‘What happens now?’ I asked Templeman, who was holding Genesis by the reins.

‘They’ll come and tell us where we’re billeted.’ He looked at the meadow next to us. ‘This is a damp place,’ he added gloomily. ‘I’ll wager we’ll wake in our tents with water seeping round our bedrolls. It won’t be the first time.’

‘I think I will walk up to the village,’ Giles said. ‘Pay a last visit to my childhood haunts.’

‘Is it long since you were here?’

‘Over fifty years. Since my mother died.’ He dismounted, taking his stick from where he had tied it to the saddle, and looked up the steep hill. ‘There will be none who remember me now, but I can visit my parents’ grave.’ He turned to the soldier. ‘Would you mind my horse, fellow?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Look for me later, Matthew, in camp. We can eat together, though what food we will have in these fields I do not know.’

‘Till later, then.’ Giles walked away, weaving his way slowly among the crowd. I looked beyond the meadow to the mansion. There, in the distance, the royal household had gathered before the door, a shimmering parade of velvet and satin, steel and feathers. I glimpsed a figure around whom all seemed to be revolving, a man head and shoulders above the rest. The King. I turned away, in time to see a little man in a particoloured doublet of Tudor green and white shoving his way through the crowd towards me. He took off his cap and bowed.

‘Have you come from Sir William Maleverer?’ I asked.

‘No, sir,’ he said. ‘Your presence is required elsewhere.’

‘Where? By whom?’ I asked sharply, suddenly conscious that I no longer had Barak beside me.

‘I may not say, sir. But my orders come from a high authority.’

I frowned, but allowed the man to lead the way back through the crowd. I had to walk quickly to keep up. At least he was leading me away from the manor house – for an awful second I thought this might be a summons from the King. I caught up with him. ‘Who is it requires my presence?’ I asked breathlessly.

He dodged as a huge cart laden with sides of beef trundled by. ‘You will see in a moment, sir.’

He led me into a field where some large tents had been set up. A number of women were going in and out, from which I deduced this must be where members of the Queen’s household were billeted. He went over to the largest tent, held the flap open a little and bowed for me to enter.

The interior was richly appointed. Rushmats had been placed on the floor and large beeswax candles gave the interior a warm yellow glow. To my astonishment Barak was there too, leaning on a wooden crutch someone had found for him. Beside him stood Tamasin, her face tense. Opposite stood Lady Rochford, her expression stern and haughty. And beside her a small plump figure I recognized, wearing a dress of silver satin and a black hood decorated with enormous pearls. At once I bowed low before Queen Catherine.

‘Get up, please.’ Her voice was soft, girlish. I stood and faced her, realizing I was shaking. The Queen looked at me. Close to she looked younger than ever, scarce more than a child, though even with the troubled expression I saw in her hazel eyes she had an aura of sexuality about her. Lady Rochford stepped forward.

‘That surprised him, Your Majesty,’ she said waspishly. ‘He was very bold when I met him before.’

I said nothing, waiting for the Queen to speak. There was silence for a moment, then she said, ‘Lady Rochford tells me Mistress Reedbourne and this man Barak are under your protection.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

‘I saw you at Fulford,’ Queen Catherine said. ‘I was sorry for how you were treated there.’

‘It is of no matter.’

She took a deep breath. ‘I have been told there was an attempt on your life today.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty. A thorn branch was placed under my horse’s saddle. A friend was mounting the horse; he would have been killed had it not been for Master Barak’s quick actions.’

The Queen looked at Lady Rochford. For a moment she seemed tongue-tied. But she rallied. ‘Do you know why anyone would do such a thing, sir?’

I hesitated. ‘No, Your Majesty. But it is not the first such attack.’ I looked at Lady Rochford. ‘Sir William Maleverer has the matter in hand.’

‘See, Your Majesty!’ Lady Rochford snapped. ‘You saw how he looked at me. He thinks I had something to do with it.’

‘Do you?’ the Queen asked me, a tremble in her voice.

I hesitated again. Then: ‘I do not know who may be responsible.’

She took a deep breath. ‘I called you here, sir, to assure you it was nothing to do with my household.’

‘Thank you, Your Majesty. I believe it has to do with – another matter than that which brought us into contact with Lady Rochford.’

A look of fear again. She glanced at Lady Rochford.

‘What matter?’ Lady Rochford snapped.

‘It is to do with the conspiracy.’

She looked puzzled. ‘I see.’

The Queen raised her hands. ‘Do not tell me,’ she said. ‘They tell me nothing of politics and I do not wish to know.’ I wondered if that was her survival strategy, keeping clear of factions. She looked at me again. ‘As for what these people saw at St Mary’s -’ she glanced at Barak and Tamasin, who so far had said not a word – ‘you have all given Lady Rochford your word you would keep silent. I – I rely on that.’ She drew herself up, trying to seem like a queen instead of a frightened girl.

I bowed my head, for I could think of no reply.

‘You have told no one what you saw?’ Lady Rochford said sharply.

‘No one, I swear.’

Her tone changed, became lighter. ‘It was a mischance you saw Culpeper that night. The Queen only desired a little company of her own age, as I told you. There was nothing improper. I was with them all the time.’

‘That is the truth,’ Catherine Howard said quietly. ‘Will you believe the word of your Queen?’

I looked at her. ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’ And I did believe her. I felt surer than ever that whatever meetings she and Culpeper had had under Lady Rochford’s eye, it had gone no further than that. She would not dare. I felt sorry for her, married to King Henry and cast at her age and with little wit or intelligence among the pack of wolves that was the court.

She smiled. ‘Then I thank you. You may be sure you will be rewarded when we return to London.’

‘We seek no reward, Your Majesty.’

‘Then I thank you again. And I hope whoever has been making trouble for you is caught and dealt with as they deserve.’

‘Be sure you keep your word to us,’ Lady Rochford said. ‘I took risks in arranging this meeting. The Queen is due at Howlme Manor, we said she was coming here to change.’

The Queen turned away, and Lady Rochford waved a hand in dismissal. We bowed again and Tamasin took Barak’s arm and helped him from the tent. We walked to the edge of the field and stopped.

‘Fuck me,’ Barak said.

‘Jack,’ Tamasin said reprovingly.

‘When I answered that summons and found the Queen in there I nearly messed my pants.’

I looked at Tamasin. ‘Well?’ I asked. ‘What did you think of that?’

‘I think the Queen spoke the truth, sir.’

‘Yes. So do I. They have nothing to do with this, I am more than ever certain.’ I shook my head. ‘The Queen is so young…’

‘They say she was a saucy wench before the King’s eyes lighted on her.’

‘A silly flirt, perhaps. And Lady Rochford may get some perverse pleasure out of arranging secret meetings for her with young men, but she and the Queen are surely not so silly as to abandon all caution. They are frightened now.’ I looked over to where the hundreds of carts were being driven into the fields ‘Come, we have to find our billets.’

Barak nudged me. ‘Look over there.’

I followed his gaze to where a little group of officials stood staring at us. Craike was there, and my heart sank as I saw Sir Richard Rich. He would have seen us come out of the Queen’s tent. What would he have made of that?