Robin would deliver them with letters of thanks. The young man now divided his time between the Gascoigne manor and John's house where he had a small room above the stables. It was an arrangement that suited both parties. Robin had a comfortable place to rest his head while in town and John had a reliable helper. He was writing a note to Sir Humphrey when the front door opened and his wife, Elizabeth, entered. She looked flustered.
'I've just been round to the almshouse.'
'Is anything wrong?'
'Yes. Mistress Vowell alerted me to it.'
'Who?'
'Richard Vowell's wife.'
'He's not married.'
'John, I'm talking about Betty ... the woman he lives with. She's a good soul and she's worried about Alice.'
Elizabeth went to the fire and sat down.
'We knew about Alice's reputation as a free thinker. It was one of the reasons she had to leave Shaftesbury. I thought I'd convinced her to keep her views to herself. I was evidently wrong. She's been talking to the townswomen.'
'Oh, my God!' John clasped a hand to his forehead.
'They are saying that she's told them they don't need priests and the Scriptures should be written in English ... all the things the Lollards are preaching.'
'Did you manage to speak to her?'
'Yes ... she says it's all a mistake. She was talking about baptising babies that have no chance of life. She told the midwives they didn't have to say the words in Latin ... English was good enough for the Lord.'
John Baret drew in a deep breath.
'She is treading a very thin line. With her reputation she can't afford to take risks. It would be appallingly easy to build a case against her. There are women who have been burnt for making concoctions of plants and muttering spells.'
'You're surely not suggesting that Alice is in league with the devil.'
'No. I'm saying it would be easy to build a case against her. She brews up medicines from the strangest looking things.'
John took a pair of scissors and cut the note to Sir Humphrey from his sheet of paper. The three neatly penned lines came away as a narrow strip which he folded as he continued to talk.
'Abbot Brunyng is confined to his bed and William Bradford is in charge. Bradford believes that Vowell is planning to install a font in All Hallows. If he hears that Alice is baptising babies he'll think she's behind it.'
'Is it true that they're planning to get their own font?'