The King's Return: (Thomas Hill 3) (Thomas Hill Novels)

by Andrew Swanston

  ‘Or his whore,’ added Charles with a grin. ‘Did you see Josiah’s face when he recognized her? I thought he was going to expire laughing.’

  ‘Joseph, may I go back to Madeleine now?’

  ‘And I,’ said Charles.

  ‘Of course, of course. You must both do that. I shall take the news to the king and let the prisoners consider their predicament. The Tower can have a salutary effect on its residents. Later I’ll go and see what they have to tell us. Would either of you care to accompany me?’ The disobedient eye squinted at them as if daring them to refuse.

  Thomas and Charles looked at each other. Neither had ever set foot in the Tower, and neither was keen to do so. ‘You go, Thomas,’ suggested Charles. ‘Prisons are more your sort of thing than mine and you’re more likely to be some use to Joseph.’

  Thomas knew when he had been outmanoeuvred. ‘If you don’t feel up to the task, Charles, I shall certainly accompany Joseph. I doubt the Tower is any worse than Oxford Castle.’ Turning to Joseph he said, ‘At what time shall I meet you there?’

  ‘Shall we say nine o’clock? That will give us time for our supper beforehand and the prisoners time to work up a good hunger.’

  ‘Thank you, Charles, you’re a good friend,’ said Thomas as they left the house.

  ‘Oh come now,’ replied Charles, catching the irony, ‘it’s not like you to be squeamish. You can tell us all about it tomorrow.’

  They found Mary sitting beside the bed on which Madeleine was propped up on a pile of cushions. The remains of a meal and two empty glasses were on a tray at the end of the bed. Charles picked up a glass and sniffed. ‘Brandy, ladies? May we assume the patient is feeling better again?’

  ‘She is, Charles,’ replied Mary. ‘Now you and I will leave Madeleine and Thomas here and you can tell me what you found in Lambeth.’

  When they had gone, Thomas bent to kiss Madeleine. ‘You look stronger, my dear. Not too much brandy, I trust.’

  ‘The merest sip, Thomas. And I do feel stronger, thank you. Did you find Stoner?’

  ‘We did. Hiding in Lambeth with his whore. A lady known to Josiah and who was not best pleased to see him. Neither, for that matter, was Stoner.’

  Thomas told her about finding them in bed, about Stoner’s protestations of innocence and about Josiah’s delight at the prospect of returning Molly to Henrietta. ‘They’re both safely in the Tower by now,’ he said. ‘Joseph has asked me to meet him there this evening to question them.’

  ‘Why you, Thomas? Why do you have to go to that evil place? Why can’t you stay here and keep me company?’

  ‘Alas, my dear, there is nothing I should like more, but Charles as good as volunteered me for the task. I do not have to be there until nine o’clock. May I stay with you until then?’

  ‘I insist upon it. Then go and threaten to cut Stoner into small pieces if he does not tell you where that Dutchman is.’

  A little after eight o’clock, Thomas gently detached his arm from around the sleeping patient’s shoulders, slipped out of the room and set off for the Tower. Thirty minutes later his carriage arrived outside the outer wall, where he presented himself to a yeoman warder and was escorted through a gatehouse in the inner wall. At the White Tower, where the Constable of the Tower had rooms, he was shown into an antechamber and asked to wait while the yeoman announced his arrival.

  Joseph soon came bustling in. ‘Good evening, Thomas. Thank you for coming. I have arranged with the Constable for our prisoners to be brought to us here. I thought we would see the woman first. I doubt she has much to tell us, but a little warning won’t hurt.’

  ‘As you wish, Joseph. Is there anything you particularly want me to do?’

  ‘Ask whatever questions you like and watch for signs of dissembling. Extra pairs of eyes and ears are always useful.’

  The Molly who was brought into the antechamber was every bit as foul-mouthed and ill-tempered as the Molly whom they had found in bed with Stoner. So far, the Tower had done nothing for her composure. ‘Where’s that little shit Mottershead?’ she screeched. ‘Bring ’im ’ere and ’e’ll feel the sharp end of my tongue.’

