Krishna
The story is set in Queen Elizabeth’s time, and even before Mary, Queen of Scots, was put to death.
Rose Downie comes to Richard Topcliffe out of necessity. Meanwhile, John Shakespeare lives a solitary life in a house where a live in maid, Jane, also lives. He is twenty eight years old. He has Harry Slide, who gathers intelligence, by his side even though he knows he cannot fully trust him. Slide is the one who broke up the conspiracy to murder Elizabeth by Mary Queen of Scots and was valuable.
Now, John has been approached by the constable to investigate the murder of a young lady – Lady Blanche Howard – a cousin of the new Lord High Admiral Effingham. The papers recovered seemed to rail against ‘that virgin’ Queen Elizabeth no doubt, and suggested preposterous conspiracy theories. What was Blanche Edward doing in such sordid place and more important, who murdered her and why? It also suggested that the ‘virgin queen’ had a secret baby with Leicester (Earl of Leicester).
Meanwhile, the boss of John tells him that he has uncovered a plot to kill Francis Drake, whom the Spanish dread and who they believe is the main obstacle to killing Elizabeth and reestablishing Catholicism in England.
Rose now, came to Topcliffe since her baby was stolen and a very ugly baby was left in its stead. She is told that Topcliffe will help her ‘but extract a high price for the help’. Her husband had been killed in an accident with a firearm.
Topcliffe promises to help but ‘takes her’ with no more animation than using a chair he needs.
Shakespeare learns, from a coroner equivalent, that the girl was tied with rope before being killed and also that a crude crucifix was carved on her back after her death. And that the death occurred within the past week. And that she was pregnant at the time of her death.
Meanwhile Herrick goes to Cogg, a brothermaster who is very fat but likes to sample the girls before employing him. He agrees to take her on. When the girl, Starling, who was an abused wife who ran away, decides to go back, she sees Herrick and hides. Herrick asks for the gun and when Cogg plays for more money, breaks his hand and gets the gun. Cogg knows he has not long to live.
She sees Herrick kill Cogg and then steals his treasure. She now has a problem of how to hide it and what, if anything to do with Cogg’s body. She in turn is caught by the mistress of Cogg as she decides to get drunk and senseless.
Mary Queen of Scots is executed on Elizabeth’s orders and the Catholics who resisted conversion, including Thomas Woode are scandalized and afraid of the treasonous culture among the populace.
John goes to interrogate a publisher called Thomas Woode and his assistant Catherine Marvell, as he found a paper by the side of the body. Mostly charred but with some pieces intact. . He infers, correctly, that they are staunch Catholics and are on the side of Mary. He also suspects that they are not forthcoming to his queries. (The man xxx was the one who supplied the paper!) However, he is frustrated by his inability to pierce through their suspected denials and withdraws with seething anger.
They understand that a man called Herrik was the assassin sent by the Spanish to kill Drake. Herrik appears as a workman looking for a job and takes a restaurant. When he finds Drake coming back from a seaside trip on a boat, he then takes careful aim and shoots. The shot kills an assistant and Boltfoot, who is in Drake’s employ, notices both the flash and Herrik’s face and goes after him. Seeing him flee, he shoots from a distance and injures him but Herrik escapes on a horse.
Meanwhile, Topcliffe takes Woode to the torture chamber he had constructed and Woode is broken. Catherine comes to Shakespeare and says that she will reveal the name of the priest if he would save Woode. Shakespeare goes and talks to Woode in secret and learns the name of the printer of the paper which was found near Blanche, fully unaware that Topcliffe was eavesdropping on the conversation.
Topcliffe tries to send someone to kidnap Catherine who is in Shakespeare’s house and also the kids as both a means to torture Popish folks and as a leverage in his “interrogation” of Woode but Jane’s courage temporarily foils him. Also Stanley, in the employ of the Spanish King, despairing that Herrick, the assassin, failed to get on the boat, tries to kill Sir Francis Drake on the boat himself but the watchful guards foil him too in an exciting sequence of events.
Then Herrick rides to Sir Drake’s residence as he knows that this is his last chance to kill him before he sails. Having expected him at the festivities, both Shakespeare and Boltfoot do not find him. When the tent catches fire, Shakespeare runs to his defence and takes Drake by the back door. When Drake reaches his home, Shakespeare insists on checking out the house first, only to find Drake attacking him. He gets hurt on the head but Herrick is overpowered and taken into custody.
Meanwhile, Topcliffe tries to take Margaret and Woode’s kids as a bargaining chip, again. He takes a group of men and breaks down John’s house door but is shocked to find a large group of armed men. It turns out that John’s brother is staying the night. Foiled, Topcliffe goes back, promising to return with sufficient force.
Meanwhile, John finds the man who had produced the paper. But Topcliffe had gotten to him and cut off both arms and blinded him too. He had taken the press and John and Boltfoot realize that he is the person who printed seditious material as a diversion to kill Blanche.
He goes after the two women who drugged him but is beaten senseless by Topcliffe’s deputy. He wakes up in their dungeon but faints again. When he came to, he hears that Walshingham rescued him and brought back to his house. His boss, Walshingham says he must tell Blanche’s father a lie – that it was Herrick who killed Blanche and he has been arrested and executed. Blanche’s father, who is a Lord, does not seem to believe him.
Boltfoot asks for permission to woo Jane and John Shakespeare gladly gives his consent.
When he takes a few days off to recover (his head was a bit damaged and his arm was in a sling) and returns, he meets Catherine in his house. Everything is explained. Sir Drake, of course, smashes the Spanish Armada to smithereens even before they set sail.
Topcliffe finally gives Rosie her baby and the unfortunate mother, who stole it, gets her real baby back. The last page has a resolution (from the rich mother’s point of view, at least)
An excellent and entertaining book. A story well told. A final cute tidbit is about where “John” Shakespeare was born. It was in Stratford. What a cute touch!
8/10
— Krishna