Betrayal

by Lady Grace Cavendish

  “I’ll never marry you!” she screamed at Captain Derby. “How dare you abduct me and disparage me like this? I hope the Queen puts you in the Tower and hangs and draws and quarters you, you—”

  Captain Drake stopped her furious tirade by raising his free hand. “My lady … ma’am,” he said, “have you taken any hurt or … injury?”

  “That man would have made me marry him last night,” shouted Lady Sarah, “if Olwen and I had not knocked out his guard and barred the door when he went out on deck! And who knows what would have happened, if you had not come to rescue me, Captain Drake!”

  Drake bowed, then looked around for me and Masou. “Indeed, you owe your thanks to your faithful friends, my lady: your page, Gregory, and his friend, Masou.”

  The Captain gestured for us to step forward.

  I scowled at Lady Sarah, hoping and praying she wouldn’t be too bone-headed and give away my true identity. “But that’s not a pageboy!” she gasped. “That’s—”

  There was a sudden flurry. Captain Derby had thrown himself at Sarah. Drake’s gun fired, but Derby had moved too fast. Everyone froze again. Derby was backing away from Drake towards the rail. He had his fist tangled in Sarah’s hair and his knife at her throat. She sobbed in fear.

  “You’ll lay down that pistol and get your men off my ship,” he said to Drake, breathing fast. “And I’ll be on my way with my Sarah, or no one shall marry her, ever.”

  Drake dropped his pistol to the deck, lifted his hands away from his sword belt, and stood quietly watching, his face focused and intent.

  I could not bear the silence—I had to say something. “If you truly loved her, Captain Derby, you would let her go!” I burst out.

  Derby blinked, and then stared at me. “What?”

  “That is what true love is,” I told him, and I knew it was true for my mother had taught me. “Not capturing her and threatening her and trying to marry her against her will. Let her go.”

  Derby looked confused for a second. Then he took his knife from Sarah’s throat to point it at me. “One more word from you—”

  There was a smooth movement from Drake—a bright flash through the air—and a horrible gristly thud! A knife was pinning Derby’s right hand to the block next to his head. His own blade clattered to the floor. He stared disbelievingly at his wounded hand, then cried out with pain and shock.

  Moments later, Sarah had stamped on his foot, wrenched his hand out of her hair, and taken refuge behind Drake.

  Masou whistled and applauded.

  “Now,” said Drake, scooping his pistol off the deck again, “where’s the First Mate of this ship?”

  A stout man, who had been watching all the drama with interest, stepped forward. “Mr. Ketcham, sir,” he said.

  “Well, Mr. Ketcham, see the Arrow back to Tilbury—I’ll not take her as a prize—we can talk about salvage later. I’ll have your Captain and the Lady Sarah to my ship.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  There were wounded men to look after, and Derby’s hand was freed from the block and roughly bandaged. He seemed to have lost all his energy and just stared at the deck listlessly. The Spaniards had already been rounded up and locked in their own hold by Mr. Newman and the boarding party, who were putting out the fires and setting the sails.

  At last we all went back across the boarding planks, with Lady Sarah holding onto Drake’s arm and trembling. I ran across—because it is really much less frightening that way—and waited at the other end to help her down. As I did so, I whispered at her fiercely, “I’m Gregory, your pageboy! Until I say.”

  Sarah blinked at me, catching on slowly; at last she nodded. “Thank you, Gregory,” she said, and smiled.

  It was afternoon before everything was organized and the Judith was sailing back to the Thames mouth. At least a strong easterly wind had sprung up, which filled all the sails and made the ship lean over and plough through the water very fast. Lady Sarah and Olwen were nicely ensconced in Drake’s Great Cabin, while Derby was in the brig.

  At supper time Drake sent for me to attend on my lady, which I did, just as if I were serving the Queen. Lady Sarah sat at table with Drake, her hair still tumbling extravagantly down her back, and he blinked at her as if he found her too bright to look at.

  “Will you tell me what happened to you, Lady Sarah?” he asked at last, as I brought some boxes of sweetmeats for them to finish the meal.

