Witchrise

by Victoria Lamb

  Alice stared, shielding her eyes. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Horsemen, and a fair number of them by the sound of it,’ I said, suddenly afraid that news of my battle against Marcus had somehow reached the court.

  Yet how could it have done?

  I stood up, telling myself not to be so stupid. Simply because there were so many horsemen, it need not be a message from the Queen. ‘Whoever it is, we had best go inside. Her ladyship will wish to prepare herself for their arrival.’

  But as we watched, the first outrider cleared the trees and turned down the track towards the house. The rider was in dark livery, carrying a white and gold pennant, and behind him rode half a dozen men, dressed with equal sobriety, with one man at the centre of the pack, richly cloaked and capped like a noble courtier.

  ‘Goodness,’ Alice said blankly.

  It was a deputation from the court, without any doubt.

  I lifted my skirts and ran back to the house without waiting to see if the others were following, and met the Lady Elizabeth hurrying downstairs, her ladies tripping behind her, all three women breathless and unsure of themselves.

  The princess stopped on the stairs, looking down at me, a flush in her cheeks. ‘Meg, who is it? Could you see?’

  ‘Half a dozen horsemen, my lady. From their livery and the gold pennant they carry, I would say they come from the Queen.’

  Elizabeth made a tiny strangled noise under her breath. Kat hurried to her side at once, murmuring in her ear, her voice low and soothing.

  ‘Yes, yes, you are right,’ Elizabeth whispered to Kat, then raised her chin with an effort.

  Coming into the hall, she swept to the high-backed chair beside the hearth and seated herself there, arranging her full skirts to best advantage, careful to hide her scuffed slippers from sight, for she had no money for new shoes.

  The others had trailed in behind me, and now stood about the hall, staring at each other nervously.

  ‘Blanche, pass me the prayer book. I shall read aloud from the psalms.’ She glanced at the rest of us, then spoke briskly. ‘Meg, sit with Alice and attend to your embroidery. Blanche, take up the lute and play a few chords. Kat, you will remain with me.’

  ‘Of course, my lady,’ Kat agreed, and clicked her fingers at the rest of us so that we scurried into position.

  Richard, having been given no task to perform, stood at the foot of the stairs with his arms folded, his gaze on the door. I was not fooled by his apparent nonchalance. His eyes glittered and his body was tense. Then I remembered that he had seen John Dee arrested once, for illegally drawing up the Queen’s horoscope; no doubt he feared these men had come to take the princess to the Tower.

  I was a little afraid of that myself.

  Alejandro had disappeared upstairs, perhaps to change into his doublet and fetch his sword, for he had been wearing a simple white robe in the garden. If fighting were required, I knew he would prefer not to be wearing priestly garb.

  Although unschooled in the instrument, Blanche took up the abandoned lute with trembling fingers and managed to strum a few awkward chords before there was a hammering at the door. She faltered and stared at the Lady Elizabeth, then at the door.

  ‘Veni!’ the princess called clearly in Latin, inviting the visitors to come in.

  The door was thrown open and sunlight poured into the hall. A man stood on the threshold, booted and cloaked, his gaze flashing about the room at each one of us before he ducked his head to enter the house. He was tall, dark eyes gleaming in an olive-skinned face, and his bow to the princess was exaggerated to the point of insolence.

  Miguel de Pero.

  My hands had clenched into fists as he came forward into the Great Hall, my nails digging into my palms at the very sight of him. I was trembling and felt as though my blood had turned to ice-water in my veins.

  ‘My lady,’ the Chief Inquisitor addressed the princess smoothly, then straightened without waiting for her permission, replacing his black velvet skullcap.

  There was an ironic smile on his face, for he was no doubt aware how much he was hated by our small company at Hatfield – and how little we could do to prevent his intrusion here.

  ‘Pray forgive my unexpected arrival. I would have sent ahead to allow you to prepare for my visit, but alas, the urgency of my mission would not allow for any warning.’

  The Lady Elizabeth did not move, but closed the prayer book she had been pretending to read. ‘Sir?’