  ‘Mr Mottershead is otherwise engaged,’ replied Joseph calmly. ‘Now sit down and answer our questions. If you give us any trouble, the warder will bind your hands and ankles.’ With a look of pure hatred, Molly sat. ‘Good. Now, first of all, how did you meet Chandle Stoner?’

  ‘’Ow do you think? ’E came to the ’ouse.’

  ‘The house in Wild Street?’ Molly nodded. ‘And when was that?’

  ‘Around Christmas time, it was. It was so cold the privy was frozen up and we ’ad to shit on the ice.’

  ‘And when did you leave the house?’

  ‘The day after the coronation. ’E took me to Lambeth and said ’e’d keep me there in comfort, as long as I didn’t tell no one about it.’

  ‘And you agreed?’

  ‘Course I did. I’m not stupid. A big ’ouse and plenty of money. Better than spreading my legs for poxy old men for a few shillings. ’E gave me money for clothes, too.’

  ‘But no servants?’

  ‘No, ’e wouldn’t allow servants.’

  ‘Did he have any visitors?’

  ‘’E did, but I never saw them. I ’ad to go to the bedroom when anyone came. What’s this all about? What’s ’e done?’

  ‘All in good time. Did he tell you anything about himself?’

  ‘Not much. Said ’e was in business. Spent a lot of time in coffee ’ouses, ’e said.’

  ‘How often did he visit you?’

  ‘Two or three times a week, until ’e moved in for good. Said ’e wanted to be private.’

  ‘When was that?’

  ‘About a week ago.’

  Throughout the questioning, Thomas had been watching Molly’s face carefully. He had seen not a glimmer of a lie nor a hint of guilt. She was what she said she was – a London whore who had enjoyed a slice of luck. The luck had run out, but she was neither a traitor nor a murderer.

  Williamson clearly thought the same. ‘That will do for now,’ he told her. ‘You will be kept here for the present in case you remember anything of use to us. If you do, ask the warder to send word to me. And don’t forget that you are still under suspicion of being involved in crimes for which you could hang. Your best chance of release is to tell us everything you remember. Names, events, anything. Is that clear?’

  ‘I’ve told you what I know, and it ain’t much. ’E wouldn’t ’ave told me about ’is business, would ’e? I’m just ’is ’ore. Ask ’im yourself if you don’t believe me.’

  ‘Not now you aren’t, Molly,’ said Thomas. ‘You won’t be keeping Chandle Stoner warm any longer.’

  ‘Piss on ’im then. Never liked the shit.’

  ‘Take her back to her room, warder, please,’ Williamson ordered, ‘and bring Stoner.’

  ‘She was telling the truth,’ said Thomas, when they had gone.

  ‘I fear so. But she might remember something. We’ll keep her here just in case.’

  Chandle Stoner had evidently decided that his best defence was attack. He stormed into the room and launched straight into a tirade. ‘By what authority do you keep me here, may I enquire? I am not unknown in this city and have friends who will want to know why I have been treated like a common criminal.’

  ‘Sit down, Stoner, and answer our questions.’ Williamson’s voice was icy.

  ‘On the contrary, sir. You will answer my questions.’

  Williamson stared at him. ‘Bind his hands, warder, and tie him to the chair. If he resists, break his arm.’ When Stoner was bound and sitting, Williamson continued. ‘Understand that you are in no position to make demands. I have the authority of the king to do whatever I believe to be necessary for the defence of His Majesty and his realm. That includes hanging you if I choose.’

  ‘And on what grounds do you propose to do that?’

  ‘You are suspected of being a murderer, a thief and a traitor.
’

  Stoner laughed. ‘And do you intend to hang me three times for these three crimes, not one of which I am guilty of?’

  Williamson ignored the question. ‘Have you any knowledge of an enterprise named Quicksilver?’

  ‘I certainly have. A mining venture from which a number of my friends have made considerable profits.’

  ‘And others have made losses.’

  Stoner shrugged. ‘Business carries risk.’

  ‘Why did you leave your home in Cheapside and go to Lambeth?’

  ‘That is none of your affair.’

  Williamson nodded to the warder, who clipped Stoner on the ear with his staff. ‘I think you will find that it is. Why?’

  ‘A man in my position needs privacy.’

  ‘What position is that?’

  ‘I am a man of business.’

  ‘Why did you burn all your documents before leaving the house?’

