The Last Howard Girl (Tudor Chronicles Book 3)

by Lesley Jepson

  ‘Dance with me, my Queen.’

  Elizabeth looked up from the conversation she had been having with Cecil and stood, shaking out her voluminous silver skirt. She smiled at Robert, eyes bright. ‘With the greatest of pleasure, my Lord,’ and she grasped his hand and allowed him to lead her to head of the line. Lettice fixed her eyes on her husband and made sure she had a smile on her own face as he bowed.

  ***

  When that dance was ended, the musicians struck up another tune, this one for a dance involving a change of partner. Robert began the dance with Elizabeth.

  ‘Have you enjoyed your birthday, my love?’

  ‘Oh, Robbie, it has been wonderful. You have surpassed yourself with the events today. The boats at the picnic were wonderful, and finding those fauns was an absolute delight. I think some of the ladies want to keep them as pets.’

  They turned in the dance, and came together again. ‘Then I am pleased you are pleased, my Bess. Your pleasure is all I ever want.’ He kissed her fingers as they turned and then found himself with another partner, his sister Kit Hastings.

  ‘Brother. You are well?’ Kit curtseyed as part of the dance, then moved towards him, taking his hand and turning.

  ‘Very well, Kit. Did you think I wasn’t?’ Robert bowed and took her hand, brow furrowed in question.

  ‘The ladies of the court talk of spilled wine and crushed goblets, Rob. That isn’t like you, and I was concerned.’ Kit dipped and swayed and came round behind Robert, catching his hand again.

  ‘It was nothing, Kit. A moment of irritation, no more.’ Robert smiled down at his sister and turned again.

  ‘Then you won’t be angry when you see who the Queen’s next partner is, Rob? Or at least, if you are, you will do well to hide it.’ Kit dipped again and danced towards him before moving along to her next partner. Robert raised his head above the throng to find where Elizabeth was dancing, a glittering figure in silver tissue with diamonds and rubies sparkling at her neck and in her hair. Preparing to dance with the Earl of Arran.

  ‘My Lord’

  Robert turned his head from seeing Elizabeth dance with the man the council were proposing she marry, to look at his next partner.

  ‘Countess! A joyous chance to further our acquaintance.’ Robert bowed to Lettice and she dipped a curtsey in return, taking his hand in the dance.

  ‘Has your dizziness passed, my Lady?’ Robert turned and then back again, dancing towards Lettice, who beamed at him.

  ‘Quite, my Lord. And it is a pleasure to dance again, and with someone of such skill.’ Lettice turned away, then caught Robert’s hand in the dance and looked up at him.

  ‘Skill in the dance, my Lady, is something a gentleman learns early in life.’ Robert smiled into Lettice’s eyes, and saw a glimmer of something in their depths he couldn’t quite identify before the dance parted them and they turned again.

  ‘And skill in other areas, my Lord? Is that learned early?’ Lettice whispered as they came together one last time before their partners changed again, ‘or does that come with maturity? Or practise? With jasmine, perhaps.’ Lettice beamed at him again, dipped a curtsey and danced away to her next partner. Robert tried to keep the astonishment from his face and his next partner dipped a curtsey and took his hand.

  ‘Rob.’

  ‘Lissey.’

  ‘You have organised a wonderful day for the Queen, my Lord.’ Lissey smiled and took Robert’s hand as she turned in the dance.

  ‘I hope you have enjoyed it too, Lissey.’

  ‘Very much. It makes such a change from sewing and lute playing and gossip.’ Lissey moved behind him, and he caught at her hand again and brought her close.

  ‘I have been warned about gossip, Lissey. And your perfume.’ He danced away, turned and then came towards her again.

  ‘My perfume, Rob. What about it?’ Lissey dipped away from him and then turned.

  ‘When you come to me again, please don’t wear jasmine, Lissey. Rosewater or nothing.’ Robert bowed as the change of partner came again. Lissey curtseyed and then swayed towards him before she moved on.

  ‘Then I choose nothing, my Lord,’ she whispered, and she swept on to the next partner as Robert swallowed down a gasp and suppressed a shiver at the heat in her words. He looked at his next partner, still in her curtsey.

  ‘Bess.’

