Read Murder on High Holborn for Free Online Page A

Earl cut across him. ‘Luckily for us, their gunpowder expert blew himself up, and they are in urgent need of another. I am sure you know enough about the subject to pass muster.’
    Chaloner knew as much as anyone else who had operated artillery during the civil wars, but was a long way from being an authority on it. The Earl read the doubt in his face.
    ‘Do not worry about setting explosions. If you do your job properly, there will not be any – the villains will be under lock and key.’
    ‘I will try, sir,’ said Chaloner, wishing the Earl would let him decide how best to go about such matters. Unfortunately, he knew from experience that suggesting a wiser plan would not be well received, and that he would have to do what he was told. ‘Who are they this time?’
    ‘Fifth Monarchists. A very dangerous sect.’
    Chaloner was taken aback. ‘I thought they had been disbanded after their leaders were executed three years ago.’
    The Earl pursed his lips. ‘It will take more than a few beheadings to silence that gaggle of fanatics. They are very much alive and represent a serious threat.’
    ‘Do they?’ Chaloner sincerely doubted it. ‘I cannot imagine there are many of them – the notion of a “Fifth Monarchy” is very peculiar.’
    ‘That Christ will reign on Earth after the rise and fall of four kingdoms,’ mused the Earl. ‘Babylonia, Persia, Macedonia and Rome. They expected Him after the last king’s execution, and pestered Cromwell relentlessly about getting ready. They see the current regime as a hindrance to their designs, and Williamson says they aim to rebel against us in the very near future.’
    ‘Then why does he not send one of his own men to infiltrate them?’
    ‘All his spies are busy with the war,’ explained the Earl. ‘Besides, it will be easy for you – you can use your uncle’s name to ensure that you are accepted into their bosom.’
    Chaloner winced. His father’s brother had signed the old king’s death warrant, and fanatics and republicans of all denominations tended to revere his memory.
    ‘That will not work, sir. Too many people know I am employed by you.’
    ‘Then I shall dismiss you, and you can say you have been ill-used with a clear conscience. Do not look alarmed – you will be reinstated when you have put an end to their uprising. I shall say I ousted you because you lost the jewels and dispatches intended for the Tsar of Russia.’
    Chaloner was dismayed. ‘But I explained that, sir! They were locked in the forward hold, which was the first part of the ship to flood when she struck ice and sank. I did my best to rescue them, but it was impossible.’
    ‘Yes,’ said the Earl with exaggerated patience. ‘Your account has been verified in all its details by her captain. But we need some excuse to fall out, and this fits the bill perfectly. So do not mention to anyone else your herculean efforts to recover my property, or people will think me unreasonable.’
    ‘And we cannot have that,’ muttered Chaloner.
    ‘It will only be for a few days,’ said the Earl, cocking his head as he tried to hear what his intelligencer was mumbling. ‘After which we shall say there was a misunderstanding, and your reputation will be restored. And you will not have to fight these villains by yourself – you will have help from William Leving.’
    ‘Who is he?’ Chaloner was becoming increasingly alarmed. He liked working alone, and did not want assistance from someone he had never met.
    ‘A rebel who has seen the error of his ways. You see, a few months ago, a band of insurgents hatched what became known as the Northern Plot – a major uprising in Yorkshire and Cumberland. Leving was among them, and was captured when the venture failed. He was sentenced to hang, but Williamson “turned” him. Have you come across the expression?’
    Chaloner regarded him askance, wondering how the Earl could ask such a question of a man who had spent his entire adult life in