The Heretics

Chapter 28

SHAKESPEARE WALKED UP and down the great hall like a muster master, inspecting the freed captives. There were more than a hundred of them and they were a bedraggled lot, though pleased to be home with their lives. They knew all too well the fate of other prisoners of Spanish troops. Summary execution was commonplace.

Calling them to order, Shakespeare told them they would be fed and given ale from the castle store-rooms, after which they would be required to answer some straightforward questions. The clearer their answers, the sooner they would be allowed to find passage home to their families.

‘Is this all of them?’ he asked Godolphin’s adjutant, Thomas Chiverton.

‘All but one, who ails and is being seen by a physician.’

‘Was he wounded?’

‘I do not know, Mr Shakespeare. All I can tell you is that the physician is attending to him.’

He left the prisoners in the hall to await their victuals and went to find Boltfoot, who was just waking. Shakespeare had bought some tobacco from one of Godolphin’s junior officers and now handed it to his assistant.

‘Well done,’ he said.

‘It amounted to nothing, master.’ Boltfoot took the few ounces of tobacco and thrust them in his jerkin pocket. ‘The Spaniards doused the fires as fast as we could start them.’

‘Perhaps it meant nothing in military terms, but it was good for English morale. You let the Spaniards know we were here and that we were not to be played with at will. More than that, you showed the Cornishmen that they could fight back.’

Shakespeare had requisitioned an office from the castle steward. After they had eaten, the freed captives began trooping into his presence one by one. He took down each man’s name, his port of origin, where he was captured and what experiences he had endured. Many of them spoke of a renegade English pilot aboard the lead galleass, and one man, Barnaby Loe of Ipswich, knew him of old.

‘Aye, it was Captain Burley. Richard Burley, most treacherous papist that ever sailed the narrow sea. I saw him close-coupled with the Spaniards, showing them the way through English rock shoals and currents.’

‘How do you know him?’

‘I sailed with him ten or twelve years ago before he turned coat. He sailed out of Falmouth, but other ports, too. Mostly carrying tin and copper. It pains me to say it, master, but he was a fine pilot. He knew all the waters well, from the Germanies and Low Countries all the way to Spain and beyond. But these were the waters he knew best of all.’

‘Describe him.’

‘Strong man. Long hair. Bull chest. What more do you want?’

Could this be the Englishman at Paul? It made sense.

‘I can tell you, too, that he hails from Weymouth originally. He had a wife and some children, whom he took away when he threw in his lot with Spain. He has a beard down to his breeches.’

Well, that did not sound like the man Shakespeare had seen, for he had no more than a short, well-trimmed beard.

‘Would you call him handsome or plain-featured?’

‘Handsome? The man looks like a pig’s arsehole, which you might think mighty disrespectful to pigs’ arseholes. When I caught his eye, he summoned me over and did sneer most menacingly, saying that the King of Spain was so rich that he would lay waste to this whole coast, this summer and the next, and every year thereafter.’

‘Did he say anything more about their plans?’

‘No. I cursed him and he told me to watch my mouth or he would have me put to the oars as a galley slave. By God’s faith, master, I did believe him and shut my mouth, for that is a fate I would not wish on any man save a traitor such as Burley himself.’

‘Thank you, Mr Loe. And to your knowledge were there any other Englishmen aboard?’

‘Only us captives. But we were split between two of the galleys, so I can account only for the one I was in.’

By evening, Shakespeare had not interrogated more than a third of the men. He was becoming tired and realised that he might miss something if he continued his questioning too late into the night. He ordered a platter of meats and some wine to ease him through the last two hours, then found himself a mattress and slept.

At daylight, the questioning began again. The first man brought in said his name was Ambrose Rowse, fisher from Fowey.

Shakespeare went through the questions by rote. ‘And were there any Englishmen apart from the prisoners?’ he asked finally.

‘I recall one Englishman,’ Rowse said. ‘Never heard his name, though. Saw him deep in conversation with a Spaniard and some other men. That was soon before the attack upon Mousehole.’

‘How do you know he was English?’

‘I heard him speak, didn’t I? He was talking Spanish, I think, but then he said something in English. And from the manner of his speaking, he sounded like a native-born Englishman, not a Spaniard. I recall what he said, too, for I did think it a mighty odd thing for an Englishman to be saying. The gates are open. Let us enter. That’s what he said, then laughed. I took it to mean that he was in on the attack by enemies of his own country. A traitor, no less.’

‘What was his appearance?’

‘That’s easy. He was a fine-looking man. Looks of a king, I would say. The sort of gentleman a common man would bow to.’

‘His beard?’

‘Short, well kept.’

The Englishman at Paul. This was not Burley.

‘How did you come to see him and hear him?’

‘I had been sent to fetch water for the other prisoners. That was the way the guard made me go . . . the devil take his dirty soul.’ He pulled open his shirt and turned his bare back to Shakespeare. It was striped with lash-marks. ‘That’s what he did to me, for nothing. As to the Englishman, it was purest chance that I saw and heard him.’

