out.
'Well,' Agrippa continued, 'poor deserted Hopkins's riddle:
"Beneath Jordan's water Christ's cup does rest,
And above Moses' Ark the sword that's best." '
'The River Jordan is in Palestine,' mused Benjamin, 'and I suppose the Ark of Moses refers to the Ark of the Covenant, the chest which carried the ten commandments. Though God knows where that is!' He sipped from his wine cup. 'Of one thing I am certain, my good Agrippa, you'll find neither of these at Glastonbury, so why should we go there?'
My master was out of moods, sickened by Buckingham's death and Agrippa's cool despatch of poor Hopkins. So this was one of the rare occasions I did his thinking for him.
'They must be in Glastonbury,' I insisted. 'Somehow or other the River Jordan and Moses' Ark refer to something there.'
'How do you reach that conclusion?' Benjamin asked.
'Well, the writing is from a secret chronicle at Glastonbury, the scribe must have been a monk there. He must have been writing a riddle known only to a few others, perhaps Templars in refuge. The River Jordan and Moses' Ark probably refer to places in or around Glastonbury.'
Agrippa leaned forward and squeezed my hand. 'Shallot, Shallot!' he murmured. "There may be a slight cast in your eye'— and in truth there was, an affliction since birth — 'but beneath that cunning face a subtle wit thrives and grows. The Lord Cardinal will be pleased.'
'Oh,' I mocked, 'my happiness is now complete. And what about this treachery and bloody murder?'
'In a while,' Agrippa smirked. 'Give the shadows more time to gather.'
Chapter 3
We left The Golden Turk and went down to the riverside. The day was beginning to fade as the barge we hired pulled to mid-stream and took us downriver to Richmond Palace. Benjamin crouched in the bows, rather dull and listless. Agrippa, pleased and contented with himself, kept leaning over and tapping me on the hand for my perspicacity in dealing with Hopkins's riddle.
The oarsmen swept round the bend of the Thames and down past Westminster. The quayside was obscured by the different ships moored there: carracks from Venice, fat sturdy cogs from the Baltic, and fishing smacks getting ready for a night's work. A pleasant enough sight for a trip down the river on a late-autumn evening.
Agrippa, basking in the calmness of the scene, smiled reassuringly at us. Believe me, if I'd known then what lay ahead - mysterious fires, the severed hand of glory, a haunted chapel, witch's curses and decapitated heads dripping blood - I would have slipped over the side of that wherry and swam for dear life to the nearest shore.
My master, however, had more immediate concerns. He looked sleepily back at the disappearing turrets of Westminster Abbey and shook himself alert.
'Why?' he asked abruptly.
'Why what?' Agrippa retorted.
'Why did we have to wit ness that execution? And was it necessary for us to see Hopkins stretched out on that rack?'
Such thoughts had occurred to me so I stared curiously at Agrippa. He chewed on his lip as he tore his gaze away from the bank. The colour had returned to his eyes. Now they looked dark blue rather than that clear, glass-like appearance they always assumed when Agrippa witnessed any violence or bloodshed.
'In a few days,' the good doctor whispered, 'we will know all. But I tell you this: Buckingham, albeit a fool, died an innocent man.'
I stared at him in amazement.
'Oh, yes,' Agrippa continued. 'He may have been a secret Templar. He may even have been searching for the Grail and Arthur's Sword. But, according to Hopkins, that's all Buckingham was interested in.'
'So what proof of treason did the King produce at Buckingham's trial?'
'The testimony of Taplow, Buckingham's agent in London. Mind you,' Agrippa peered into the gathering mist, 'Buckingham is not the only one to lose his life over this matter.' He looked squarely at Benjamin. 'Did you know Calcraft?'
'A little.'
'Well, he was one of Mandeville's most trusted agents: a good
'Well,' Agrippa continued, 'poor deserted Hopkins's riddle:
"Beneath Jordan's water Christ's cup does rest,
And above Moses' Ark the sword that's best." '
'The River Jordan is in Palestine,' mused Benjamin, 'and I suppose the Ark of Moses refers to the Ark of the Covenant, the chest which carried the ten commandments. Though God knows where that is!' He sipped from his wine cup. 'Of one thing I am certain, my good Agrippa, you'll find neither of these at Glastonbury, so why should we go there?'
My master was out of moods, sickened by Buckingham's death and Agrippa's cool despatch of poor Hopkins. So this was one of the rare occasions I did his thinking for him.
'They must be in Glastonbury,' I insisted. 'Somehow or other the River Jordan and Moses' Ark refer to something there.'
'How do you reach that conclusion?' Benjamin asked.
'Well, the writing is from a secret chronicle at Glastonbury, the scribe must have been a monk there. He must have been writing a riddle known only to a few others, perhaps Templars in refuge. The River Jordan and Moses' Ark probably refer to places in or around Glastonbury.'
Agrippa leaned forward and squeezed my hand. 'Shallot, Shallot!' he murmured. "There may be a slight cast in your eye'— and in truth there was, an affliction since birth — 'but beneath that cunning face a subtle wit thrives and grows. The Lord Cardinal will be pleased.'
'Oh,' I mocked, 'my happiness is now complete. And what about this treachery and bloody murder?'
'In a while,' Agrippa smirked. 'Give the shadows more time to gather.'
Chapter 3
We left The Golden Turk and went down to the riverside. The day was beginning to fade as the barge we hired pulled to mid-stream and took us downriver to Richmond Palace. Benjamin crouched in the bows, rather dull and listless. Agrippa, pleased and contented with himself, kept leaning over and tapping me on the hand for my perspicacity in dealing with Hopkins's riddle.
The oarsmen swept round the bend of the Thames and down past Westminster. The quayside was obscured by the different ships moored there: carracks from Venice, fat sturdy cogs from the Baltic, and fishing smacks getting ready for a night's work. A pleasant enough sight for a trip down the river on a late-autumn evening.
Agrippa, basking in the calmness of the scene, smiled reassuringly at us. Believe me, if I'd known then what lay ahead - mysterious fires, the severed hand of glory, a haunted chapel, witch's curses and decapitated heads dripping blood - I would have slipped over the side of that wherry and swam for dear life to the nearest shore.
My master, however, had more immediate concerns. He looked sleepily back at the disappearing turrets of Westminster Abbey and shook himself alert.
'Why?' he asked abruptly.
'Why what?' Agrippa retorted.
'Why did we have to wit ness that execution? And was it necessary for us to see Hopkins stretched out on that rack?'
Such thoughts had occurred to me so I stared curiously at Agrippa. He chewed on his lip as he tore his gaze away from the bank. The colour had returned to his eyes. Now they looked dark blue rather than that clear, glass-like appearance they always assumed when Agrippa witnessed any violence or bloodshed.
'In a few days,' the good doctor whispered, 'we will know all. But I tell you this: Buckingham, albeit a fool, died an innocent man.'
I stared at him in amazement.
'Oh, yes,' Agrippa continued. 'He may have been a secret Templar. He may even have been searching for the Grail and Arthur's Sword. But, according to Hopkins, that's all Buckingham was interested in.'
'So what proof of treason did the King produce at Buckingham's trial?'
'The testimony of Taplow, Buckingham's agent in London. Mind you,' Agrippa peered into the gathering mist, 'Buckingham is not the only one to lose his life over this matter.' He looked squarely at Benjamin. 'Did you know Calcraft?'
'A little.'
'Well, he was one of Mandeville's most trusted agents: a good
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