  Alice nudged me to keep sewing, and I realized that I had been staring at the Spaniard like a madwoman. I ground my teeth and slowly set three crooked scarlet stitches into a country scene composed only of soft greens and browns. It was hard to sit there and pretend disinterest while he explained his errand.

  Then I remembered who was not here. Alejandro.

  Staring at the stairs in sudden apprehension, I gripped the edge of the embroidery frame, wondering whether Alejandro knew who had arrived. Richard caught my eye, and with some difficulty I forced myself to relax. It would not do to give away my vulnerability to this man.

  De Pero’s smile showed his appreciation of the princess’s icy dislike. ‘I bring you most cordial greetings from Her Royal Majesty, Queen Mary of England, and humbly beg a private audience with your ladyship at your earliest convenience.’

  Elizabeth glanced at Kat Ashley, but said nothing.

  Alice tugged at my sleeve, her whisper terrified. ‘Wh . . . what does that mean?’

  ‘It means he wants to speak to her alone,’ I replied shortly, and bit my embroidery thread in two, setting aside the needle as the Lady Elizabeth waved us all to leave her.

  Alice and I rose from our bench, ready to follow the other women from the hall.

  ‘And if Señor de Castillo could also join us?’ he added sharply.

  My hand flailed in shock at this unexpected request, and I knocked into the embroidery frame. It clattered noisily to the floor, and De Pero’s head swung round at the sound, dark eyes narrowing as he recognized me, his lips thinning, his aquiline nose flaring.

  He knew.

  He knew about me and Alejandro. About my magick. About our secret betrothal. I doubted though that he knew it was over between us. For not even the others here at Hatfield knew that for sure.

  Under the Spaniard’s cold stare, I experienced a terror such as I had never known before.

  No threat to my own life had ever felt so acute as the fear that burned through me as I saw into the Inquisitor’s heart and knew that he had come here for Alejandro.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Meg Lytton Is a Witch

  I paced my chamber, pausing before the window to stare down at the men waiting beside their horses outside. Then I returned aimlessly to the book beside my bed.

  My mother’s grimoire.

  I turned a few pages restlessly, not reading the words but viewing them in a daze. I was alone with Richard, and glad of his company. Kat and Blanche had scurried anxiously away to talk when we were all sent upstairs, and Alice had sidled into William’s room, leaving me and Richard alone.

  From the Great Hall we could hear the rumble of male voices, and occasionally her ladyship interrupting. Richard had been lying on the bed, watching me with expressionless eyes as I paced back and forth.

  But when I abruptly turned and made for the door, he leaped up to stop me.

  ‘No,’ Richard insisted, pinning my arms effortlessly to my sides when I struggled. ‘Don’t be a fool, Meg. You are not wanted down there. Let this play out.’

  ‘They won’t see me. I can make myself invisible.’

  Richard cocked his head to one side, regarding me steadily. ‘Eavesdroppers hear no good of themselves. Besides, I know you. You won’t be able to enter a room unseen and not make your presence felt. A whisper in de Pero’s ear, a soft breath across Alejandro’s cheek, perhaps rustling a few pages of a book . . .’

  I pushed him away. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

  ‘I’m perfectly serious. You have t
o let this happen, Meg. It’s for the best, you will see that in time.’

  ‘How is it for the best?’

  ‘This man, this Spanish Inquisitor . . . he’s come to take Alejandro away, hasn’t he?’

  Nausea gripped me as he voiced the very fear I had been trying to avoid looking at, though it had been mocking me all the time from the corner. This damn heat. I could not think, could not concentrate. Distractedly I dragged off my white cap and shoved a hand through my straggly fair hair. It needed taming, but I could not be bothered to find my comb. ‘We don’t know that for sure.’

  ‘Yes, we do.’ Richard’s face was hard, unyielding. His voice was like a knife, stabbing at my heart. ‘Alejandro has been playing a dangerous game with you, but it ends today. I saw de Pero’s face, the way he looked at you. He has come to finish it. Alejandro does not belong here.’

  ‘He does not belong in one of their stinking prisons either.’

  Richard gave a disdainful laugh. ‘They won’t put your pet Spaniard in prison.’

