At twenty-three summers this year, she’d seen much in the way of bloodshed from the English to her Irish countrymen.
She watched an older gentleman attempt to hurry toward Cecil, but his aged legs wouldn’t carry him as quickly as he must have wanted and he tripped several times. Only one of the nasty courtiers was kind enough to right him while the rest shied away as though aging were a disease.
Cecil greeted the man, calling him Baron Dalston. The aged courtier wore a dark gray cap with a feather in it, his clothes were rumpled. At least there was one more courtier in the crowd that seemed a little worse off than herself.
Antónia had to hide a smirk. She was probably wealthier than the lot of these puppets and none of them would ever know as her grandmother had begged the queen for money stating she was lacking, and the queen had agreed. If Her Haughty Majesty ever dared to visit Rockfleet Castle, and was allowed entrance into the treasury, she’d be blinded by the gold.
Behind Antónia was Sweeney, the only gallowglass guard she’d allowed off her ship. Any more and the English hypocrites would either shite their pants or think she was bringing a war to their queen. Antónia had grown up with the gallowglass warriors. Scotsmen bred with Norsemen. They were shunned by the Scots as half-breeds, but welcomed by Granuaille into her own personal army. The gallowglass men were well over six feet tall, nearing seven. Hugely muscular. There was wildness in their eyes and Antónia got a particular kick out of their permanent scowls.
While the English all crowded together, there was a notable space surrounding Antónia and Sweeney, as though the puffed up dunderheads thought they might catch something from the two them. Death perhaps?
Antónia bit her lip to keep from laughing.
She’d insisted Sweeney leave his double-headed axe on the ship, though he did not remove his six-foot long claymore attached to his back, which had been prompted an immediate request for removal upon their arrival. Lucky for the liveried men who’d asked it, Sweeney had obeyed her nod to part with the weapon, instead of lopping off their heads with one swing. And her, well, she had a dagger up both sleeves. The liveried ninnies had been staring too hard at Sweeney, afraid he’d bash their heads in, to even bother checking her for a weapon.
Imbeciles.
Another half-hour passed, with her feeling fainter by the minute and not yet called to the back, but many others—who had come into the presence after her—were summoned, piquing her irritation.
“I am going to speak with the footman,” she muttered to Sweeney.
Sweeney grunted. “I wouldna, my lady.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. You’d only bash him on the head and slam down the door.”
He shrugged. “Aye.”
“Hmm.” Antónia eyed the door, considering that very suggestion. Oh, but she would love to see the look on these idiots’ faces as her gallowglass warrior shredded the pretty wood.
Sweeney nudged her elbow. “I will if ye like.”
Antónia laughed softly. “I would like that very much, but I will not require it.” Flapping open her fan, she held her head high as she glided over the floor, the crowd parting easily when they took one look at the warrior behind her.
The footmen standing guard of the gallery widened their eyes at her approach. They subtly shook their heads, warning her with their eyes to stay back, but she ignored them completely.
“I have waited quite some time to speak with Her Majesty. I require you to announce me. Now.”
One of their mouths dropped open, the other cleared his throat. “My lady, if you would wait, you will be called when requested.”
“Now would be good,” Antónia said with a sweet smile, though her eyes held no room for argument. “I do not think you understand, sir, but I have come on behalf of my grandmother, Lady Grace O’Malley, I believe she is well known to court.”
The footman whose mouth had popped open before swayed on his feet, while the one she’d been conversing with swallowed hard. She had to keep herself from glancing down to see if they’d wet themselves yet.
The only footman able to form words stared up at Sweeney behind her. “I shall return in a moment.” Keeping his eyes on her guard, he reached behind him and opened the door, fairly falling through in his hurry.
Antónia let out an annoyed sigh and glanced back at Sweeney. Though his scowl was fierce, his eyes danced with humor.
