The Doublet Affair (Ursula Blanchard Mysteries) by Fiona Buckley Read Free Book Online Page A

you know?” said Lady Mildred. “But they are Catholic supporters.”
    “They contributed money,” said Cecil levelly, “to train priests for the purpose of undermining our Anglican regime. That’s almost treason in itself.”
    “They wouldn’t have thought of it like that,” I said. “I’ve worried about them ever since last year, and others like them. Some of the Catholic supporters I met were such good people, really, so likeable. I never enquired what happened to any of them, but I’ve thought about them often. I liked Ann Mason especially. She has a difficult life.”
    “I daresay. In fact, the authorities agreed with youin the main. Most of the people you visited on your journey were left alone. We didn’t even fine them. The only exception was your own uncle, who really had gone too far, and even he hasn’t come to much harm. He’ll be released from the Tower soon. His gout is causing anxiety and the council are willing to be merciful, now that he has had a good shock. I assure you, neither the Queen nor the council are anxious to interfere in the small activities of ordinary households, even when they’re giving money for dubious purposes. However, this suggests something more than a charitable dropping of coins into a begging bowl.”
    “But . . . you must have made enquiries about the Masons . . . and others . . . ?” I said. “Surely, if anything were wrong . . .” My voice trailed away.
    “Yes, we made enquiries,” Cecil agreed. “We looked discreetly into the affairs of the Masons and the others who contributed to the cause of training priests. We were merciful, but not careless! The Masons were reported to be loyal and harmless, despite their preference for Catholic forms of worship. This information is a complete surprise. However, for some time, I have thought that something was going on somewhere—something quite different from Dudley or the ex-councillors. It’s not unexpected. The fact that Mary Stuart is no longer queen of France, but believes herself to be queen of England strikes me as alarming. She’s at large on the political landscape like a panther escaped from a menagerie . . .”
    My mind was now disturbed for Ann Mason’s sake as well as mine, but this made me laugh. Lady Mildred laughed, too. Cecil gave us both a pained look.
    “Mary Stuart is a living invitation to intrigue. I was never quite sure how competent the man was whom I sent to investigate the Masons. He’s been withdrawn now. My doubts were probably justified! Let us get back to the matter in hand. There have been indications. To begin with, there is a Dr. Ignatius Wilkins. You won’t have heard of him, but he was a priest in Queen Mary’s day and incidentally denounced two of his parishioners as heretics and got them burned.”
    “His own parishioners?” I said.
    “Yes. Ordinary people, a weaver and his daughter—the daughter was only nineteen.” Cecil’s eyes were angry. “They couldn’t believe that bread and wine could mysteriously turn into flesh and blood, and said so, and they couldn’t believe either that anyone would want to hurt them for being, as they saw it, honest. They said it wouldn’t be honest to pretend they believed something when they didn’t. Rob Henderson, your Meg’s guardian, was in their town by chance and he saw them die. Not of his own choice; he was caught up in a crowd. He told me afterwards how he saw their faces through the smoke, full of terror and bewilderment that this could be happening to them . . . he didn’t stay until the end.
    “Enough of that. It’s all over. They can’t be brought back.” Cecil pushed his emotions down. “Wilkins is no longer a parish priest. He gave up his parish two years ago, because he is Catholic and could not accept the Anglican form of worship. He has been watched, so we know a good deal about him. He now runs a school in High Wycombe. It isn’t a very good school. Dr. Wilkins, in fact, is hard up.”
    I had been