‘I told him again I would not take the oath, though my voice shook. He studied me a moment and smiled. “I think you will,” he said. “Master Kingston, I have little time. Get him lengthened.”
‘Kingston nodded at the rackmasters and they hauled me to my feet. They slammed me down on the rack, knocking the breath from my body. They bound my hands and feet, stretching my arms above my head.’ Jerome’s voice lowered to a whisper. ‘It was all so quick. Neither of the rackmasters spoke a word.
‘I heard a creak as they turned the wheel, then there was a great tearing pain in my arms like I had never known. It consumed me.’ He broke off, gently massaging his torn shoulder, his eyes vacant. In the memory of his agony he seemed to have forgotten our presence. Beside me, Mark shifted uneasily.
‘I was screaming. I hadn’t realized till I heard the sounds. Then the pulling stopped, I was still in anguish but the tide –’ he fluttered a hand up and down – ‘the tide had ebbed. I looked up and there Cromwell stood, staring down at me.
‘ “Swear now, Brother,” he said. “You have only a little fortitude, I see. This will go on till you swear. These men are skilled, they will not allow you to die, but your body is already torn and soon it will be so broken you will never be out of pain again. There is no shame in swearing when you have been brought to it by this road.” ’
‘You are lying,’ I said to the Carthusian. Again he ignored me.
‘I shouted that I would bear the pain, as Christ had on the Cross. He shrugged and nodded at the torturers, who pulled both wheels this time. I felt the muscles of my legs tear and when I felt my thighbone pull from its socket I screamed that I would swear the oath.’
‘An oath sworn under duress is surely not binding in law?’ Mark said.
‘God’s blood, be quiet!’ I snapped at him. Jerome started a little, recalled to himself, then smiled.
‘It was an oath before God, a perjured oath, and I am lost. Are you kind, boy? Then you should not be in the company of this bent-backed heretic.’
I stared at him fixedly. In truth the power of his story had struck me forcefully; but I had to keep the initiative. I stood up, folded my arms and faced him.
‘Brother Jerome, I am tired of these insults and of your tales. I came here to discuss the foul murder of Robin Singleton. You called him perjurer and liar, before witnesses. I would like to know why.’
Jerome’s mouth worked into something like a snarl.
‘Do you know what torture is like, heretic?’
‘Do you know what murder is like, monk? And no more words from you, Mark Poer,’ I added as he opened his mouth.
‘Mark.’ Jerome smiled darkly. ‘That name again. Why, your bedesman has a look of the other Mark about him.’
‘What other Mark? What are you babbling about now?’
‘Shall I tell you? You say you want no more tales, but this is a story that will interest you. May I sit down again? I am in pain now.’
‘I will have no more treasonable words or insults.’
‘No insults, I promise, nor treason. Just the truth.’
I nodded, and he lowered himself back onto the bed with the help of his crutch. He scratched his chest, wincing at a pang from the hair shirt. ‘I see that what I told you of my racking discomfited you, lawyer. This will discomfit you more. The other boy called Mark was one Mark Smeaton. You know that name?’
‘Of course. The court musician who confessed to adultery with Queen Anne, and died for it.’
‘Yes, he confessed.’ Jerome nodded. ‘For the same reason I swore.’
‘How could you know that?’
‘I will tell you. When I had taken the oath before Cromwell in that terrible room, the constable told me I would be lodged in the Tower a few days to recover; arrangements were being made through my cousin for me to be taken as a pensioner at Scarnsea. Jane Seymour would be told I had sworn. Lord Cromwell, meanwhile, had lost interest; he was collecting up my sworn oath with the rest of his papers.
‘I was taken to a cell deep underground. The guards had to carry me. It was in a dark, damp corridor. They laid me on an old straw mattress on the floor and left. My mind was in such turmoil at what I had done, I was in such pain. The smell of damp from that rotten mattress made me feel sick. Somehow I managed to rise and went over to the door, where there was a barred window. I leaned against it, for there was a breeze of fresher air from the corridor, and prayed for forgiveness for what I had done.
