Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

Marta appeared less than twenty minutes after Karatine left.She brought flowers, books, sweets and greetings. She finds Grant deep in Cusper.Fifteenth century written by Oliphant.She wasn't used to him being so casual when he greeted her. "If your two sons were murdered by your brother-in-law, would you accept a handsome annuity from him?" "I think you're asking yourself," said Marta, as she put down the flowers she had brought and looked around at the vases already filled with flowers, which would suit them best. "Honestly, I think historians are crazy. Listen to this: Empress Doveig's behavior is incomprehensible: is she afraid of being forcibly removed from the Temple? It is not known whether she was simply tired of the solitary days at Westminster Abbey that led her to come to terms with her son's murderer. "

"Damn it!" said Marta, looking at him and guessing what he was thinking, holding a blue earthenware vase in one hand and a glass cylinder vase in the other. "Do you think historians really listen to what they're saying?" "Who is Queen Dovig?" "Elizabeth. Woodville. Wife of Edward IV." "Oh, yes. I played her. It was a small part, in the play Warwick the King Maker." "Of course I'm just a cop," Grant said. "Maybe I've never been in the right circles. Maybe I've met good people. Where on earth can I find a woman who doesn't care about the murderer of her two sons?"

"Greece, I think," said Marta, "in ancient Greece." "Even there I can't find a single example." "Or a madhouse, Elizabeth. Is Woodville showing signs of becoming an idiot?" "No one noticed, and she was queen for about twenty years." "This is clearly a farce, and I want you to understand," said Marta, as she worked her flowers, "that it was not a tragedy at all." Yes, I know he killed Edward and little Richard, but he did Fascinating stuff and my rheumatism doesn't allow me to live in a north facing sunny room. ""

Grant smiled, regaining his good humor. "Yes, of course. It's ridiculous as hell. It's heartless doggerel, not serious history. That's why historians surprise me. They don't seem to have a clue as to whether things could have turned out that way. They use history as a diorama; only flat characters stand against a detached background." "Maybe when you're digging through tattered records, you don't have time to understand people. I don't mean people in records, but human beings, in flesh and blood. And how they react to their environment." "How would you play her?" Grant asked, remembering that understanding people's motivations was Marta's thing.

"Who is playing?" "The woman who came out of the Temple for seven hundred marks a year and the right to court banquets, and befriended the murderer of her son." "I can't help it. There is no such woman outside the tragedy of Euripides or the prison. This woman can only be interpreted in a satirical way. She would be a good subject for satire, which is my current thinking. A pair of A satirical parody of an epic tragedy. Blank verse kind of thing. I'll have to try it someday, for an afternoon play or something. I hope you don't hate mimosas.It's strange, thinking about knowing you for so long, I know so little about your likes and dislikes.Who made up a woman who called herself a brother to the man who murdered her son? "

"Not out of thin air. Elizabeth Woodville did leave the Temple and accept money from Richard. The money was not just a promise, it was actually paid to her.Her daughters attended court banquets, and she wrote to her son, the son of her first marriage—asking him to come back from France and make up with Richard.Oliphant's explanation for this is that she was either frightened or forcibly dragged from the Temple (Have you ever heard of people dragging refugees from the Temple? People who did so were excommunicated- ─and Richard was always a good baby of the church), or she was bored with temple life. "

"Is this what makes you think things are weird?" "The obvious explanation was that the boys were alive and well. No one said they were dead at the time." Marta considered how to insert her mimosa. "Yes, of course. You said it wasn't mentioned in the death sentence. I mean, after Richard's death." Her eyes moved from the mimosa to the portrait on the table to Grant's face. "Then you think, you think really seriously, that Richard, as a policeman, had nothing to do with the boy's death." "I'm pretty sure they were alive and well when Henry arrived in London to take over the Tower of London. There's no point in explaining it, which he wouldn't make a big deal about if the boy disappeared. Can you think of any explanation? "

"No, of course not. It's pretty hard to explain. I've always taken it for granted that it was a big scandal. That should be one of the main charges against Richard.You and my curly lamb seem to be having a good time studying history.When I suggested doing some research into the past to pass the time, I never imagined that I would lead to a rewriting of history.That reminds me, Atlanta.Xue Jide is going to kill you. " "Kill me? I haven't even seen her before." "But she's coming to you with a gun anyway. She said that Brant's addiction to the British Museum is like a drug addiction. She can't drag him out of the museum. Even if he leaves the place physically, his mind Still hovering over those things; so he doesn't care about her anymore. He can't even sit through Riding the Waves. Do you see him often?"

