As soon as Rosamond and Rob returned to Willow House, she reported their progress to Lady Appleton and Jennet. Even though she had no proof to support her theory, she also shared her belief that it was not Thomas Randolph but rather Sir Francis Walsingham they were dealing with.
‘It is still Randolph’s house,’ her foster mother reminded her. ‘I met him some five years past, at a time when I was recovering from injuries sustained on a visit to Scotland. He was about to take up his duties as English ambassador in that country. He struck me as a reasonable man. If he is at home, I feel certain he will agree to meet with me. It is a good plan, Rob. The last thing we want is more violence.’
Early the next morning, leaving Rob’s mother behind, they took a wherry to Paul’s Wharf, the closest landing place to St Peter’s Hill. They were drawing close to the water stairs when the glint of sun on steel caught Rosamond’s eye. She clamped one hand on Rob’s forearm and jerked her head in that direction.
Moving in a stealthy manner, several men – more than one of them familiar to her – crept toward a house hard by the wharf. Rosamond recognized it as the dwelling she had seen Francis Throckmorton enter two days earlier, when she and Rob had been on their way to Blackfriars.
Their boat bumped against the dock. Rob flipped a coin to the waterman and helped the two women disembark. ‘What is Tommaso Sassetti doing there?’
‘Which one is he?’ Lady Appleton asked.
‘The dark-haired fellow.’ Rosamond drew the hood of her cloak over her head, turning herself into just one more anonymous woman out and about in London. ‘It is not his presence that alarms me so much as the company he is keeping. Is that tall, scrawny man the one who took Lina?’
Lady Appleton had to squint to see against the glare of the sun. ‘It may be. We are too far away for me to be certain.’
Rosamond’s eyesight was better than her foster mother’s and she’d spent more time in the fellow’s company. She had no difficulty identifying him. ‘That is Walter Williams, one of Walsingham’s agents.’
‘It seems your suspicions were correct,’ Rob said. ‘Do you recognize any of the others?’
Rosamond would have preferred to be proven wrong, even if that delayed their recovery of Lina and Andrew. ‘The man just behind Sassetti is Henry Leveson.’
‘Ah,’ said Rob.
‘Who is he?’ Lady Appleton urged them into motion. To remain where they were would attract unwanted attention.
‘A player. A friend of sorts but, first and foremost, another of Walsingham’s intelligencers. It would be best if they took no notice of us.’
Rosamond could guess why they were surrounding that particular house. Belatedly, Williams was going to arrest Francis Throckmorton for treason.
Only Leveson looked their way as they walked on. A slight widening of his eyes told Rosamond that he was surprised to see her, but he said nothing to give away her presence. Unchallenged, she continued into Thames Street. Just short of St Peter’s church, she turned into a narrow lane and began to walk uphill. To the north, on the highest ground in the city, St Paul’s cathedral dominated the skyline.
The house Tommaso had described was on the east side of St Peter’s Hill Lane. It looked quiet, serene and passing well fortified. A number of the windows were barred.
‘A convenient prison.’ Rosamond’s heart was beating too fast. She took deep breaths to calm herself.
Lady Appleton approached the entrance, leaving Rosamond and Rob to follow after her. When a servant appeared, she asked to see Thomas Randolph.
‘He is not in London at present, madam.’ He started to close the door in her face.
‘Wait!’ Rosamand called out. ‘Is Sir Francis Walsingham within?’
‘Sir Francis is at court.’ The door slammed shut.
‘If he knows that much, then this house is indeed being used by Walsingham’s network of spies.’
‘Is it time to loose Portinari on them?’ Rob asked.
Rosamond shook her head. ‘We are not far from Paul’s Wharf. Unless I miss my guess, Walter Williams will bring Throckmorton here, too. We will wait and watch awhile.’
Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle had begun to fall into place. Rosamond continued on up the hill, leaving the others to follow. She stopped when they reached Knightrider Street, pretending an interest in the wares on display in front of a glovemaker’s shop. Speaking rapidly and in a low voice, she told her foster mother what must have brought Tommaso Sassetti, Francis Throckmorton, Walter Williams, and Henry Leveson together. Then she gave her a brief account of her past history with Leveson.
‘He mentioned that Sir Francis has been ill. I suspect that is why Williams is in charge.’
‘A reasonable assumption,’ Rob agreed. ‘One way or another, Williams has been involved in everything that has happened during the last two weeks. The only thing we can acquit him of is Hugo Hackett’s murder.’
‘You say that Henry Leveson has helped you before,’ Lady Appleton mused. ‘Is he likely to come to your aid again?’
‘I have no way of knowing. He would obey Walsingham without question, but I cannot say how loyal he is to Williams.’
‘I once knew something of the world of intelligence gatherers,’ Lady Appleton said.
‘That was before Sir Francis Walsingham became the queen’s spy master.’
‘Some things never change. There are always connections within connections.’ She considered for a moment. ‘If I am not mistaken, Thomas Randolph’s late wife was a Walsingham. That would explain how his house came to be used as a prison.’
‘That and its location close to Paul’s Wharf.’
Even as she spoke, Rosamond caught sight of a party of men just starting up the hill. Throckmorton slumped as he walked between two others, as if he had taken a beating and needed the support they lent as they gripped his arms. They marched him straight into Thomas Randolph’s house. Williams, Sassetti, and Leveson also went inside.
‘Now what?’ Rob asked.
‘Now we continue to wait,’ Rosamond said. ‘If either Sassetti or Leveson comes out, we accost him and demand answers. If Williams appears first, we follow him.’ She was hoping the first to appear would be Henry Leveson.
It was not long before a lone man did emerge from the house. Lost in his own thoughts, Walter Williams walked right past three people he should have recognized and took not the least notice of any of them. Rosamond allowed him to establish a healthy lead before she set off in pursuit.