Ever Crave the Rose (The Elizabethan Time Travel Series Book 3)

by Morgan O'Neill

  “Ha!” Anne said softly. “It’s the olden days to me, since I left in 2014.”

  With a smile, he leaned in and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I can almost hear the newsreel... Time traveling, auburn-haired beauty from 2014 meets devilishly handsome doctor from 1945 in Elizabethan England, where sparks fly and enemies give chase, yet love conquers all.”

  “Funny, but there aren’t newsreels anymore,” Anne said with a grin as she entered his embrace. “Remember about the news being 24/7 on every TV, laptop, and cell phone?”

  “Yes, and it’s a wonder people find the time to do anything but play with their phones and all that other gear.”

  She chuckled with her husband. “Well, they do still find the time for some things,” she offered with a wink.

  “Hmmm?” He began to kiss her lips, then her throat, and asked distractedly, “And what could that be?”

  She closed her eyes, giving in to the delightful throbbing unleashed by his touch. “Well, I mean that thing we both wanted to do the minute we met, what we did over and over on our honeymoon—and since. You know, making love?”

  He drew back and stared into her eyes. She thought he would look serious, but to her surprise his gaze held a spark of mischief.

  “Ah,” he said. “You mean that marvelous thing we did that made our beautiful little girl—and perhaps soon little George and little Nigel?”

  “Whoa.” Anne smiled and backed away. “You’re thinking we’ll have three kids?”

  An impish grin bloomed across Jonathan’s face. “To start.”

  She thumped him lightly on the chest. “I’ll have to think about that, Buster. And yeah, love the grandparents, but not those names, please. How ’bout Keanu?”

  His eyes narrowed in puzzlement. “What in bloody hell is Kee-ah-nu?”

  She laughed, then stifled herself and glanced at Rose, who still slept. “Oh, never mind. Big movie star. Even though our boys aren’t here yet, we do have someone who needs looking after. Thank goodness Alice is coming along to help with Rose. It’ll be all I can do to keep up with the courtly activities and see to her needs.”

  “She’ll be fine and so will you,” Jonathan assured her, then chuckled. “Poor Bob is in a dither over Alice spending so much time away from him.”

  “Bob’s a lucky man, and he knows it.” Anne smiled as she thought of her friends. Bob was trustworthy and a hard worker, while Alice possessed a fair beauty and brave spirit. She’d saved Anne’s life more than once, and, in the process, escaped from a life of prostitution. After Alice met Bob at St. Bart’s, they fell in love and married soon after.

  Anne looked into Jon’s eyes. “I understand how hard separation is, though. I’ll admit I didn’t like it one bit when you traveled to Amy Dudley’s inquest and left me alone. I counted the days until we were together again.”

  His smile was softer this time, and he drew her close. “Remember our reunion, Annie?”

  He kissed her neck and lingered there, tasting, nuzzling.

  Her body pulsed with desire. It had been ten weeks since Rose was born. Jonathan had insisted on the extra waiting, since infection would be so hard to fight in this era. But it was time.

  “Darling,” he whispered. “I think perhaps we’ve waited long enough.”

  Anne let out a sigh, then pushed him back with regret. “Dang, we can’t. Not now anyway. They’ll be here any second, and we’ve got to finish getting ready. But tonight, yes. At Richmond.”

  With a sigh of his own, he nodded and moved off to finish his packing. Within minutes, Mary Prentice, the housekeeper of St. Bart’s, and Alice were in the room gathering bags and the baby, and ushering everyone out.

  In the main courtyard they met Robert Hope—Bob to his friends—who was St. Bart’s chief guard and all-around handyman. Doffing his cap, he greeted everyone and took them to the waiting wagon and horses. The bags were loaded, and he and Jonathan settled up front, while Alice, Anne, and Rose nestled into the back where Bob had put down plenty of cushioning for their comfort.

  Three trunks packed with baby things and proper court attire for everyone had been sent overland to Richmond the day before, and would be waiting for them when they arrived. The clothing had been gifted to them by the queen after they saved her life.

