the document we seek. That will be the task of another man. You will take a squire with you to Malta. The man in question will be our agent. Because he will be attached to you, his presence there will not attract attention to him. His mission is to find the document. If either of you survive the coming siege then you are to return to England with the document. In the event that Malta is taken then it will be the duty of the last of the two still alive to destroy the document before it falls into the enemy’s hands. I will not disguise the grave peril attached to this mission, Sir Thomas,’ Cecil concluded. ‘But we are playing for high stakes and you will have the chance to serve your country and your faith and to save many lives. Now, I imagine you may have some questions for us.’
‘Indeed I have, Sir Robert,’ Thomas replied. ‘Firstly, if this document is so important, why has it not been revealed to the world? The Order is answerable to the King of Spain. I cannot believe that Philip would not have used it if it would harm the interests of England, as you claim.’
‘Fairly stated.’ Cecil nodded. ‘We have to assume that the document has not been put to such use because the Order is ignorant of what it has in its possession.’
‘How can that be?’
‘The document left England in the hands of an English knight, Sir Peter de Launcey.’
Thomas frowned. ‘I remember him. A good man.’
‘Indeed he was. A few years after you left Malta, Sir Peter was given leave to visit his family in England when his father was dying. Soon after he returned to Malta he fell from the deck of a galley and drowned. What is not known is that King Henry entrusted him with this document, which Sir Peter was to guard for him. Henry was ill at the time and did not know if he would survive. In the event that he recovered, Sir Peter was to bring the document back to him. If Henry died, which he did, then Sir Peter was to take the document to Rome and present it to the Pope. But Sir Peter died on Malta, and Henry died at almost the same time. A small handful of his closest advisers knew of the document and were only prepared to reveal this under duress.’
‘You mean, under torture.’
‘Yes,’ Cecil admitted freely. ‘And the document remains in Malta, where Sir Peter must have secreted it. You must find it if you can. You, or rather, our agent. Are there further questions, Sir Thomas?’
‘Yes. You seem certain that I will accept your mission. Why should I not refuse?’
‘Because you are a knight, both of this realm and of the Order of St John and that places certain obligations upon you. You are a man of honour, and principle. If you can be instrumental in averting the catastrophe that threatens your country you will seize the chance to do so, unless I have utterly mistaken your character. Furthermore, you are a Catholic, and live at the whim of a Protestant Queen and her ministers, of whom I am the foremost. I need not point out the implications of your situation. Suffice to say that you have my word that I will protect you upon completion of the mission. If you refuse
Thomas shook his head. ‘I do not need to be threatened.’
‘Perhaps not, but it is as well that you know that there is no real choice in the matter. That should be of some small comfort to you in the hard times ahead.’
‘My thanks for your solicitude,’ Thomas responded acidly. ‘I have one more question. Who is this agent of yours, the one who is to be my squire? I presume he is the man waiting in the anteroom. ’ Cecil smiled. ‘Then you have met already. Young Richard is one of the most accomplished men in my service. I put it down to the fact that I took him on as an orphan. He did not know his parents and so he owes his loyalty to me. He shows great promise and this will be the first big test of his skills. He speaks French, Spanish and Italian like a native and has fluency in Maltese.’
‘And yet he is not quite English,’ said Thomas. ‘There is an accent and a certain Latin look about him.’
‘He is as English as you or I, and I have complete faith in him. As must you if you are to see this mission through.’
‘Trust has to be earned, Sir Robert. It is not a commodity to be freely given. ’
‘Then you had better get to know Richard as soon as possible. Sir Francis, fetch him in.’
Walsingham’s eyes flashed with a glint of irritation at his superior’s peremptory manner but he rose swiftly and crossed the room. As Thomas watched, the soft tread and fluid movement reminded him of a cat, an apt demeanour for the man who stalked and killed his prey with no compassion.
When Walsingham had disappeared through the door there was a brief silence until Thomas leaned forward and spoke quietly.
‘I have no need of a squire. It would be better to entrust this matter to me alone. If I give you my word to return the document without reading it then your spy can remain here, out of danger.’ There was an amused look on Cecil’s face as he shook his head. ‘A considerate offer, but while you may have no real need for a squire, my need for a trusted pair of eyes and ears on the spot is very real to me. You must take Richard with you and that is an end to it.’
Before Thomas could reply there came the sound of footsteps and a moment later Walsingham re-entered the room, followed by the young man Thomas had seen earlier. They approached the table and Walsingham resumed his seat while Cecil’s agent stood to one side.
‘Richard, I gather you have already met our guest,’ said Cecil. ‘We only exchanged a few words, master.’
‘Then it is time for a formal introduction. Sir Thomas, I give you Richard Hughes, your squire.’
Thomas rose and walked over to the young man, stopping at arm’s length to look him over thoroughly for the first time. Hughes was tall and broad-shouldered. His doublet fitted him well and there was no unnecessary adornment to the sleeves, no ruff collar, and his hair was neatly cut and free of the oils and pomades that were fashionable amongst young men of a certain social status in London. Thomas approved of that, then looked straight into the man’s eyes. His gaze was met unflinchingly, and yet there was something else there besides boldness, Thomas sensed. A coldness, and a simmering degree of resentment.
‘Whatever the true nature of your orders may be, you are to be my squire first and foremost. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘When I give an order you will obey it without question, just as would be expected of any squire.’
‘Yes, sir. Provided it does not conflict with my instructions from Sir Robert.’
‘I have little idea what your instructions are, but if we are to succeed in convincing the knights of the Order that we are what we purport to be then it must be as second nature for you to do my bidding. I take it you have been instructed in the duties of a squire?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Thomas arched an eyebrow. ‘Really? And when exactly did Sir Robert inform you of your mission?’
The young man’s gaze wavered and he glanced over Thomas’s shoulder towards his master. Cecil nodded. ‘Speak the truth.’
‘Two days ago, sir.’
‘I see. And you have learned all the elements of this new position in that time?’
‘I have been extensively briefed by the squire of the Queen’s champion, sir. The rest I can learn on the road to Malta. If you will instruct me.’
Thomas shook his head and turned to the others. ‘It is folly to use this man.’
‘Nevertheless, you will take him,’ Walsingham replied firmly. ‘You will train him in what he needs to know and do. I grow weary of your truculence. Were you not the only individual with a chance of serving our needs then I would readily pick another. You will go to Malta, with Richard as your squire. The matter is settled.’
Anger flared in Thomas’s heart and for a moment he was tempted to confront Walsingham and refuse the mission, whatever consequences followed. The satisfaction of denying him, and perhaps challenging him to back his arrogance up with his blade was almost too tempting for Thomas.
‘He has agreed to our request,’ Cecil intervened. ‘There is no more to be said. Come now, we are all on the same side. There is no call for ire. All that remains is for Sir Thomas to settle his affairs and arrange for the good management of his estate in his absence. Such is the nature of his mission that he need not spend an undue amount of time preparing whatever baggage he requires for the coming campaign.’
‘How long do I have to prepare?’
‘Two days.’ Sir Francis smiled faintly. ‘There is a Danish galleon loading at Greenwich. She sails for Spain in two days’ time. You and Richard will be on that ship.’
‘Good luck,’ Cecil added, and then, with more feeling, ‘God be with you . . .’
