by Michael Ward
Tom’s legs started to tremble. His lungs were burning and he felt like he was treading water. If only he could drop the damned bag weighing him down. He slid around the corner into Moorgate and saw the postern gate twenty yards ahead. Edmund was already there. He felt something touch his back and took one hand off the cloak bag to lash behind with his fist. There was a grunt and a curse and, as he glanced again, saw Stone Face scrambling to his feet.
Edmund was at Moorgate beckoning him frantically. His chest screaming with pain, Tom made a final lunge and threw himself inside the gatehouse. Edmund dragged him away as a tall guard stepped forward and blocked the entrance, halberd in hand.
Stone Face stumbled to a halt five yards in front of the guard and bent forward, hands on knees, gasping lungfuls of air. Looking past the guard’s shoulder, Tom saw his pursuer slowly stand and spit on the floor.
He glared at Tom.
‘You will live to regret this. That I swear on my solemn oath.’
Stone Face turned and walked back into the dark without a backward glance.
Edmund led Tom out of the gatehouse and through the city wall. They sat on a stone bench inside the wall. Tom was still struggling for breath.
‘How… how… how did you arrange that… the guard.’
Edmund held up his purse and shook it.
‘It has been an expensive evening, Tom.’
They embraced and shook with laughter.
Chapter 17
10th September 1640
The Tallant warehouse
‘God’s blood! I am glad Father is not alive to see this day.’
Sir Ralph paced up and down the wharf. His anger was becoming a habit. It was a glorious late summer morning. White gulls arced across a sapphire sky as the warm breeze stirred the pennants on shipping moored along the quay.
‘He fought the Spanish tooth and nail to keep England free. But now we are invaded in our sleep… by the bloody Scots!’
Sir Ralph swivelled on his heel and stalked down the wharf away for Tom. Twenty paces later, he swivelled again and walked back to Tom.
‘The Scots have marched into Newcastle, have you heard? They are sitting on London’s supply of coal! I tell you, Tom, if they’re still there when winter comes and there’s no fuel for London, there will be merry hell to pay on the streets!’
Swivel. Tom looked at the receding figure. A pattern was emerging. Twenty paces away from Tom to fill his spleen and twenty paces back before venting it. Best let him have his say. Swivel.
‘Strafford squeezes money out of us to raise an army. They march north to find the Scots already in Northumberland. Both armies come eye to eye over the Tyne and the English start counting. Over twenty thousand Scots against less than four thousand English! Only one possible outcome. What kind of a force is that to send to Scotland? And what in the name of God has our money been spent on? If the Privy Council was a merchant house it would have gone out of business twenty years ago.’
Swivel. Tom blew out his cheeks and stared across the river, bracing himself for the next tirade. Nothing. Tom looked back up the quayside. Sir Ralph had reached the end of his twenty paces and stopped. He was staring at the Customs House, shading his eyes from the early morning sun. Finally he turned and walked briskly to Tom.
‘Tom, if I am not mistaken, Robert Petty is walking along the wharf towards us.’
The quayside was bustling with porters handling cargo. Tom could not see Petty but did not doubt his father for one second. Ralph Tallant was always first to spot a sail on board ship. The accuracy of his long vision was legendary among the London merchants and it had not weakened with age.
‘When will he be here?’
‘At his current speed, I would say in less than a minute. You have a decision to make, assuming he has not yet spotted you.’
Tom considered avoiding Petty. He had nothing to hide, but his father held Petty’s investigating skills in high regard.
‘If you do not move in the next five seconds you will have the worst of both worlds Tom. He will see you are here and see you go.’
‘In that case I shall stay, Father. I am not guilty of anything and, even if he has heard about my latest predicament with the Scottish pamphlets, there is no proof of my involvement.’
‘You disposed of the printing type, I hope.’
‘Yes, the same night. Edmund and I tied the bags securely and threw them off London Bridge. They went straight to the bottom. They will not be seen again.’
Tom looked over Sir Ralph’s shoulder. He could just make out Robert Petty in the distance striding along the wharf towards them. He marvelled at his father’s eyesight.
