Free The King's Man by Alison Stuart Page B

surprise in his voice.
    Thamsine rose to her feet and smoothed her rumpled skirts. She could think of no one who would be visiting her other than that awful man, Thurloe, and she had no wish to see him again.
    "Well, well, Lady Muck, this is quite a comedown, ain't it?"
    The shock of seeing Nan Marsh caused Thamsine to take two steps backward. She tripped over the stool and fell on to the narrow, flea-infested cot.
    Nan stood at the door, looking around her with a faintly bemused air. “So this is the Tower of London? I thought they'd throw you in a dungeon. You done all right for yourself."
    Thamsine buried her head in her hands. “Nan, what are you doing here?"
    "I thought a pleasant stroll in the Tower of London—what a stupid question!"
    "Hello, Thamsine.” May's head appeared around the door.
    Thamsine stared at them both in disbelief, as Nan set a basket down on the table with a thump and began unpacking it.
    "May and I reckons you might need a few things: clean linen, stockings, cloak, petticoat and bodice. Comb. Candle, tinder, flagon of wine and one of me pies, some bread and cheese and most importantly...” There was a jangle of coins as a purse landed on the bed beside Thamsine. “That's your earnings from t'other night. Jem were right peeved when those soldiers took you away. Thought you was a nice little earner."
    "You didn't have to do this.” Thamsine stared at the girls.
    "Nah, ye're right. No one made us do it but after all the bother you caused us, we had a bit of an investment in you."
    "Did you really hurl a brickbat at the Lord Protector?” May asked
    Thamsine nodded.
    "Why d'ya go and do a stupid thing like that?” Nan demanded.
    Thamsine looked from one twin to the other.
    "I needed a diversion,” she said. “I didn't stop to think what I was really doing."
    "A diversion? What from?” Nan looked incredulous. “Come on, Thamsine. I reckons you owe us your story."
    Thamsine shrugged. There seemed little point in keeping her silence.
    "I ran away from a man,” she said. “A man who wanted to marry me."
    "Well that's not such a bad thing in't it? I wish there was someone who wanted to marry me!” May said.
    "Not like this man. He is violent and vicious and his motives for wanting to marry me have nothing to do with love and everything to do with money."
    "Oh, so you have money then?” Nan's eyes narrowed.
    Thamsine gave a bitter laugh. “Yes, but when I marry it goes to my husband and until I marry it is controlled by my guardian who is the same man who thinks he has a right to marry me."
    "Same man?"
    "Same man!"
    May shook her head. “Sometimes I reckon it's best to be poor, then if a man marries you, you can think it's coz he likes you...” She sighed. “...or coz he got you in the family way."
    "So what happened?” Nan put in over her sister's musings.
    "He ... treated me badly."
    May's eyes widened. “He didn't...?"
    Thamsine grimaced as she took the girl's meaning. Of course he had tried; it had only been the chance intervention of another that had prevented it. “He tried to and he is capable of that and worse. He thought he could force me into marriage with him."
    "How d'ya get away?"
    Thamsine paled. “I shot him. I thought I'd killed him. I ran away to London to hide."
    "You didn't kill ‘im?"
    Thamsine shook her head. “No. I know I didn't kill him. He's here in London looking for me."
    "How'd you know that?"
    "I saw him in the crowd that day. That's why I threw the brickbat. If I hadn't, he would have caught me and then ... and then...” An unimaginable fate, far worse then her present predicament, loomed before her.
    May put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her.
    "Well I reckon you had as good a reason as any for throwing brickbats at Cromwell,” she said. “Have you told ‘em why you did it?"
    Thamsine shook her head. “I can't,” she said. “I would rather hang then go back to that man."
    Nan shrugged. “Well, that's your choice,” she said. “Are