  ‘That is my standard procedure for all confidential documents and correspondence that are no longer needed.’

  ‘Did you know Sir Montford Babb?’

  ‘Possibly. I meet many people in the course of business.’

  ‘Did he have an interest in Quicksilver?’

  ‘I cannot recall.’

  ‘Did you know Matthew Smith, John Winter or Henry Copestick?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Do you know who murdered them?’

  ‘That is an absurd question.’ Another nod to the warder and another clip on the ear. ‘No.’

  ‘Do the names Aurum and Argentum mean anything to you?’

  ‘As much as they do to you. Gold and silver. What of it?’

  ‘On one of the letters you burned we found the name Morland. Was this Sir Samuel Morland?’

  ‘Possibly. I don’t remember the contents of every document.’

  ‘We think that it was. What business had you with him?’

  ‘None. Now if you have no more questions, kindly release me. I have nothing more to tell you and nothing to hide.’

  ‘You will remain here for the present. You should know, also, that I saw the king this morning. At his request, the Privy Council has authorized the use of the rack if I should deem it necessary.’ Stoner went white. No one could withstand the rack and the Council authorized it only in the most serious cases. ‘Keep that in mind when we return tomorrow.’ Williamson turned to Thomas. ‘Have you any questions, Thomas?’

  ‘Did you have Madeleine Stewart taken to Dartford?’

  ‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’

  ‘Take him back to his room, warden,’ ordered Williamson. ‘Give him food and water and keep a guard on him. We will return tomorrow.’

  ‘Well, Thomas, what did you make of that?’ asked Williamson on their way home.

  ‘The woman knows nothing. Stoner is lying, but about what exactly I am unsure. He knew Smith, Winter and Copestick and I’m sure he knew Babb. The names Quicksilver, Argent Vive, Aurum and Argentum may be a coincidence, but I doubt it. When he learned about Madeleine’s rescue, he burned his documents and disappeared. Did he arrange the murders, and if so, why? Was he behind Madeleine’s abduction? Is he involved in a spy ring, and if so, how?’

  ‘And most importantly of all,’ said Joseph, ‘what exactly are the Dutch and the French up to and how are we going to find out?’

  ‘In that connection, has Stoner’s arrest been made public?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘May I suggest that it remains confidential for the moment? I have the glimmer of an idea.’

  Joseph raised an eyebrow. ‘Should I be pleased or alarmed?’

  ‘Time will tell.’

  Charles was waiting for Thomas. ‘Has the thieving wretch confessed yet,’ he asked as soon as Thomas walked in, ‘or is he going to the rack?’

  ‘That has been mentioned. And no, he has not yet confessed. Joseph thought a night of contemplation might change his mind.’

  ‘And what do you think?’

  ‘The man who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak.’

  ‘Sounds like that Frenchman again.’

  ‘It is. And he’s invariably right. Stoner’s guilty of something. We just have to find out what. The woman knows nothing. I expect she’ll be released tomorrow.’

  ‘Anything on Morland?’

  ‘Nothing yet. How is Madeleine?’

  ‘Sleeping like an infant.’

  ‘I’ll look in before I retire. It’s back to the Tower in the morning. Good night, Charles.’

  ‘Good night, Thomas. Make the bastard sing and we’ll feel better about losing our money.’

  The procedure at the Tower was unchanged. A yeoman warder escorted Thomas to the White Tower where Joseph was waiting.

  ‘Good morning, Thomas. I thought we would speak to Stoner first. The warder is fetching him.’

  After a night in the Tower with thoughts of the rack to occupy his mind, Chandle Stoner looked a great deal less confident. His eyes were red, his skin flushed and his beard unattended to. His clothes had been slept in and, Thomas noted, wrinkling his sensitive nose, he smelt of sweat and fear. Joseph must have seen such transformations before. The rack was a powerful persuader.

  ‘Did you sleep well, Stoner?’ he asked cheerfully. ‘The rooms are really quite comfortable, are they not? People forget that the Tower was built as a palace, not a prison.’ Joseph sat with his good eye towards Stoner.

  Stoner ignored the questions. ‘I have a proposition to make.’

  ‘Have you now?’ Williamson sounded unsurprised. ‘And what might that be?’