‘Edmund did you proud that night, Tom, by all accounts.’
‘Yes. He stuck by me when many would not. I am in his debt.’
‘What about Arthur, is there news of his release?’
‘No. The Stationers’ went to Grub Street the next day. The birds had flown, of course, but in their haste they left printing machinery, supplies… everything. That loss, together with the missing type, should disrupt their activities for a time. Jermyn is happy. He sent me a note of thanks.’
‘But no release of the boy.’ Sir Ralph gave his son a knowing look.
‘Not yet!’ Tom replied, as he slapped his father on the shoulder and moved towards the advancing figure of the Merchant Adventurer’s agent.
‘Mr Petty. What a pleasant surprise. Out for a morning stroll along the river? Is not the weather prime?’
Tom’s offered hand was ignored. Petty was grim-faced and bowed stiffly.
‘Good morning, Mr Tallant. Good morning, Sir Ralph.’
There was an awkward silence.
‘If you would excuse us, Sir Ralph, I have official business to discuss with your son.’
Sir Ralph and Tom looked at each other.
‘Well, I will wait in the warehouse office for your mother, Tom. She is coming to the city to visit the draper’s store and wants my company, God help me.’
He turned and gave the agent a curt nod. ‘Mr Petty, I am obliged,’ he said, before striding to the warehouse entrance.
‘What I have to say will not take long, Mr Tallant. Perhaps we can speak in private, by the water’s edge?’
‘If you wish, Mr Petty. I am at your disposal.’
They walked to the end of the jetty, out of earshot of the warehouse.
Petty's voice was low and hard. ‘I must congratulate you, Tallant. You clearly have friends with influence.’
‘I do not know what you are talking about, Mr Petty.’
‘Really? Yesterday I was instructed by the Merchant Adventurers to desist from further investigation of your possible involvement in the deaths of Sir Joseph Venell and Sir Hugh Swofford. I was told it would "not be in the best interests” of my employers. Whenever I hear that, Tallant, it usually means one thing. The Palace has intervened and the Adventurers dare not displease his majesty.’
Tom said nothing. This must be Henry Jermyn’s work. Was this his way of showing his gratitude? How did he know about the investigation? A foolish question. Jermyn made it his business to know everything.
Petty leaned closer. ‘Unfortunately, for you the Palace’s timing could not be worse. I have been investigating you assiduously, Tallant, for many months. Although I am no nearer to solving both murders, I had reached one conclusion. I felt certain you did not, and could not, have executed those crimes. If your friend in Whitehall had waited another week, I would have submitted my report to the Adventurers saying so. The case would have remained on the file but all active investigation of you by my employers would have ceased. Instead, they have given me every reason to redouble my efforts. Why warn me off the case if you have nothing to hide?’
Petty was now inches from Tom’s face, his eyes unblinking.
‘As far as my employers are concerned, Tallant, I am no longer checking on you. But as far as I am concerned, I will be after you, morning, noon and night. No one will know, except me…
and you.’
Petty moved back and took a deep breath, his dark oak eyes not leaving Tom’s face for a second.
‘I regret that my employers bend so easily to pressure from the Palace but the Merchant Adventurers will never bite the hand that feeds them. The King’s power to grant trading monopolies sees to that. Not so the City Aldermen. I believe a number in the Aldermanic Court are inclined against the King which means my fellow investigator Nathaniel Franklin, City Magistrate, will not be lent upon as much as I, and we know how zealous he can be. You know, Tallant, over these past months I have exercised a restraining influence on Franklin’s wilder accusations against you. No longer. Let them flow, say I. You will soon see the damage your friends at court have done to you. I bid you good day.’
Petty strode away. Tom sat on a wooden mooring post and gathered his wits. An angry Robert Petty was an unsettling experience. He considered what he’d said. Petty’s threat to ignore orders and continue the investigation was based on pique, not new evidence. In addition, Tom had not asked anyone to warn Petty off, so the investigator’s reasoning that Tom had something to hide was false. Tom stood and stretched his arms. He looked at the gulls, still wheeling and arcing. This time he had the measure of Mr Robert Petty and his games. He also had one card left to play, should he need it: his sighting of Petty with Barty.