  ‘Yes, Robbie. Back where we started, it seems.’ Elizabeth laughed excitedly, enjoying her birthday dancing and exhilarated by the day.

  ‘Not quite, my love. You are not yet in my arms.’

  ‘Oh, Robbie. I love you so much. Will you come to me tonight?’ Elizabeth dipped and danced behind him, and he caught her hand and pulled her to him; not part of the dance at all, but it wouldn’t matter. He kissed her lips gently, a brush, a breath; they were being watched but he didn’t care.

  ‘It would be my pleasure, Bess,’ he released her and they bowed to one another formally as the dance ended, ‘and yours, I promise.’ And he took her hand and led her back to the dais, where Cecil had remained, waiting to continue their conversation.

  Chapter 30

  obert walked in the garden of the palace, enjoying the early morning sun on his face and being able to stretch his legs after the exhaustion of the birthday celebrations the day before.

  The squires had all been allowed to sleep in, and the stable hands saw to the horses’ comfort and prepared the saddles if anyone wanted to ride later, when they had broken their fast.

  He stretched and yawned. He had spent the previous night making love with Elizabeth, passionately and vigorously and although it had felt as it always had with her, nevertheless Robert felt a slight shift in their relationship. He yawned again and decided it was in his own imagination the change had happened.

  He sat on a stone bench and watched the water, stretching his long legs out to rest on a low stone border to the path. He had dressed simply this morning, soft comfortable leather breeches that he would normally work in, and his usual silk shirt. He hadn’t even brought the mail shirt or a doublet outside with him. He had doubled the palace guard for the celebration yesterday, and hadn’t sent the order to change this, so he knew that, for this morning at least, he would be safe. He also knew Thomas was nearby, practising knife-throwing against one of the archery bosses from the day before. A call or raised voice away. He closed his eyes and turned his face up to the sun, surprised at the September warmth.

  Robert suddenly smelled lilies and heard a whisper of silk on grass. He kept his eyes firmly closed and his posture remained relaxed, but his hearing and other senses were on alert, trying to ascertain where the person was. He knew who, he just couldn’t be quite sure where. Then he felt a slight movement of the air behind him, and a quiet sigh as someone sat by his side on the bench. Robert kept his eyes closed, but his words were a low growl.

  ‘Countess!’

  Lettice squeaked in surprise. He imagined she had thought him asleep.

  ‘Oh, my Lord. I didn’t realise you were awake. I didn’t want to disturb you, but my slippers have become damp on the grass, so I thought to sit a moment and dry them in the sun.’

  ‘The sun is at your service, Countess. As am I.’ Robert sat up properly and opened his eyes. Lettice sat beside him in a plain pale green brocade gown, with pearls glowing at her throat and in her hair, up in a braided twist with a small lace coif perched on top.

  ‘Let me help you, Countess.’ Robert slid off the bench onto his knee and removed her damp slippers, setting them on the low stone wall in front of them. He thought he heard a slight gasp as he gently touched her feet, then he decided it was no more than a breath of wind. ‘They will dry more quickly off your feet,
my Lady. And if you stretch your toes out, your stockings should dry quickly too.’ Lettice smiled at him uncertainly, then slipped her feet out from under her gown and wriggled her toes within her silken stockings towards the sunshine.

  ‘It is a long time since I walked in a garden such as this, my Lord. I had forgotten how damp the grass gets at this time of year.’ Lettice looked at Robert as he sat back down beside her.

  ‘Are your daughters with your husband’s family, my Lady?’

  ‘Dear God, no!’ Lettice laughed in embarrassment at how quickly Robert’s brows rose at her vehement response. ‘I beg your pardon, my Lord. They are with Lady Sadler, in her nursery with her children and my brothers and sisters. It is where we were brought up while my mother was at court, my Lord.’

  ‘Yes, I knew Lady Sadler and your Lady Mother were great friends, from a good many years ago. But you didn’t come to court until you were what? Sixteen?’

  ‘Seventeen, my Lord. For my betrothal and wedding.’ Robert heard the tone of Lettice’s voice change with those words. The she brightened, ‘Before that, we were in Germany and Austria, waiting to come home.’

