Lord Parr spoke with sudden impatience. ‘In God’s name, niece, when will you realize not all are as pure in mind as you?’
The Queen stared back at him, then laughed bitterly. ‘I am not pure. If I were, I would never have needed to write a book called Lamentation of a Sinner – nor failed, after my Lord Archbishop’s good advice, to destroy it through my sinful pride, and hence caused all of this. And deceived my husband in the process,’ she added bitterly.
I glanced at her. In other tones the words might have sounded self-pitying, but the Queen spoke with a sad, honest intensity. There was silence for a moment. Then Cecil turned to me. ‘The way Greening and Elias were killed, and your description of the two killers – that speaks to me of the involvement of someone powerful, someone who can afford to hire experienced assassins.’
I looked at him. Cecil was young indeed to be included in a council such as this, but his cleverness was as great as his calm. Lord Parr had chosen well. ‘I agree,’ I said. ‘But that does not get round the problem of why the book is still kept hidden.’ I shifted my stance, for I had been standing a long time and my back was hurting. ‘Lord Parr, my Lord Archbishop, your majesty: with your leave I would show you what I have written on the reverse of this paper. It is a chronology, and may illustrate matters further.’ The Queen nodded, touching Catherine Howard’s pearl again. I had never seen her so subdued. But she leaned across the table with the others as I turned the paper over:
9th June
Leeman overhears the Queen and the Archbishop arguing over the Lamentation. He has his group plot to steal it.
29th June
Anne Askew brought to the tower and tortured.
29th June
Myldmore takes Anne Askew’s writings to Greening.
5th July
Two men, one with half an ear missing (likely the same who earlier tried to recruit the Queen’s page Garet) are disturbed by Elias trying to break into Greening’s premises.
6th July
Leeman, having suborned the carpenter Barwic and the guard Gawger, steals the Lamentation. Logic suggests he took it to Greening.
10th July
Greening murdered by two men, different from those involved in the first attack, and the Lamentation (and perhaps Anne Askew’s writings) stolen.
11th/12th July
McKendrick, Curdy and Vandersteyn disappear.
16th July
Anne Askew burned.
17th July
I question Elias, who flees at mention of the name Bertano (which according to Okedene was mentioned by the group in connection with the Antichrist).
18th July
Elias murdered.
19th July
Having got wind of my enquiries, the guard Leeman flees.
21st July
I encounter the two men who killed Greening (not the same as the men who tried to break into his house earlier). They know who I am and they mention Bertano.
They studied the chronology. I said, ‘This timetable allows that there could be two different sets of people involved. One that was after Anne Askew’s writings, and another that wanted the Lamentation.’
Cecil shook his head. ‘But there can only have been one informer, surely. Is it not more likely the informer told Gardiner – or Norfolk, or Rich, or Wriothesley, or whoever – about Anne Askew’s Examinations first, after Myldmore took them to Greening on the twenty-ninth of June, and agents were then sent to take it, but were interrupted by Elias? Then, on the sixth or seventh of July the Lamentation comes into Greening’s hands, and two different men, also under the authority of whoever is behind this, are sent to kill him and seize both books – succeeding, apart from the torn page Greening held on to?’
‘Possibly. But surely it would have been more sensible to send the original two men on the second visit?’ I mused.
Lord Parr burst out, in sudden anger, ‘When will we get any certainty?’
‘Not yet, my Lord. And there is another possibility.’ I took a deep breath before continuing. ‘What if, after the first attempted attack, the group held divided opinions about what to do next? Perhaps some wanted to send the books abroad for publication, while others, more sensible, realized publication of the Lamentation could only damage the Queen? Remember that in terms of their understanding of politics, these people are very naive. What if the majority of the group decided not to publish the Lamentation, and those who attacked Greening that night were working for someone within the group who did want it published?’
Cranmer said, ‘We know the extreme sects are ever prone to splitting and quarrelling with each other.’
‘To the extent of murdering one another too?’ Cecil asked.
‘If enough were at stake,’ Cranmer replied sadly. ‘We should at least consider it as a possibility.’