‘No, your Grace. I feel there is no more time.’ Robert closed his eyes briefly and pushed his own sadness down. The Queen would look to him for a distraction from the death of her favourite cousin, and he knew Lettice would be inconsolable when he saw her that evening. His own grief at the passing of his wife’s mother would have to be ignored, for now.
***
Thomas opened the door quietly and Lettice entered the room, her sisters behind her trying to quiet their breathing and not sob out loud. Thomas melted back into the corridor as Lettice took her place in the chair once more, taking her mother’s hand and the girls perching on the side of the bed.
Cat, pale as milk against the linen pillow, lay quietly, her breathing shallow and slow. Meg wiped tear stains from Cat’s face and placed a cool cloth on her brow, then bent and kissed her friend’s cheek gently, whispering beside her ear, before standing and moving across to the window.
Cat’s lids rose slowly and she smiled into Lettice’s eyes, drawing another shallow breath before whispering urgently and clasping Lettice’s hand.
‘Take care of that babe, my lovely, and your husband. He is so good for you.’ Cat was silent for a moment until she gathered her breath again and murmured to her eldest daughter.
‘Lettice, stay happy. Only you can make yourself happy. Rely on yourself, and remember you are a daughter of the most noble family in the land. You are a Howard, my lovely, never forget that.’
‘I won’t forget, Mother. I won’t let any of us forget who we are, I promise.’ Lettice kissed the back of her mother’s hand and then bent forward to kiss her cheek. She looked towards her sisters and nodded that they should come forward and kiss their mother for the last time. They stifled their sobs and obeyed, then stood helplessly beside the bed, unsure what to do.
Meg stepped forward with outstretched arms to usher them from the room.
‘Come now, sweethearts. Let your mother rest for just a little while and you go back to court. I’m sure Master Blount will escort your carriage.’ Meg looked at Thomas and he nodded briefly.
‘Are you sure, Aunt Meg? I wouldn’t put this burden on you if you want us to stay.’
‘Your mother is no burden, sweetheart. She has been my closest friend and confidante for more years than I can count. This, for me, is an honour. For a debt I can never repay.’ Meg smiled at Lettice and the others, then returned to sit in the chair at the side of Cat’s bed to bid her own farewell.
Lettice nodded tearfully and, placing her hand on Thomas’s arm, allowed him to escort her down the stairs and to her carriage. As she walked through the door to the stable yard she saw her youngest brother Dickon sobbing on Jane’s shoulder, and Jane whispering quietly to him as she patted his back and handed him a dry kerchief.
‘Jane, poppet. Take Dickon inside to the kitchen and see if you can coax him into eating something,’ said Lettice quietly, ‘and I will send a message to Lord Robert to let him know.’ Jane nodded quickly, trying to stem her own tears, and led the boy into the kitchen.
‘Thomas,’ Lettice blinked up at her escort with brimming eyes, ‘once you have escorted me home and taken my sisters back to Westminster, could you find my husband and tell him?’
‘Of course, my Lady,’ Thomas nodded to Lettice and handed her into the carriage, before turning and helping the three sobbing sisters up the carriage steps then folding them inside and mounting his own large horse.
‘Dry your tears, girls,’ said Lettice to her sisters. ‘Remember we are Howards. And we overcome.’ She sat back in the seat and rubbed her stomach where the babe stirred restlessly as the carriage rattled towards the Palace of Westminster.
Chapter 4
ord Robert has arranged for Lady Cat’s remains to be transported to Rotherfield Greys, my love.’ Sir Ralph Sadler hugged a sobbing Meg to his shoulder.
‘But the children won’t be able to attend the service if she is interred in Oxfordshire, Ralph. We won’t be able to go either.’ Fresh sobs overcame Meg as she held a kerchief to her face and her husband Ralph, Private Secretary to the Queen, tried his best to comfort her.
‘Sir Francis wants to meet the cortege in Oxfordshire, Meg. He is travelling down from Yorkshire and Lady Cat is travelling up from here, escorted by Dudley soldiers. Sir Francis will be accompanied by their son Franc, so at least one of Lady Cat’s children will be there, my love. And of all people, she would understand that her girls can’t leave court.’
Meg tried to dry her eyes and swallow a little of the small ale Ralph pressed into her hand. She gazed up at him with a tear-stained face and a tremulous smile.
