A Fine Madness by Alan Judd (best classic books TXT) 📕

dealing with sympathisers. Nobody, not even Sir Robert Cecil himself, could determine the truth of this and he was eventually freed. But by then prison had damaged him in body and mind. I examined his seized papers myself, after questioning him, and although I could reach no firm conclusion I believe his intention was as he described. He was no traitor.

He fell into trouble again more recently when the Venetian ambassador sent to him to test the Venetian ciphers. They thought him unequalled in deciphering, as he indeed he was, but this time their ciphers defeated him, a defeat he attributed to his near-blindness and his long disuse of the Italian language. Also, he was denied access in prison to his records, in absence of which he revealed the cipher key to another prisoner sent to read for him. The ambassador protested and it was determined he should remain in prison, despite the ambassador later saying he had dealt sincerely with them and should have been paid for his services. He did similar work for us, of course, but never was he paid.

Following my questioning of him, as Your Grace will know from previous correspondence, I petitioned for his release on the ground that the laws did not allow his close confinement any longer. My efforts carried little weight but when Your Grace saw fit to endorse the petition it was graciously granted by His Majesty, though not until this year. It is with sadness that I confess I do not yet know whether he lived to be released into the arms of his good wife. To be sure, if he was released, he did not live long. His widow, Mary, is a worthy woman who for many years worked hard to sustain their affairs. She is a loyal subject, of good faith, and now she has none to support her. Your Grace will I hope permit me to petition for a small pension for her in hopes that His Majesty, counselled by Your Grace, will look upon it with favour. His faults notwithstanding, Thomas Phelippes did the state some service.

I am, Sir, Your Obedient servant…

More from the Author

Accidental Agent

Shakespeare's Sword

Deep Blue

Slipstream

Short of Glory

Tango

Also by Alan Judd

FICTION

A Breed of Heroes

Short of Glory

The Noonday Devil

Tango

The Devil’s Own Work

Legacy

The Kaiser’s Last Kiss

Dancing with Eva

Uncommon Enemy

Inside Enemy

Slipstream

Deep Blue

Shakespeare’s Sword

Accidental Agent

NON-FICTION

Ford Madox Ford (biography)

The Quest for C: Mansfield Cumming and

the Founding of the Secret Service (biography)

First World War Poets (with David Crane)

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First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2021

Copyright © Alan Judd, 2021

The right of Alan Judd to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4711-8021-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-4711-8023-1

Audio ISBN: 978-1-4711-8162-7

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.