Page 25 of Traitors Gate

‘Yes, sir,’ said Peter. ‘Has anyone ever tried to steal the Crown Jewels?’

‘Yes, in 1671, an attempt was made by an audacious rogue called Colonel Blood, but fortunately he didn’t succeed, and no one has attempted to steal them since.’

‘Was he beheaded?’ asked Peter.

‘No. He was pardoned by the King and released from the Tower after only a month, which has puzzled historians ever since.’

Artemisia looked across at her brother, and he nodded.

‘Of course,’ continued the Governor, who’d missed the exchange, ‘the Jewel House also contains several other treasures, including the orb and sceptre, a solid gold christening font, and enough gold plates to serve a royal banquet. However, they are only ever brought out for state occasions,but can always be viewed by the public, which is why the Tower remains one of the nation’s most popular tourist attractions.’

‘Can I have an ice cream, please?’ asked Jojo.

‘You most certainly can,’ said the Governor before William could respond. ‘Because the Tower now has its own ice cream parlour, even though William the Conqueror wouldn’t have known what an ice cream was!’

Without another word, he led his guests out of the Jewel House and took them to a little shop discreetly hidden behind the Great Tower, where Peter took more interest in a couple of large black birds that were perched on a ledge above them.

‘The ravens,’ said Peter in triumph, ‘who mustn’t be allowed to escape, or you’ll be beheaded.’

‘Despite the Duke of Wellington’s orders,’ said Artemisia.

‘You’re both right,’ said the Governor, ‘I quite forgot to tell you about the ravens who have been in situ since the seventeenth century, so play their own unique role in the history of the Tower.’

The two ravens looked studiously down at their Governor, almost as if they knew he was talking about them.

‘Who takes care of them?’ asked Jojo.

‘A ravenmaster,’ said the Governor. ‘A post that dates back to Charles II, who believed if there weren’t at least six ravens in the Tower at any one time, his kingdom would be overthrown.’

‘How many are there now?’ asked Artemisia.

‘Eight,’ came back the immediate reply. ‘Safety in numbers, as I have no desire to be beheaded.’

‘Why don’t they fly away?’ asked Jojo.

‘I have to admit,’ responded the Governor, ‘that their flight feathers have been trimmed, and the ravenmaster feeds themonly the choicest leftovers from Smithfield Market. That didn’t stop one of them flying off last year and ending up outside a well-known local pub! But as they didn’t have any choicest leftovers on the menu, he returned to the Tower the following morning,’ said the Governor as they arrived back at the public entrance.

‘Thank you, sir,’ said Peter, giving his host a slight bow, while Artemisia began to clap and Jojo continued to eat her ice cream.

‘You’ve been most generous with your time, general,’ said William. ‘And you can see how much the children have enjoyed the experience.’

‘I enjoyed it every bit as much as they did,’ confessed the Governor who handed Artemisia a short history of the Tower – ‘Just in case there’s something I forgot to tell you’ – before adding, ‘I’ll miss this place when I retire at the end of the year. But let’s hope we’ll meet again.’

‘Perhaps I could show you around the Black Museum,’ suggested William, ‘and tell you about the history of some of our more recent rogues, most of whom should have ended up in the Tower?’

‘That would be fun,’ he said, winking at the children before he shook hands once again with William.

On their way back to Tower Hill tube station, William asked what they would most remember about their visit.

‘The ravens,’ said Jojo, ‘and I’ll always leave something on my plate each night in case one of them comes to Fulham.’

‘And you, Artemisia?’

‘The 1937 Imperial State Crown,’ she said. ‘The Governor told us it was unique and irreplaceable.’

‘What does unique mean?’ asked Jojo.

‘There’s only one in the whole world,’ replied Artemisia.

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