[Roger the Chapman 02] - The Plymouth Cloak Read Free Page B

panic stricken seconds, had been afraid that I was the selected messenger. But a moment of reflection soon allayed my fears. For such a mission it was necessary to employ a man who knew Brittany well and was familiar to its Duke. This could not apply to me who, at that time, had never left the country and knew nothing of life beyond seas. I muttered something indistinctly and hoped that Duke Richard would mistake it for enthusiasm.  
    He went on: 'The man chosen by His Grace, the King, for this extremely important errand is one known to us and one whom we have used before.' He unclasped his hands and got up abruptly, going to stand by the burnt-out fire, staring down into the embers. After a while, he said in a rasping lone: 'His name is Philip Underdown and I do not altogether trust him. He has an unsavoury past and therefore many enemies. My brother thinks I'm too nice, but I should prefer it if we did not have to use such people. But beggars can't be choosers, and the very nature of the work demands a certain deviousness of character not to be found among honest men. He raised his head and turned it once more in my direction. , As I said just now, there are many people who wish Philip Underdown harm, and it will be your job to ensure that he gets safely to Plymouth and see that he embarks on the ship waiting to carry him to Brittany.'  
    'But ... But why does Your Grace not send an armed escort with him?' I stuttered. 'Surely your soldiers are able to provide him with better protection than I can?'  
    The Duke smiled faintly as he returned to his chair; a smile which gently mocked my naivety. 'And advertise to every enemy agent that here is a King's messenger going on an important mission to the Breton court? Our purpose would be divined immediately, Duke Francis forewarned and his mind poisoned against our proposals before our messenger had even set foot on Breton soil. King Louis of France would see to that, even if Jasper Tudor and his adherents failed to do so. No; the King would prefer his letter to remain a secret until it is placed in Duke Francis's own hands, where he can read its contents without bias. So I want Philip Underdown protected until he is safely aboard the Falcon , which will be waiting for him in Plymouth harbour the day after next. After that, your responsibility will be at an end and you may return here to collect your pack. It will be taken care of for you while you are away. You will leave this afternoon and spend the night at Buckfast Abbey, setting out again early tomorrow morning, which should allow you time enough to arrive in Plymouth before nightfall.' A sudden thought struck him and he asked with some anxiety: 'You can ride?'  
    A firm denial might have been my chance to extricate myself from a task which I was beginning to view with the deepest dismay and apprehension. But honesty, together with the feeling that God had, for some particular reason, singled me out for this mission, forced me to admit: 'A little. I used to ride the plough horses when I was a lad, either with or without the ploughman's permission.'  
    The Duke laughed. 'In that case, we must find you a nice quiet mount for your journey and hope that the experience doesn't prove too painful.' He rose to his feet, walked across to the door and opened it, speaking to someone outside for several minutes before coming back and sitting down again. 'Now, are there any questions you wish to ask me?'
    There were dozens, but the most burning was who exactly was threatening Philip Underdown? The Duke was unable to give a satisfactory answer.  
    'Maybe no one, or there may be several different sources of danger, as I have already hinted. There must be many people from his past life who wish him ill, and it would be naive to imagine that his work for my brother and myself during recent years has passed completely unnoticed. We ourselves are perfectly well aware of the identity of a number of foreign and Lancastrian agents working in