‘What else did he say?’

‘Nothing in English, only Spanish. I used to speak a little in the old days, but it’s all gone now, so I did not understand it.’

‘And did you see the man again?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Did you mention this man to any of your fellow prisoners?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Then do not. On the pain of your life you are to say nothing to anyone. This is Queen’s business.’

The man shifted uneasily, seemingly fearful of what he had got himself into. ‘I will not say a word, sir. I will pledge it on the Holy Bible, if you so desire. May I go now, back to Fowey? I have a wife and six children would wish to see me.’

Shakespeare smiled grimly. ‘I fear I must keep you here a while longer, Mr Rowse, but I shall recompense you for your time, and I am sure one of your shipmates will take messages to say you are safe.’

The questioning ran on into a third day. Shakespeare questioned Ambrose Rowse once more about the Englishman, and he spoke with Barnaby Loe about his recollections of Burley, but learnt nothing new of value. He was just about to give up when he recalled the man who had been taken ill. Wearily, he picked up his sword belt from the table where he had laid it, buckled it to his waist and stepped out into the castle hall.

There were many soldiers about now; they had arrived from St Mawes and from towns and villages all around. Although too late for the fight, they would form a basis for Godolphin to shore up his defences. From the battlements, Shakespeare could see six ships, the flotilla that had been asked of Drake. They were at anchor, and bristled with gunports. A comforting sight after the experience of seeing Spanish galleys in control of the bay.

He found Godolphin’s officer, Chiverton, and asked him to take him to the sick man who was being housed near the kitchens.

The room contained a bed and the personal possessions of the cook. A large man was on the bed, snoring. He looked nothing like the other captives who were, to a man, lean and wiry seafarers of one sort or another. This man was flabby and looked as though he had not done a day’s manual labour in his life.

Shakespeare touched his shoulder. The man grunted and turned over. He shook his shoulder a little more firmly. ‘Sir, I must speak with you.’

Suddenly the man was awake. He glared at Shakespeare as he struggled to adjust his immense bulk so that he sat upright against the wall.

‘I am John Shakespeare, an officer of Sir Robert Cecil. I am questioning all those set free from the Spanish galleys. I am told you have some ailment, but I must ask you to identify yourself.’

The man stared at Shakespeare for a few moments, as though weighing up his options, then emitted a gurgling noise from somewhere in his gullet. His chins and his chest quivered and his breathing was laboured. ‘I am sick. Bring me brandy . . .’

Shakespeare nodded to Chiverton.

‘Can you at least tell me your name?’

‘Sloth. Ovid Sloth of London. Is that what you wish of me? The brandy, if you please, lest you want a corpse on your hands.’

‘I have heard of you.’

The brandy arrived and Shakespeare put the goblet to Sloth’s lips. He drank greedily, then coughed, and at last sank back against the cushions.

‘Is that better, Mr Sloth?’

‘Indeed, yes. Indeed. Now, what is it you require of me?’

‘You are a merchant, are you not?’

‘Yes, yes.’

‘Where were you captured?’

‘Brittany. And I would thank you to find me passage to London as soon as possible. I am a busy man. I have wasted enough of my precious time in a Spanish gaol and upon their stinking galleass. I cannot spend yet more time in this foul dungeon.’

‘This is not a dungeon, Mr Sloth. This is a perfectly good bedchamber, which has been vacated for you at the expense of its regular incumbent. Why were you in Brittany?’

Sloth struggled to rise. ‘First help me up from this filthy midden of a bed. There is a miasma of contagion here, I know it.’

Shakespeare grasped him under the arms and helped raise his enormous bulk from the bed. ‘Now then, Mr Sloth, I asked why you were in Brittany.’

Sloth breathed deeply, his chest heaving and juddering. ‘Use your wit. Why do you think I was in Brittany?’

‘You tell me. And talk to me in a civil manner or you will find me a most unpleasant interrogator.’

‘To buy wine. What else would I get from that benighted, war-torn finger of land? Talk to the master at Vintners’ Hall if you wish to know more, for you will discover I am an assistant of the vintners’ court.’

Shakespeare ignored his bluster. ‘And did it not occur to you that you might fall foul of the Spanish armies there?’

‘Mr Shakespeare, do you enjoy a goblet a wine? How do you think it is come by? Do you think merchants cease trading simply because there is a war on? Anyway, I had not heard of any embargo on French goods. Is Henri of France not our friend? Indeed, I had thought Brittany liberated from the Spanish yoke last autumn when Frobisher and Norreys took the fort of El Léon. It seems I was mistaken for Norreys has now abandoned Brittany and gone to Ireland. What I demand of you is this: how is a man to make an honest guinea if he cannot trade in safety? Ask this of young Cecil, if you would, for it is the brave English merchants that supply the treasury. Why does he abandon us to the dirty Spaniard? We must be protected!’

