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that his father’s desire to become a Christian had more to do with renting the farm than for religious reasons. And he’d been proved right. The new duke was no longer renting land to Jews.
    His father and mother hadn’t broken any laws, religious or otherwise. There were no Jewish Sabbath rituals. They didn’t attend any Jewish burials. No animal had been slaughtered in the Jewish manner – not in their house. No Jewish prayers were ever spoken, and the Torah … Well, he didn’t know where that book was.
    “My family are good Catholics,” David affirmed.
    Garcia spread his arms in a friendly gesture. “Yes, but it’s so difficult to know if that’s true, isn’t it? I believe you, of course, but words of fealty won’t be enough to appease the inquisitor. He’s like a dog with a pig’s leg bone, so I hear, thorough and determined to get to the truth once he suspects a person of heresy. I’ve heard that people have died under his torturous interrogations.”
    “Your Honour, with respect, what has the inquisitor to do with me and my family? Why am I here?” David asked, becoming angry.
    “I’ll tell you why you’re here in a moment. As for your family, they have nothing to do with the Inquisition, at this present time … but it would be shameful if they happened to come to the inquisitor’s attention in the future.”
    “My family have done nothing wrong. I can see no reason why the inquisitor would be interested in them.”
    Stroking his goatee, Garcia said, “One would like to think so. But there are bad people in every town, Sanz. It’s quite common nowadays for a person to falsely accuse another of heresy for the price of bread or to settle a feud. Some people enjoy inflicting ill on others. The world has always been this way, don’t you think?”
    “I assure you …”
    “Evil is everywhere,” Garcia continued, ignoring David’s protest. “Your family are recent conversos, are they not?”
    “We have been Christians for three years.”
    “So you are still adjusting to your new religion?”
    “We have adapted well and love Christ.”
    “Then you must know that to revert back to the Jewish way after baptism brings a heavy penalty – death in most cases?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good, good.” Garcia sighed. Rising from the chair, he sighed again, as though he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
    David stood like a statue, afraid to move, speak, or make a noise, swallowing the lump caught in his throat. He watched Garcia take a few steps towards him and then stop. Leaning nonchalantly against the front of the desk, Garcia stared at nothing in particular, but then his eyes bore into David, making the hairs on the back of his neck bristle.
    “Sanz, keep this to yourself,” Garcia said softly. “The duke is worried. He is a powerful man, but he holds no sway when it comes to Inquisition matters. He won’t be able to save any of his townspeople, should the inquisitor choose to investigate all of them … Have all members of your family been baptised? Do they have enemies?”
    “Yes, they have been baptised, and no, they have no enemies that I am aware of.” David swallowed uncomfortably and felt the first droplet of perspiration roll onto his eyelid. He dared to stare at Garcia and was bolder still when he refused to look away. David instinctively knew that he was facing a malicious character, and he had to admit that he was afraid.
    “Your Honour, what are my orders?” he asked, thinking that he had stood there long enough playing a game of cat and mouse, knowing that he was the mouse. Whatever the mission was, he wanted it to begin, just so he could get out of this chamber and away from Garcia …

 
    Chapter Five
     
    David hurried through the south-east gatehouse and stepped onto the castle’s main thoroughfare, which wound its way down the hill, through the town, and towards the open plain, leading to the coast. It was a well-trodden path, uneven with potholes