The King’s Evil
From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood.A royal scandal that could change the face of England forever… London 1667. In the Court of Charles II, it’s a dangerous time to be alive – a wrong move could lead to disgrace, exile or death. The discovery of a murder at Clarendon House, the palatial home of one of the highest courtiers in the land, could have catastrophic consequences. James Marwood, a traitor’s son, is ordered to cover up the murder. But the dead man is Edward Alderley, the cousin of one of Marwood’s acquaintances. Cat Lovett had every reason to want her cousin dead. Since his murder, she has vanished, and all the evidence points to her as the killer. Marwood is determined to clear Cat’s name and discover who really killed Alderley. But time is running out for everyone. If he makes a mistake, it could threaten not only the government but the King himself…
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Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2019
Copyright © Andrew Taylor 2019
Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019
Cover illustrations © Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo and Shutterstock.com
Andrew Taylor asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Prelims show image of Clarendon House © Antiqua Print Gallery/Alamy Stock Photo
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008119188
Ebook Edition © April 2019 ISBN: 9780008119171
Version: 2019-02-28
For Caroline
To that soft Charm, that Spell, that Magick Bough,
That high Enchantment I betake me now:
And to that Hand (the Branch of Heavens faire Tree)
I kneele for help: O! lay that hand on me,
Adored Cesar! and my Faith is such,
I shall be heal’d, if that my King but touch.
The Evill is not Yours: my sorrow sings,
Mine is the Evill, but the Cure, the KINGS.
Robert Herrick, ‘To the King, to cure the Evill’
(Hesperides, 1648)
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
The Main Characters
The Royal Family
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
About the Author
By the same Author
About the Publisher
Infirmary Close, The Savoy
James Marwood, clerk to Joseph Williamson, and to the Board of Red Cloth
Margaret and Sam Witherdine, his servants
The Drawing Office, Henrietta Street
Simon Hakesby, surveyor and architect
‘Jane Hakesby’, his maid, formerly known as Catherine Lovett
Brennan, his draughtsman
Whitehall
King Charles II
James, Duke of York, his brother
Joseph Williamson, Undersecretary of State to Lord Arlington
William Chiffinch, Keeper of the King’s Private Closet
George Villiers, second Duke of Buckingham
John Knight, the King’s Surgeon General
Clarendon House
Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, the former Lord Chancellor of England
George Milcote, a gentleman of his household
Matthew Gorse, a servant
Others
Olivia, Lady Quincy, formerly Mistress Alderley
Stephen, her footboy
Mr Turner, a lawyer, of Barnard’s Inn
Mr Veal, of London
Roger, his servant
Rev Dr Burbrough, of Cambridge
Rev Richard Warley, of Cambridge
Mistress Warley, his grandmother
Frances, a child
Mr Mangot, of Woor Green
Israel Halmore, a refugee
HE COULD NOT help himself. In one fluid movement, he stepped back, twisting to present his side to the enemy. His right leg was slightly bent at the knee, the foot pointing towards danger. In that instant, he was perfectly poised, as his fencing master had taught him, ready to thrust in tierce, ready to spit the devil before him like a fowl for the roasting.