  ‘As were we all, wherever we were.’ Robert’s tone was solemn, and Lettice gasped.

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, my Lord. I did not mean to remind you….’ Lettice’s embarrassed voice trailed away as Robert took her hand in his.

  ‘Don’t concern yourself about it, my Lady. It is done with now, and you are home safe. I am pleased about that.’ He smiled at her and thought he saw something in her eyes that he had seen last night. Robert realised he was holding her hand and let it drop quickly.

  ‘Forgive me, my Lady.’ Lettice shook her head and smiled at him again.

  ‘There is nothing to forgive, my Lord. You have held my hand before.’

  ‘Have I? Oh, you mean in the dance last night.’

  ‘Before that, my Lord. Before I married my husband, you held my hand and put it on your arm, and escorted me through the palace.’ Robert could hear the breathless note in her voice, and he looked at her closely, trying to remember, then his face cleared.

  ‘You came to fetch me, because the Queen was upset. I was eating because I’d had too much wine.’ Robert laughed at the memory. ‘I had to slow my pace because you couldn’t keep up.’

  ‘That’s right, my Lord. You were eating bread and cheese and couldn’t speak because your mouth was full.’ Lettice closed her eyes and smiled, and Robert looked at her curiously.

  ‘You have an excellent memory, my Lady.’

  ‘When something makes an impression, you remember it. What did you say to me last night, my Lord? One remembers beauty? Well, I remember you that day.’

  ‘I would also thank you for what you said to me last night, my Lady. About jasmine.’

  Lettice giggled. ‘You will have to learn the language of flowers, my Lord.’ Robert looked at her questioningly.

  ‘Each flower has its own unique ….. style, I suppose one might say, as well as fragrance.’ She leaned forward and lowered her voice. ‘Jasmine can be exotic, my Lord. Touch jasmine and you will find it smooth,’ she glanced up at him, ‘really smooth, all over.’ Robert flushed as he realised her implication; that he knew Lissey’s secret.

  ‘Roses, however, are spiky. Touch one in the wrong way, and they can make you bleed. But take hold of one gently,’ her voice was a sensuous whisper, ‘and open it slowly, carefully peeling back the petals until you get to the moist, fragrant heart,’ Robert felt himself barely breathing at the picture her words were creating in his mind, ‘and you will be surprised at how overcome you can be.’

  ‘You smell of lilies, my Lady. What about the lily?’ Lettice leaned forward and slipped her dry slippers on her feet, then looked up directly into Robert’s eyes. ‘The lily is open and innocent, my Lord. But after this morning, I think I shall be a rose in the future.’ Robert gasped at her insinuation and Lettice grinned at him and stood, curtseying briefly and then turning. She looked at him over her shoulder, smiling.

  ‘And if I did become a rose, my Lord, no-one would be any the wiser.’

  ***

  Robert strode back to the stable yard, puzzling over Lettice’s words. As he got closer, he could hear the gasps and grunts of Thomas, and he hurried his pace. He looked over the wall and saw Thomas showing Tom Sadler how to fight with a knife.

  ‘Keep low, boy. Watch your opponent’s weapon, but also watch his eyes. You will see him decide his next move before he makes it. That brief second could save your life.’ He feinted a blow at Tom, who lifted his arm to deflect it.

  ‘Well done. Now turn into your own strike. Spin on your back foot, keep your balance and then step into your thrust, using your weight as it moves forward to increase your reach.’ Tom obeyed and saw how well that strategy would have worked had the fight been real.

  ‘Very good, boy. We shall leave it there.’ Thomas nodded towards Robert, who was standing at the stable gate watching them spar. ‘And boy, find a knife to keep in your boot, as well as the one at your waist. You can never tell when you will need more than one blade.’ Tom nodded wide-eyed at the advice given by the older man, and then, bowing to Robert, he scurried away to the water-butt for a drink.

  ‘Passing on your skill, I see,’ laughed Robert.

  ‘The lad is a quick learner, my Lord. I am happy to teach him.’ Thomas sheathed his dagger and wiped his forehead on his shirt-sleeve. ‘You had company on your walk, my Lord.’

  ‘Indeed I did, Thomas.’

  ‘There were no problems, my Lord? I saw who it was and thought you safe.’