Tom reflected on Henry Jermyn’s role in this matter. He felt sure he was behind the pressure on the Adventurers. Jermyn may not have released the boy Arthur, but he had acted to show his gratitude. Tom felt a flush of flattery and a sense of reassurance. What was it Petty had said? ‘Friends with influence.’ Tom smiled.
‘There you are, Tom.’ It was his mother stepping through the warehouse door on to the wharf. ‘Let me look at you. Too thin. Much too thin. Come over on Sunday. We will have game pie.’ His mother embraced him. ‘I have a surprise for you, Tom. Come inside.’
He followed her out of the sun into the warehouse office. His father was out at the front, talking to Isaac, but Sam Barnes and the groom Andrew had found an excuse to be in the office. Elizabeth was holding court.
‘Elizabeth came to the house with urgent news for you, Tom. When she heard I was coming to the warehouse she requested a ride in the carriage. We had a most interesting journey. She told me about her friend Mr Culpeper and his knowledge of plants. I have asked her to invite him to the house and I will show him the garden. She is a lovely girl, Tom. Such spirit! I do hope you are getting on well?’
His mother looked at Tom inquiringly but he simply smiled and squeezed her arm. He walked over to Elizabeth. What on earth was she doing with the lads?
‘Sam, you are the biggest are you not? So you are the sun, you stand here.’ Elizabeth pulled the burly apprentice to one side of the room. ‘Face me, that’s right, and put your arms out like this and shake your hands to show the light coming off the sun. Shake them more.’ Elizabeth turned to Beatrix. ‘Lady Tallant? Excellent timing. I need another person for my demonstration. Would you be so good as to be our world, the Earth. You must stand over here on the other side and face Sam. Good.’
‘My goodness. How exciting!’ exclaimed Tom’s mother, her eyes alight.
Elizabeth continued. ‘Andrew. You will be Venus. Stand here next to me. We must make you smaller than the sun, so can you crouch down a little? That’s it. Now I want you to walk past Sam slowly, but still crouching, yes, crouch down. That’s perfect!’
Tom scratched his head in disbelief. Sam standing with his arms stuck out, wiggling his fingers, and Andrew trying to walk, curled in a ball. No smirks or jokes, Elizabeth had them eating out of her hand. His mother was also engrossed, if slightly puzzled. Elizabeth grinned at Tom before returning to her lesson.
‘Now, as you can see, when Andrew, that is Venus, walks between the earth and the sun, Lady Tallant on Earth can see him in front of the Sun and she can also see how quickly he is moving and how far he is away from the Sun. Do you know an Englishman has also been able to see all that, but with the real Earth and Sun and Venus, using his telescope? I have just found out. It is so exciting. He has been able to see Venus cross in front of the sun, measure its speed and calculate its distance from the sun.’
Sam dropped his arms. Andrew straightened up.
‘Yes, an Englishman, and do you know the most wonderful thing? He is only twenty-two years old.’
‘That’s only three years more than me,’ Sam blurted out.
‘An Englishman. Makes you feel proud,’ Andrew said.
‘And so it should.’ It was the voice of Isaac who had been watching from the front door. ‘I will be proud of you too if you get that barky unloaded that’s docking at the back, begging your pardon Miss Elizabeth.’
Elizabeth smiled and held her hand up in apology.
Tom peered through the rear door. The ship was inching towards the wharf.
‘Andrew and Sam, stand by to take the mooring ropes. Isaac, please take over.’
Isaac nodded and walked through the rear door of the warehouse followed by Sam and Andrew.
‘Come, Beatrix, we will be late for your appointment,’ Sir Ralph called to his wife as he ushered her through the front door. ‘Elizabeth. Thank you for the astronomy lesson. Most instructive.’ He bowed slightly, smiling at her warmly as he left the warehouse.
They were alone in the room. She looked radiant.
‘Tom. This is the most wonderful news. This young man, his name is Jeremiah Horrocks. Apparently he sits at home with his telescope like me, reads Kepler like me, makes his calculations like me and achieves this!’
