as Harker untied his horse and hefted her into the saddle. He swung up behind her, took the reins in his mangled right hand – Eve couldn’t stop looking at it – and they set off, this time at a more leisurely pace.
Passing yet another ramshackle church, Eve asked over her shoulder, ‘Was that a Roman Catholic service at the church?’
‘Course it was.’
‘Are you Catholic?’
‘Course I am.’
‘Oh.’
After a minute or so, Harker said, ‘Aren’t you?’
‘Er, no. Church of England.’ In truth, Eve had been baptised, and then hadn’t set foot in a church until her father’s funeral.
‘Church of what?’
‘Never mind. Is the whole country Catholic?’
‘Of course.’ Harker paused, then said, ‘Eve, are you sure you’re not from abroad?’
Eve sighed. ‘Yes, I’m sure.’
They rode in silence a while longer. Which was to say neither Eve nor Harker spoke, but the crowds ebbing around them were in constant chatter, people shouting above the general noise, dogs barking, bells ringing. Eve looked around at the people, at what they were wearing, and couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong.
There were men and women in trousers. She saw t-shirts and jeans. Very few men in suits, or women in heels. In fact, a large portion of the people she saw, male and female, were in uniform.
There were few children. Even fewer old people.
‘What about Henry VIII?’ she asked after a while.
‘Sorry, what?’
‘Henry VIII. The King. Fifteen hundreds.’
‘What about him?’
‘Well, how many wives did he have?’
‘Oh, was he the one with loads? Divorced a couple.’
‘Yes!’ Eve said, massively relieved. ‘He broke with the Catholic Church because the Pope wouldn’t give him a divorce from his first wife.’
‘Um, no he didn’t,’ Harker said. He shifted behind her. ‘I don’t know a lot about history, but I do know we never broke with the Catholic Church.’
‘Yes, we did!’
‘No,’ Harker said wearily, ‘we didn’t.’
Eve floundered a moment, then asked ‘What abut the Protestant Reformation?’
‘The what?’
Well, that answered that question. A thought occurred to her and she asked, ‘Then how come you got divorced?’
‘Because ordinary people like me don’t have to petition the Pope,’ Harker said. ‘We just get a lawyer.’
‘I thought the Catholic Church disapproved of divorce.’
‘I don’t think they really care any more. Not about some damp little island on the edge of the world.’
‘England is not on the edge of the world,’ Eve said.
‘Yeah, but it might as well be.’
Another silence. Eve ducked as the horse went under a low, dirty brick bridge. Behind her, so did Harker, his hard body pressing against hers in a way that might have been pleasant if he wasn’t holding her prisoner.
‘So, if they don’t care, how come you can’t get married again?’
Harker sighed. ‘Is this important?’
‘Or was that just to shut Rosie up?’
‘It was to stop her asking when I’m going to marry someone I only just met, who is suspected of being a spy,’ Harker said.
Eve made a face, glad he couldn’t see her. The Tower was up ahead, its high walls rising over the lower buildings surrounding it.
‘So are you not actually divorced, then?’
Harker made a sound of annoyance, and jerked on the handcuffs so she looked at his left hand. ‘See a ring there?’
‘Well, I don’t know if soldiers wear them!’
‘Yes, I’m divorced,’ Harker said, his voice terse. ‘I was married, it didn’t work out, she wanted a divorce, I gave it to her. Happy?’
‘Any children?’
‘No.’
‘Then yes, I’m happy.’
‘Why does me not having children make you happy?’
‘Because divorce is hell on kids,’ Eve said bluntly.
She felt Harker draw breath, but it was a moment or two before he said, ‘Your parents?’
‘Yes.’
‘Sorry,’ Harker said.
‘Yeah, me too.’
Neither of them said anything else as they approached the
Passing yet another ramshackle church, Eve asked over her shoulder, ‘Was that a Roman Catholic service at the church?’
‘Course it was.’
‘Are you Catholic?’
‘Course I am.’
‘Oh.’
After a minute or so, Harker said, ‘Aren’t you?’
‘Er, no. Church of England.’ In truth, Eve had been baptised, and then hadn’t set foot in a church until her father’s funeral.
‘Church of what?’
‘Never mind. Is the whole country Catholic?’
‘Of course.’ Harker paused, then said, ‘Eve, are you sure you’re not from abroad?’
Eve sighed. ‘Yes, I’m sure.’
They rode in silence a while longer. Which was to say neither Eve nor Harker spoke, but the crowds ebbing around them were in constant chatter, people shouting above the general noise, dogs barking, bells ringing. Eve looked around at the people, at what they were wearing, and couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong.
There were men and women in trousers. She saw t-shirts and jeans. Very few men in suits, or women in heels. In fact, a large portion of the people she saw, male and female, were in uniform.
There were few children. Even fewer old people.
‘What about Henry VIII?’ she asked after a while.
‘Sorry, what?’
‘Henry VIII. The King. Fifteen hundreds.’
‘What about him?’
‘Well, how many wives did he have?’
‘Oh, was he the one with loads? Divorced a couple.’
‘Yes!’ Eve said, massively relieved. ‘He broke with the Catholic Church because the Pope wouldn’t give him a divorce from his first wife.’
‘Um, no he didn’t,’ Harker said. He shifted behind her. ‘I don’t know a lot about history, but I do know we never broke with the Catholic Church.’
‘Yes, we did!’
‘No,’ Harker said wearily, ‘we didn’t.’
Eve floundered a moment, then asked ‘What abut the Protestant Reformation?’
‘The what?’
Well, that answered that question. A thought occurred to her and she asked, ‘Then how come you got divorced?’
‘Because ordinary people like me don’t have to petition the Pope,’ Harker said. ‘We just get a lawyer.’
‘I thought the Catholic Church disapproved of divorce.’
‘I don’t think they really care any more. Not about some damp little island on the edge of the world.’
‘England is not on the edge of the world,’ Eve said.
‘Yeah, but it might as well be.’
Another silence. Eve ducked as the horse went under a low, dirty brick bridge. Behind her, so did Harker, his hard body pressing against hers in a way that might have been pleasant if he wasn’t holding her prisoner.
‘So, if they don’t care, how come you can’t get married again?’
Harker sighed. ‘Is this important?’
‘Or was that just to shut Rosie up?’
‘It was to stop her asking when I’m going to marry someone I only just met, who is suspected of being a spy,’ Harker said.
Eve made a face, glad he couldn’t see her. The Tower was up ahead, its high walls rising over the lower buildings surrounding it.
‘So are you not actually divorced, then?’
Harker made a sound of annoyance, and jerked on the handcuffs so she looked at his left hand. ‘See a ring there?’
‘Well, I don’t know if soldiers wear them!’
‘Yes, I’m divorced,’ Harker said, his voice terse. ‘I was married, it didn’t work out, she wanted a divorce, I gave it to her. Happy?’
‘Any children?’
‘No.’
‘Then yes, I’m happy.’
‘Why does me not having children make you happy?’
‘Because divorce is hell on kids,’ Eve said bluntly.
She felt Harker draw breath, but it was a moment or two before he said, ‘Your parents?’
‘Yes.’
‘Sorry,’ Harker said.
‘Yeah, me too.’
Neither of them said anything else as they approached the
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