  Such gorgeous stuff. Smiling, Anne glanced at the emerald wedding ring on her left hand, another wonderful gift given by Elizabeth in thanks for their aid. From time to time, Anne heard gossip the queen was a tightwad—a churl or pennypinch as the people here called it—but she’d always found Elizabeth to be generous when it came to her and Jon. And she didn’t hesitate to point that out whenever someone spoke against her.

  She settled back on her cushion just as Bob flicked the reins and they were off. She knew the trip to the docks wouldn’t take long. At this early hour there weren’t many people about. Still, recent rains made the roads muddy where there was no pavement, and the wagon lurched in and out of unforgiving wheel ruts. Unfazed, both Alice and Rose dozed while Anne held on tight.

  Thankful when the ride was finally over, she got down from the wagon and stood on the dock near dozens of small vessels. Alice and Rose joined her, while Jon took off in search of the owner of the barge he’d hired. Bob oversaw the unloading and stowing of their bags. Once that was done, Anne took Rose from Alice’s protective arms and moved away to give the couple some time alone.

  Jonathan waved her toward the gang plank with a smile. “Annie, this is Captain Machard. Captain, my wife, Lady Anne.”

  The captain was ruddy-faced with a bulbous nose and an easy smile. He gave her a half bow. “I’m right pleased to have thee aboard. We’ll take our midday meal whilst underway and arrive at Richmond Palace in the early afternoon. Methinks there’ll be nary a drop of rain today, and with yestereve’s downpour the river smells clean, so it should be a pleasant go.”

  Anne smiled at the man, but looked warily at the barge. It was long and narrow, with a canopied bench near the stern that hardly looked wide enough to accommodate all of them.

  “Aye, she’s a beauty,” the captain said. “Ye’ll no’ find better this side of the royal barge.” He guffawed, slapped his thigh, and headed toward the boat.

  Jonathan tried to suppress a smile, then said, “She is the best I could buy. Two shillings.”

  “That doesn’t seem like much.”

  “It is if you consider my doctor’s wages. I made a mere fifty pounds last year, and that is an excellent salary for these times.”

  He was right, Anne realized. She tried to do the math, then huffed in defeat. Whatever the breakdown, two shillings for the barge was a good sum, not a bargain.

  Jon had hired the best for their journey upriver.

  He put the baby’s basket onboard and then took Anne’s hand to help her over the gangplank. “We’ll also pay for the captain’s evening meal before he turns around and heads back.”

  “Thanks, Jon. I’m looking forward—”

  Rose gurgled, then squirmed, her little arms waving about. Anne picked her up and settled in. “It’s feeding time.”

  With their goodbyes said, Bob waved a sad farewell, and Alice hurried onboard. She quickly got a modesty cover out so Anne could nurse without every boatman on the Thames enjoying the view. Anne thanked her and then Alice took a seat, too.

  The bench was roomier and better cushioned than Anne anticipated. She allowed herself to relax and enjoy the hint of salt in the air, the soft lapping sounds of water against the hull, and, most especially, the sweet pull of motherhood as Rose suckled contentedly.

  The captain untied the dock lines, then began working the oars with a firm hand. The barge moved away from shore and into the busy river. It was flood tide, so their start upriver was helped by the push of the sea.

  For over an hour, ships and boats of every size and description cluttered the river, but after that the way cleared, and soon only smaller water taxis and personal craft were on the water. The riverbank changed, too, from Londo
n’s expansive docks and waterside buildings to a wilder landscape filled with willows and bulrushes. As time passed, Anne saw the occasional grand house looming in the distance, and also, by river’s edge, little villages scattered here and there. At several points along the route, the captain hooked lines to a waiting team of oxen, and their driver would pull the boat upriver along a tow path.

  Anne wasn’t sure if this was done in order to give Machard a rest, or if there was something about the river at these points that warranted extra help. In any case, the trip was pleasant in the extreme.

  She turned to Jonathan. “This boat ride has completely won me over. I love it.”

  He smiled. “I thought you might. When we came downriver on the queen’s barge last fall it was dark and cold, and we were in no frame of mind to enjoy it.”

  Around midday, they pulled in at a little cove where they might stretch their legs and seek privacy to relieve themselves in the brush. Afterward, they ate the delicious meal Mary packed for them: crusty bread slathered with butter, hard cheese, pickled eggs, and small beer.

