A Verse to Murder by Peter Tonkin

A Verse to Murder by Peter Tonkin

Author:Peter Tonkin [Tonkin, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sharpe Books
Published: 2019-08-15T04:00:00+00:00


iv

‘Of one thing I am certain,’ said Tom, ‘Raleigh would never go running to Forman demanding hemlock in person. Nor would he pretend to be Will Shakespeare, disguised or not - though his reputation as a poet does suffer in comparison with Will’s. And there is not a jot of possibility that it was Raleigh who tip-toed up the stair to pour the stuff in Spenser’s ear. That’s not his style at all.’

‘But he is surrounded by men who would do all these things if he ordered them to,’ said Rosalind. ‘Soldiers and sailors alike.’

‘True. But is this work for a soldier or a sailor? I think not…’ he looked at Poley unflinchingly.

‘You’re in the right,’ said Poley after a moment. ‘It is work for a spy. A clandestine assassin.’

‘Which brings us to the Ape,’ said Tom. ‘When Mother Hubberd’s Tale was first published, the Ape was generally taken to be Lord Burghley but in the mean-time the target has become his son, Secretary Cecil. And the passage of years has made the satire more biting still. For William Cecil, Lord Burghley may have been the Queen’s creature, performing her every wish in his desire to make himself more powerful but he was a strong and upstanding man of considerable physical beauty. His son, however, is her Ape. Ape by name as well as by nature - in every regard that his father was but with the added burden of his physical appearance. She calls him her Ape because he looks like an ape with his twisted spine, hunched back and small stature. He hides his bitterness well, but he is the result of his father’s constant disappointment that he never grew strong or straight. Of the endless hours in the hands of doctors who tried everything including racks worthy of Topcliffe himself in the endeavour to make him fit his father’s wishes. His elder half-brother is as tall as their father and has inherited the titles as Earl of Exeter and Lord Burleigh as well as his sporting prowess and physical beauty. His cousins are the Bacon brothers, Francis and Anthony. Anthony at least is bed-bound which must be some relief. His years at St John’s College, Cambridge were such a trial to him that he contrived to leave the place early and finished his education at the Sorbonne in Paris hard by Notre Dame where his hunched back was apparently less remarkable. But there is no doubt that he has inherited his father’s political genius and understanding of the way power works, be it in the most magnificent court or in the filthiest gutter. And of course, as master Poley knows better than anyone alive, Cecil is surrounded by spies and assassins who would avenge the insult against him by some upstart poet without a second thought.’

‘And have the knowledge, skills and motivation to cover their tracks,’ said Rosalind. Then a thought struck her. She turned to Tom almost accusingly, ‘And Secretary Cecil is well aware of your habit of seeking out murderers as well as your friendship with Will.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.