Read Online The Butcher of Smithfield by Susanna Gregory - Free Book Online Page B

He followed Leybourn up the stairs to Chamber XIII, where John Thurloe had a suite of rooms that were
     all wooden panels and leather-bound books. They were warm, comfortable and one of few places where Chaloner felt truly safe.
    ‘Thomas!’ exclaimed Thurloe, standing from his fireside chair when they entered. He was a slightly built man, with large blue
     eyes and a sharp lawyer’s mind. ‘I expected you home weeks ago and was beginning to worry. What kept you?’
    ‘The situation transpired to be more complex thanI thought,’ replied Chaloner vaguely. He did not want to talk about Iberia when he could be soliciting information about Maylord
     and Newburne.
    ‘Well, I am pleased to see you safe,’ said Thurloe, gesturing for his guests to sit near the fire. The room smelled of wood-smoke,
     wax polish and something pungent and sweet. It put Chaloner in mind of Isabella, and he realised the scent was that of oranges.
     He glanced at the table, and saw some peel, left from the ex-Spymaster’s dinner.
    ‘Vienna is a very dangerous city,’ said Leybourn, still fishing. ‘The war with the Turks is growing ever more serious, if
     you can believe the newsbooks.’
    ‘
Can
you believe the newsbooks?’ asked Thurloe, deftly diverting the surveyor’s attention. He understood his former spy’s reluctance
     to talk about his travels, and would never quiz him about them.
    ‘Not the ones by L’Estrange,’ said Leybourn. ‘That man would not know the truth if it bit him.’
    Chaloner outlined his latest commission from the Earl, while Thurloe listened without interruption. When he had finished,
     the ex-Spymaster steepled his fingers and looked thoughtful.
    ‘Did William confide details of
his
recent quarrel with L’Estrange?’ he asked.
    Chaloner regarded Leybourn with a puzzled frown. ‘What quarrel?’
    ‘I would rather not discuss it,’ replied Leybourn stiffly. ‘It is still a sore subject, and will put me in a sour mood for
     the rest of the day.’
    ‘Thomas knows virtually nothing of London life.’ Thurloe silenced Chaloner’s indignant objection with a flash of his blue
     eyes. ‘And your experience mirrors thatof many other booksellers, William, so you must tell him what the Earl’s commission might lead him into. A sour mood is a
     small price to pay for providing a friend with information that might keep him safe.’
    ‘If you put it like that …’ Leybourn turned to Chaloner. ‘I told you L’Estrange fines booksellers for hawking unlicensed tomes.
     Well,
I
was one of his victims – to the tune of six pounds.’
    It was a lot of money. ‘Did you write something seditious?’
    ‘Of course not,’ snapped Leybourn angrily. ‘The tome in question is the fourth edition of
Gunter’s Works
, with diligent amendments and enlargements by me. It is an exciting publication, as you will no doubt be aware, but it is
     about mathematics and surveying, not politics.’
    ‘Why did he fine you, then?’
    ‘No book can be printed or sold without a licence from L’Estrange. And I made the mistake of selling one of my copies a day
     – a single, measly
day
– before the license was in force.’
    ‘How did he find that out?’
    ‘Because of Newburne. L’Estrange paid him to spy on the bookshops. I did not even see him lurking behind my shelves when I
     offered Captain Hammond an advance copy of
Gunter’s Works
– not until he emerged with that gloating smile of his. So,
now
do you understand why there are so many men who will be pleased to see Newburne dead? I am just one of hundreds who have
     been unfairly persecuted.’
    ‘Why did you not tell me sooner?’ asked Chaloner, trying not to sound accusing.
    ‘For two reasons. First, because the subject pains me, as I have said. And secondly, because
I
do not want tohead your list of suspects. It would not be the first time you have had me in your sights as the perpetrator of a serious
     crime.’
    ‘That was before I knew you properly.’
    The