The footman left on his own looked ready to bolt, or faint. Antónia offered him a pleasant smile, but the way he peeled back his lips from his teeth looked more like a man ready to piss himself than a return of civilities. Well, she was used to that. Most of the men she met looked at her that way. Of course, most of the time she had the blade of her cutlass at their throat, or the barrel of her blunderbuss pointed at their heart, or simply Sweeney glowering promises of death behind her. No matter, she wasn’t brandishing any weapons at the moment. Must have been something in the air around her.
Or the fact that her grandmother was the Irish pirate queen.
Or Sweeney. One never knew.
A moment later, the gallery door opened once more and the footman was ushering her in. Though his face turned an ugly shade of purple when he did so, he held his hand up at Sweeney’s follow.
“Nay, there. You must remain behind.”
Sweeney bared his teeth, prepared to, no doubt, tell the slight guard what he’d like to do with him and as entertaining as that would be, Antónia had to stop him.
“’Tis fine, Sweeney. I shall return in a moment. The gift please.” She held out her hand and Sweeney reached into his sporran, pulling out the small velvet pouch.
Antónia clutched it and motioned for the footman to show her the way.
He led her through the gallery where a few courtiers stood, whispering in corners, their eyes shifting over her, some with curiosity, others with animosity. Oh, how she would have liked to storm these halls with her crew. The lot of these English would writhe with fear. The aging baron was still there, too, looking ready to lay down on the ground in his exhaustion, as he conversed with another courtier.
The footman opened another door, leading into the throne room. More opulence. More glitter and a fluff.
“The Lady Antónia Burke, on behalf of Lady Grace O’Malley,” he announced.
The room, and gallery behind her, fell silent.
Antónia stood tall and sailed inside the room, gliding over the floor much like her ship glided over water. Her eyes locked on Queen Elizabeth, who sat in a cushioned throne chair, her face painted thick with white. Bright red hair, much the same color as her own, was curled and set just so on top of her head.
Her gown was finer than anything Antónia had ever seen. Velvet, crusted in shining jewels and lace. Every finger held a large stone. Her dark eyes were weary as they studied Antónia and she beckoned her forward with one gnarled finger.
“Come here, child. You’ve grown much these last eight years.”
“Your Majesty.” Antónia bent at her knees, deftly perfecting the curtsey she’d been practicing behind the locked door of her chamber aboard the ship.
When she’d first met the queen, her grandmother had refused to curtsey, claiming she did not recognize her as her monarch, but Granuaille had been adamant that Antónia bow before the sovereign now, else all Uncle Tibbot’s careful plans be laid afoul.
Queen Elizabeth held out her hand, expecting Antónia to kiss her ring. That was a matter entirely different than bowing, for she, also, did not recognize the queen. In fact, just this month, there had been a massive battle waged between the English and Irish, and her father could have been killed.
She must have deliberated too long because those in the room began to grumble. Queen Elizabeth, however, laughed.
“You are much like Grace O’Malley, child.”
Antónia bristled. She wasn’t a child. She was a captain of a very profitable pirate ship. An unmarried spinster if she were to be at this court. Though she was no maid.
“I…”
Antónia took a deep breath. “Your Majesty, I have brought you a gift from my grandmother and from my uncle, Lord Tibbot Mayo, and their well wishes for your birthday.”
“Let us see what you have brought.” The queen held out her hand.
Antónia made a move to place the velvet pouch in her palm, but Cecil intervened, plucking it from her palm and handing it to the queen himself.
It was on the tip of Antónia’s tongue to ask if he was going to examine the contents, but she kept her words to herself, not wanting to be thrown out of the privy chamber to the great disappointment of her grandmother.
The queen opened the pouch and let out a laugh that startled the room. In her palm was the tiny golden ship pin, its sails made of emeralds, its masts of rubies and sapphires along the bottom in the shape of waves.
“Beautiful,” she said.
Antónia nodded. “My grandmother will be pleased you like her gift, Majesty. She had it made especially for you.”
“We but wonder how a poor and wretched woman could have afforded it.”
