A Love Most Dangerous (40 page)

The very next day, as I was bringing milk back to the
house for the mid-day meal, there came the sound of loud excited cries and then
the sound of the children calling my name.

I stepped out with my basket over my arm and squinted
in the bright sunlight.

A hard-ridden horse stood in the yard, sweat
glistening on its flank. A tall man stood beside it, deep in conversation with
Robert Cooper. He looked up as I approached, a look of shrewd appraisal on his
face.

'Are you Alice Petherton?' he asked.

A prickle of fear ran through me. Could it be possible
that Timothy Crane had discovered my whereabouts and sent this man to abduct me
once again? Or had I killed Sir Edmund Tint with the chamber pot and was to be
dragged back to London for trial and execution?

'I am Alice Petherton,' I said, though my tongue felt
heavy and my mouth was dry as dust.

I felt my legs wobble and I would have dropped the
eggs had Sissy not run towards me and held my arm.

'My name is Daniel Stokes,' he said. 'I've been sent by
Lord Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal. You're wanted, at once. I'm to take you to Greenwich Palace.'

He turned and indicated a small carriage at the bottom
of the drive.

'Get your things,' he continued. 'We leave immediately.'
He turned and led his horse towards the carriage.

'I'm not going,' I said.

 Stokes stopped and turned to face me. His face had a
look of surprise but it was swiftly replaced by one of wry amusement.

'I think you are,' he said, his voice quiet but firm.

'I am not.'

He shook his head and glanced away as if he did not
want to fully betray his reaction.

'It is the Lord Privy Seal who commands you,' he said.
'Thomas Cromwell.'

'I know who the Lord Privy Seal is.'

He stepped towards me and gave me a thoughtful glance.
'Then you know that it is most unwise, most unhealthy, to disobey his
commands.'

I stared at him for a moment, my mind racing. But
before I could even think of a reply Sissy raced to my side.

'Can I come with you, Alice?' she cried.

'No,' I said and her father and mother said the same
even louder.

'Is this your maid?' Stokes asked.

I shook my head but Sissy called out, 'Yes.'

'Then get your things as well,' said Stokes.

Robert and Hannah tried to argue with him but he
brushed them aside. In any case, Sissy had dashed into the house, gathered up
an armful of clothes and was back by my side in moments.

'I've got your things here, miss,' she said to me,
with a reasonable show at a curtsy.

'She's not my maid,' I said, horrified at the speed
events were unfolding.

Stokes paused and then glanced over a document he held
in his hand.

'The Lord Privy Seal says to bring you and all your
possessions,' he said. 'That must include your maid.'

'But I've not said I'm going,' I cried.

Stokes shook his head wearily before taking me by the
arm and marching me towards the carriage.

But when we got there he relaxed his hold and took me
by the hand very gently. I looked at his face and saw a kindness there such as
I had noticed in Tom Pepper and Mr Cooper. He smiled and I felt a blush come to
my cheeks. I hurried into the carriage.

The Coopers ran after us, complaining loudly. But it
was to no avail. Sissy and I were bundled into the carriage by the tall man and
the horses were whipped up by the driver.

'I'll look after her,' I cried as we trundled down the
track.

The Coopers ran alongside the carriage but it picked
up speed and Hannah fell behind.

I leaned out of the window. 'I promise I'll look after
her,' I repeated.

'Maybe,' called Mr Cooper. 'But who will look after
you?'

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Cromwell's Plan

17th September 1538

I learnt on that journey what it meant to be on the
business of the Lord Privy Seal. The horses were ridden at full-tilt and
changed every ten miles or so in order to keep them fresh. At these stops the
coachmen swapped seats, there were three of them in all, food and drink was
taken by the party and we were allowed to answer nature's call. Apart from that
we did not halt, not even at night. Men on torches rode before and behind us
and although we went more slowly we still made good speed.

Heaven be praised the carriage was the most luxurious
I had ever seen apart from the King's. It was slung on leather springs which
made it ride reasonably smoothly. Every surface was thickly upholstered and the
seats had piles of bolsters and cushions heaped upon them. Even though we
hurried through the night, Sissy and I were able to snatch a few hours of
sleep.

I had given her a furious scolding when first we set
off.

'What were you thinking of, claiming that you're my
maid?' I said. 'It's a wicked lie and look where it's got you.'

'It's got me on a journey with you,' she countered,
unrepentant. 'To a Palace.' And then she gave a huge grin which quite took the
strength from my anger. I smiled despite myself. If truth were told I was glad
she was coming with me.

As the journey wore on my mind returned to the same
question, what did Thomas Cromwell want with me? At the first halt I approached
the messenger Stokes and asked him the question.

He opened his parchment and quickly perused it. Then
he snapped it shut and replaced it in his jerkin. 'As I thought, miss, it
doesn't say. The Lord Privy Seal doesn't have to say, of course. This document
just orders me to collect Alice Petherton and bring her with all dispatch to Greenwich Palace.' He glanced at Sissy. 'With all her possessions.'

She gave him a winning smile in return.

The journey from the Tower to Stratford had taken us three days and we'd thought that good going. The journey back to London was far swifter. We arrived at Edgware as the sun was setting and pulled into an inn to make
the final change of horses. Sissy and I were so exhausted that Stokes ordered
hot food to be brought to us. I begged to be allowed to eat at a table but he
was reluctant to allow us to stray from the carriage. Seeing I was adamant he
summoned the inn-keeper and demanded that a table be brought out into the yard.

'Thank you for your kindness, Mr Stokes,' I said.