  Despite the stop for lunch, by mid-afternoon Anne was feeling stir-crazy and ready to stretch her legs. Rose had been an angel, but she, too, needed to see more than the inside of her basket.

  “There she be, Richmond Palace,” Captain Machard announced, waving toward the eastern bank after the river took a southward turn.

  Anne focused on a large dock jutting into the river. A crane loomed above it, a huge contraption that reminded her more of something from modern times. The captain explained the crane was one of the largest ever made, necessary for the loading and unloading of the enormous supplies needed by the palace, which he’d assured them was the queen’s favorite.

  “Cripes,” Alice whispered, mouth agape. “I never seen anything so…big…an’ beautiful.”

  Anne looked beyond the crane and saw Richmond Palace. Breathtaking. Shimmering. Its white stone façade brilliantly reflecting the sun’s rays. At least a dozen turrets rose from the main body of the three-story edifice, with heraldic flags flying from each.

  It was beyond anything Anne ever imagined.

  “Wow,” she whispered and took Jonathan’s hand. “The turrets—there must be dozens of them. It looks like a real life circus big top.”

  “Aye, ’tis a wonder, to be sure,” Machard agreed.

  “It quite resembles the Tower with those turret domes,” Jonathan replied.

  “Oh!” Alice squeaked and put a hand over her mouth.

  Anne stopped gaping at the palace and looked at Alice, then followed her line of sight. A group of revelers lounged beneath the trees along the riverbank, while Queen Elizabeth herself walked toward the dock waving at the boat—Lord Robert Dudley, Henry, and Cath by her side.

  Anne smiled at Alice’s captivated expression, then waved at the group. Seeing the dark-haired Dudley siblings together again, Anne was struck by how much Robert and Cath resembled one another.

  “Hail, dear friends,” Elizabeth shouted as the boat pulled up and Machard tied off.

  The queen strode purposefully to the end of the dock to greet them. She wore her hunting attire—a gown of dark green velvet with brown accessories, including a jaunty hat with a long golden-brown feather cocked to the side.

  Elizabeth grinned at them. “Your timing is perfect. We’ve just returned from a most unprofitable hunt. God’s Blood, but we had a boar in our very sights and wasn’t he just clever enough to abscond for the wastelands,” she explained with a fire in her eyes and a beautiful flush to her skin.

  Anne swept back the sides of her skirt and bobbed, while everyone on board bowed or curtseyed. After giving her baby a kiss, Anne handed her off to Alice, and they disembarked.

  Elizabeth continued to fill them in on the “unprofitable hunt,” then added, “We’ve kept a lookout for your barge and have planned a light repast out-of-doors to welcome you. We shalt take it yonder, where you see everyone gathered beneath the shade cast by the copse of trees.”

  She linked her arm through Anne’s. “Come, my bold miss, we have much to discuss, and I should like to hold the babe for a bit so she may come to know me.”

  A waft of Elizabeth’s signature citrus perfume made Anne smile. She’d missed the queen. It was good to see her looking so healthy.

  Liveried servants put final touches on the picnic area, with more scurrying across the lawn carrying pitchers, heavily laden platters, and additional blankets and pillows—in short, everything they could possibly desire for a fantastic meal.

  As the nobles gathered, Anne walked with Elizabeth, Alice following just behind. They greeted several of the queen’s ladies, who stopped to coo and fuss over Rose. Smiling, Anne glanced around the gathering crowd and suddenly spotted a tall man with a feathered hat striding toward them. She froze in shock.

  She heard the queen ask, “Is something amiss?”

  “Norfolk,” Anne managed to whisper, her gaze still locked on the hat as the man neared.

  “Nay,” Elizabeth said with force. “That is Lord Rich. Norfolk is banished from my presence. He is not among us this day, nor will he be for the foreseeable future.”

  Anne heaved a sigh of relief and glanced at Jonathan, who was watching her intently. Had he seen how she reacted? When Jon nodded in understanding, she knew he was aware.

  She tried to relax, then remembered the queen’s exact words: foreseeable future.

  Does that mean she’ll let Norfolk come back some day? Crap, of course it does. Of course he’ll be allowed back in. Anne felt sick at the thought. How on earth could she convince Elizabeth the duke should never be trusted? Anne couldn’t very well spill the beans about her time travel or his plans to take the throne.

