The King's Evil

'Mother and I owe him a great deal.'

'So do I, Miss Northcott,' he said with feeling. He adjusted the sling for comfort then gazed admiringly at her. 'I am glad the business is concluded. Even if it does mean that we shall lose you.'

'Lose me?'

'You will no doubt wish to return to Kent with the good news.'

'A messenger has already done that, Mr Redmayne. I propose to stay in London for a while to see something of the rebuilding.'

'Indeed?' 'I find the creation of a whole new city very inspiring. Mr Wren has been commissioned to rebuild St Paul's, I hear, and dozens of new churches are to rise up from the ashes.' She became more hesitant. 'Yet I lack a knowledgeable guide. Someone who could take me around London and explain things to me. Mr Redmayne,' she added softly, 'you once recommended the most excellent accommodation to me. I wonder if I might trespass on you again?'

'As often as you wish, Miss Northcott.'

'Could you suggest the name of a guide?'

Jonathan Bale was at his most relaxed. Having dined heartily, he played with his sons in the tiny garden then went indoors to sit with his wife in the kitchen. Sarah was pleased at the dramatic improvement in his mood.

'Is that why you were behaving so strangely last night?'

'Yes, my love.'

'You thought you were mounting guard on the King?'

'That is what I was led to believe.'

'Why did you not say so?'

'The very idea made me feel sick.'

'Any other man would have been proud of such an honour,' she argued. 'Look at Mr Redmayne. He put his life at risk for His Majesty. He was even prepared to impersonate him.'

'Would he have been quite so ready to impersonate Oliver Cromwell in the same circumstances? Not that the Lord Protector would ever go anywhere near a house like that,' he said quickly, 'but my point holds. Mr Redmayne has his hero and I have mine.'

'You and Mr Redmayne are the real heroes.'

'We caught them, Sarah. That is all that matters.'

'Both of you survived. That is what matters to me.'

'Yes.'

'Are you glad that it is all over?'

'Very glad.'

'So am I, Jonathan.' She smiled fondly. 'Though I will miss seeing Mr Redmayne. He brought some colour to Addle Hill. We shall probably never see him again.'

'It is of no consequence, Sarah.'

'Stop pretending,' she scolded with a playful nudge. 'I can read your mind. Deep down, you like Mr Redmayne. Admit it.'

'All that I will admit is that I no longer dislike the man.'

'It comes to the same thing.'

'Not in my book.'

'I think that you will miss him as well.'

'Yes,' he agreed willingly. 'I will miss watching his back. I will miss all the footwork I did at his request. I will miss standing outside a brothel in the dark and swimming in the river at night. And I will be very glad to miss having a pistol put to my head. Is that what you meant about him bringing colour to Addle Hill?'

There was a knock on the door. Jonathan tensed.

'I'll go,' said his wife, getting up.

'If it is Mr Redmayne, say that I am not at home.'

'I would never lie to a gentleman like that.'

Jonathan heard the door open. An unfamiliar voice spoke and Sarah replied. A few moments later, she came back into the kitchen with a letter in her hand.

'This has come for you, Jonathan.'

He took it from her and opened it at once. His face whitened.

'What on earth is the matter?' she asked.

'I am bidden to the Palace,' he croaked. 'To meet the King.'

King Charles II swept into the Drawing Room with his spaniels swirling about his heels like the hem of a robe. When he took up a stance in front of the fireplace, the dogs yapped and fought to lie at his ankles. He gave an indulgent laugh at their antics.

'Such delightful creatures! Their loyalty is a joy to me.'

He raised his eyes to look across at his guests. They formed an incongruous trio. Affecting nonchalance, Henry

Redmayne wore his new vest and coat for the occasion, beaming as if he were about to receive a knighthood and fondling his periwig with an idle hand. Christopher, by contrast, wore plainer attire and had his wounded arm in a sling. There was no hint of his brother's triumphalism in his manner. Stiff and grim-faced, Jonathan Bale stood between them, visibly suffering.

'I brought you here to thank you,' said the King with an expansive gesture. 'You have served me well and I will not forget you.'

'It was a privilege, Your Majesty,' said Henry with a low bow.

'I am glad that you recognise your true king,' teased Charles. 'I am told that last night you switched your allegiance to another one.'

'His Serene Highness, Old Rowley.'

'Do not labour the point.'

'An apposite nickname, if I may say so,' continued Henry. 'Old Rowley is the most famous stallion in the royal stud. You have rightly adopted it for yourself. In fact—'

Charles cut him off with a warning glare then turned his gaze upon Christopher. 'You were wounded in my service, sir. That entitles you to a reward. What shall it be?'

'The only reward I seek is the knowledge that wicked men will pay for their crimes,' said Christopher. 'Have they confessed, Your Majesty?'

'It is taking time to draw the truth out of them but we will have it in full before we are finished. I have skilful interrogators. In brief, sirs,' he said, casually flicking away a spaniel which tried to mountaineer up his leg. 'The assassin's name is James Lovett, a damnable Catholic. He was paid to murder Sir Ambrose and to dispose of his lawyer. That left him free to concentrate on the loftier target you see before you. Thanks to your good selves, his attempt on my life failed.'

'Let the rogue be hanged, drawn and quartered!' urged Henry.

'He will be duly punished, I do assure you. James Lovett was working in harness with Monsieur Jean-Paul Charentin, a merchant of Paris, who won the confidence of Sir Ambrose in order to worm his way into Mrs Mandrake's house. Charentin cleverly drew that formidable lady into the practice of espionage.' His eyebrow arched meaningfully. 'Naked men can be very indiscreet. Female wiles can elicit secrets which no amount of torture could extract. I have the names of Mrs Mandrake's clients and I will be castigating each of them in turn for their folly.'

'Do not spare them, Your Majesty!' said Henry.

'They include you,' warned the other, 'and I will take you to task at a later time, Henry. No doubt you have parted with your share of Court gossip while lying between the thighs of some harlot.'