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she might
     have just saved him from unemployment, because the Earl’s eyes had glitteredthoughtfully when the prospect of saving money had been raised.
    ‘So what will you do, Chaloner?’ asked Brodrick. ‘How will you begin?’
    ‘By finding out who sent the message,’ answered Chaloner, not bothering to reiterate his belief that the architect was in
     no danger, but that the Queen might well be. ‘And—’
    ‘A waste of time,’ interrupted Hyde. ‘I have already questioned Her Majesty’s household, but no one saw this missive delivered.
     And I doubt
she
will appreciate being interrogated by you.’
    Chaloner suppressed a sigh. Hyde’s precipitate actions would have told the sender that the letter had been discovered, thus
     making the matter that much more difficult to explore.
    ‘Perhaps we should send Pratt away until the would-be assassin is under lock and key,’ suggested Frances. ‘I shall never forgive
     myself if he is murdered while working on our new home.’
    ‘The letter says Pratt will not die until the Feast of St Frideswide.’ Chaloner calculated quickly. ‘That is a week next Wednesday
     – nine days from now.’
    ‘How do you know?’ asked the Earl in astonishment. ‘We had to consult an almanac. I sincerely hope you are not a papist. I
     would not countenance one of those in my household.’
    ‘It is general knowledge, sir.’ Chaloner did not feel strongly enough about religion to affiliate himself with any sect, although
     he suspected that the Earl would dismiss him if he knew that his intelligencer was married to a Catholic – Hannah had converted
     when she had first been appointed to serve the Queen.
    ‘We shall hire Sergeant Wright to protect Pratt,’ determined Brodrick. ‘To put Frances’s mind at rest.’
    It would be a waste of money on two counts, thought Chaloner. By paying guards to mind a man who did not need them, and by
     employing Wright, who would not know how to repel an assassin if his life depended on it. But before he could say so, there
     was a knock on the door and Dugdale entered. The Chief Usher looked around carefully, as if trying to gauge what had been
     discussed in his absence. He shot Chaloner a malevolent glance, but masked the expression quickly when he addressed the Earl,
     unwilling for their master to see the extent of his dislike.
    ‘I have just received a note from Pratt, sir. Apparently, twenty planks of best oak were stolen last night. How extraordinary
     that Chaloner did not notice.’
    Fortunately for Chaloner, Kipps arrived shortly after Dugdale’s announcement, to inform Hyde and Brodrick that their presence
     was required at the Adventurers’ meeting immediately. Neither man could ignore a summons from the King, and they disappeared
     without another word. Chaloner was grateful, suspecting that Hyde would have used the missing wood to resume his campaign
     to have him dismissed – and he might have succeeded, because the Earl was clearly livid about their loss. Lady Clarendon frowned.
    ‘I do not like Henry mixing with Adventurers,’ she said, once everyone had gone, and only she, the Earl and Chaloner remained.
     ‘He is easily led, and I have not heard good things about Secretary Leighton. The other members leave much to be desired,
     too. Henry told me only yesterday that they transported more than threethousand slaves to Barbados last year. Slaves! How
can
he associate with such vileness?’
    The Earl sighed unhappily. ‘We cannot dictate his behaviour for ever – he is twenty-six years old. But we should not discuss
     this now. I am more interested in my planks.’ He glared at Chaloner.
    ‘I watched your supplies all night, sir,’ said Chaloner tiredly. ‘And I checked them before I left. They were all there then.’
    ‘But this particular wood was stored
inside
the house,’ explained the Earl shortly. ‘And I know for a fact that every door is secured at dusk, so no one should have
     been able to get