  She swallowed her worries and turned to the queen. “I am very glad to know he won’t be here.”

  Elizabeth patted her arm and then introduced Anne to Lord Rich, who did have a passing resemblance to the duke, except his eyes were kind, his smile genuine. Anne liked him right away.

  “Come, let us feast.” Smiling, Elizabeth motioned for everyone to take their places.

  As they arranged themselves on the cushioned ground, the queen peered at the baby, snug and sleeping in Alice’s arms. A faraway smile crept across Elizabeth’s lips. “She is beautiful, Anne. Thou must be very happy, indeed.”

  “I am,” Anne said, determined to enjoy the day. She glanced at Jon, who’d seated himself across from her.

  “She’s a good baby,” he said. “Lucky for us, there’s been no hint of colic.”

  As if on cue, Rose grimaced, then pouted, waved her arms about, and opened her eyes to see the queen’s face only inches from her own. They gazed at one another, and just when Anne was sure Rose would protest, the baby reached out and put a tiny hand against the queen’s lips and cooed.

  Elizabeth grinned and kissed the little fingers. “She is good, for certs, but also bold like her mother, this one. With the beauty and spirit she hath received from each of you, there shalt be no telling what this child might achieve.”

  Despite her cute behavior, Rose was hungry. Anne knew nursing in public would be considered unsophisticated, even tacky, by the queen and her nobles, so she handed the baby over to Alice. “Please take her to our rooms and use the bottle Dr. Brandon prepared. If she doesn’t want it, don’t worry. I’ll be up shortly.”

  Alice took Rose and was ushered away by a footman. As Anne turned her attention back to the others, she noticed a frown on Lord Robert’s face as he leaned in to speak with Jonathan.

  “Hast thou no wet nurse, Doctor?” he said. “We don’t, er, only the lumpen, eh, I can ask my sister Mary for names if—”

  “It’s not necessary, my lord.” Jonathan smiled good-naturedly. “I intended to procure one for Rose, and had a long list of names, but Anne would have none of it. She knows it goes against custom and her station, but she is quite adamant about feeding the baby herself.”

  Ignoring the men, Anne looked up to smile at the queen, but
Her Majesty’s focus was on Alice and Rose as they disappeared inside the palace. When Elizabeth let a small sigh escape, Anne felt a twinge in her heart, knowing how badly this vibrant young woman hurt after losing a child of her own last year, and how she hoped for another chance. It was a secret loss that only a few knew about—Anne and Jon among them.

  “Richmond Palace is beautiful, Majesty,” Anne said.

  Elizabeth refocused, nodded briskly, the moment of wistfulness gone. She threw Anne a guarded look and opened her mouth to say something, but just as quickly pursed her lips and shook her head as if torn by her desires. “Aye, the palace,” she hedged.

  Anne’s curiosity was immediately aroused, but she couldn’t very well press Elizabeth about why, so she held her tongue. Nevertheless, the reason seemed obvious—the queen was thinking about trying for another baby.

  “Didst thou know my grandfather, Henry VII, first built and named Richmond Palace? I do love it here, although I come more frequently in the winter months.” Elizabeth filled a plate with cheese and fruit for Anne and bid her eat it. “We shan’t stay outside long. I wanted only to greet your arrival and let the two of you sit and sup a bit. You’ll be shown to your rooms shortly, where you may rest a while before the festivities begin this eve.”

  At that point, the queen moved on to speak with others, and Anne tucked away her suspicions and turned to chat with Henry and Cath. Before too long, she noticed Elizabeth make eye contact with Dudley.

  “The Crown’s business waits for no sovereign,” the queen said, turning to address the Brandons. “I’ve hours of paperwork and a meeting with Cecil that cannot be put off any longer. I bid you welcome, and look forward to seeing you this eve.”

  Anne and Jonathan scrambled to their feet, and while Anne curtsied, Jonathan bowed low over the queen’s hand, before everyone except the Hastings returned to the palace.

  Anne smiled. “She is amazing. This is going to be some couple of days.”

  Cath laughed. “’Tis so good to see thee again, Annie dear. It hath been too long—not since the horror of the lightning and St. Paul’s burning.”