  “Oh, it was terrible!” Sarah began. “I knew Captain Derby was mooning after me a bit, but a lot of men do, you know. I didn’t think anything much about it. And he never sent me a bracelet as you did, or wrote me a poem or anything. He just stood and stared. And then he sent me a message saying Olwen had met with an accident—”

  “I hadn’t, look you,” interrupted Olwen. “And I got a message, supposedly from Lady Sarah, which asked me to collect a bag of pearls from a sea captain who had got some—”

  “Which I never sent,” put in Sarah. “Captain Derby forged my handwriting—”

  “Well, I didn’t think anything of it, and why would I?” continued Olwen’s singsong voice. “So I went down to the watersteps, and the next thing I knew, two sailors had put a bag over my head, and no matter what I did, they trussed me up like a pig going to market. Well, I was in a terrible state, all the way down the river, and lying in the bottom of the boat, getting wet and—”

  “They did it to use her as a hostage against me—” said Lady Sarah, drinking some more wine.

  “And then they carried me onto a ship—and when they took the bag off, there I was, trussed up in Captain Derby’s Great Cabin, with an evil-looking ruffian holding a knife to my neck. I was terrified.” Olwen ate two more marmelada sweetmeats and shook her head. “Quite terrified.”

  “I was already looking for Olwen to help me with my bodice when I got the message that she had had an accident,” Lady Sarah continued. “I hurried to the stables, and when I arrived”—she popped a marmelada square in her mouth, too, and I sighed, because I love them and it looked as if she and Olwen between them were going to finish them all up—“there was Captain Derby, with some of his sailors. He told me he had Olwen on his ship and would do … awful things to her if I didn’t come quietly with him. And his sailors would knife me if I screamed. So obviously, I fainted.”

  Obviously, I thought.

  “When I came to again, Captain Derby was very impatient and not at all nice to me. He said I must come with him to the watersteps, or Olwen would die. But first I had to write a note to the Queen and another one to Captain Drake. I said I could not for I had sprained my right wrist when I fainted, and I cried about it (though it was not true)—so he had one of his men bandage my wrist, and hastily wrote the letters himself. Then he made me walk arm in arm with him down to the watersteps—and nobody noticed my plight at all—not young Robin, nor any of the tumblers.” She pouted accusingly at Masou. “And I was in a terrible state, because he told me he was going to marry me, and I wouldn’t dream of marrying a sea captain—even if my parents gave their consent, which they certainly would not. So all I could think of to do was give Robin a message that would not alert my captor, but which would alert those who know me. Everyone at Court knows that Lady Jane is no friend of mine!” Lady Sarah paused to draw breath, then she carried on. “We were rowed down the river to Captain Derby’s ship. Once we were aboard, his crew made ready to weigh anchor, and Captain Derby sent a boy to take the other letter to Captain Drake, together with my pearl bracelet—which really seemed a most unnecessary gesture. And about an hour later we sailed from Tilbury.”

  “Aye,” said Drake, “I was wondering why he was in such a hurry to leave—I thought he had heard word of a fine fat prize to take in the Narrow Seas, though I wasn’t ready for sea myself.”

  “Masou and I saw the boy deliver the package to Captain Drake’s ship, my lady,” I put in. “If we had but known what was inside, we would have guessed your whereabouts all the sooner.”

  Lady Sarah nodded.
“Captain Derby kept me and Olwen locked in the Great Cabin—which was very bad for Olwen, who got seasick. And that really was not too pleasant for me, either! He said his chaplain would marry us as soon as it was evening, and if I didn’t say ‘I do’ he’d have me gagged, and the chaplain would hear whatever Derby told him to hear and then he’d cut off … he’d cut off Olwen’s hands. …” Lady Sarah’s voice trembled and two big glistening tears trickled down her face.

  What a terrible thing to do to anybody, I thought. I tried to imagine what I’d do if somebody threatened to cut Ellie’s hands off if I didn’t marry him, and I thought I’d probably marry him, no matter how horrible he was. So all the nasty food, and fighting Tom—and even the sea battle—had really been in a good cause: to stop Derby’s greedy selfish plans. I felt quite proud of Masou and myself.

  Olwen put her arm around Lady Sarah and clucked over her. “Ah, now then, my lady, he didn’t do it, so now.”

