'What has Norfolk promised you in return? Help towards a knighthood perhaps?'
Marchamount set his lips. 'I want something for my family's future too. To advance one's family, that is no dishonourable thing.'
'Thirty pieces of silver would be the right reward for what you have done,' I said. Barak laughed harshly and Marchamount gave him a furious look. He glared at me, his face reddening further.
'How dare you talk to me like that! And you – you are no impartial witness. You lust after her yourself.'
'Come, Serjeant, you are losing control of yourself. So that is the whole story, is it?' I asked. 'No connection at all to Greek Fire? That is what I need to know, Marchamount.'
'I have told you before, I know nothing of that. Nothing.'
'Are you quite sure?'
The merest hesitation. 'Of course.' He ran a hand through his red hair, then began to bluster. 'You have troubled me enough with this. No gentleman-'
I stood. 'Come, Barak. I think I have an apology to make to Lady Honor.' Barak got up and made another bow to Marchamount, a mocking, exaggerated one.
The serjeant glared at me. 'You have embarrassed me, Shardlake, in front of this churl,' he said. 'I will not forget it.'
OUTSIDE IN THE courtyard, I turned to Barak. 'He's still keeping something back – I'd swear he is. But what? I'll have to talk to Lady Honor.'
'She won't be pleased you know this story. Nor at being questioned further.'
'There's no help for it. She knows my position. I'll go there now.'
'I suppose there's nothing else we can we do today. But-'
'What?' I asked impatiently.
'You should have squeezed what else he's hiding out of him. You shy at every fence,' he said in sudden irritation.
I glared at him. 'I do not shy. If I feel someone will say no more, and I've no evidence to use as a lever, I go and find the evidence. That's what I've always done and it's what I'm going to do now with Lady Honor.'
He grunted.
'What else could I do?' I raised my voice in exasperation. 'I pushed him as far as he'd go, how could I make him tell me more? How? Eh?'
'Threaten him with the earl, as you did with Bealknap.'
'And look where that led. No, I will leave him to stew in his own juice, see if Lady Honor can tell me more, then come back later. Unless you've a better idea.'
He shrugged. 'No. I haven't.'
'I'm going into chambers for a minute.'
I entered the office to find Skelly working by the light of a candle he hardly needed in the full daylight. 'Here again on Sunday, John?' I asked, hiding my irritation.
He gave me a shifty look. 'I'm behind, sir.'
I could not face looking over his scribbles. I turned to Godfrey's door. 'Master Wheelwright in?'
'Yes, sir.'
Godfrey was working quietly at his desk. 'Here on the Sabbath?' I asked. He looked at me seriously.
'God will forgive me. I want to get my cases in order. Word is I am to be disbarred if I don't apologize to the duke.' He smiled wryly. 'That will create a mighty furore. Perhaps it will make our brothers consider who it is we lawyers serve, God and the commonwealth or the Duke of Norfolk.'
'Many will ease their consciences by saying it was a matter of discourtesy, Godfrey, not religion.'
'Then they deceive themselves.'
'What will you do if you leave chambers?'
'Become a preacher.' He smiled. 'I believe that is what God is calling me to do.'
'Dangerous times may be coming.' If Cromwell falls, I thought. If I fail. If he doesn't get Greek Fire. The hideous tangle of loyalties I was caught in made me feel faint for a moment and I clutched at the edge of a chair.
'Are you all right, Matthew?'
I nodded. 'I have been working hard.'
'At least no more of your cases have gone,' he said.
'Good.' I decided to make one last attempt to make him see reason. 'Godfrey, would it not be a dreadful thing to throw over your position, the talent you have used these many years?' And yet, I thought even as I spoke the words, was that not what I too had been thinking of doing?
'Sometimes God calls us to a new life.'
'And to great tribulations.' I gave up. 'I may not be in for a few days now.'
I stepped back into the office, where Barak was talking to Skelly in a low voice. Getting gossip about me, I supposed. 'I'm going to Lady Honor's,' I said.
'I'll ride with you,' he said. 'Then I can call in at the Old Barge.'
We walked back down Chancery Lane in silence. I cursed inwardly. I had hoped Barak would leave me to go to Lady Honor's alone, for afterwards I planned to go to Guy's. But he seemed to be sticking to me today.
WE FETCHED THE HORSES and rode down to the City. Barak was still morose, saying little. As we rode under the Ludgate I noticed a patch of lighter colour in the wall where the repairs had been completed.
'The stones from the old synagogue came from there,' I said to make conversation.
Barak grunted. 'I bet the watchman had some ripe comments about Christ killers ready when you said they came from a synagogue.'
'I don't remember,' I said, though I well recalled that he had.