Antónia had also been practicing her reply to this question, for she knew it would be coming. “She scrimped and saved for many years, Majesty. But she also found a few Spanish coins parted from their owner.”
Her words were meant to be a coded message, for the Spaniards that had docked at Kinsale had arrived to help the Irish fight the English. To have them part with coin showed that her uncle, the viscount, was on the English’s side.
A joke, if Antónia had ever heard one, for he’d personally appointed her father to fight the bastards. Oh, politics. Give her the sea!
“Her gift and your uncle’s loyalty are well received.” The queen locked her eyes on Antónia, studying her from head to toe, perhaps wondering if Antónia followed in Granuaille’s footsteps.
Antónia bowed low again, but as she did so, her eyes caught on another gift set on a table beside the queen. There were many things there; baubles, plate and fabrics, but this one in particular caught her fancy.
“That ring,” Antónia said. “I’ve seen it before.”
“Have you?” The queen raised a brow, no doubt wondering if it had been on a pirating expedition she’d spied it.
“Aye.” Well, not truly. She’d seen a painting of it. “The Lucius Ring.”
There was much lore surrounding the ancient Roman ring, rumored to have a ruby the size of a quail’s egg. Well, it was not quite so big as that, she could see. But it was beautiful. The ring was supposed to bring good luck to anyone upon the sea. But she’d also heard the lore. The ring could tell if you held love in your heart, or a profound ache. She wanted it. Antónia needed it. For every lover she’d taken had left her heartbroken and she could no longer put her heart on the line. She needed luck. She needed the ring to tell her when she’d found the one true love to sail the seas with.
“So you’ve heard of it. ’Tis cursed.” The queen frowned. “Given to us by one of our barons just now, though he swears not to know the history behind it. Do you?”
Antónia kept her face neutral and shook her head. “Nay, Your Majesty, I do not.” Lying to the queen was a lot easier than lying to her grandmother. Though pirates, submerged in a world of falsehoods and games, often could tell a lie from someone’s lips quicker than anyone else.
“Pity,” Queen Elizabeth said and then waved Antónia from the room, perhaps afraid she was going to steal away the precious relic.
Antónia bowed once more, though this time she did not go all the way to the floor. Upon rising, she backed up three steps then whirled on her heel, happy to leave this room on one hand and irritated on the other. How was she going to get a hold of that ring?
“Lord Graves,” the queen called behind her. “I want you to deliver this wretched thing to the French. Place it in the hand of the Medici Queen. Let the curse be upon their house. ’Tis loathsome enough.”
Antónia spied the queen plucking up the ring and handing it a tall courtier, his back to her. She still recognized the line of his stance and was surprised she’d not seen him in the room. He must have hidden in the shadows.
Lord Graves was the captain who’d arrested her men.
Alas, before she could see his face, Antónia was through the doors, fairly pushed by the footmen who could not wait for her and her gallowglass warrior to depart court, London and England altogether.
Well, these English sots might want her to leave now, but she’d not be too far… Antónia had a new adventure—a ring to steal—and an English ship to cut off on its way to France.
Lord Graves, I will see you to your grave, indeed.
Chapter Two
“Ballocks!” Lord Titus Graves, Captain in Her Royal Majesty’s Navy, growled under his breath. “For the love of all that’s holy, why in bloody hell is that witch sailing the English Channel?”
Gliding along the water, her sails full and rebel flags swaying with pride, was none other than a ship belonging to the Irish pirate queen, Grace O’Malley’s, fleet. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was the same one that had been docked in the London harbor on the queen’s birthday the day before. The pirate queen had not made an appearance, though her haughty—and striking—granddaughter had.
Where were they going? They were supposed to have returned to Ireland already, not sailing in the opposite direction. Headed toward Calais.
Titus held his spyglass to his eye, reading the name boldly painted on the ship’s stern, Lady Hook.
