Читать книгу Rebellion's Message - Michael Jecks - Страница 16

Monday 29th January

The next day, Monday, the others rose as usual with the dawn. Or near to it. Bill and Moll were awake, but clearly had no intention of getting out from beneath their blankets for quite a while, such was the giggling and wriggling that was going on. I averted my eyes, trying to dispose of the jealousy that threatened to engulf me. Wat was already awake and chewing at a piece of dried bread, blowing unenthusiastically at the coals in an attempt to light the fire, but his tinder was too thin and the cinders wouldn’t catch the flame. In the end, I pushed him aside and broke some small twigs to lay it afresh. Before long, I had some charcloth smouldering and a small flame was soon igniting some shavings. Gil, meanwhile, rose like a bear with a sore head, and hawked and spat, narrowly missing me.

I wouldn’t react to his ill humour. It was pointless. If he wanted to beat me to a pulp, there was little I’d be able to do to defend myself. Bill could launch himself at the idle git, but if I tried a similar thing, I’d end up sprawling and then be beaten still more furiously. No, I would do better to ignore him.

He had the purse I had pinched, I noticed. It looked entirely out of place on his belt. It was too bright and richly decorated for a man with such faded britches and worn jack. Not that it was my concern. I rather hoped he would be seen. Perhaps someone who knew the dead man, and who would think Gil must have been the killer. That would let me off the hook. Until he pointed the finger at me. Knowing my luck, everyone would assume he was telling the truth, and either hang me or hang us both as irrelevant nuisances.

Bill was eventually finished, and while Moll lay back contentedly, he rose and dressed himself, hunkering down beside me. He put his arm over my shoulders, which came as a surprise, and spoke almost kindly.

‘Jack, you’re a good lad. You understand you have to stay here hidden, right? Don’t go into the street while the folks are looking for you. If you do, you’ll be an easy target. Keep to the house and you’ll be safe.’

‘Yes.’

‘I’ll see what I can learn about this man who was so friendly with Ann.’

‘What of the other three? The man with the wide-brimmed hat and his friends?’

‘They showed bleeding poor taste, wasting their money filling Gil with beer and wine, but apart from that I don’t see that they come into this. They just happened to be in the tavern.’

‘In two taverns. It’s strange that the same men should appear in both taverns.’

‘If they were the same three men,’ Bill pointed out. ‘Don’t go thinking that every fellow with a wide-brimmed hat must be the same man. There are enough men who wear hats like that in London.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘You stay here, keep away from beadles and constables, and it’ll soon blow over, I expect.’

Bill patted my back, and then called to Wat and Gil. ‘Come on, lads. Time to get to work.’

I watched them enviously as they trooped from the door. They would be going to church later. Bill liked to visit St Paul’s, while Gil and Wat had a liking for St Mary Magdalene’s and St Augustine’s. All tended to have full congregations during Mass, and the opportunities for filching a purse were excellent. I just wished I could go with them.

Moll stretched like a cat as the three shuffled their way to the door. Bill peered out, and then they were gone.

‘Well?’ Moll said.

‘Eh?’ I shot her a look, and I must have reddened like a fresh beetroot from the thoughts that flashed through my head.

‘Are you going to do as he said?’ she asked, and then caught sight of my expression, I suppose, because she lifted the blanket up over her breast and gave me a disapproving look.

‘I … er … yes, I suppose so,’ I said. But at that moment the only thing I was certain of was that I had to get out before my attraction to her became any more obvious. ‘Um,’ I said. ‘I’ll be back later.’

‘Why are you going? And where?’

At that moment I wasn’t sure I could respond without embarrassment. I stood at the doorway and stared out. From here, the hill rose before me: Ludgate. It was a rising mass of shingled roofs, and in the early morning sun the smoke rose from a thousand hearths, mingling with the steam as the sun warmed the hoar frost.

I couldn’t stay there alone with Moll. She was a temptation too far. I would inevitably have to say something that would make life impossible for both of us. No, I would have to go and cool down somewhere. It was impossible to go into the city after Bill’s warning, so I chose the other path and wandered down to the river. I sat, dangling my legs over the wharf, chilling my buttocks on the freezing boards, watching the ships passing by. Every now and again a wherry would float past, and a stream of rich curses would be hurled in my direction; one bit his thumb at me; other sailors on their ships would wave or make obscene gestures, depending on their mood. The attitude of sailors to landsmen never ceased to amaze me. They all seemed to think that the fact of their living or working on water gave them some kind of advantage over ordinary men, that they could take the piss on a whim.

It left me feeling distinctly bitter. The whole world seemed to be taking the piss out of me, as far as I was concerned. I just hoped that the news of the murder would soon die down, so that I could go about my business same as usual. After all, it was all so unreasonable! No one who knew me would think I would risk the rope. Not for a purse.

Who was the dead man? He was just a scruffy-looking fellow, when all was said and done. He was a pain, too – that was sure. I wished I’d never caught sight of him. I wanted only to get back to my work. I’d need new clothes first, though. Looking down at my comfortable jack and britches, it was clear that, while I continued to wear them, any description passed around by Ann’s ‘Henry’ would be bound to come back to me. London was a vast city, but not so vast that a man like me would go unnoticed around Ludgate. I was plainly not a rich man, and my height and appearance would be broadcast by now. What was I to do?

By the time I returned to the house, it was gone noon, and Moll had left. I sullenly stared inside, feeling very hard done by. It seemed that even she had deserted me. I was all alone in the world. Perhaps they were all gone, never to return. That would be typical.

Hearing steps, I turned to see Gil swaggering down the lane. Behind him, I saw three men. One wore a broad-brimmed hat.