  Lady Sarah took a deep breath and shook her head. “And then there was a shout that they’d seen the Spanish ship sent out by the Duke of Alva—who is apparently a terrible pirate, and attacks any English and Dutch ships he can find. And then the Spanish ship started chasing us, which was even more frightening, so Captain Derby went out on deck. And while he was gone, I noticed that our guard had had quite a lot to drink, so I played cards with him and got him more drunk, and then Olwen crept up behind him and hit him on the head with a tray. Then we locked the door and barred the windows, so when Captain Derby came back with his chaplain, ready to marry me, he couldn’t get in.” Lady Sarah shook her head. “He was furious—and he called me so many evil names, I was quite sure I didn’t want to marry such a raving bully.

  “Olwen and I stayed up all night, to make sure he didn’t break in—when he wasn’t busy trying to sail away from the Spaniard, that is. And in the morning, there was cannon fire—which was terribly frightening—so we hid under the table. There was such a creaking and banging, and then a big roaring, clattering fight that went on and on! And finally, I heard your voice, Captain Drake!” she finished, fluttering her eyelashes at him. “I am so grateful to you!”

  I had to choke back a laugh at that—typical Lady Sarah, I thought. There she was, just rescued from a fate worse than death—and still, she couldn’t help flirting!

  “I’ll not take all the credit, my lady,” said Drake with a tilt of his head. “Hugh Derby was one of my best friends. I would have trusted him with my life—my ship, even. The first I knew of what had happened to you was when your pageboy showed me the letter that was supposed to have come from you to the Queen, saying you were eloping with me. He’s a good lad, my lady—I’d keep him by you if I was you. He slipped away from Court and crept onto the Judith because he thought I had you locked up here somewhere. And then, when he found out the truth, he came to me with the letter and told all he knew.”

  “But you did all the fighting to save me, didn’t you, Captain?” Sarah gave Drake a dazzling smile. She didn’t look grateful for all my hard work at all. And there was only one more marmelada sweetmeat left in the box, which I just knew she was going to take. And there it went. Typical!

  “I’m always happy to fight—me and my crew with me.” Drake grinned that ferocious piratical grin of his, and laughed. “It’s a good Sunday’s sport for us. And your young Gregory, and Masou, they fought from the top, shooting arrows and throwing fire pots. They’ll be fine men one day. If you have thanks to give for your rescue, you should reward them, too.”

  I felt myself blushing because I was so pleased to have Drake’s respect. He is one of those people who makes you feel like a king—or a queen—if he praises you. I would far rather have his respect than any amount of cooing from Lady Sarah.

  Sarah nodded to Masou and me—but then she looked down and sighed. “Though all is lost, anyway—for my reputation is now ruined,” she said quietly. “I will have to marry a merchant—or even a lawyer.”

  I had to say something, so I bent on one knee, as a pageboy should, and said, “No, you won’t, my lady. For nobody knows you’ve been gone.”

  Sarah blinked at me dimly. “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because I’ve had Mary Shelton give out that you and—you have a quinsy and have been in bed,” I explained.

  “You have? Really?” Sarah said incredulously, her face brightening.

  “Yes, my lady. All we have to do is smuggle you back into the palace without anyone noticing, and then to our—your chamber, and nobody will ever know what happened.”

  Lady Sarah clapped her hands and laughed in delight. “Are you sure?”

  “So long as you and Olwen don’t tell anybody,” I added, knowing Lady Sarah.

  “Why, that’s a wonderful idea.” Then her face fell. “Except it means that Derby won’t go to the Tower for abducting me.”

  Drake poured Lady Sarah some more wine. “I’ll free him when we get to Tilbury,” he told her. “It’s not justice, right enough, but I doubt he’ll set sail in his own ship again, for he was in debt to fit out the Arrow, and she’ll need a new mast and yards as well. He’ll have to sell her, and then the only way he can set to sea is sailing as someone else’s mate or purser.”

  “You sound sorry for him, Captain Drake,” said Lady Sarah, a little petulantly.

  “I am sorry for him, even though he betrayed our friendship and tried to have me blamed for his crime,” Drake replied. “By his own fault and sinfulness he has lost the finest thing a man can have.”

  “A wife,” said Olwen knowingly to Lady Sarah.

