Jonathan Digby > Quotes

“Truly, abundance rather than want causes stinginess.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Traitor in Paris

“insult.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“looked”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“jutted”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“He jumped up eagerly when I asked him to row me to Queenhithe, his natural good nature getting the better of any fatigue he might still be feeling from his ordeal at the warehouse two night’s previously. I was glad of the company, as the task I had in mind involved visiting some unknown back streets in darkness and I didn’t much fancy the prospect of exploring them on my own. Matthew said little as he got into the rhythm of rowing, choosing instead to grunt in acknowledgement occasionally as I told him about my visit to Walsingham’s and what had transpired there. He looked concerned when I told him that Walsingham wanted me to infiltrate Hardwick’s household and paused his rowing, the boat bobbing gently on the ice-cold water.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“At the centre of all negotiation is their captain, a stout man of thirty with ruddy cheeks, sharp black eyes and the reddest hair I have ever seen upon a man, from the hair on the top of his head to the whiskers on his chin. Alphonse immediately christened him Diabo Vermehlo, the red devil. His God- given name is Christopher Hardwick.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“Deptford was a small town on the south bank of the Thames, given elevated status by virtue of the fact that the Royal Docks had been built there in the time of King Henry, Elizabeth’s father. The town nestled right up against the river bank but, rising beyond it, could be seen the rigging and masts of great ships in the harbour. The tilt-boat dropped us at the Upper Watergate, a few hundred yards north of the dock, which meant that we had to scramble through the narrow streets around the port to reach it. This, and getting caught up in the unloading process, meant that Karl Würtembatter had made a good start on us by the time we eventually reached the ships.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“By now we were deep into the far reaches of the night and, despite the fire, the cold had taken a firm grip on the room. Walsingham and my brother were both afforded the luxury of deep upholstered armchairs, whilst my hard, fussily carved wooden chair offered no protection at all and even lacked a cushion. I shifted uncomfortably, trying to find some solace for my numb limbs, but also buying a bit of time before answering the direct question that Walsingham had put to me.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“unwelcome”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“angels,”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“Don Alphonse’s trading networks enabled him to have contact with a number of countries and individuals that we would consider undesirable, although in the interest of our nation’s wealth, and intelligence, we turned a blind eye. He, naturally, had strong connections with Mediterranean and Spanish markets, many of which are Roman Catholic and do not accept the legality of a Protestant Queen on the throne of England. Nevertheless, as I have always believed, trade is the bedrock of a nation and these links will inevitably make us stronger in the future.’ Another pause for a productive cough, the result of which was washed down with more medicine. I wondered nervously when he was going to get to the point.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“conyman’s”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“house,”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“each”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“I had been squeezed into that damp, cramped space for about half an hour when I became aware of the first sounds of activity in Hardwick’s study. I quickly snuffed out the candle I’d been using to scan through the letters taken from the box, whilst trying my best not to set fire to them in that hampered space. I hadn’t got very far but I’d already discovered some interesting titbits, whetting my appetite for further study – creaking floorboards a few feet away told me that now was not the moment.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“pricking”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“nasal”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“At first, I wondered what had woken me but then heard a rumbling noise coming along the path outside the huts. A quick glance through the smoke-hole in the ceiling told me that dawn was just breaking. The fire had burned out and there was no giveaway smoke rising through the hole.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“We were sitting at the long oak table, crystal glasses in hand, the tapestries on the wall dancing to the shadows of a newly lit fire and making strange patterns with the scarring on the black man’s face. Once I had managed to convince Cassangoe that I posed no threat he proved to be a surprisingly genial host. A bottle of Sicilian wine had been produced from ‘Don Alphonse’s supplies’ and every amenity made for my comfort, including a rub down for my sore back, which I was reliably informed looked ‘as ravished as a priest’s arse’. At least the poker had been put to its proper use and we were sitting in relative warmth.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“As distant church bells sounded three o’clock, I was perched precariously on the apex of the pitched roof of Don Alphonse’s warehouse. The temperature had dropped further with the fall of darkness, and a fog had rolled in from the Essex marshes, providing perfect cover for what I had in mind. The turgid stretch of water that constituted Lion’s Quay was bathed in mist, and silence, save the occasional sound of ice lapping against wooden piers and the creaks and thuds of the boats rocking in the dock.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“dizziness”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“You must understand that Don Alphonse felt unable to put names to these allegations. Even the source was described only as a ‘trusted friend’, who had boarded one of his ships in the Canary Islands. The ship had been part of a fleet sailing from the coast of Guinea in January with a cargo of textiles, palm oil, millet and the prized commodity of Ivory. The fleet had then journeyed to the Canary Islands, where it picked up Don Alphonse’s source, before sailing along the North African coast, where it stopped to exchange goods for saltpetre, an essential ingredient of gunpowder as you must be well aware, Master Lovat, at a Moroccan port. The ships then sailed past the hostile waters of Spain and thence to Plymouth via the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“across”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“Bishopsgate”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“hammerings”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“It appeared that he wasn’t about to say anything to either confirm of deny my accusation and it was only when Robert prompted him that he began to speak. His usual deliberate manner was in evidence, but there was something added to his words – the legal tone that had been his education before going into service. Apart from the odd Latin flourish, I had never heard him speaking in this way before and it added a, hitherto only briefly glimpsed, obduracy to his bent frame.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“Then two things happened in quick succession to bring me back into his sphere. My father, whose health had long been threatened by his excessive way of life, died suddenly. His death left me with a mixture of profound grief, and fear of what was to become of me. Despite his indulgences, his acceptance did not extend to anything by way of an inheritance, apart from a small bequest of money and the few items from the house that I now treasured as my prized possessions, most of which I had simply taken without asking. I knew I could expect little else. As a bastard, according to the laws of the land, I could legally neither own nor inherit property, or marry into it. My prospects seemed bleak.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“My first meeting with Hardwick had not got off to the most auspicious of starts. It looked as though he was going to turn me out on my ear before I’d even had a tour of the house. To say the very least, his manner was hostile. Thank goodness that he had no idea of the impact that my arrival had just had on his wife. My first impression of him was that he was capable of anything, including setting up my brother and murdering Don Alphonse.”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“with”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair

“threw”
― Jonathan Digby, A Murderous Affair