‘You remember me, sir?’
‘I never forget a hunchback.’ His smile reminded me of his reputation for cruelty; it was said he had sometimes operated the rack himself in his days investigating heresy. To my surprise the little girls ran towards him, arms outstretched. ‘Daddy, Daddy!’ they cried.
‘Now, girls, I am busy. Mary, take them indoors.’
The servant gathered the children together. Rich looked after them as they were led away ‘My brood,’ he said indulgently. ‘My wife says I don’t whip them enough. Now, then, what are you three doing in my garden? Ah, the former Brother Bernard, is it not? White suits you better than Dominican black.’
‘Sir—I—sir—’ Poor Kytchyn was tongue,tied.
I spoke up, trying to make my tone as light as Sir Richard’s. ‘Master Kytchyn is showing us the library. Lord Cromwell said I might see it as a favour.’
Rich inclined his head. ‘There are no books left, Brother, my Augmentations men have burned them all.’ He smiled mockingly at poor Kytchyn. ,
‘It was the design of the building, my lord,’ I said. ‘I am thinking of building a library.’
He chuckled. ‘You’d be better looking at one with the roof still on. By God’s wounds, you must be doing well at Lincoln’s Inn. Or does your wealth come from Lord Cromwell? Back in favour, eh?’ Rich’s penetrating eyes narrowed. ‘Well, if the earl says you may look at the library I suppose you may. Watch the crows nesting on the roofbeams don’t shit on you. From papist shit to birdshit, eh, Brother?’ He smiled again at Kytchyn, who hung his head. Rich’s mouth set hard as he turned his eyes to me.
‘But ask permission if you wish to walk though my garden again, Shardlake.’ Without another word he followed his children indoors. Kytchyn turned and led us rapidly away to a gate in the wall.
‘I knew it was a bad idea to come here,’ Barak said. ‘My master said Rich was to know nothing.’
‘We didn’t tell him anything,’ I said uncomfortably.
‘He’s curious. Don’t look round, but the arsehole’s watching us through the window.’
Kytchyn led us through the gate onto a trampled lawn surrounded on three sides by roofless buildings. He pointed. ‘The library’s there, next to the infirmary.’
We followed him into what must once have been a large, imposing library. Empty shelving covered the walls to a height of two storeys, and the floor was strewn with broken cupboards and torn manuscripts. It saddened me even more than the church had. I looked up to where a few skeletal roofbeams still stood, casting lines of shadow on the floor. A flock of crows took off, cawing. They circled and settled again. Through a glassless window I caught a glimpse of a lawned close with houses beyond. A fountain in the middle was dry. Kytchyn stood looking around miserably.
‘So,’ I asked quietly, ‘when you came here with Master Gristwood, what did you find?’
‘He wanted me to look for references to that soldier St John. Any papers of note left by those who died in the hospital were filed away. There were some under St John’s name and Master Gristwood took them all. Then the next day he came back and spent a whole afternoon here, looking up any references to Byzantium or Greek Fire.’
‘How did you know that was what he was after?’
‘He got me to help him, sir. He took some more papers and some books. He never brought them back and soon after all the shelves were cleared, everything burned.’ He shook his head. ‘Some of the books were very beautiful, sir.’
‘Well, it’s all done now.’
There was a sudden clatter of wings as the crows took off again. They circled above, cawing noisily. ‘What made them do that?’ Barak muttered.
‘You helped Master Gristwood search for papers. Did you look at any of them?’
‘No, sir. I didn’t want to know.’ He looked at me seriously. His face was covered in sweat; it was hot in there, the sun shining down on us. ‘I am not a bold man, sir. All I want is to be left to my prayers.
‘I understand. Do you know what happened to the barrel?’
‘Master Gristwood had it taken away on a cart. I don’t know where, I didn’t ask.’ Kytchyn took a deep breath, and lifted his hand to open the collar of his surplice. ‘Excuse me, sir, it’s so hot—’ As he spoke he took a sideways step. From somewhere I heard a faint click.