Sword and Scimitar - Scarrow Simon (читать книги онлайн бесплатно серию книг txt) 📗

‘Order is one word for it,’ Thomas countered. ‘Another word would be tyranny.’

‘Either way, our actions prevent a far greater evil, namely that of civil war. Ever since King Henry denied the supremacy of the Church of Rome, our country has been riven by the tensions between Catholic and Protestant. It is a miracle that this has not flared up into open civil conflict. I need not remind you of the horrors that have taken place in the Netherlands and France. John Knott has written extensively about them.’

‘You should not give credence to all that you read in The Book of Martyrs,' said Thomas.

‘Maybe,’ said Cecil. ‘But you will not deny such atrocities took place. After all, you must have seen them with your own eyes when you served there. Even allowing for Knott’s sensationalism there is enough truth in his words to point the way to what might happen here in England if religious differences were to be expressed through violence. The streets of our cities would run with blood. So far that has been prevented because Protestants have largely been united in their opposition to Catholicism. But what if a wedge were to be driven between English nobles and the Queen? Such a division would embolden the Catholics and it would not take long before we were at each other’s throats.’

‘Perhaps,’ Thomas reflected. ‘But what would cause such a division?’ Cecil exchanged a brief glance with Walsingham before he continued. ‘There is a document in the possession of the knights in Malta that, if it were made public, could tear this country apart. The aristocrats would turn on the Queen and the common people would turn on the aristocrats, before they turned on each other. That is what we seek to prevent.’

‘You said it could tear this country apart. Why would it, pray? I find it hard to credit that a simple document might be the cause of such strife as you describe. Besides, what has such a document got to do with me, or the Order?’

‘The contents of the document are known to only a handful of men. It is best that it remains so. Such knowledge is dangerous. I can tell you that it was in the possession of an English knight from the Order some eighteen years ago. He died in Malta before he could carry the document to its ultimate destination. As far as we know, it is still in Malta. It is best for you to know only that the document exists and that it must be retrieved and brought back to me, or destroyed if that is not possible.’

‘What is to stop me reading it if I find it?’

‘There is a seal upon it. I would know if it had been tampered with. However, it will not be your job to find the document we seek. That will be the task of another man. You will take a squire with you to Malta. The man in question will be our agent. Because he will be attached to you, his presence there will not attract attention to him. His mission is to find the document. If either of you survive the coming siege then you are to return to England with the document. In the event that Malta is taken then it will be the duty of the last of the two still alive to destroy the document before it falls into the enemy’s hands. I will not disguise the grave peril attached to this mission, Sir Thomas,’ Cecil concluded. ‘But we are playing for high stakes and you will have the chance to serve your country and your faith and to save many lives. Now, I imagine you may have some questions for us.’

‘Indeed I have, Sir Robert,’ Thomas replied. ‘Firstly, if this document is so important, why has it not been revealed to the world? The Order is answerable to the King of Spain. I cannot believe that Philip would not have used it if it would harm the interests of England, as you claim.’

‘Fairly stated.’ Cecil nodded. ‘We have to assume that the document has not been put to such use because the Order is ignorant of what it has in its possession.’

‘How can that be?’

‘The document left England in the hands of an English knight, Sir Peter de Launcey.’

Thomas frowned. ‘I remember him. A good man.’

‘Indeed he was. A few years after you left Malta, Sir Peter was given leave to visit his family in England when his father was dying. Soon after he returned to Malta he fell from the deck of a galley and drowned. What is not known is that King Henry entrusted him with this document, which Sir Peter was to guard for him. Henry was ill at the time and did not know if he would survive. In the event that he recovered, Sir Peter was to bring the document back to him. If Henry died, which he did, then Sir Peter was to take the document to Rome and present it to the Pope. But Sir Peter died on Malta, and Henry died at almost the same time. A small handful of his closest advisers knew of the document and were only prepared to reveal this under duress.’

‘You mean, under torture.’

‘Yes,’ Cecil admitted freely. ‘And the document remains in Malta, where Sir Peter must have secreted it. You must find it if you can. You, or rather, our agent. Are there further questions, Sir Thomas?’

‘Yes. You seem certain that I will accept your mission. Why should I not refuse?’

‘Because you are a knight, both of this realm and of the Order of St John and that places certain obligations upon you. You are a man of honour, and principle. If you can be instrumental in averting the catastrophe that threatens your country you will seize the chance to do so, unless I have utterly mistaken your character. Furthermore, you are a Catholic, and live at the whim of a Protestant Queen and her ministers, of whom I am the foremost. I need not point out the implications of your situation. Suffice to say that you have my word that I will protect you upon completion of the mission. If you refuse

Thomas shook his head. ‘I do not need to be threatened.’

‘Perhaps not, but it is as well that you know that there is no real choice in the matter. That should be of some small comfort to you in the hard times ahead.’

‘My thanks for your solicitude,’ Thomas responded acidly. ‘I have one more question. Who is this agent of yours, the one who is to be my squire? I presume he is the man waiting in the anteroom. ’ Cecil smiled. ‘Then you have met already. Young Richard is one of the most accomplished men in my service. I put it down to the fact that I took him on as an orphan. He did not know his parents and so he owes his loyalty to me. He shows great promise and this will be the first big test of his skills. He speaks French, Spanish and Italian like a native and has fluency in Maltese.’

‘And yet he is not quite English,’ said Thomas. ‘There is an accent and a certain Latin look about him.’

‘He is as English as you or I, and I have complete faith in him. As must you if you are to see this mission through.’

‘Trust has to be earned, Sir Robert. It is not a commodity to be freely given. ’

‘Then you had better get to know Richard as soon as possible. Sir Francis, fetch him in.’

Walsingham’s eyes flashed with a glint of irritation at his superior’s peremptory manner but he rose swiftly and crossed the room. As Thomas watched, the soft tread and fluid movement reminded him of a cat, an apt demeanour for the man who stalked and killed his prey with no compassion.

When Walsingham had disappeared through the door there was a brief silence until Thomas leaned forward and spoke quietly.

‘I have no need of a squire. It would be better to entrust this matter to me alone. If I give you my word to return the document without reading it then your spy can remain here, out of danger.’ There was an amused look on Cecil’s face as he shook his head. ‘A considerate offer, but while you may have no real need for a squire, my need for a trusted pair of eyes and ears on the spot is very real to me. You must take Richard with you and that is an end to it.’

Before Thomas could reply there came the sound of footsteps and a moment later Walsingham re-entered the room, followed by the young man Thomas had seen earlier. They approached the table and Walsingham resumed his seat while Cecil’s agent stood to one side.