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and speak to Jack. With luck, he might be carting another consignment of goods that way fairly soon. If not, I’ll start walking and hope to come across other carters who’ll give me a ride.’
    â€˜You’re not going away again, Father?’ Elizabeth clutched at my sleeve with an imploring hand.
    I stooped and kissed her. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m taking you with me. And Hercules.’
    â€˜You’ll not be dragging that child all the way to London!’ Margaret protested. ‘That dog can go with you and welcome, but not a child of her tender years.’
    My daughter bounced off her stool and flung her arms around my neck. ‘Oh yes! Oh please do take me, Father! I’ve never seen London, and it isn’t fair that the boys should see it and me not. I don’t mind walking if we have to, and I shall have Hercules.’
    Hearing his name, the sagacious hound, stretched out beside the fire, gave a perfunctory thump of his tail, but was too replete with rabbit stew to do more.
    â€˜I’m taking Elizabeth,’ I stated firmly and received another hug for my pains.
    Margaret looked as though she would protest again, then hesitated, thinking things over, before nodding briskly.
    â€˜You may be right,’ she conceded. ‘Nicholas will be delighted to see her.’ She did not add that the doubtless ecstatic reunion of stepbrother and -sister would be bound to disarm Adela and perhaps smooth my path to a reconciliation, but I guessed it was what she was thinking. I was thinking it myself.
    â€˜I’ll pay Jack Nym a visit straight away,’ I said. ‘If I can find him.’
    My luck was in. Jack was outside his cottage, loading his cart with bales of Bristol red cloth, a speciality of the city and sold all over the country. Without even bothering to greet him, I asked where this lot was going.
    â€˜London,’ was the blessed answer, and I had to restrain myself from seizing his dirty face between my hands and kissing him. He tilted his head to look up at me. ‘Why? You wanting a ride to London, then, Roger?’ He gave a knowing chuckle. ‘I took your wife and sons up there a few weeks back. You been a bad lad? I did hear a rumour. A woman, is it?’ He regarded me enviously.
    â€˜It’s all a mistake,’ I said. ‘A misunderstanding.’
    He grinned disbelievingly. ‘It wouldn’t be a mistake if I got the chance, I can tell you. All right! All right! I’ll take your word for it. So you’re going after her, eh? Well, I don’t know as I blame you. A handsome piece, that lady of yours. If it were my Goody, now, it’d be a different matter. Anyway, I’m off first light tomorrow morning. Be round here promptly at daybreak. I received an urgent message by old Hugo Doyle, who got back from London yesterday afternoon, that the mayor and aldermen want this stuff as soon as possible for the new king’s coronation. Word is, apparently, that the queen – Queen Dowager I suppose I should call her now – and her family have fixed the date for May Day.’
    â€˜They can’t do that!’ I exclaimed, horrified. ‘I doubt the Duke of Gloucester will even have reached the capital by then.’
    â€˜Why? Where is he?’
    â€˜Hundreds of miles away, in Yorkshire.’
    Jack grimaced. ‘Shit! So he couldn’t have been there when the old king died.’ He eyed me suspiciously. ‘How do you know all this?’ When I had explained, he grimaced again. ‘Reckon there’s going to be trouble, Roger?’
    I shrugged. ‘Could be! But how would I know?’
    But I did know. Well, I knew something, that was my problem. I knew why Duke Richard had sent me to Paris in the autumn of the previous year, so, unlike most people, I also knew some of the thoughts that must be going through his mind at the present moment. Naturally, I didn’t mention this to Jack,