‘Then I heard footsteps, and sobbing and crying. More guards appeared and this time they were half-carrying a young man, just the age of your assistant and with another pretty face, though softer, and streaked with tears. He wore the remnants of fine clothes, and his big scared eyes darted wildly round him. He looked at me beseechingly as he was dragged past, then I heard the door of the next cell open.
‘ “Compose yourself, Master Smeaton,” one of the guards said. “You will be here for tonight. It will be quick tomorrow, no pain.” He sounded almost sympathetic.’ Jerome laughed again, showing grey decayed teeth. The sound made me shiver. His face worked for a moment, then he went on.
‘The cell door slammed and the footsteps receded. Then I heard a voice.
‘ “Father! Father! Are you a priest?”
‘ “I am a monk of the Charterhouse,” I replied. “Are you the musician accused with the queen?”
‘He began to sob. “Brother, I did nothing! I am accused of lying with her, but I did nothing.”
‘ “They say you have confessed,” I called back.
‘ “Brother, they took me to Lord Cromwell’s house, they said if I did not confess they would tie a cord round my head and tighten it till they put my eyes out!” His voice was frantic, almost a scream. “Lord Cromwell told them to rack me instead, to leave no marks. Father, I am in such pain but I want to live. I am to be killed tomorrow!” He broke down, I heard him sobbing.’
Jerome sat still, his eyes distant.
‘The pain in my leg and shoulder worsened, but I had not the strength to move. I hooked my good arm through the bars to support myself and leaned half-insensible against the door, listening to Smeaton’s sobs. After a while he grew calmer and called again, his voice shaking.
‘ “Brother, I signed a false confession. It helped condemn the queen. Will I go to hell?”
‘ “If it was tortured from you God will not condemn you for that. A false confession is not like an oath before God,” I added bitterly.
‘ “Brother, I am afraid for my soul. I have sinned with women, it has been easy.”
‘ “If you truly repent, the Lord will forgive you.”
‘ “But I don’t repent, Brother.” He laughed hysterically. “It was always pleasure. I do not want to die and never know pleasure again.”
‘ “You must compose your soul,” I urged him. “You must repent truly, or it will be the fire.”
‘ “It will be purgatory anyway.” He began sobbing again, but my head was swimming, I was too weak to call out any more, and I crawled back to my stinking mattress. I did not know the time of day; there is no light down there but the torches in the corridor. I slept a while. Twice I was woken when guards brought a visitor to Smeaton’s cell.’
Jerome’s eyes flickered up to meet mine for a second, then slid away again. ‘Both times I heard him crying most piteously. Then later I woke to see the guard pass with a priest, and there was muttering for a long time, though whether Smeaton made proper confession in the end and saved his soul I do not know. I drifted off to sleep again and when I woke again to my pain all was silent. There are no windows down there, but I knew, somehow, that it was morning and he was gone, dead.’ His eyes focused on me again. ‘Know then that your master tortured a false confession from an innocent man and killed him. He is a man of blood.’
‘Have you told anyone else this story?’ I asked.
He gave a strange, twisted smile. ‘No. I have had no need.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It does not matter.’
‘No, it does not matter, for I say the whole thing is a tissue of lies.’
He only shrugged.
‘Very well. You have led me away from Robin Singleton again. Why did you call him perjurer and traitor?’
Again he gave that strange, savage smile. ‘Because he is. He is a tool of that monster Cromwell, as you are. You all perjure yourselves and betray your due allegiance to the pope.’
I took a deep breath. ‘Jerome of London, I can think of only one man who could have hated the commissioner, or rather his office, enough to devise a mad plot to kill him, and that is you. Your infirmity would prevent you from doing the deed yourself, but you are a man who would cozen another to do it. I put it to you that you are responsible for his death.’
The Carthusian reached for his crutch again and stood up painfully. He placed his right hand over his heart; it trembled slightly. He looked me in the eye, still smiling, a secret smile that made me shiver.