As soon as he’d spotted the Lady Hook, she’d made an about face and was now headed his way, flying fast along the water.
Was there at all a possibility they were lost? He ground his teeth wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt, but was highly suspicious all the same. Pirates were never to be trusted, even if they were beautiful.
As far as he knew, Grace O’Malley wasn’t present in London, unless she’d remained aboard ship, allowing her granddaughter to be presented at court—another story entirely as he’d heard she’d given the footmen a bit of trouble before being granted an audience. Titus doubted there could be much to fear from the chit. She’d been tall, her hair as red as flames, and a dash of freckles across her high cheekbones and the bridge of her nose—not that he’d been watching her or interested. Though there had been something familiar about her, he couldn’t place it. On the contrary, he’d simply been doing his due diligence to study an enemy.
In all likelihood, the barbarians the wench brought with her had gotten turned around at sea.
He hoped. Titus would have liked to say that those same barbarians were imbeciles, but Grace O’Malley had been using them to plunder the seas for years, and even as mercenaries on the ground in Ireland, fighting the English. He’d yet to find those that had escaped him the year before. Which meant they were not likely to get lost at sea. Rather, they were headed in that direction on purpose.
That was the other irritating possibility. The ship could be purposefully trolling the English Channel. Lying in wake for its latest victim. And did they think that he would be that target? Titus would die a thousand painful deaths before he let that happen.
The boldness of such an action on their part would be astounding.
This truly did put a damper on his plans. Rather than arriving in Calais as he’d planned, he might be returning to London with a horde of pirates to sentence to death.
He’d have his answer soon enough. They were headed his way, rather quickly, and he would make certain they returned to Ireland where they belonged. Titus wasn’t going to give the Lady Hook and her barbarous brute forces a chance to rob and maim any ship under his jurisdiction.
Eight years ago, when Queen Elizabeth forgave O’Malley, and even sanctioned her pirating ways, as long as they benefited the English, he’d wondered if the pirate queen would rebel, and there had been hints that she would. A Spanish galleon missing, her treasures suddenly appearing—such as the gift that had been given to the queen by O’Malley’s granddaughter. A ship that had none other than been
sent to the Spanish king by the queen herself after she defeated their Armada in 1588. ’Twas a sign from the Irish pirate queen she was on the English’s side. Was it not?
“Bloody hell,” Titus growled.
Or it was a sign the pirates were hell bent on rebellion?
“Bear down on that galley, Lieutenant Grenville,” Titus said, glancing at his mate. “We’re going to catch ourselves a pirate today.”
Edward Grenville shouted orders to the men. Their pounding feet, the sounds of metal clanging and rigging being manipulated, spilled through the air, but most of all, the blood rushing through Titus’ veins echoed like a thumping of a drum.
For months now, he’d had his suspicions that pirate ships were once more plaguing the Channel and now he had a chance to find out.
The distance between the two ships closed. The nearer they drew, the more irritated Titus grew. Standing along the railings of the pirate ship were a dozen gallowglass warriors, hands on the hilts of their swords, their expressions blank.
“Ready the guns,” Titus commanded. “To arms! We know not whether these men be friend or foe.”
His men followed his directions, preparing for what could be a battle.
“About face, Lieutenant.”
Grenville grabbed hold of the ship’s wheel and turned, shouting orders to the men to work the sails. The ship creaked as it slowed and turned, its guns facing the Lady Hook and her crew.
Lady Hook did the same, the same number of guns pointed at his hull.
“Ho, there!” Titus said, stepping up onto his own railing, searching out the sea of faces for the captain. “Who is your captain?”
The men did not speak, just stared. If he’d not known better, he might have thought they were at an impasse, but he never trusted pirates and they never let silence lay still for long.
A slighter man, looked more like a lad, swung from a rope at the top of a sail, down to the deck and sauntered to the side. A showoff. He gave a mock salute with a chuckle.
“Where are ye headed?” the lad asked, with a soft Irish burr.
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