"He was here a few minutes before you came. But I don't think I'll hear from him for the next few days." About this he was wrong. Just before dinner the porter brought a telegram. Grant put his thumb under the flap of the post office's elegant self-adhesive envelope, opened it, and pulled out two telegrams.It was from Brandt. Damn, bastard, something terrible happened you know that latin chronicle I was talking about the chronicle written by the friars of Crollan I just read it and it did have rumors about the boy's death it was written by Yuri Cha died so we are ruined isn't it especially me and that good book of mine can't be written anymore can I kill myself in your river or your river only the British can use Brant the porter's mouth in the silence Said: "Here is the reply letter, sir, do you want to reply?"

"What? Oh, no. Not right away. I'll send it to you later." "Very well, sir," said the porter, looking with respect at the two telegrams--in the porter's house they were limited to one sheet of paper--and he left, this time without whistling. The telegram was transatlantic extravagance.Thinking of the new news delivered in such an extravagant manner, Grant couldn't help reading it again. "Crowland," he said, thinking.Why do you seem to think of something? So far no one has mentioned Croland in this case.Caratine only said that it was a chronicle written by a monk somewhere.

It's all too often in his line of work.A discouraging fact emerges that apparently destroys all the original assumptions of the case.He faced it with the usual reaction of investigative work.He scrutinized the depressing fact.Calmly, fairly, without any of poor Carradine's bewilderment. "Crowland," he said again.Croland somewhere in Cambridgeshire, or in Norfolk?Still somewhere on the border of this flat country. Dwarf Melon brought in the supper and put the platter where he could eat comfortably, but he didn't notice her. "Is it convenient for you to get your cloth from here?" she asked.He didn't answer. Then she asked again: "Mr. Grant, would you have your pudding handy if I put it over here?" "Elly!" he yelled at her. "What?" "Eli." He said softly to the ceiling. "Mr. Grant, are you unwell?" Only then did he come to his senses, and found that the little winter melon's carefully powdered and worried face was lying between him and the familiar crack in the ceiling. "I'm fine, fine. I've never been better in my life. Wait a minute, girl, send me a telegram. Get my writing paper, the pudding is in the way." She gave him paper and pencil, and wrote on the telegram reply: Can you find the same rumor for me in France at about the same time? Grant then ate his supper with a good appetite and was ready for a good night's sleep.As he floated comfortably on the halfway point of losing consciousness, he suddenly found someone leaning over to watch him.He opened his eyes to see who it could be, and he caught Amazon's anxious, longing brown eyes.In the soft light, her eyes looked larger, more like bull's eyes.She held a yellow envelope in her hand. "I don't know what to do," she said, "I don't want to bother you, but I don't know if it matters or not. It's a telegram, you know.You can't tell.If you don't watch it tonight, you're twelve hours late.Nurse Ingleham was off duty, so there was no one to help except Nurse Briger, who wasn't due until ten o'clock.Hope I didn't wake you up, but you're not really asleep, are you? " Grant assured her she was doing the right thing, and then she let out a huge sigh and nearly blew Richard's portrait down. She stood by while he read the telegram, as if ready to support him should he read some bad news.For Amazon, all telegrams are bad news. The telegram was sent by Carla Ding. The cable read: "You mean you're looking for another exact charge? Brandt" Grant picked up the paid reply form and wrote, "Yes, preferably in France." Then he said to Amazon: "You can turn off the lights, I think. I'm going to sleep until seven o'clock tomorrow morning." Just thinking about how long it will take to see Karatine, and how many rumors may make him not find the second one he wanted, he fell into a deep sleep. But Karadine appeared shortly thereafter, and looked as if she was going to die. In fact he does look weird.The coat, which had once been less of an accessory to him, now looked more like clothes.He looked at Grant brightly. "Mr Grant, you are a miracle. Is there anyone like you at Scotland Yard? Or are you special? " Grant looked at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me you found the French example!" "Didn't you ask me to look for it?" "Yes, but I don't have much hope, the chances of finding it are too small. What form are the French rumors in? Chronicle or letter? " "No, something more astonishing. Something more bewildering, in fact. It appears that the Prime Minister of France mentioned the rumor in Tours' address to Parliament. He was quite eloquent about it, And his brilliant tongue, in a way, brought me a little comfort." "Why?" "To me, that sounds like a senator scrambling to justify an administration that's unpopular with folks. More politics than policy, if you know what I mean." "You should have been a cop, Brant. What did the Prime Minister say?" "Well, it's French and my French isn't very good, maybe you should