Free A Conspiracy of Violence by Susanna Gregory Page A

various foreign powers,’ she explained, ‘and Downing
     was an ambassador to the Dutch. Therefore, being seen conferring with John is a good thing at the moment, because it means
     Downing is providing a vital service in the government. But we were talking about why Downing detests
you
.’
    ‘Probably because of Metje de Haas,’ he said, to lead her away from politics.
    ‘Who is she?’
    ‘His daughter’s governess, whom I helped to evade his charms. He never did catch her.’
    Sarah gave a grin that was at odds with her haughty demeanour. ‘Good. I do not like to think of women violated by those fat,
     pawing hands. Where is she now? Holland? Or is she one of the secret Parliamentarians he dismissed when he returned to London?’
    Chaloner saw no reason not to talk about Metje. It was safer than discussing whether the powerful Downing was a good Royalist.
     He glanced to where Thurloe leaned towards the portly diplomat, listening to a whispered monologue, and wished he would hurry
     up, so Sarah would stop trying to interrogate him. ‘She is in the service of William North the jeweller – a companion to his
     daughter.’
    ‘You mean Temperance?’ asked Sarah, her face alight with sudden pleasure. ‘I know her! She and her family came from Ely, just
     after the Restoration. We used to meet in St Paul’s Cathedral and explore the traders’ booths together, but then her father
     declared such places out of bounds, on the grounds that they sell ribbons – the kind of wicked fripperies that insult his
     Puritan sensibilities. We seldom see each other these days, which is a pity. I suppose he hired this Metje because Temperance
     was lonely after the ban on shopping. Do you still see Metje?’
    He changed the subject, thinking it none of her affair. ‘Your husband is a merchant?’
    ‘He is John Dalton.’ She looked at him in a way that indicated the name should be familiar, and sighed when she saw it was
     not. ‘After the wars, he made his fortune in wine. This means he has the favour of the King, whose Court consumes rather a
     lot of it. Because the Kingapproves of him, Downing is attempting to befriend him, too, although both are finding the process a sore trial.’
    ‘Is your husband a difficult man to like, then?’
    She glanced sharply at him, and he sensed he had hit a nerve. ‘He can be awkward, but so are most men. I wish he were a handsome
     young soldier, but we cannot choose what we want in this life, and so must make do with what we are given. Do you really speak
     Dutch like a native?’
    ‘Metje thinks I sound German, but that is preferable to an Englishman, given that we are on the brink of war with Holland.’
    ‘On the brink of war?’ she echoed in disbelief. ‘We are not!’
    Chaloner shook his head slowly, wondering why so many affluent Londoners were unwilling to see the truth – unlike the poor,
     who seemed almost eager for the conflict. Personally, he considered the looming Dutch crisis a serious problem, and was more
     than happy to talk about it – and if she passed his concerns to her husband, then so much the better. ‘We will be fighting
     within three years unless someone takes steps to stop it. We would be fools to challenge the Dutch – they have more ships,
     a navy in which men are actually paid, and better resources. We cannot afford to take them on.’
    But she was not particularly interested, and her expression became mischievous as she thought of another question. ‘Did you
     really say malicious things in Dutch when Downing was actually present?’
    ‘Of course not. That would have been the height of bad manners.’
    She seemed disappointed. ‘Well, you should not takehis malice to heart. He hates everyone, and the feeling is wholly reciprocated. I think he was despised
before
March, but what he did to those regicides earlier this year was despicable – discovering their hiding places in Holland,
     and dragging them back to be hanged and quartered. What