  ‘In return for telling you what I know of the matters discussed yesterday, safe passage to Denmark.’

  ‘Indeed. And why would I not simply put the rack to work and achieve the same result?’

  ‘I might die before you learn anything.’

  ‘It does happen, admittedly. What do you think, Thomas?’

  If this man had stolen the Carringtons’ money, been party to four murders and had Madeleine taken to Dartford, Thomas thought he should be hanged without further ado. However, that would not lead them to Aurum and Argentum. ‘Perhaps we should give the prisoner the opportunity to prove his good faith by telling us about Quicksilver. He does not know what information we already have, and if he lies, we shall know at once. If he tells the truth, we might decide to accept his proposal.’

  Williamson looked approvingly at Thomas, who had guessed that it was just the sort of deception he might have suggested himself. They knew next to nothing about Quicksilver, but then Joseph had no authority to use the rack. ‘I agree,’ he said. ‘Begin by telling us everything you know about Quicksilver, Stoner. Then we’ll see.’

  Stoner was trapped and he knew it. The only way to save his skin was to do as they wished. ‘Very well. Quicksilver was the name of a fictitious mining enterprise. It purported to mine for precious metals and stones in the New World. I raised money from investors in the business.’

  ‘What happened to the money?’ Joseph’s questions gave Stoner no time for thought.

  ‘Some was paid back to investors in order to create the impression of a successful venture and to encourage more investment.’

  ‘And the rest?’

  ‘Most of it was sent to Holland.’

  ‘Most of it?’

  ‘I kept a small percentage as my fee.’

  ‘Why did you not keep all of it? Why send it to Holland?’

  ‘I have – had – an arrangement.’

  ‘What arrangement?’

  ‘That I would be fully compensated in due course.’

  ‘And you believed this arrangement would be honoured?’

  ‘I did.’

  Joseph changed tack. ‘Was Quicksilver also known to some as Argent Vive?’

  Thomas saw the look of surprise on Stoner’s face. That was a question he had not expected. ‘I believe it was by some.’

  ‘Such as Sir Montford Babb?’

  �
�Yes.’ Stoner squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. ‘I have told you what I know of Quicksilver. Before answering more questions, I need your agreement to my proposal.’

  ‘And if we don’t give it?’

  ‘You would risk learning nothing more.’

  Thomas thought Joseph was about to accept the offer. He was wrong.

  ‘We will think about your proposal, Stoner. You will be quite safe here until we have decided what to do.’

  ‘I am willing to speak now.’

  ‘We, however, are not willing to listen. Warder, take him back to his room and keep a close watch on him. No privileges.’

  The warder wrenched Stoner to his feet and led him away.

  ‘Why the delay, Joseph?’ asked Thomas.

  ‘I suspect he was planning to tell us only enough to save his own skin. A second day of contemplation might change his mind. We’ll have another talk with his whore first.’

  When the warder brought her in, Molly looked as dishevelled as Stoner had. Red hair a tangled mess, face streaked with dirt and torn dress slipping off her shoulders. Not as Henrietta would have wished for her customers.

  ‘I’ve remembered something,’ she croaked before she had even been asked a question. ‘’E ’ad visitors.’

  ‘You’ve already told us that.’

  ‘I looked out of the window and saw one leaving. Big arse ’e had.’

  ‘Anything else?’

  ‘No. ’E was wearing a long coat. Big arse is what I remember. And I over’eard names. Odd names, sounded like Or Rum and some other Rum. And another name. Norland or Morland, it was.’

  Joseph and Thomas were on their feet. ‘Are you sure of this?’ demanded Joseph.

  ‘Course I’m sure. You going to let me go now?’

  ‘If you are telling the truth, you will be released. If not . . .’ Joseph turned to the warder. ‘Take her back. Good food and wine.’

  Molly screeched at them. ‘I don’t want no fucking food. I want to get out of ’ere.’ She was dragged away struggling and spitting, and cursing them for the shittin’ bastards that they were.

  ‘To the Post Office for me, Thomas,’ said Joseph. ‘I shall have Morland brought here and then go to Whitehall. Morland and Stoner can both spend the afternoon contemplating their future. Shall we talk to them this evening?’