read it yourself." He handed over a piece of paper with childish handwriting on it, and Grant read: Let you and I pray together that the situation in this country will not deteriorate after the death of King Edward's son.Think about it, his mature and brave child was slaughtered recklessly, and the crown fell into the murderer's hands driven by public opinion. "'This country,'" Grant said, "and then he shed blood against England. He even went so far as to say that the boy's "massacre" was the will of the British people.We are said to be a barbarian people. " "Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. It's like a congressman's quibble. In fact, the French Regency had sent envoys to Richard about six months later in the same year - so they presumably had discovered that the rumors were not true.Richard also signed a security clause for their visit.If the French still slandered him as a murderer, Richard probably wouldn't do that. " "Yes, can you give me the dates of these two defamation cases?" "Certainly. Here, the record of the incident by the monks of Croland was written in the late summer of 1483. He said there were rumors that the boy had been murdered, but no one knew how.The harsh attack on Richard in the French Parliament took place in January 1484. " "Perfect," Grant said. "Why would it occur to you to find another instance of this rumor?" "Just to be sure. Do you know where Croland is?" "I know, in Fensixiang." "In Fernsick, near Ely. And Morton's been hiding here since Buckingham." "Morton! Yes, of course." "If Morton was a rumourer, the same rumors would break out there when he escaped to the Continent. Morton fled from England to France in the autumn of 1483, and the rumors in 1484 Immediately in January 2009. As it happens, Crowland is a very isolated place; perfect for a fugitive bishop to hide until he can arrange transportation abroad." "Morton!" Carradine called again, murmuring the name incessantly. "Wherever there is deceit in this affair, there is Morton." "You found out too." "Before Richard came to the throne, he was the main messenger who harmed Richard; after Richard took the throne, he was the black hand behind the rebel group; after he went to the European continent, he still did not forget to engage in subversive work." "No—however, this last one is only speculative and not eligible to be brought to court. However, after he crossed the English Channel, he really did a round-the-clock subversive work. He and his accomplice Christopher Husband. Erswick courted Henry like a dog; circulated black letters all day and sent people to England to arouse the people's hostility against Richard." "Really? I don't know as much as you do about what goes to court and what doesn't, but your last line of reasoning seems to me to be quite reasonable--if you'll let me put it that way. I think Morton will not wait until he is abroad to start his work of sabotage." "No, of course he won't. Getting Richard out is a matter of life and death for Morton. If Richard doesn't step down, Morton's career is over, all over.It's not a question of him not being promoted, he's got nothing.He will lose his rich life and be reduced to an ordinary monk.Him, John.Morton. He had almost been made archbishop.But if he can help Henry.When Tudor came to the throne, he could be Archbishop of Canterbury, and he could also be a Cardinal.Oh yes, so it was extremely important to Morton that Richard not be allowed to govern England. " "Then," said Brant, "he's the perfect man for subversion. I suppose he has no taboo, and a little rumor like killing a child is nothing more than a trick to him." "Of course, there's always the possibility that he really believed it was happening," said Grant, whose habit of weighing the evidence overcame his dissatisfaction with Morton. "Believe the boy was really murdered?" "Yes, maybe someone else made it up. After all, this country must have been full of Lancastrian stories of all sorts, some malicious slander, some propaganda. He may have just overheard one of them." one of." "Ha! I'm not going to give him an excuse for future murders," said Brant bitterly. Grant smiled. "As for that, neither would I," he said. "What else did you get from the monks in Croland?" "And a little consolation. After I sent you that panic-stricken telegram, I found that his words were not regarded as classics. He just spread the gossip he brought from outside. For example, he said that Richard held the first meeting in York. The second coronation; that's certainly not true. If he can get the known fact of the coronation wrong, then of course his statement is not to be believed. But he does know the Act of Kings, by the way. He also recorded the whole gist , including Ms. Elena." "Funny. Even the monks in Crowland have heard who Edward once married." "Yes, Saint Moore must have taken great pains to conceive Elizabeth afterwards. Lucy's business. " "Not to mention the untold story that Richard humiliated his mother to put himself on the throne." "What?" "He said that Richard claimed that Edward and George had been born to his mother and another man, so that he, Richard, was the only legitimate son and therefore the only legitimate heir to the throne." "Saint Moore should think of a more convincing one." Carradine said coldly. "Yes, especially