoulders before turning back to me. 'Chapman, can you really believe that anyone at court truly trusts anybody else? If so, you must be very simple-minded.'
'I can see that the king wouldn't trust my lord of Clarence,' I answered hotly. 'He's proved himself a traitor on more than one occasion. But His Grace would surely never suspect my lord of Gloucester of working against him!'
'You may well be right,' Timothy replied, settling his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. 'But how can he ever be certain beyond all doubt that the duke's patent dislike of the queen and her numerous family might not, some day, turn to a more active hatred? Besides,' Timothy spread his hands, 'it's only tit-for-tat, when all's said and done. We have our own agents in the king's and brother George's households.' He saw my expression of horror and laughed. 'You are an innocent, Roger, aren't you? Now, where was I?'
He went on to enumerate two more members of the duke's entourage who were suspected of being spies: Jocelin d'Hiver, yet another of the score or so Squires of the Household, who might, or might not, be
You and she are both playing a dangerous game.' Lionel shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but a little colour stole into his pallid cheeks. 'You're an old woman' Timothy,' he protested. 'She and Ralph have a pact that as long as they're unwed they'll not interfere too much with one another's pleasures.'
Timothy Plummer, insulted by the epithet applied to him, retorted angrily, 'Berys told you that no doubt! And you believed her? Well, more fool you, that's all I have to say. But then, you proved yourself a deal too simple and trusting last night, Lal, didn't you?'
'Friends! Friends!' I exclaimed hurriedly, laying my hands on a shoulder of each. 'Don't, for God's sake, turn on one another at such a time as this. If Duke Richard really is in danger, he needs you to work together.' Both men looked shamefaced.
'Aye, that's true enough,' Timothy Plummer admitted.
'The last thing we must do is squabble among ourselves. Forgive me, Lal. It was only concern for you that made me speak as I did. Ralph Boyse can turn ugly on occasions. I've seen it.'
Lionel was quick to accept the apology. 'I'm sorry, too, for what I said. I didn't mean it.'
'Then that's the end of that.' Timothy snapped his fingers with relief. 'Now, we've much to discuss with the chapman, so Matt, for the last time, be off with you! And on your way back to the dormitory, get one of those idle pages to run to the buttery and bring up some wine to us here. A good malmsey, tell him. None of that inferior stuff from Crete. That's only fit for the lower servants.' Matthew departed unwillingly, dragging his feet, but at last the tower door shut behind him. Timothy waved me back to my stool and drew up one of his own. 'Right!' he continued. 'Make yourself comfortable and let me explain.'
It seemed that in the two years (or almost two years) since I had last seen Timothy Plummer he had risen to become chief Spy-Master in the Duke of Gloucester's household.
This, I gathered, was a position undefined and unacknowledged in the ducal rolls, but one, none the less, of very great importance, as everybody of any moment employed agents to spy on one another.
'For instance,' Timothy said, drawing his stool closer to mine and lowering his voice a trifle, 'I know for certain that Stephen Hudelin, Yeoman of the Chamber, is a spy for Lord Rivers, the queen's eldest brother. And through him, probably for the whole Woodville clan. I am almost equally sure that Humphrey Nanfan, also a Yeoman of the Chamber, works for my lord of Clarence, while Geoffrey Whitelock, Squire of the Household, is in the pay of the king.'
'Wait!' I protested. 'Wait! Are you asking me to believe that both King Edward and the Duke of Clarence set spies about their own brother?'
Timothy glanced at Lionel Arrowsmith with a resigned shrug of his shoulders before turning back to me. 'Chapman, can you really believe that anyone at court truly trusts anybody else? If so, you must be very simple-minded.'
'I can see that the king wouldn't trust my lord of Clarence,' I answered hotly. 'He's proved himself a traitor on more than one occasion. But His Grace would surely never suspect my lord of Gloucester of working against him!'
'You may well be right,' Timothy replied, settling his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. 'But how can he ever be certain beyond all doubt that the duke's patent dislike of the queen and her numerous family might not, some day, turn to a more active hatred? Besides,' Timothy spread his hands, 'it's only tit-for-tat, when all's said and done. We have our own agents in the king's and brother George's households.' He saw my expression of horror and laughed. 'You are an innocent, Roger, aren't you? Now, where was I?'
He went on to enumerate two more members of the duke's entourage who were suspected of being spies: Jocelin d'Hiver, yet another of the score or so Squires of the Household, who might, or might not, be
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