She clapped her hands with excitement.
‘He knew when to look, don’t you see? He worked out when Venus would pass in front of the Sun and he was right! And he worked out a way to observe and measure the event. He has already proved the previous calculated distance between Venus and Earth is completely wrong! All from his own observations!’
Tom understood Elizabeth’s excitement. This Jeremiah Horrocks had plucked the science of stars from the distant world of Galileo and Kepler, and placed it in her lap. What he could do, she could do.
‘Where is this Master Horrocks? We must go and meet him. Why not today?’
Elizabeth laughed and hugged him.
‘Tom. There is a world outside London, you know. Jeremiah Horrock’s lives in the north of the country, in the county of Lancashire.’
‘So how did you hear about his discovery?’
Elizabeth stepped away. She looked through the warehouse door at the blue sky.
‘Tom, it is a perfect day to enjoy a pipe on the river. Let us hail a wherry and continue our conversation afloat.’
Ten minutes later they were travelling down the Thames, gliding past the mass of shipping anchored in the Pool. Jonah had not answered his hail so a younger boatman was hauling the oars, occasionally glancing at Elizabeth drawing deeply on the pipe gripped between her teeth.
‘Is this not prime?’ she said, leaning back and staring at the cloudless sky. ‘You asked me how I knew of the transit of Venus? A group of us correspond on matters of natural science and discovery and meet when we can. There is so much to share. I heard a rumour about the transit and wrote to Master John Greaves. He is an acquaintance of William Harvey—’
‘Du Mutu Cordis?’
‘The very same. You see, Tom, they are all connected. Natural philosophers and scientists with a common goal—discovery.’
Elizabeth examined the bowl of her pipe and knocked it against the wherry’s side. The stem snapped in her hand.
‘Damnation,’ she muttered, and threw the broken pipe over the side. She retrieved another from the folds of her cloak.
Tom reflected on this group of scientists. To accept a young woman into their midst, as a fellow explorer, said a great deal about them and the quality of Elizabeth’s intellect. It could never happen in the merchant community.
‘I received Greaves’s reply yesterday. He had seen an early draft of Venus in sole visa, Horr
ocks’s paper on the transit. Who knows what the young man will discover next.’
Elizabeth filled the pipe’s bowl and returned the tobacco pouch to her cloak pocket. She pulled out another small bag and topped the bowl to overflowing.
Tom frowned. ‘Why have you refilled your pipe? We have no fire or taper.’
Elizabeth grinned and fished in her cloak pocket. She withdrew a small piece of glass set in a brass ring.
‘A girl should never be without her telescope, Tom, or at least part of it.’
She looked towards the sun, held the pipe in her right hand and the glass in her left. She placed the glass above the bowl and moved it slowly up and down, tilting it in her fingers. A white circle of light appeared on the tobacco. She studied the bowl intently for about a minute and smiled when a wisp of smoke came from the pipe.
Tom felt the wherry slow. The boatman had paused, oars in midair, staring at Elizabeth gently drawing on the pipe while carefully maintaining the distance between the glass and the top of the bowl. She breathed in and the wisp of smoke became a cloud. Elizabeth frowned as she breathed in the smoke and lowered the glass as the bowl glowed red. She lent back with a contented expression and winked at Tom.
‘Well, I’ll be damned.’ It was the boatman, slowly lowering his oars into the water to take up the stroke. ‘Believed I’d seen everything on this barky but that tops the lot!’
‘I have used my glass in the garden before, but never afloat!’ She returned it to her pocket. ‘The eyepiece of a telescope makes a perfect magnifying glass. The sun’s rays do the rest. I use old tobacco to top the bowl. It is dry enough to take the flame. The first mouthful is not pleasant.’
Tom thanked God for bringing Elizabeth into his life. He no longer felt overwhelmed by her presence, but blessed. She was the only person who could lift the burden of his troubles. She was his salvation, he knew it.
‘So the transit was your urgent news, that you mentioned to Mother.’
‘Partly, Tom, but I have also been thinking about our conversation after the theatre.’
She glanced at the waterman and lowered her voice.