  I glared at him. ‘You have no idea what they may know. About us. About me.’

  ‘Nor do you,’ he said flatly. ‘But the fact remains, Alejandro is a nobleman. And an only son now his brother is dead, so he must be the heir to his father’s estate, yes? Unless that priest down there has sworn testimony that Alejandro has been making midnight sacrifices to the Devil, he won’t dare touch him. Not over this.’

  ‘This? You mean, over me?’ I felt as though he had hit me.

  ‘Listen, Alejandro is not the right man for you.’

  ‘You think I don’t know that?’

  Richard drew me close and whispered urgently in my ear, ‘It’s not just that you’re a witch and a heretic. Those are faults that can be fixed if a man wants a woman badly enough. Look at King Henry, the lengths he went to when it came to his marriage bed. No, the real problem for Alejandro is that you’re a commoner. Not good enough for his proud Spanish bloodline. His family would never allow the match. So give it up before you get too badly hurt. Let the priest take him back to court.’

  I threw back my head, meeting his gaze. ‘What, so you can try your luck with me instead?’

  Richard’s smile was grim. ‘Luck. Ah yes, my old enemy. I would need more than luck with you, Meg Lytton.’

  ‘Well, you’re wrong, anyway. It doesn’t matter that I’m a commoner.’

  ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘Because I’m no longer betrothed to Alejandro.’ I swallowed, not looking at him. ‘We are not to be wed.’

  His head turned and he looked down into my face. ‘Oh, Meg, I’m sorry,’ Richard said huskily, then carefully stroked the errant hair out of my eyes. ‘No, I’m not sorry. You know how I feel about you.’

  I smiled bitterly. ‘I would have done better falling in love with you, that’s for sure.’

  His breath seemed to catch in his throat, dark eyes narrowing on my face. ‘You mean that?’

  I nodded, too hurt and confused by my feelings and the general horror of what was happening to see clearly what was going on between us.

  ‘If I married Alejandro, he would expect me to give up my power. To be simply his wife.’ I shook my head. ‘I could never . . . well, you know.’

  ‘Is the man a fool?’ Richard demanded, staring at me through narrowed eyes. ‘No, don’t answer that. Just hear me out. If you were mine, Meg, I would never ask you to give up magick. You are a witch, and a powerful one. That is why you are special, but he can’t see that. He wants to take you away from magick, make you . . . I don’t know, better. Cure you with marriage.’ His mouth tightened. ‘I wish you had fallen in love with me instead. Then I would not be crawling about the place like a dog that’s been whipped, I can assure you. I’d been spending my time far more pleasurably . . .’

  Richard bent and kissed me, his mouth hard, punishing, almost angry. It felt more like hate than love, so topsy-turvy I could not begin to understand it. But for some reason my body responded, even if my heart was in shreds, and I did not push him away. Perhaps something in me craved the shock of this kind of desire, so very different from the way Alejandro kissed me. His hand tangled in my hair, dragging me closer. Slowly his mouth softened, persuading me, cajoling. Ah yes, he knew how to kiss.

  I did not want to feel anything. In fact, I did not want to feel anything about a man ever again.

  But I liked Richard. He had not been born into wealth and privilege like Alejandro but had fought for every scrap as a child. His father had been a brute and a drunkard, almost killing him on one occasion; Richard had only survived by a miracle. Now he could only show his interest by being unkind. By attacking rather than protecting. By kissing me roughly instead of with love.

  Something in me sympathized with his wounds. My life had been easy compared to his, but I too had suffered. Heat flickered inside me, and I tugged on his dark hair, drawing him nearer, kissing him back. Richard groaned in the back of his throat, then his body shifted, his knee pushing against my skirts, and suddenly we were kissing in earnest. Our bodies pressed together as Richard cupped my face in his hands, kissing me hungrily, his eyes closed.

  I shivered, bewildered by my feelings, and Richard stepped carefully back, his hands dropping away, palms open, indicating that I was free to choose.

  ‘I will always be here if you need me,’ he said huskily. ‘Just remember that.’