‘Did you travel to Brittany alone, Mr Sloth?’

‘No, I did not. But they kept my clerks and servants. I am to send them gold if I want them returned, which will not happen. Why should I pay gold for them when I can find men aplenty in London?’

‘I am told you are sick.’

‘It is true I am not in good health. I am not a young man and these weeks of privation have done me much harm. I must get home to recoup my strength. I am exhausted.’

Shakespeare, too, was tired. He would have liked to postpone further questioning until morning when he might think more clearly, but he pressed on. ‘Tell me about the ship you were on. Did you communicate with other Englishmen?’

‘Those fish-stinking peasants taken prisoner from their boats? What might I have to say to them, do you think?’

‘I was thinking of the English pilot.’

‘You mean the damnable traitor Richard Burley. Yes I encountered him, and I spat on his shoes.’

‘Did you talk with him?’

‘No, Mr Shakespeare, though he tried to engage me in conversation.’ Suddenly Sloth slumped on to the bed, clutching at his chest.

‘Shall I send for the physician?’

Sloth shook his head as he panted. Finally he spoke, his words coming out in short, harsh bursts.

‘In God’s name . . . find me a ship . . . out of here . . . to London . . . I will pay you well . . . ten pounds in English gold, sir. If I do not get home, I know I shall die . . .’

Oh I will get you home, Shakespeare thought. Though you may not like the mode of transport I have planned for you, nor your travelling companion.

‘Answer me one more question, then you may sleep and so may I. Was there another Englishman aboard the galley, a man close-coupled with the Spanish officers? Not Burley, in whom I have little interest, but one with long hair and a short beard and the bearing of a man of breeding?’

Sloth’s brow creased and it seemed to Shakespeare that he seemed a little alarmed.

‘Does the question disturb you? Do you know of such a man?’

‘No . . . I know nothing of such a man.’ Sloth fell back into the cushions. ‘Get me that physician, sir . . . before my heart gives out . . .’

Regis Roag held Beatrice in his arms. They were spread naked across the covers of a bed, a large, ornately carved oak bed with four posts and an embroidered canopy above and all around them, enclosing them. Beatrice drew slowly on her pipe, opened her lips and watched the smoke rise, and dissipate into the canopy. She was used to the name Beatrice now; could no longer bear to think of the heretic name her father and mother had given her. Sorrow Gray. Was that a name or a sentence of despair?

She sighed, rolled over and laid the pipe under the bed-curtain on the floor. With the sinuous movement of a cat, she crawled across to Regis and stroked his chest with kisses.

‘Beatrice?’

‘Yes?’

‘I prayed for this every day.’

‘As did I.’

He looked in her eyes and saw the madness there. He knew well that she was insane, as crazed as a fox bitch on heat. He had always known it; he could not resist it. But that was because he could control her demons and bend them to his will.

‘Do you harbour doubts?’

Her fingers tightened like little talons on his skin. ‘Do you?’

He laughed. ‘Even Christ had doubts. And yet I am here, am I not, back from fair Seville? And I have the men. In all, six of us. Enough. Good men, perfectly fitted for the task, as long as all else is in place. Do you have doubts?’

She sat astride him and held his arms down, her short, boyish hair flopping about her face as she gazed down at him intently.

‘No. Never. Not one. A tidal surge of blood would not sway me from my purpose. I will rejoice when the blessed Mary’s holy Inquisition is returned to these shores and when the ungodly are consigned to the fires of hell in the market squares, to cleanse our land. This is His word. How could I doubt it, when we have sold our souls to God?’

His hands ranged down her slender frame, his fingers playing from her small breasts to her delicate ribs. He kissed a nipple, then held her face between his well-tended hands and admired his handsome reflection in her eyes.

‘But what of Sloth?’ she said.

‘We had to leave him. There was no other way. The journey from Spain to Brittany and onward to England has left him sick and exhausted. We had to move from Mount’s Bay at great speed. He could not ride, nor could we carry him here. He would have threatened us all if we had tried to bring him.’

‘Will they not torture him and discover all he knows? He will betray us—’

‘Fear not, sweet serpent, he knows his part and we will retrieve him. As soon as word comes through.’

‘And do the other men all know their parts? The little one, the Irish ones, the two hard-bitten ones? In truth I would not trust those last two to tether a horse.’

‘I will take them and Winnow. You take the Irish boys, Seamus and Hugh. Do what you have to do and then we will meet again at the appointed place.’

‘Are they strong enough in will as well as arm? Will they really help us rid England of the beast for ever?’

‘Trust me, Beatrice. I can smile—’

‘—and murder while you smile?’ She bit his neck and felt him rise beneath her thighs. ‘I will trust your sail-needle and your God-given prick, my king of men, for I know what they both can do.’