The Lying Dutchman: Mercurius is back in a thrilling historical adventure (Master Mercurius Mysteries Book 6) by Graham Brack

Author:Graham Brack [Brack, Graham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sapere Books
Published: 2022-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

I willingly accepted the ambassador’s invitation to dine with him, if only because I did not like the idea of walking the streets of London on my own, but all through the meal my mind was turning over these troubling matters.

‘What will you do now, Master?’ Van Citters asked, pushing a platter of cheese towards me and offering me the basket of bread.

‘I do not know, Ambassador.’

There are a great many things that I do not know. Some of them do not trouble me at all, such as the name of the Emperor of China. Some are not vexing, but there is a certain natural curiosity involved that leads me to think it would be good to know them if I could find the answer without much effort; I would love to understand brewing, for example, or why we ride horses but not cows. I can watch people weaving for hours without ever quite being able to comprehend how they produce the finished cloth. Unfortunately the puzzle of Velders’ assailant was not in this category.

‘I feel uneasy that I do not understand what has occurred here,’ I explained. ‘As you know, I have a letter that I must deliver.’

‘Or lose,’ Van Citters interjected helpfully.

‘Indeed. I believe that Velders thought he had stolen that, when actually he had taken my letter of accreditation as an emissary of the Stadhouder. When we docked he accompanied me ashore to come here, then he said he must provision his ship and we parted.’

‘He said what?’ said Van Citters, sitting up abruptly with unusual energy.

‘He said he must provision his ship.’

‘Why, in God’s name?’ Van Citters reddened a little. ‘I beg your pardon. A poor choice of words before a clergyman. But no captain needs to reprovision on a round trip from Hellevoetsluis to London. He will be fully stocked upon leaving and apart from a barrel of drinking water, he should not need to buy more here, especially at London prices.’

This last comment rang very true with me. The Stadhouder would certainly not pay in England for something he could wheedle out of his subjects at a reduced cost.

‘I must concede,’ I allowed, ‘that I was deceived on that point. But what, then, did he go to do? Let us suppose that he has my letter — or thinks he has — and wants to use it to his profit. He might take it to the King, but I cannot imagine that King James would give any credit to a letter delivered by a Dutchman.’

‘Via a courtier, then?’

‘But who would Velders know? He would have to trust the recipient to deliver it into the King’s hands, but then he would have to know someone here, and so far as I know he did not. I know more people here than he did.’

‘Well, then,’ said Van Citters, ‘to whom would you take it?’

I thought a while. ‘Arlington is out of favour. I would trust the Bishop of London but he is not in favour at Court, being a staunch opponent of Catholicism.

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