‘Good luck, George.’
‘And you.’ I looked into his drawn face. He bowed, then turned and marched quickly away, leaving me with sadness in my heart. As I walked back to the inn, I forced my mind back to the information West had given me, what it meant and where it led.
BARAK LAY ON his bed, re-reading his letters from Tamasin. I pulled off my boots and sat on the side of my own bed, wondering how to tell him what I had decided.
‘George Leacon sends his good wishes,’ I told him. ‘I have said farewell. The King will be in Portsmouth at nine tomorrow. He is going on the ships.’
‘We must be gone before then,’ Barak answered firmly.
‘Yes, we must.’
‘Did you get on the Mary Rose?’
‘Yes.’
‘What’s it like?’
‘Extraordinary. Beautiful and terrifying.’
‘You saw West?’
‘Yes.’ I rubbed my neck. ‘He was angry with me, he grabbed at me.’
‘I told you it was dangerous,’ he said impatiently.
‘There were people near. In fact the purser interrupted us and ordered me away before I found out all I needed.’
‘Did you get the name of that friend of his?’
‘I asked him straight out if the other man was Warner, but he denied it. He gave me a name I have never heard of. I fear he was making it up. Jack, I am sure West knows Ellen is in the Bedlam.’
‘If the story of the letter was true, why keep the man’s name secret now?’
‘Perhaps because they raped Ellen together.’
He lay back on the bed. ‘More imagining.’
‘If only that purser hadn’t interrupted us – ’
‘Well, you did what you could. Now let’s get back to London.’
‘Tomorrow I am going first to Portchester Castle. I have to see the Queen. And Warner. She is not accompanying the King, it is an ideal opportunity. I am going to find out if Warner was at Rolfswood that day.’
He sat up. ‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘You are going to let this go and come back to London.’
‘What if it was Warner that betrayed me to Rich? An agent of Rich’s in the Queen’s household!’
‘Even if that’s true, you know everyone at court spies on each other. And if it’s not true, you could lose Warner’s friendship and patronage.’
‘I owe the Queen. If one of her trusted advisers is in Richard Rich’s pay – ’
‘You don’t owe the Queen,’ he answered with slow intensity. ‘She owes you. She always has: you saved her life, remember? I wish you had never let her drag you back anywhere near the court.’ His voice rose. ‘Go to Portchester? It’s mad. What if Rich is there?’
‘All the privy councillors are going to the tents. But the Queen is staying behind, so her household will be too.’
‘What would you say to Warner anyway?’
‘Ask some hard questions.’
‘This isn’t courage, you know. It’s wilful, blinkered stubbornness.’
‘You don’t have to come.’
He looked at me and I saw he was utterly weary, tired beyond belief. He said quietly, ‘That’s what you said about coming back here today. But I came, just like I’ve come almost everywhere on this damned journey. You know why? Because I was ashamed, ashamed from the moment we met those soldiers on the road, of how I’d dodged their fate. But I’m not so ashamed I’ll follow you into that lion’s den. So there, that’s it. If you go to Portchester Castle, this time you go alone.’
‘I didn’t know you felt—’
‘No. I’ve just been useful to have around. Like poor Leacon.’
‘That’s not fair,’ I said, stung.
‘Isn’t it? You used him twice to get you to West, though he has a company of soldiers to lead. But there are only so many favours a man can call in from anyone.’ He turned away and lay back down.
I sat in silence. Outside two drunks were walking down the streets, shouting, ‘King Harry’s coming! The King’s coming, to see off the Frenchies!’
Chapter Forty
BARAK AND I SPOKE LITTLE during the remainder of the evening, only discussing the practicalities of the morrow’s journey with uncomfortable, restrained politeness. Now I fully understood how reluctant he had been to support me in each successive stage of what he increasingly saw as my folly: he seemed to have given up arguing with me, which disturbed me more than any harsh words. We went early to bed, but it was long before I slept.