Suffer the Little Children by Ann Swinfen

Author:Ann Swinfen [Swinfen, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780993237201
Google: EvpPrgEACAAJ
Amazon: B00VC5V6JQ
Publisher: Shakenoak Press
Published: 2015-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

We took a wherry from St Mary Overy Stairs to Salt Wharf, and walked up to Cheapside from there. The Fitzgeralds’ house was quite new, probably no more than twenty years old, with herringbone brick between the timbers instead of lath and plaster, four storeys high, elaborately carved on all the exposed timbers. It spoke money, but perhaps a merchant’s money rather than a landowner’s. I knew little of the Fitzgeralds’ past history, but had always assumed they belonged to the landed class, like most of the old Catholic families. The merchant families were, almost without exception, Protestant. Perhaps the house was a recent purchase. Or perhaps it had replaced an earlier one. All over London, men who could afford it were pulling down old houses and building anew. Those who had not the means for such a radical solution to their aspirations for better housing simply defied the regulations and added an extra storey or two on top of their existing homes, like the house where Simon and I had our lodgings.

The Fitzgerald house was in an uproar when we arrived. Lady Bridget had returned home to find her husband’s ward kidnapped, her steward disappeared, and her children quarrelling violently. To say that she was astonished when her steward walked into the parlour with two strangers would be to understate the case. For it was clear that at first she did not recognise me. After all, it was more than three years since I had spent barely two weeks in her house, and she had had very little to do with me at the time. As it was, she was now hysterical, being ineffectually comforted by her lady’s maid, while Cecilia shouted at her brother in a manner which I thought her aristocratic new husband would not have approved. It was Edward who recognised me first.

‘Master Alvarez!’ he cried, running across the room to us. ‘Can you help us? My fool of a sister–’

Cecilia looked at me and coloured slightly, but then she sneered and said, ‘The music tutor? What use is he?’

‘My lady,’ Alchester said, ignoring her, and addressing Lady Bridget, ‘this is Dr Alvarez. He is a physician at St Thomas’s, but he also works for Sir Francis Walsingham. He believes he may be able to help. And this is Master Simon Hetherington, his friend.’

I was relieved that he did not mention Simon’s profession, which would certainly have condemned us in the eyes of the two ladies. At the words ‘Sir Francis Walsingham’ I saw a look of fear in Lady Bridget’s eyes, but she was too distracted by the present disaster to pay it much heed.

‘What do you mean, Doctor Alvarez?’ Cecilia demanded. ‘It is that tutor we had, who ran off in the night with some excuse about his father.’

I gave her the slightest possible bow I could, without an open insult. ‘Nevertheless, Cecilia,’ I said, ‘I am indeed Doctor Alvarez. Before we discuss anything further, can you supply me with paper and ink? I need to send word to the man who, I believe, can help.

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.