‘Commissioner Singleton was a heretic and a cruel man and I am glad he is dead. May it vex Lord Cromwell. But I swear on my soul, before God and of my own free will, that I had no part in the killing of Robin Singleton, and I also swear I know of no man in this house of weaklings and fools who would have the fierce stomach to do it. There, I have replied to your accusation. And now I am tired, I would sleep.’ He lay back on the bed and stretched himself out.
‘Very well, Jerome of London. But we shall speak again.’ I motioned Mark to the door. Outside, I locked it and we passed back down the corridor, watched from their open doors by the monks, who had now returned from Sext. As we reached the door to the cloister yard it was thrown open and Brother Athelstan hurried in out of the snow that still tumbled down, his habit white. He pulled up short at the sight of me.
‘So, Brother. I have found the reason you are in bad odour with Brother Edwig. You left his private room unguarded.’
He shuffled from foot to foot, his straggly beard dripping melted snow onto the rush matting. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘That information would have been more use than your tales of mutterings in chapter. What happened?’
He looked at me, his eyes afraid. ‘I did not think it important, sir. I came in to do some work and found Commissioner Singleton upstairs in Brother Edwig’s room, looking at a book. I pleaded with him not to take it, or at least to let me take a record, for I knew Brother Edwig would be angry with me. When he returned and I told him, he said I should have kept an eye on what Commissioner Singleton was doing.’
‘So he was angry.’
‘Very, sir.’ He hung his head.
‘Did you know what was in the book he had?’
‘No, sir, I only deal with the ledgers in the office. I do not know what books Brother Edwig has upstairs.’
‘Why did you not tell me about this?’
He shifted from foot to foot. ‘I was afraid, sir. Afraid that if you asked Brother Edwig about it he would know I had spoken. He is a hard man, sir.’
‘And you are a fool. Let me advise you, Brother. A good informer must be prepared to give information even at risk to himself. Otherwise he will be mistrusted. Now begone from my sight.’
He vanished down the corridor at a run. Mark and I hunched ourselves into our coats and stepped out into the blizzard. I looked around the white cloister.
‘God’s nails, was there ever such weather? I wanted to go round to that fish pond, but we can’t in this. Come on, back to the infirmary.’
As we trudged back to our room, I noticed Mark’s face was thoughtful and sombre. We found Alice in the infirmary kitchen, boiling herbs.
‘You look cold, sirs. Can I bring you some warm wine?’
‘Thank you, Alice,’ I said. ‘The warmer the better.’
Back in our room Mark took a cushion and sat before the fire. I lowered myself onto the bed.
‘Jerome knows something,’ I said quietly. ‘He wasn’t involved in the killing, or he wouldn’t have given his oath, but he knows something. It was in that smile of his.’
‘He’s so mazed after being tortured I don’t think he knows what he means.’
‘No. He’s consumed with anger and shame, but his wits are there.’
Mark stared into the fire. ‘Is it true then, what he said about Mark Smeaton? That Lord Cromwell tortured him into making a false confession?’
‘No.’ I bit my lip. ‘I don’t believe it.’
‘You would not wish to,’ Mark said quietly.
‘No! I don’t believe Lord Cromwell was there when Jerome was tortured either. That was a lie. I saw him in the days before Anne Boleyn’s execution. He was constantly attending the king, he wouldn’t have had time to go to the Tower. And he wouldn’t have behaved like that; he wouldn’t. Jerome invented it.’ I realized my fists were clenched tight.
Mark looked at me. ‘Sir, was it not obvious to you from his manner that everything Jerome said was true?’
I hesitated. There had been a terrible sincerity about the way the Carthusian spoke. He had been tortured, of course, that was plain to see. But made to swear a false oath by Lord Cromwell himself? I could not believe that of my master, nor the story of his involvement with Mark Smeaton and his torture – alleged torture, I told myself. I ran my hands through my hair.
