Courtesan of the Saints by Marina Oliver
*
He had not solved the puzzle when he was next at Cherry's house, at a gathering similar to the one when he had first been welcomed there. As Cherry, elegantly gowned in a deep red satin greeted him, he eyed her speculatively. What was the answer?
Dick Ashford was already there, and greeted Miles pleasantly. Miles wondered what his relationship with Cherry was, and what his reaction would be when he discovered her liaison with himself. This would have to be treated with caution, for he did not wish to arouse jealousies that would endanger his work.
Faithful Denham was there too, and scarcely returned Miles' greeting, seeming to be preoccupied with his own gloomy thoughts. But several other guests who had been there on the earlier occasion recognized Miles, and he was drawn into their conversations.
Most of the talk was to do with the affairs of the country. Miles attached himself to a group surrounding an elderly plainly dressed man, who was being listened to with a great deal of respect as he talked, gesticulating as he made his points.
'You ask by what right we rule?'
'Aye,' replied a slim, young man. 'You are not elected members, you do not represent all the people.'
'To be elected after the fashion of older times does not make a Parliament more fitted to govern. None of our past Parliaments have proved worthy or capable of doing that well.'
'Mayhap not, but they were more readily accepted, as the people had placed them in their position.'
'We too, unworthy though we regard ourselves, have been placed there too. We did not select ourselves. We were nominated by men of good faith. Mayhap that is a superior method of choosing the Members than the old way.'
'How much say did Oliver have in the nominations?' asked a third man.
'What of that? He is the only man strong enough to bring the Army and the Parliament together for the good of the whole country.' The Member paused, looking round the group. 'You do not think we are doing this for our own aggrandizement, as so many of the Rump were? We do not seek spoils. We protested at our unworthiness, and only accepted the task laid upon us as a duty. God must be served in many ways, and some of us have been called upon to serve Him in this way, in bringing the country back to the path of righteousness, in showing the people how to be holy. That is our divinely appointed task, and we will not shirk it, whatever calumnies are directed at us.'
'I do not question your reasons, not yet your intentions,' the young man replied. 'I but wonder whether the people will be willing to be ruled by you. There are stirrings already, in the west in particular.'
'There are always those disaffected under any rule. We shall seek them out. We have good warnings of the evil plots that abound, and will pounce when the time is right.'
'I trust so.' Cherry had joined the group. 'Do not leave it too late, I beg of you, Mr. Carver. I shudder whenever I hear of such plots, and think myself like to be murdered one dark night. I am afraid to go abroad even in the daytime when these rumours are rife.'
'Do not be concerned, dear lady. We have the matter well in hand, and methinks in but a few days you will know more,' Mr. Carver reassured her.
'Is it possible you will encourage more dissatisfaction by this?' the young man persisted. 'Already there are signs of restlessness, whispers of dictatorships.'
'Fie, Mr. Taunton. We are no dictators. We do not wish to maintain our rule. We look upon the next fifteen months of our Parliament as a time of toil and worry, not a delight to us. Do you not realize that at the end of that time, we are to choose another Parliament? None of us serving today will be overready to serve again. We all have our own businesses see to, and take on the present task out of our love of God, and our desire to make the country holy.'
The young man, Taunton, did not look entirely convinced, but he smiled and nodded.
'I am certain you will perform your tasks admirably, Mr. Carver,' Cherry said, and smiled around the group. They nodded in agreement. 'As for me,' she went on, 'if I had any choice in the matter at all, I would be content for people like you and Mr. Denham and Mr. Ashford to continue ruling us. It is only with strong men that I feel safe!'
'You are not safe from temptation, ever,' intoned Faithful, who had drifted across to the group. 'God seeks to entrap the unwary, those who do not watch their every action.'
'Then it is good we will have rulers who will point the temptations out to us, Mr. Denham. Come,' Cherry took his arm and moved away with him, 'I want to introduce you to Mistress Browne. She needs advice, and asked me if I could suggest a godly man to help her.'
Miles, suppressing a desire to laugh, turned to the young man beside him.
'We have not been introduced. Miles Talbot, sir.'
'John Taunton. I have not seen you here before?'
'No, 'tis but my second visit. I am newly back in England. Think you these plots are more serious this time? None until now have seemed to be more than the wild ravings of madmen, who think they can march on London with a few pikes, and have the citizens quaking with fear of them.'
