off with a start at the sound of a scream.
A young woman, standing at the mouth of one of the narrow alleys, was clutching a large basket, struggling to keep it from the grip of a ragged youth with a large wart on his nose who was trying
to pull it from her. I saw it was the girl who had winked at Barak earlier. Another churl, a fair-haired boy with a broken nose, held her round the waist. Barak threw me Sukey’s reins and
leaped from his horse, drawing his sword. A couple of passers-by stepped back hastily.
‘Leave her, you arseholes!’ Barak shouted. The two youths at once let go, turned and ran pell-mell up the alley. Barak made to follow, but the girl seized his arm.
‘No, sir, no! Stay with me, please, these are for Queen Catherine.’
Barak sheathed his sword, smiling at her. ‘You’re all right now, mistress.’
I dismounted carefully, keeping hold of both horses’ reins. Genesis shifted his hooves uneasily.
‘What happened?’ I asked her. ‘What do you mean, your basket is for the Queen?’
She turned to me, her cornflower-blue eyes wide. ‘I am a servant in the Queen’s privy kitchen, sir. I was sent to buy some of the things the Queen likes.’ I looked in the
basket. There were sticks of cinnamon, almonds and pieces of root ginger. The girl gave a little curtsey. ‘My name is Tamasin, sir. Tamasin Reedbourne.’ I noted she had a London accent
and it struck me her fustian dress was expensive wear for a kitchenmaid.
‘Are you all right, mistress?’ Barak asked. ‘Those knaves looked as though they’d pull your pretty arms from their sockets.’
She smiled, showing white teeth and a pair of pretty dimples. ‘I wouldn’t let go. When the Queen arrives her lodgings are to be filled with her favourite doucets, all made from
ingredients bought here in York.’ She looked between us. ‘Are you here to meet the Progress, sirs?’
‘Ay.’ I gave a little bow. ‘I am a lawyer, Master Shardlake. This is my assistant, Jack Barak.’
Barak doffed his cap and the girl smiled at him again, a little coquettishly now. ‘You are brave, sir. I noticed you earlier, did I not?’
‘You know you gave me a pretty smile.’
‘You had a bodyservant in King’s livery with you then,’ I said.
‘Ay, sir. But Master Tanner wished to buy a piece of cloth and I gave him leave to go into that shop.’ She shook her head. ‘It was foolish, sir, was it not? I forgot what a
barbarous place this is.’
‘Is that him?’ I asked, pointing to a thin-faced young man wearing the King’s badge who had just left a shop on the other side of the road. I recognized him from that morning.
He crossed to where we stood, hand on his sword-hilt.
‘Mistress Reedbourne?’ he asked nervously. ‘What is the matter?’
‘Well may you ask, Tanner! While you were choosing cloth for your new doublet, two youths tried to steal the Queen’s dainties. This man rescued me.’ She smiled again at
Barak.
Master Tanner cast his eyes to the ground. Genesis pulled at the reins.
‘We must go,’ I said. ‘We are due at St Mary’s. Come, Barak, they will be waiting like everyone else to tell us we were expected yesterday.’ I settled matters by
bowing to Mistress Reedbourne. She curtsied again.
‘I am lodged at St Mary’s too,’ she said sweetly. ‘Perhaps I shall see you again.’
‘I hope so.’ Barak replaced his cap, then winked, making the girl turn scarlet. We rode off.
‘That was a bit of excitement,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Not that there was any danger, they were just ragamuffin lads. Must have thought there was something valuable in that
basket.’
‘You did well.’ I smiled sardonically. ‘Rescuing the Queen’s doucets.’
‘The girl’s a little doucet herself. I’d not mind a game of hot-cockles with her.’
A T THE TOP OF Coneygate we passed into another road that ran alongside the high walls of the abbey. The King’s guards patrolled the top of the
walls, and beyond them I saw
A young woman, standing at the mouth of one of the narrow alleys, was clutching a large basket, struggling to keep it from the grip of a ragged youth with a large wart on his nose who was trying
to pull it from her. I saw it was the girl who had winked at Barak earlier. Another churl, a fair-haired boy with a broken nose, held her round the waist. Barak threw me Sukey’s reins and
leaped from his horse, drawing his sword. A couple of passers-by stepped back hastily.
‘Leave her, you arseholes!’ Barak shouted. The two youths at once let go, turned and ran pell-mell up the alley. Barak made to follow, but the girl seized his arm.
‘No, sir, no! Stay with me, please, these are for Queen Catherine.’
Barak sheathed his sword, smiling at her. ‘You’re all right now, mistress.’
I dismounted carefully, keeping hold of both horses’ reins. Genesis shifted his hooves uneasily.
‘What happened?’ I asked her. ‘What do you mean, your basket is for the Queen?’
She turned to me, her cornflower-blue eyes wide. ‘I am a servant in the Queen’s privy kitchen, sir. I was sent to buy some of the things the Queen likes.’ I looked in the
basket. There were sticks of cinnamon, almonds and pieces of root ginger. The girl gave a little curtsey. ‘My name is Tamasin, sir. Tamasin Reedbourne.’ I noted she had a London accent
and it struck me her fustian dress was expensive wear for a kitchenmaid.
‘Are you all right, mistress?’ Barak asked. ‘Those knaves looked as though they’d pull your pretty arms from their sockets.’
She smiled, showing white teeth and a pair of pretty dimples. ‘I wouldn’t let go. When the Queen arrives her lodgings are to be filled with her favourite doucets, all made from
ingredients bought here in York.’ She looked between us. ‘Are you here to meet the Progress, sirs?’
‘Ay.’ I gave a little bow. ‘I am a lawyer, Master Shardlake. This is my assistant, Jack Barak.’
Barak doffed his cap and the girl smiled at him again, a little coquettishly now. ‘You are brave, sir. I noticed you earlier, did I not?’
‘You know you gave me a pretty smile.’
‘You had a bodyservant in King’s livery with you then,’ I said.
‘Ay, sir. But Master Tanner wished to buy a piece of cloth and I gave him leave to go into that shop.’ She shook her head. ‘It was foolish, sir, was it not? I forgot what a
barbarous place this is.’
‘Is that him?’ I asked, pointing to a thin-faced young man wearing the King’s badge who had just left a shop on the other side of the road. I recognized him from that morning.
He crossed to where we stood, hand on his sword-hilt.
‘Mistress Reedbourne?’ he asked nervously. ‘What is the matter?’
‘Well may you ask, Tanner! While you were choosing cloth for your new doublet, two youths tried to steal the Queen’s dainties. This man rescued me.’ She smiled again at
Barak.
Master Tanner cast his eyes to the ground. Genesis pulled at the reins.
‘We must go,’ I said. ‘We are due at St Mary’s. Come, Barak, they will be waiting like everyone else to tell us we were expected yesterday.’ I settled matters by
bowing to Mistress Reedbourne. She curtsied again.
‘I am lodged at St Mary’s too,’ she said sweetly. ‘Perhaps I shall see you again.’
‘I hope so.’ Barak replaced his cap, then winked, making the girl turn scarlet. We rode off.
‘That was a bit of excitement,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Not that there was any danger, they were just ragamuffin lads. Must have thought there was something valuable in that
basket.’
‘You did well.’ I smiled sardonically. ‘Rescuing the Queen’s doucets.’
‘The girl’s a little doucet herself. I’d not mind a game of hot-cockles with her.’
A T THE TOP OF Coneygate we passed into another road that ran alongside the high walls of the abbey. The King’s guards patrolled the top of the
walls, and beyond them I saw
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