Martin Marbeck 04 Marbeck and the Gunpowder Plot by John Pilkington
Author:John Pilkington [Pilkington, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780106670
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2015-04-07T21:00:00+00:00
THIRTEEN
There was a long moment, while MacNeish gazed at Marbeck. Finally, seeing that dissembling was pointless, he spoke up.
âHe was a foreigner,â he admitted, with a glance at Marbeckâs hand, now on his sword-hilt. âSpanish or Portugee ⦠Claimed he had important news for you â a warning, he said. He knew weâd done business, off and on â the Lord knows how, but he did.â
âAs you knew he was lying,â Marbeck said gently. âAbout wanting to warn me, I mean.â
MacNeish gave no answer.
âIn fact, it hardly matters, for heâs dead now,â Marbeck told him. âOr at least, the odds on that are better than youâll ever make in there.â He nodded towards the cockpit.
Still MacNeish was silent. Finally, he heaved a sigh and said: âWhat will you do then, Sands? Iâve no head for guesswork.â
âBut one for gathering scraps and rumours and knitting them into something you can sell,â Marbeck said coolly. âFool I may have been, but I thought you sold them to me and others like me, rather than to the one with the fattest purse.â Seeing the other about to speak, he lifted a hand briefly. âI know â youâre a poor man. The lady I spoke of told me: she tried to kill me, just this morning.â In a harsher tone he added: âThatâs how I guessed it was you who gave me away: youâre the only one who knew I lodged at Skinnerâs.â
Uneasily, MacNeish rubbed his beard and focused his gaze on the broadside seller â whereupon Marbeck seized the edge of his cloak and made him turn.
âWould you have seen me despatched so readily?â he demanded. âYou knew the people who sought me had some evil intent ⦠Were you indifferent to it?â He waited, then: âOr am I just another Englishman â little better than the Swaggerers who assail you in the street? Whatâs one less?â
Another moment passed, in which the other manâs silence was confirmation enough.
His mind busy now, Marbeck spoke quietly. âYou couldnât be everywhere, so Iâm guessing youâve had me watched,â he said. âIndeed, I had a feeling I was being followed a while back ⦠I should have paid more attention to it. How else could the lady have known Iâd be at a certain house, at a certain time? Was it one of your friends from Little Scotland?â
The big man swallowed, but kept silent.
âYouâd best answer me, MacNeish,â Marbeck said. âOr Iâve a mind to turn you over to my masters ⦠Theyâd hang you up by your wrists, simply on my wordââ
âEnough, damn ye!â For a moment, the Scotsmanâs eyes flashed. But seeing Marbeckâs expression, he let out a sigh; he was powerless, and he knew it. ââTwas Blue Donal watched ye,â he admitted, in a bitter tone. âThe wee manâs family are near starving. They â the lady and her man â agreed to cut him in. That way I could help him, as heâs helped me in the past â more than a man like you would know!â
After that, there was little left to say.
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