Francis Swift, the uninherited second son of Viscount Darlington, was unwilling to endure the humiliation of being "sheltered" by his brother to obtain a worry-free life. However, he was a pure Roman Catholic in his faith. Because this is the north, it is the cornerstone of Catholicism for religious belief in the fierce struggle with King Henry VIII and the royal family of the South.

This situation would continue until the 1569 rebellion of the nobility under Elizabeth I. However, it is now 33 years before Queen Elizabeth I came to power, and even Isabel Walton, who came from later generations, has little power to change the sacred status of the Pope and the Holy See in the hearts of the people.

When Francis heard a vicious remark thrown by the leader of the Black Friars, he was shocked. Raising his head and looking up at the advisor standing in front of him, he muttered, "Your Excellency, you are... What do you mean? ”

The performance of the viscount's second son was something Isabel expected. Immediately, she softened her tone: "Don't worry, Francis. Now, I'm just talking to you about who's the most suspicious whistleblower, right? ”

"Your Excellency, you don't suspect that Father Thomas is an informer, do you?" Francis felt that after he had said this, he needed to go to the confessional room of the church and confess to the priest.

Isabel looked him tightly in the eye and whispered, "For ordinary people, this may be a whistleblower." But for the priest, this is a kind of salvation for the soul of His Highness, what do you think? ”

"Your Excellency, I... I ......"

"Francis, you are an elite knight of the Black Friars. When you became a Black Friar, your sins were enough to send you to purgatory several times. ”

Francis hurriedly stood up, knelt on one leg in front of Isabel and bowed his head slightly, and said, "Your Excellency, please forgive me for my piety, cowardice, and repentant heart before Jesus Christ. ”

Isabel shook her head, took a sip of ale, and said, "Get up and sit down, Black Friar." ”

After Francis sat down again, she pushed the glass of ale towards his hand, "Drink some, in fact, we are already sinners who should go to purgatory to redeem our souls, aren't we?" ”

"Your Excellency, for the sake of treasure, for the sake of making my life more comfortable, I can rob the greedy clergy, I can loot the rich churches, and even kill every clergyman who stands in my way. But why do you suspect Father Thomas? Wouldn't anyone else betray Your Highness, you, and Sir Augustine? Francis said earnestly after taking a sip of ale to calm down.

Isabel smiled and shook her head: "I want to ask you a question, do the others refer to His Highness's retainers, guards, sergeants, servants, tenant farmers, as well as officials of all levels in the county, gentlemen, and yoman?" ”

Francis nodded, only to hear her say again: "These people, including you, me, and the Black Friars, need to hide in the guards, do they need to be protected by His Highness's territory or property?" ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, and a portion of the annual honorarium of the Black Friars."

"Do you think it is possible that one of these people accepts an astonishing gratuity from Lord Northumberland, which may amount to between £50 and £100, and asks him to give a detailed account of His Highness, me, and Sir and I?"

"Well, it's entirely possible." Francis is quite sure.

"Good. Let me ask you again, will this person be worried that one day someone will find out about the fact that he has received an honorarium? In Isabel's mind, she was about to treat a 16th-century Catholic priest as a double agent.

Francis took a silent sip of ale and said, "He will, after all, it's a matter of selling your soul to a demon." ”

"When his criminal deeds were discovered, did he dare to boldly say in front of others that he was completely loyal to His Highness? Francis, he can't bear this torture of the soul. ”

"Your Excellency, you say... That's right. At least in the case of His Highness's retainers, guards, or servants, I don't see anything different from the original. ”

At the moment, Isabel is not yet in a position to engage Father Thomas directly in a full-scale and fierce battle. If she took the initiative to attack the priest, she would be reproached by many people except the county governor, the Duke of Richmond. This is a very unwise and foolish move in the current political environment in which Henry VIII intends to weaken the power of the county governor and increase the power of the local officials.

Just as Father Thomas had paid for two mercenaries to kill her the year before, she could only use the power of the Bishop of York, where Richmondshire is located, against the priest. It makes sense that she should, but this year's situation is very different from previous years.

With the impending rebellion of the northern nobility, she very much wanted Father Thomas to join the ranks of the king in petitioning the king. Only then could she rightly hang the noose from the Gallows around the priest's neck, leaving him to turn away from his Lord Jesus Christ in agony amid a curse. If the rebellion failed, if the priest had fled to Europe, she would certainly not have allowed the priest to leave the territory of the Kingdom of England with impunity.

Isabel smiled lightly and said, "Francis, although Father Thomas is the most suspicious, I will not do anything to Father Thomas. I only hope that the priest will keep this secret forever. ”

Francis looked at her in surprise and whispered, "Your Excellency, then what is the purpose ......of your coming to me?"

"You can find a Black Friar for me to test the priest's opinion on this assassination."

"And then?"

"I just want to find evidence that the priest has not snitched Lord Northumberland. If not, it's the best thing to do. ”

"Well, Your Excellency, I'll do my best to do that."

Isabel looked a little strange at him and asked, "Francis, you don't want to complete this task for me, do you?" ”

Francis looked at her calmly: "Your Excellency, I hope you are right in this matter. ”

Today's lunch, Isabel ate at the 2nd Guards Servant station. In the afternoon, when the sun rose, many of the guards followed her and Francis to the school grounds of Nottingham Castle to watch the game. In the eyes of many people, the position of governor of the security army is still very eye-catching. Because this subordinate position of the county magistrate has many advantages to be taken in many cases.

When I came to the castle campus, there were already a lot of onlookers gathered outside the venue. The contest was attended not only by the duke's guards, but also by many skilled knights from the security patrol. Of course, many of these participants were members of the Black Friars.

It so happened that at this time, a small cavalry contingent came from the direction of Darlington Castle. Two would-be knights opened the way in front, two would-be knights in the back, and Miss Carolyn Swift, the eldest daughter of Viscount Darlington, dressed as a knight, rode happily in the middle of the procession.