was royalist filth. ‘In an army of this size I wouldn’t care if we lost three hundred men. Soldiers quarrel and fight. They whore with the wrong girl and catch a disease. Accidents occur. And I’ll be honest, Falkland. We haven’t the food to last out the winter without forage and plunder.’
‘Yet here I am.’ I’d had the same thoughts, yet somehow Cromwell thought his entire army under threat. There had to be something then, didn’t there? And this Fairfax, something about him needled me. ‘There was a manner about these deaths,’ I said.
‘A ritual to it,’ said Fairfax. ‘That’s fair to say. How is it they were drawn to Cromwell’s eye?’
I opened my mouth to reply that I didn’t know, then saw that no answer was expected. The question was for Warbeck, not for me, and it wasn’t a question at all but a rebuke. ‘There must be rumours,’ I said.
Fairfax snorted, ‘Master Falkland, an army without rumours? That’s like a dancing girl without the itch.’
‘All the same,’ I said again, ‘here I am. I’m told there have been desertions.’
He nodded. It was a curt nod that said: Cromwell sent you; I did not ask . ‘Aren’t there always? They’re nothing Cromwell needs concern himself with. Men who haven’t the stomach to fight in my army have no place here.’
I thought of the two men who had rescued me from the pantry. They’d deserted from the New Model. Had they come from here? They’d been seasoned soldiers, not scared raw recruits yet to be bloodied.
All of a sudden Black Tom grinned. I wasn’t expecting it and it made a curious picture with the big sabre scar on his face. ‘We’ll look after you, Master Falkland. We’ll provision you and put a roof over you. More than you’ve been used to. Do as you are required to do. You’ll see soon enough that all’s well.’
It sounded the same as prison to me. I hoped the food was better.
‘There is even entertainment, if it’s entertainment you’re after.’
‘Entertainment?’
‘These boys can’t be drilled all winter long, Master Falkland. They’ll have tournaments. Duels. Contests. Anything to while away the hours.’ There was a change in him now. His arms were open and the smile had turned into a beam that took over his entire face. It was like a strange mockery of an innkeeper working his hardest to win trade, and I wasn’t sure of the jest. ‘Come with me, Master Falkland. I’ll see you and Warbeck to your quarters.’
Black Tom pulled the fastenings tight on his leather jerkin and swept past me towards the open door. ‘If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d rather see the camp,’ I said.
‘The camp? Tonight?’ In the corner of my eye I saw Warbeck give an imperceptible shake of the head. But I’d been told what to do by that sickly sweet impostor for long enough. The sooner I got out of here the better. I meant to be done with this and return to my Caro. Cromwell was concerned as to the well-being of his army, was he? I wasn’t sure why I should care, nor why he thought that I might.
‘With respect, sir, I didn’t come here for entertainment,’ I said. ‘I didn’t come here for tournaments or contests. I came here because I have a task. As soon as it’s done I can be gone.’
Fairfax studied me for a second too long, enough to make me think I’d spoken too forcefully. ‘Master Falkland,’ he said with a sudden weariness. ‘It is dark. It’s snowing.’
I looked behind me through the door. ‘The snow has stopped, sir.’ And yes, it was dark, but the clouds had parted and there was a moon to light our way.
‘We can see the camp as we pass through it, Master Falkland. I’ll send you a guide in the morning.’ He spoke with a finality that would brook no argument. Warbeck gave me a sour look. Fairfax, meanwhile, opened his arms and I was bustled out to wait in the cold while a boy was sent for our mounts. When they were brought I rode on Warbeck’s horse, though truth be known I
‘Yet here I am.’ I’d had the same thoughts, yet somehow Cromwell thought his entire army under threat. There had to be something then, didn’t there? And this Fairfax, something about him needled me. ‘There was a manner about these deaths,’ I said.
‘A ritual to it,’ said Fairfax. ‘That’s fair to say. How is it they were drawn to Cromwell’s eye?’
I opened my mouth to reply that I didn’t know, then saw that no answer was expected. The question was for Warbeck, not for me, and it wasn’t a question at all but a rebuke. ‘There must be rumours,’ I said.
Fairfax snorted, ‘Master Falkland, an army without rumours? That’s like a dancing girl without the itch.’
‘All the same,’ I said again, ‘here I am. I’m told there have been desertions.’
He nodded. It was a curt nod that said: Cromwell sent you; I did not ask . ‘Aren’t there always? They’re nothing Cromwell needs concern himself with. Men who haven’t the stomach to fight in my army have no place here.’
I thought of the two men who had rescued me from the pantry. They’d deserted from the New Model. Had they come from here? They’d been seasoned soldiers, not scared raw recruits yet to be bloodied.
All of a sudden Black Tom grinned. I wasn’t expecting it and it made a curious picture with the big sabre scar on his face. ‘We’ll look after you, Master Falkland. We’ll provision you and put a roof over you. More than you’ve been used to. Do as you are required to do. You’ll see soon enough that all’s well.’
It sounded the same as prison to me. I hoped the food was better.
‘There is even entertainment, if it’s entertainment you’re after.’
‘Entertainment?’
‘These boys can’t be drilled all winter long, Master Falkland. They’ll have tournaments. Duels. Contests. Anything to while away the hours.’ There was a change in him now. His arms were open and the smile had turned into a beam that took over his entire face. It was like a strange mockery of an innkeeper working his hardest to win trade, and I wasn’t sure of the jest. ‘Come with me, Master Falkland. I’ll see you and Warbeck to your quarters.’
Black Tom pulled the fastenings tight on his leather jerkin and swept past me towards the open door. ‘If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d rather see the camp,’ I said.
‘The camp? Tonight?’ In the corner of my eye I saw Warbeck give an imperceptible shake of the head. But I’d been told what to do by that sickly sweet impostor for long enough. The sooner I got out of here the better. I meant to be done with this and return to my Caro. Cromwell was concerned as to the well-being of his army, was he? I wasn’t sure why I should care, nor why he thought that I might.
‘With respect, sir, I didn’t come here for entertainment,’ I said. ‘I didn’t come here for tournaments or contests. I came here because I have a task. As soon as it’s done I can be gone.’
Fairfax studied me for a second too long, enough to make me think I’d spoken too forcefully. ‘Master Falkland,’ he said with a sudden weariness. ‘It is dark. It’s snowing.’
I looked behind me through the door. ‘The snow has stopped, sir.’ And yes, it was dark, but the clouds had parted and there was a moon to light our way.
‘We can see the camp as we pass through it, Master Falkland. I’ll send you a guide in the morning.’ He spoke with a finality that would brook no argument. Warbeck gave me a sour look. Fairfax, meanwhile, opened his arms and I was bustled out to wait in the cold while a boy was sent for our mounts. When they were brought I rode on Warbeck’s horse, though truth be known I
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