‘Yes, she would understand, Ralph. She devoted her life to the service of the Queen while we brought up her family for her. I’m glad the Queen came to see her at the last, but I am sad all her children couldn’t say goodbye, with Franc in Yorkshire and Ed at sea.’
‘They were doing their duty for the country, my love. Lady Cat did hers in her own way, and we helped. The message Lord Robert sent arrived as quickly as it possibly could, because he used Walsingham’s network of relays to send it. To meet at the chapel for interment seems to be the wisest action, then Francis can return to court and report on the circumstances of the Scots Queen.’
‘Another plot, Ralph?’
‘There are always plots, my love. The Church of Rome wants a Catholic sovereign on the throne of England. Philip of Spain wants England. We have to make sure he doesn’t succeed.’
‘I don’t think I could live through the fear again, Ralph. That Protestants would be betrayed and burned at Smithfield as they were when Philip was here and married to the old Queen.’ Meg shuddered at the memory of the harsh rule of Mary Tudor and sipped her drink.
‘That is why we must be careful and seek out the plotters, my Meg. Walsingham might not be the most pleasant of men on the Privy Council but he is good at his job. His network of spies has infiltrated many a Catholic plot to overthrow the Queen and we have thwarted their plans.’ Ralph poured a cup of ale and raised it to his wife, ‘And long may we continue, my love. While we hold the Scots Queen captive, her supporters cannot rally and try and put her on the throne of England. And if she is part of a new threat, then Francis can report what he knows to the Council.’
‘After he has buried his wife,’ said Meg bleakly, fresh tears welling in her eyes.
‘Yes, my love. After that.’
***
Lettice, seated in the huge chair by the hearth and clad in a loose silver brocade gown trimmed with silver lace and tiny seed pearls, smiled across at her sister-in-law Kit Hastings and bent over her stomach to take her hand.
‘Thank you for coming to see me, Kit. I know you are busy with your duties at court, so it means so much that you visit me.’ Lettice squeezed Kit’s fingers in gratitude.
‘Letty, I love coming to see you. I miss you so much. You were the one I could laugh with, and poke fun at the other ladies-in-waiting.’ She shook her head sadly, ‘No-one now has that sense of the ridiculous. I wish the Queen would forgive you and allow you to come back.’ Kit looked up sharply at Lettice as she spoke, but Lettice simply smiled.
‘She will never allow me back to court, Kit. I married the man she loved. Still loves, if truth be told. And she knows he loves me, even if she doesn’t admit it, so if I’m not there, she can pretend I don’t exist.’ Lettice shrugged and passed a plate of comfits to Kit.
‘I don’t know how Rob stands it though. The Queen can be so … so….. dismissive of him in front of the court. She is in such a constant state of anticipation, waiting for him to come from his other duties, her eyes barely move from the door,’ Kit took a bite of comfit and chewed slowly, ‘then when he appears she waves her hand and pretends to ignore him while she
speaks to the others.’
‘She flirts with the foreign ambassadors, making a great show of considering the suit of their prince, and all the time she flicks her eyes to see Rob’s reaction. She will walk round the room and speak with this group or flirt with that, scrupulously avoiding whichever knot of people he is with. Anyone with eyes to see knows she is so aware of where he is in the room, who he speaks to, even what he is saying, as she will often lose her own thread of conversation in her attempt to listen to his.’
‘Then she might call him over, only to ignore him and treat him like her lap dog.’ Kit’s voice faded away as she glanced at Lettice and saw fury snapping in her dark eyes.
‘He doesn’t tell me any of that, Kit. He doesn’t tell me of his humiliation at her hands.’ Lettice’s voice was rising with her anger and colour was high on her cheeks as she twisted her fingers together.
‘I’m sorry, my dear. I shouldn’t have said anything. Let us speak of something else, because you shouldn’t upset yourself. It won’t be good for your babe to be upset.’ Kit cast her mind about for a different topic. ‘Your girls are doing really well at court, you know. They are so delightful, and their singing and lute playing is wonderful.’
‘Another thing I must thank you for, Kit. Taking Nell and Thea under your wing when they are away from me,’ Lettice smiled in gratitude.
‘Everyone loves them, Letty. Nell has a real talent for art, you know. My sister Mary was very impressed with her, and mentioned that we shall soon have to be looking round for a suitable family to betroth her into.’