when Richard was living at his mother's house." "Yeah, I forgot. I don't have the brains to be a cop. Very funny, you said Morton was a rumour-bearer, but the rumours should have turned up elsewhere, shouldn't they?" "Of course it's possible, but I can assure you it didn't show up elsewhere. I never believed the boy's disappearance was a national rumor." "Why not?" "I have an irrefutable reason. If there had been national disquiet, if there had been any apparent subversive action, Richard would have acted at once to prevent it. When later he wanted to marry his niece Elizabeth, sister of two boys The rumours, he was on the lookout for them like a hawk, and not only did he send strongly worded letters to the towns denying the rumours, but he was so outraged (he obviously thought his reputation was important) that he summoned London to important people gathered in the largest lecture hall he could find (so that he could call them together at the same time) and tell them face-to-face what he thought of the scandal." "Yes, of course you're right. Richard would publicly deny the rumor, as he would if it were national. After all, it's a worse rumor than marrying his niece." "Yes, actually marrying one's niece was exempt at the time, and probably still is, as far as I know. It's not my business at the police station. Surely, if Richard took so much trouble to Refuting the marriage rumors, he must have put more effort into stopping the murder rumors, if they existed. The conclusion is so obvious that no rumors about the boy's disappearance or murder were spread across the country at all. " "Just a little commotion in Finn and France." "It was nothing more than a small commotion in Finn and France. There was nothing to suggest that the boy's safety was concerned. What I mean is: the police will observe whether the suspect behaves abnormally during the investigation.Why did Mr. X usually go to the movies on Thursday night, but why did he decide not to go that night?Why did Mr. Y tear off the reply slip as usual but not use it abnormally?things like that.But in the brief period between Richard's accession to his death in battle, everyone behaved normally.The mother of the two boys left the temple to make peace with Richard.Her daughter resumed her social life.Boys should continue their studies interrupted by their father's death.Their young cousin had a seat in Parliament and was so important that the people of Yorktown would write to them.Everything was fairly normal and peaceful, everyone was doing what they normally did, there was no sign that a needless murder had just occurred in the family not so long ago. " "Looks like I might still be able to write the book, Mr. Grant." "Of course you will. You will not only exonerate Richard, but also Elizabeth Woodville, and let it be known that she did not forgive her son's murderer for seven hundred marks and petty profits. " "Of course, I can't just write the book and leave it in that fog. At least I have to find out what happened to the two boys." "You will do it." From a small cirrus cloud over the Thames Carradine's tender eyes came back to Grant with a questioning expression. "Why that tone of voice?" he asked. "Why do you look so sure?" "I used the usual police reasoning process during the days when I waited for you to reappear without much progress." "The reasoning process?" "Yes, the beneficiary kind. We found out that the boy's death did Richard no good at all. So we continued to check to see who was the beneficiary in this case.Then came the Act of King Power. " "What does the Crown Bill have to do with murder?" "Henry VII married Elizabeth, the boy's sister." "yes." "Use this to make the York family compromise and put him on the throne." "yes." "Only by abolishing the Crown Act can Elizabeth become the legal heir." "certainly." "But legitimizing the children naturally made the two boys the preferred heirs over Elizabeth. In fact, repealing the Crown Act would have made the older of the two boys King of England. " Caratine clicked his tongue, and his eyes gleamed with joy behind the horn-rimmed glasses. "So," said Grant, "I suggest that we follow this line of reasoning." "Of course, what do you want?" "I want to know more about the part of Terry's plea. But first and foremost, I want to know what the people involved did. What happened to them; it's not what someone said about someone. Like the last time we looked into the issue of Richard inheriting after Edward fell to his death. " "Okay, what do you want to know?" "I want to know what happened to all the heirs of York, who were alive and well and rich when Richard was in power. Every single one of them. Can you help me?" "Of course, that's basic." "And I'd love to know more about Terry. I mean who he is, who he is, what he's done." "I'll do it." Carla stood up, looking as if fully charged, and Grant thought for a moment that he was about to button his coat. "Mr. Grant, I want to thank you very much for--all of this." "This fun game?" "When your feet are free, I will—I will—I will show you around the Tower of London." "Stop rowing to Greenwich, islanders like us have a passion for sailing." "How long before they think you can get out of bed, you know?" "I'll probably be out of bed before you come back with news of the heir and Terry."