He gave me a broad smile as Sissy and I sat at the
table.

'I can see the reason even more now,' he said, almost
to himself.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

But he seemed suddenly embarrassed and refused to say
more.

We were soon on the road once more and I fell asleep
as we clattered through the streets of London. This was fortunate for I would
not have wanted to see the rest of the journey. We must have crossed the Thames
by London Bridge which I had so recently fled across. And we passed through the
streets of Southwark only yards from Crane's brothel.

'You missed London,' Sissy said as I woke up an hour
later.

'I'm glad,' I mumbled. 'I hope never to see it again.'

Finally, in the small hours of the morning the
carriage came to a halt. We had arrived at Greenwich Palace.

I thought that Sissy might faint from joy at sight of
it.

Daniel Stokes helped me down out of the carriage.

'It is three of the clock,' he said. 'The Lord Privy
Seal rises at four so I shall take you to a chamber for a bite to eat and to
refresh yourself.'

He took my hand and kissed it. 'I am enchanted to have
met you, Alice Petherton.'

'Perhaps we will meet again,' I said.

'Perhaps,' he answered. 'I should like that very
much.' And then he turned and hurried off into the night.

The torchmen, stumbling in their weariness, led us to
the Palace. Once inside a white-haired old man took over and led us up a
winding stair. His joints creaked like old furniture when it is sat upon but he
moved at a good speed nonetheless. He led us to a chamber with couches and a
small fire, gesturing with one arm as if he were displaying some marvellous treasure.
He bent to the fireplace, creaking still more loudly, heaped more logs onto the
flames and sat back on his haunches to make sure that it took. Then he creaked
to his feet and left the room. He had not said a word in all this time.

He returned a few minutes later with two young
servants. One brought towels, a basin and a ewer of steaming hot water. The
other had a large tray with two plates, two glasses and a bottle of wine. The
white-haired man shooed them out and then gave me a curious glance.

'Will you be needing anything more, miss?' he asked.
His voice sounded as though he was calling from a tomb.

'No thank you,' I answered. 'Thank you for your
kindness.'

He gave me a cold smile and departed with yet more
creaking.

I turned to find Sissy prowling round the room, as if
in a daze.

'This is wonderful,' she cried. 'Is this the King's
chamber?'

I glanced round at the room. The walls were dark oak
but with hardly a trace of decoration on them. The curtain on the window was a
pale, plain blue. The couches were comfortable looking but without fine
needle-work or very much in the way of colour. A very nondescript room all
together.

'No,' I answered. 'This is not the King's chamber.
That is a thousand times more wonderful. But you will never get to see the
inside of such a wonderful place.'

'Well this is wonderful enough for me,' she said,
stroking the fabric of a couch. She went to the table and looked at the food.

'There's enough here to feed half a dozen people,' she
said. 'As I'm to be your maid, I should serve you.'

Before I could stop her she brought across an empty
platter and a second one heaped with bread, butter, cheese, cakes and biscuits.

I shook my head. 'No thank you, Sissy, I'm not
hungry.'  How could I be when the whole of my heart was in my mouth.

'And you're not my maid,' I said.

'Mr Stokes thinks I am,' she said. 'He was very
handsome,' she said in a dreamy voice. 'Do you think he's very rich?'

Only ten minutes in the Palace, I thought, and she is
already thinking like a maid of honour, appraising all the men and plotting out
her future.

'No I don't suppose he's very rich. He's merely a
servant and besides he has a wife and sixteen children to support.'

Sissy's mouth fell open at that. 'Oh,' was all that
she could say.

She looked so disappointed that I repented my words.
'I was just teasing you, Sissy,' I said. 'I don't know if he's married or has a
family. But I'm confident he is not rich. Servants do not get rich.'

But then I thought to myself that Stokes is a servant
to Thomas Cromwell. Perhaps, in that case, the old rules do not apply.

I looked at Sissy as she heaped food on her plate. I
thought it unfair that the sight of Stokes had fed her imagination so. In a few
hours Thomas Cromwell would finish whatever business he had with me and we
would be returned to her father's farm. But at least I could teach her to read
and write, I thought.

And then I smiled. I could see myself with a future, for
the first time since I had left the palace. I would become the servant of the
Coopers, if they would have me. I would help on the farm, make and mend clothes
and teach all the children their letters. I sighed with pleasure at the
thought.

And then Sissy turned to me with a frown. 'You said
I'd never get to see the King's Chamber,' she said. 'So how was it that you saw
it?'

I was nonplussed by the question and felt my face burn
red.

'I was a maid-of-honour to the queen,' I said. 'I
peeked into the room once.'

'Which queen?' she asked, 'the one who got her head
chopped off?'

'Her and one other,' I answered.

'And what happened to the other one.'

'She died as well. In childbirth.'

'And is the baby all right?'

'I think so. He was when I left the palace at any rate.
He must be almost a year old by now.'

'Perhaps I'll see him' she said. 'Perhaps I'll be able
to take him for a walk down by the river.'

'Perhaps,' I said. 'But I don't think we'll be staying
that long, Sissy.'

She looked crestfallen but before she could answer the
man with white hair entered the room. 'The Lord Privy Seal will see you now,'
he said.

A sudden fear gripped me. What would happen when I saw
Thomas Cromwell? I took two steps towards the basin, flannelled my face with
water, and told Sissy to wait here for me.

I followed the creaking servant along a corridor and
up a flight of stairs. He paused at the top, indicated a door as though it was
a most amazing thing and then rapped quietly upon it.