‘Of course.’
He frowned, then continued in clipped tones. ‘The girl saw us riding towards her and stopped. West’s face frightened her, I think. Then I said to him, have her anyway, there’s no one else around. He said that by damnation he would. He was too drunk to think of consequences. I had to help him unbuckle his sword – as gentlemen, we both wore swords – then help him off his horse. I thought the girl would run but she stood there with her mouth open as we ran over and seized her. West had his way. I helped hold her down, and while he was on her I took the letter. He did not notice, he was inside her by then, and the girl was beating and clawing at him. I’m surprised he was able to do it, he was very drunk. I took the letter and ran. Unfortunately I had to leave my horse.’
‘What if the girl talked?’
‘I planned to say she was confused, that I had tried to stop West and fled for help when I realized I couldn’t.’ He considered. ‘And I was willing to take the risk, to gain the Queen as a patron.’
I frowned. ‘But your promotion came through Thomas Cromwell, Catherine of Aragon’s enemy.’
‘Oh, Cromwell saw I could be a useful man.’
‘Please continue, Sir Richard.’ He gave me a long cold stare, and I suppressed a shudder at the thought of what he would have liked to do to me had I not had the Queen’s protection.
‘After I left West I planned to go to the nearest town and hire a horse. But I got lost in those woods and it soon became too dark even to see my way. Then I heard West blundering about in the trees, cursing and shouting my name. He had missed the letter. And he knew those woods, he had been brought up there. I managed to lose him, then I saw a light ahead, and made for it. I thought it was some house or inn where I could seek shelter.’ A cloud crossed Rich’s face, and I realized he had been afraid that night, alone in the woods.
‘The foundry,’ I said.
‘Yes, it was the Fettiplace foundry. There was some old man sitting on a straw bed there, drinking. I said I was lost and he told me the way to Rolfswood. He invited me to stay, I think he was awestruck having a gentleman appear out of the blue. I decided to wait, hoping West would give up or fall down drunk, which I learned later is what he did. While I sat I read the letter. The damned seal had broken when I took it off West. I was astounded, for in it the King said he intended to marry Anne; he thought he could get the Pope on his side if Catherine refused. I hadn’t realized that, I thought it was just some silly endearments to his mistress.’
‘So you took the letter to Catherine of Aragon and gave her warning of the King’s intentions.’
‘Yes. God’s death, the King must have been angry when West said he had lost it. I wonder West kept his head. Next year when the King went to Catherine saying he believed their marriage contravened biblical law and that was why they had had no sons, she already knew what his plans were. She’d had months to stew in her anger.’
‘If the King found out what you had done – ’
‘Catherine of Aragon never told him she had intercepted that letter. She always protected her servants, that was her strategy to keep people loyal. I began my way up the ladder that night – and changed my loyalties when in the struggle that followed I saw Anne Boleyn would be the victor.’
‘So what you helped West to do to Ellen, that set you on your upward path.’
‘If you like. But it wasn’t quite as simple as that. That night, as I was sitting in that old foundry, the door banged open. I feared West had found me but it was the girl who appeared, dishevelled and wild-looking. When she saw me she screamed and pointed and shouted, “Rape!” That man Gratwyck forgot his drink, got up and came towards me with a stick in his hand. Fortunately I had kept my sword. I slashed at him with it. I didn’t kill him, but he fell into the fire he had lit and a moment later he was on fire himself, stumbling and shrieking around the place.’ Rich paused and looked at me. ‘It was self-defence, you see, not murder. I confess it shocked me, and when I turned back to the girl she was gone.
‘I ran out into the night after her, but she had disappeared. I had to think what to do. I went back to the foundry, but it was already well on fire, Gratwyck still shrieking somewhere inside. So I walked up the path by that pond, looking for the girl.’
‘What would you have done, had you found her?’
He shrugged. ‘I did not find her. Instead I stepped straight into an older man in a robe.’