  Drake looked puzzled. “No, a ship,” he corrected.

  Lady Sarah and Olwen both looked a little put out at that. They were used to courtly gentlemen, after all.

  Drake waved a hand, completely unaware of this. “When you’re master of your own ship, you’re as free as the wind. You can set sail upon a day, and go all round the world, visiting strange and wonderful lands—and all the time you are in your own house, with your household around you.”

  “Will you ever marry, Captain Drake?” Lady Sarah asked, a little flirtatiously.

  “Aye.” He smiled at her. “I’m minded to ask Mr. Newman for his daughter’s hand, for she’s a pretty little thing, and used to sailors—and I’ve the money to keep a wife like her, now.”

  Sarah now looked very put out. “Oh,” she said pointedly. “You are not ambitious in your choice of wife, then?”

  I saw Drake’s blue eyes turn sharp, and thought, You have lost him now, Lady Sarah—if ever you truly had him.

  Drake laughed. “Ambitious? Not for a wife wealthier and of higher blood than me, no. But ambitious to sail about the world and take satisfaction in blood from the treacherous Spaniards? Yes. That I am.” He put his silver goblet down with a sharp tap and stood up. “Now, ladies, I know you must be weary from watching all night, and in need of rest. I’ll bunk down in the Mate’s cabin, and I desire you to make yourself free with anything you need in here.”

  Sarah nodded her thanks. “Oh, and Captain,” she trilled, “may we have Masou and Gr—egory, to guard us in the night?”

  Drake frowned. “You are in no danger on this ship, my lady,” he said.

  Sarah’s eyes opened wide. “From the mice, Captain. There were dreadfully big ones on Derby’s ship, you know.”

  Drake shook his head and chuckled. “Of course,” he said. “Gregory and Masou, you stay here—and behave yourselves, or I’ll give you what for in the morning.”

  “Aye, Captain,” said Masou and I together, nearly dying of trying not to laugh.

  “Goodnight, ladies,” said Drake as he went to the door. “By the early hours of the morning, with this wind and God willing, we’ll be in Tilbury.” And he bowed courteously.

  Lady Sarah and Olwen curtsied back. I caught myself just in time, and bowed like Masou.

  As soon as the Captain had shut the door behind him, Masou and I fell on the remains of the dinner. I don’t think I’d like to be a pageboy. It’s agony wat
ching people gobble up all the sweetmeats when you’re really hungry for one.

  “Grace?” asked Lady Sarah, not sounding quite sure. “Is it really Grace?”

  “Mmph,” I said, nodding. My mouth was full of game pie.

  Olwen stared at me, gave a little shriek, and sat down suddenly. “What …?” she gasped. “What have you done with your hair?”

  Honestly! What a daft question. “I cut it off, of course,” I said impatiently.

  “Is it true, what Captain Drake said you did, Grace?” Lady Sarah asked incredulously. “You came to find me, and you were in the battle?”

  I nodded. “Well, high up above it,” I dismissed, not wanting Lady Sarah to make her usual fuss. “And Masou was there, too, of course.”

  “Oh,” said Lady Sarah, shaking her head. “How extraordinary. … Was it very hard work?”

  I thought about this. “Yes,” I said, “it was. So—are there any more marmelada sweetmeats?”

  As we were arranging the little cabin for the night, there came a knock on the door. The Boatswain entered, carrying a basket. He was smiling fondly. “Now then, m’dears, these here ladies’ll take care of you …,” he said—which puzzled me until I realized he was talking to something in the basket.

  He put it on the table and Sarah and Olwen peered in, then started to coo and exclaim. I peeked, too, and saw the mother cat and her kittens, now looking much happier. The kittens were asleep, with their paws curled on their fat little tummies, and the mother cat was purring.

  “She’m the maddest cat I ever saw! Fancy her taking her kittens all the way up the mast! Tom fetched her down,” said the Boatswain, who now didn’t seem nearly so fierce. “Can you take care of her, ladies?” he asked. “She’s a fine ratter, and her kittens are shaping well, what’s more.”

  It was a silly question, really. Nobody could resist them, and soon they were in the warmest, safest corner, with Olwen feeding the mother scraps of meat-pie filling and Sarah dangling a bit of thread to see if the kittens would play.