Taunton laughed. 'Aye, that is all it has been till now, but this seems somewhat more. It centres on several ports in the west, and is widespread. That is what I mean when I say there is dissatisfaction, but people like Carver are so convinced of their rightness it is left to others to protect them and maintain them in their position.'
'Are you in the Army?' Miles asked.
'No. I am concerned with supplies to the Navy. That is how I come by my information.'
Dick Ashford joined them at that moment, and clapped Miles on the shoulder.
'Here, comrade, do not be drowned in serious talk! There is enough of that elsewhere without turning these evenings into minor Parliamentary meetings. Do you intend to go to Moorfields tomorrow? There is to be a display you must not miss. The Army has something special in mind for the drilling.'
'It is worth seeing?' Miles asked.
'Aye,' Mr. Taunton told him, looking more cheerful. 'They are most impressive to watch even on ordinary occasions, when they do but drill in their normal fashion, but I have seen marvellous displays of mock battles, and reconstructions of sieges. I shall most certainly be there. Will you join me?'
'I would be delighted.'
'Will you both dine with me beforehand, at the Mermaid in Cheap?' Dick asked, and so arrangements were made.
The rest of the evening passed very pleasantly. There was music for a while, and plentiful wine and delicious food. Miles was drawn into conversation with a group of merchants and their wives, and found himself being determinedly ogled by one of the younger wives, a girl of little more than twenty. She was, it transpired, married to an elderly man Miles had at first taken for her grandfather. She contrived to sit beside him in a narrow space, and pressed her leg against his more closely than the constricted space demanded. When he glanced at her, she was trying to appear unconcerned, but proved very ready to enter into conversation with him. Amused, he flirted mildly with her, and was not surprised when she mentioned casually that she lived in the next house to Cherry, and hoped he would call on her some day.
'My husband is usually so busy, he cannot spend as much time with me as we both would wish,' she simpered and Miles looked at her in disbelief, causing her to blush furiously as she read the expression in his eyes. 'He encourages me to entertain my friends,' she continued hurriedly. 'Cherry Weston is always popping in and out, as I am with her. I do hope you will call in when you are near.'
'I will certainly avail myself of your invitation,' he murmured, wondering to himself whether he would, for she was too insipid for his taste and too eager to make him notice her. He found himself comparing her with Cherry, who did not need to do more than appear in a room for everyone to be aware of her. I will visit her if it proves necessary for my mission, he found himself mentally promising, then realized he now had no such conditions in mind when he thought of visiting Cherry. He frowned. She was getting too great a hold on him, and that would be disastrous. He could not, in his way of life, a
'What are you thinking?' his flirtatious neighbor asked playfully.
'I was wondering what your name was,' he said unblushingly, and she giggled in delight.
'It is Anne Aston,' she told him.
'Anne,' he repeated softly, caressingly, and she looked down in confusion, and hurriedly began to talk of something else.
Soon, to Miles' secret relief Mr. Aston decided it was time for him to go, and he carried away his pouting wife who cast an appealing glance back at Miles as they left. Several others followed his lead, and within half an hour most of the guests had departed.
The few that remained were the younger set, Dick and Mr. Taunton, Miles, two young married couples and, to Miles' surprise, Faithful Denham, who sat himself determinedly by the fire where, in spite of its being midsummer, a small fire of logs glowed.
Cherry sat beside Mr. Taunton and engaged him in conversation, but they were too far away for Miles to overhear what they were saying, though he could see Taunton was flattered at the attention she was paying him. He glanced across at Dick, but he did not appear to be noticing, engrossed in conversation with one of the young husbands. Miles joined the other young guests, and they demanded he tell them about Flanders, as they had discovered he was recently there. He complied, and repeated his reasons for returning home. A heated discussion arose as to where he should look for a property, Oxfordshire and Kent being the favoured areas, but he laughingly said that he meant to travel a great deal before deciding.
Eventually, they broke up the party. Dick departed with one couple, and Taunton, reluctantly it seemed to Miles, prepared to accompany the others who were going in his direction.
'Mr. Denham comes your way too,' Cherry remarked casually. 'As for you, Mr. Talbot, you go quite the other way. You will have to take care, out alone at this time.'
Faithful seemed reluctant to go, but was cleverly managed by Cherry, who talked vivaciously as she unobtrusively moved with them to the front door. Faithful found himself walking away with the others, and Miles was alone with Cherry. She stood watching them until they turned the corner, and then stepped back into the house, making no attempt to wish him farewell, as he had made no attempt to remain outside.