  ‘Safe is not a word I would use to describe my situation at the moment, Thomas.’

  ‘My Lord?’

  ‘No matter, Thomas. Everything is changing, I feel. Shifting, like sand on a river bed. On the surface, all is as it always was, yet underneath, Thomas, underneath nothing is the same. Nothing.’ Robert laughed and shook his head. ‘Come, my friend. If you can find the energy, spar a little with me. I mustn’t lose my edge, Thomas. God only knows when I will need it again.’

  Thomas threw Robert a blade, dropping into an initial crouching stance, and the stable yard soon rang with the sound of blade on blade as they practised.

  ***

  Elizabeth kicked her heels into her horse’s flanks and it gathered speed. Robert quickly followed, as did the Earl of Arran and many of the court. The race took them round the huge lake and all the way to the clearing on the far side. The horses were panting when Elizabeth drew her rein in to slow and then stop her mount. She turned in the saddle, looking as always for Robert to help her dismount. The Earl of Arran was first to her side, and he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her clear, planting her firmly on the ground.

  ‘Why, thank you, my Lord.’

  ‘Majesty.’ He nodded acknowledgement.

  ‘Are you enjoying your visit, my Lord?’

  ‘Aye, Your Grace, that I am.’

  Robert dismounted and threw his reins to a groom, joining Elizabeth at her other side and walking with the Queen and the Earl.

  ‘We mebbe’s to be brothers in law, my Lord,’ Arran looked across Elizabeth at Robert.

  ‘Then you are privy to more than I am, my Lord,’ snapped Robert, ‘Majesty, please excuse me. Cecil wishes to walk with you and his Lordship, and I would speak with my sister.’ Robert bowed to Elizabeth, nodded briefly at Arran and then walked towards Kit and her husband, who had dismounted and were making themselves comfortable at the edge of the lake. Cecil stepped up to the position Robert had vacated and promptly engaged the Queen and the Earl in conversation.

  ‘Rob? Is everything well?’ Kit’s voice showed her
concern at his darkening expression. He shrugged and made the semblance of a smile.

  ‘I can’t stand that Scottish bastard. And I despise Cecil for toadying round him, as if he were some sort of market trader with something to sell.’ Kit smiled and her husband Henry laughed outright.

  ‘Come and sit with us then, Rob. Leave them to their trading.’ Henry beckoned over a servant laden with a basket full of treats to eat; sliced meats, bread rolls still warm from the oven, cheese, sugared fruits and wine. Kit began to place the food out on a cloth spread on the grass, while Robert and Henry talked about horses.

  Suddenly some flowers fell onto Robert’s breeches and he looked up, shielding his eyes from the bright sunshine, but he just saw the silhouette of a couple arm in arm. He looked down at the flowers; a rose, a lily and a sprig of jasmine. He snorted a laugh and looked up again, just as the sun briefly hid behind a cloud.

  ‘Countess! My Lord Walter. Would you care to join us?’ Robert nodded towards the food and Kit smiled up at them.

  ‘Oh, do say you will, Lettice. Walter can talk endless horses with Harry and Rob, while you and I can discuss gowns, and talk about what she looks like, dressed like that.’ Kit nodded her head towards one of Elizabeth’s ladies that no-one liked and they both giggled. Lettice looked at Walter and raised her brows.

  ‘If you would like to, dearest,’ Walter loftily gave his permission, and handed Lettice round the cloth to sit with Kit, while he took his place with the men. Robert turned round and held the flowers out to Lettice.

  ‘Your bouquet, Countess?’

  ‘No, no, my Lord. I brought them for you, to illustrate our talk about flowers the other day.’ Lettice smiled serenely and Kit looked between Lettice and Robert with a questioning glance.

  ‘Rob? Rob was talking about flowers? With you? Rob knows nothing about flowers, other than they grow,’ laughed Kit, shaking her head.

  ‘We were speaking about which one of those three were the best, Kit,’ said Lettice, nodding at the blooms in Robert’s hand. ‘My Lord Robert couldn’t decide between the rose and the jasmine, but I pointed out the advantages of the lily. He was going to think about it, and then let me know, weren’t you, my Lord?’