‘There are some men who are skilled in making false words seem true. I remember there was a man I prosecuted once, who pretended to be a licensed goldsmith, he fooled the guild—’
‘It’s hardly the same, sir—’
‘I cannot believe Lord Cromwell would have prepared false evidence against Anne Boleyn. You forget I have known him for years, Mark; he rose to power in the first place because of her reformist sympathies. She was his patron. Why would he help kill her?’
‘Because the king wanted it, and Lord Cromwell would do anything to keep his position? That is what they whisper at Augmentations.’
‘No,’ I said again decisively. ‘He is hard, he has to be with the enemies he faces, but no Christian could do such a thing to an innocent man, and believe me, Lord Cromwell is a Christian. You forget how many years I have known him. Were it not for him there would have been no Reform. That cankered monk told us a seditious tale. One you had better not repeat outside this room.’
He gave me a keen, hard look. For the first time, I felt uncomfortable under his gaze. Alice came in with steaming mugs of wine. She passed me one with a smile, then exchanged a look with Mark that seemed to carry a different level of meaning. I felt a stab of jealousy.
‘Thank you, Alice,’ I said. ‘That is very welcome. We have been talking with Brother Jerome and could do with some sustenance.’
‘Have you, sir?’ She did not seem much interested. ‘I have only seen him a few times, limping about. They say he is mad.’ She curtsied and left. I turned back to Mark, who sat staring into the fire.
‘Sir,’ he said hesitantly, ‘there is something I wish to tell you.’
‘Yes? Go on.’
‘When we return to London – if we ever get out of this place – I do not wish to return to Augmentations. I have decided. I cannot bear it.’
‘Bear what? What do you mean?’
‘The corruption, the greed. All the time we are pestered by people wanting to know which monasteries will be down next. They write pleading letters, they turn up at the door claiming acquaintance with Lord Rich, they promise if they are granted lands they will do loyal service to Rich or Cromwell.’
‘Lord Cromwell, Mark—’
‘And the high officials talk of nothing but which courtier may go to the block next, who will have their posts. I hate it, sir.’
‘What has brought this about? Is it what Jerome said? Do you fear ending up somehow like Mark Smeaton?’
He looked at me directly. ‘No, sir. I have tried to tell you before how I feel about Augmentations.’
‘Mark, hear me. I do not like some of the things that are happening now any more than you. But – it is all to an end. Our g
oal is a new and purer realm.’ I got up and stood above him, spreading my arms wide. ‘The monastic lands, for example. You have seen what this place is like, these fat monks steeped in every heresy the pope ever devised, living on the backs of the town, becking and scraping to their images when, given the chance, they would play the filthy person with each other, or young Alice, or you. It’s all coming to an end, and so it should. It’s a disgrace.’
‘Some of them are not bad people. Brother Guy—’
‘The institution is rotten. Listen: if Lord Cromwell can get these lands into the king’s hands then, yes, some will be given to his supporters. That is the nature of patronage, it is how society works, it is inevitable. But the sums are vast; they will give the king enough money to make him independent of Parliament. Listen, you feel for the plight of the poor, do you not?’
‘Yes, sir. It is a disgrace. People like Alice thrown off their lands everywhere, masterless men begging in the streets—’
‘Yes. It is a disgrace. Lord Cromwell tried to put a Bill through Parliament last year that would truly succour the poor, set up almshouses for those who could not work and provide great public works for those without labour, building roads and canals. Parliament turned the Bill down because the gentry did not want to pay a tax on income to fund it. But with the wealth of the monasteries in the king’s coffers, he won’t need Parliament. He can build schools. He can pay to provide an English bible in every church. Imagine it, work for everyone, all the people reading God’s word. And that is why Augmentations is vital!’
He smiled sadly. ‘You do not think, like Master Copynger, that only householders should be allowed to read the Bible? I have heard Lord Rich believes the same. My father is not a householder, they would not allow him the Bible. Nor am I.’
‘You will be one day. But no, I do not agree with Copynger. And Rich is a rogue. Cromwell needs him now, but he will ensure he rises no further. Things will settle down.’