'Would you care for a last glass of wine?' she asked, and laughed as he took her into his arms.
'Nectar is what I am going to have,' he told her, and led her into the bedroom, where, as before, the candle was already waiting.
They made love slowly, lingeringly, coming together with a fierce passion, and then lying contentedly together.
Cherry once more traced the line of the scar across his chest, and leant over him to kiss it.
'I feel safe with you,' she murmured. 'No talk of plots frightens me when you are here.'
'I do not think you need fear aught,' he said, wondering whether she really was afraid.
'Do you think 'tis all moonshine? Or are there really plotters working away against the government?'
'There are bound to be plots when many of the people resent the present rulers,' he said cautiously.
'That is what John Taunton says. He seems to know some details. It frightens me. Is he right?'
'I do not know what he does. Remember I have but recently returned here.'
She was winding one of his curls round her finger, and at this she smiled, and pulled it slightly.
'It was my fortune you did so while Robert was still in London,' she whispered, glancing through her lashes at him. 'What if we had never met? Who else might have introduced us? Have you other friends here, or are you completely alone?'
'I have a few acquaintances,' he said slowly. 'There are old friends I must look up. But I have been away so long, I fully expect most of them will have forgotten me.'
'Then, though I am sorry if it makes you feel lonely, I am pleased if it means you will have more time for me.'
'I shall give you no peace,' he promised, and tried to kiss her. She responded passionately at first, and then moved away.
'Tell me more about yourself. I know so little, and it torments me. I do not even know where you live, so if you desert me, I could not come in search of you!'
'What would you know of me? Is it not enough that I am here, you are here, and we have found one another?'
'It may be sufficient for you, but not for me, I wish to be able to imagine at any time of the day what you are doing, who you are with.'
'Might you not be jealous?' he teased, and she laughed.
'If you mean poor Anne Aston, by no means! She considers herself mightily wicked to flirt with a man in public, but I suspect that if one tried to as much as kiss her she would scream the house down.'
'You tempt me to assay it!'
'You have been warned! But I do not think you will. You are not the man to be attracted by her charms. No, I imagine you spending a deal of time talking politics with your friends in taverns, or riding, mayhap hunting or racing. Am I right?'
'You are always right,' he said evasively, and his slight suspicions hardened when she continued to ask questions.
'Do bring any friends you wish to invite to my gatherings. As Robert brought you. I welcome new faces.'
'I know that,' he told her, laughing, 'and 'tis a very good reason why I should not care to introduce a possible rival!'
'Miles!' she protested, laughing. 'Do you fear I am weary of you? Already? You must think me most inconstant if you fear to lose me so soon. I shall expect you to bring your friends now merely to prove you do not fear that!'
He laughed, and protested he was far from thinking so, but he was beginning to wonder at her persistence in trying to discover his friends. He admired her technique, and was highly suspicious that he was far from the first man she had questioned in such a way. What exactly was she doing? Was she one of the spies Parliament employed to track down the people disaffected with their rule? It was unusual for one such to work from so open a connection with the Parliamentarians, but it was certain the men responsible for intelligence would be expecting efforts to infiltrate such a group, as he was trying to do. Mayhap Cherry was one of the first lines of defence.
He did not have time to ponder this, for Cherry had begun to ask questions about his childhood home, and his family. Apart from concealing their exploits on the side of the Kings during the wars, he was able to tell her a great deal, amusing her with tales of his adventures as a boy. She responded with stories of her own girlhood, and they lay and talked for most of the night.
Cherry was equally puzzled. She had an instinctive feeling he was not the same as men like Dick Ashford, and was not in sympathy with her guests, but she could not analyse why. In some way she was afraid of him. It briefly crossed her mind to wonder if he was employed by Mr. Thurloe, who had six months before been put in charge of intelligence, and was spying on her. She well knew that under the influence of her wine and pleasant company her guests were more forthcoming than perhaps they should be. Were the authorities becoming anxious?
However, she dismissed such thoughts, and set herself to charm Miles, admitting to herself that for once it was exceptionally easy to forget everything, even Harry, who had been brought to mind so vividly when she first saw Miles. By this time she found no resemblance between the two men, Miles having driven all thoughts of Harry from her as she came to know him better.