  Raking my fingers through dishevelled hair, I moved to the window, trying to get myself back under control. What was wrong with me? I was in love with Alejandro. Yet all that is finished, I reminded myself bitterly. What difference does it make?

  The men were mounting again below. I stared, relief sweeping through me as I heard their shouts and saw the last of their horses being led out from the stables where they had been fed and watered.

  ‘What is it?’ Richard asked, coming up behind me.

  ‘I think they’re leaving.’

  Someone knocked at my door, which was not closed. Alice looked round it at me, her eyes frightened. ‘The Lady Elizabeth says you are to come down to the hall at once. And do you know that Alejandro is packing?’

  ‘What?’

  The whole world seemed to stop. My lungs would not seem to fill, my chest impossibly tight. Richard looked at me sharply, but I pushed past him and stumbled along the narrow landing to the room William shared with Alejandro and Richard. Sure enough Alejandro was there, throwing his possessions into a dusty bag, his expression set and determined.

  My brother had been leaning against the wall, talking quietly to Alejandro. He straightened as I came into the room, assessed the look on my face, then slipped past me.

  ‘I’ll be outside if you want me,’ William murmured, and pulled the door closed behind him.

  Alejandro had turned, his dark eyes registering a blow as he saw me. Then he turned back to his packing, but moving more slowly, carefully.

  ‘Is it true?’ I demanded, my throat raw with pain. ‘Are you leaving with de Pero?’

  ‘If you already know, why did you come to my room? Are you trying to make us look like lovers?’

  I reeled at the harshness of his reply. He could not have shocked me more if he had struck me.

  ‘Alejandro, I don’t understand. I know I refused your offer of marriage, but this . . . What did Señor de Pero say to make you leave Hatfield?’ My gaze narrowed on the back of his dark head. ‘Has he threatened you? I know a spell that could—’

  ‘No spells!’

  He sounded as though he hated me. Suddenly dizzy, I put out a hand, supporting myself against the wall. My palms were clammy and my heart was thudding violently.

  ‘Señor de Pero reminded me where my true loyalties lie, that is all,’ he said, turning to face me at last.

  I could not believe how remote Alejandro looked, head bent, not meeting my eyes, his face tight with some suppressed emotion.

  ‘Alejandro . . .’

  I took a faltering step towards him, then stopped when he raised his head an
d fixed me with a desolate look. He did not speak, but I knew he did not want me to touch him. He did not even want me in the room with him.

  My stomach churned as I saw the rejection in his face and the hard lines of his body.

  ‘I was born under the planet Mars,’ I whispered, trying to explain myself, hoping it was not too late to make amends. ‘I cannot speak without fighting. I lose my temper easily, I make mistakes, I . . . I cannot bear to be told what to do. Especially by a man. But none of that means I do not have feelings for you, Alejandro, even if I know we can never marry.’

  He flinched.

  Taking that as a good sign, I rushed on, desperate now. ‘If I have driven you away with my reckless behaviour, Alejandro, I beg you to forgive me and stay.’

  His voice was low and ragged. ‘Do not lower yourself by begging. I am leaving Hatfield. There is nothing more to say. You should go back to your room. Let me finish here. De Pero awaits me below and he is not a patient man.’

  The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet.

  ‘Go, get out, do you hear me?’ he repeated harshly. ‘It’s over.’

  ‘But I thought we were friends.’ My words sounded so hollow.

  ‘A childish dream. We were both mad if we thought such a friendship could be possible in a world like this. There is one absolute good and one absolute evil, and we both know on which side of that line you stand.’ His eyes met mine, scorching me with dark fire. ‘Take my advice. Burn your spell book and go home to your father. Marry an Englishman. Marry Richard and raise a family. The path you are on can only lead to damnation.’ Abruptly he returned to his packing. ‘You can start by leaving my room.’

  My heart was beating sickly, as though it might stop at any moment. Without another word, I stumbled out onto the landing to find Alice and William locked in each other’s arms, Richard nowhere to be seen.

  The pair sprang apart guilty as I closed the door behind me, but I had nothing to say to them. I needed to be alone, to curl up in a ball and weep until my eyes were raw.