‘I shall ask Robin what he thinks, but it will be up to your husband Henry, won’t it? Because their father bequeathed their wardship to Henry when he died?’
‘Well, yes, I suppose so. But you know Harry won’t do anything that you and Rob don’t want, my dear. They are your children after all, even if Walter did want Harry to look after their interests at court.’
‘And he’s done a wonderful job, Kit. My young Robert is flourishing as a squire even if he gets into scrapes with the others now and again, and my two beauties love being with you at court.’
‘We are pleased to help, Letty. The girls are a delight, and I’m sure young Robert will settle down as he gets older. After all, he has a proud heritage to uphold, hasn’t he? He is the Earl of Essex.’
***
Robert strode into the Presence Chamber where most of the court had gathered. He sketched a bow towards the dais where the Queen sat, deep in conversation with William Cecil, now Lord Burleigh, Walsingham and a tall swarthy man Robert didn’t immediately recognise. He saw his sister Kit in one corner of the room, gleaming in her pearl-grey silk, helping the maids of honour translate some Latin, and he walked towards her smiling, dropping a brief kiss on her cheek.
‘Where have you been until now, Lord Robert?’ Elizabeth’s voice, as hard as diamonds, carried across the length of the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Robert. Even the musicians fell silent as the whole court waited for his reply. Elizabeth’s eyes flared angrily as she stood, snapping her fan into the palm of her hand. She raised her voice further.
‘When We arrive in Our Presence Chamber, my Lord, We expect everyone to be waiting for Us. We do not expect to be kept waiting Ourselves.’
Elizabeth’s mouth was set in a harsh line as she spoke in the voice more used to addressing large gatherings of people. Robert knew she was trying to humiliate him, but he refused to let her. He squeezed his sister’s shoulder and walked towards the dais, ignoring everyone he passed and keeping his eyes fixed directly on the Queen.
‘Majesty,’ he bowed again before continuing, ‘I have been in the stables consulting with the grooms about the saddlery and tack we will need for your Progress. Then your Majesty’s favourite mare went into foal, so I stayed to observe, that I might bring you the news.’ As he reached the foot of the dais, he dropped into an even lower bow, maintaining it until Elizabeth spoke again, her voice now soft and full of excitement.
‘What did she have, my Lord?’ Elizabeth stepped from the dais and at the change in her tone, the court seemed to collect themselves and go back to what they had been doing. The musicians started playing again, conversations began and the girls went back to translating poems. Kit allowed her shoulders to drop from the tense position she had held as she watched her brother bend his head to tell the Queen about the foal.
‘It is a young stallion, your Grace. An easy birth, and the foal is feeding well. The length of leg looks promising for a hunter.’
‘And my mare?’ Elizabeth was exceptionally fond of her horses, and took every opportunity to speak with the grooms about their care and breeding.
‘Well, your Grace. She had no problems delivering, and the foal stood almost immediately.’ Robert had waited until he knew the foal would live, so he could tell the Queen. It had deflected her ire at his tardiness, even though he had been late trying to organise her Progress. He knew she took every opportunity to draw attention to him, and although it irritated him beyond measure, he was careful not to show anything to the court. He saved his anger and paced his sister’s apartments when he could no longer contain himself. Kit usually laughed at him.
‘Come, Lord Robert,’ Elizabeth tapped Robert’s arm with her fan, her usual display of affection to those who pleased her, ‘you must meet Walter Raleigh. He has just returned from the New World and has so much to tell.’ Robert took the hand Elizabeth extended and helped her up the step to the dais, being careful not to tread on the gowns of the ladies-in-waiting, seated round the throne on cushions while they embroidered and listened to Walter Raleigh tell of his adventures in the New World.
As Robert stepped carefully over the sparkling gowns of the seated ladies-in-waiting, he caught the eye of Lettice’s sister Beth, who wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes at him in sympathy. The amusement in this gesture reminded him so much of Lady Cat that he snorted a laugh that quickly turned into a cough.
‘You are ill, my Lord?’ Elizabeth worried constantly about her own health, and didn’t allow illness at court.
‘No, Majesty. It is only the dust from the stable catching in my throat.’ Robert coughed again and struggled to catch his breath to speak.
‘Wine for Lord Robert,’ demanded Elizabeth, casting round her and catching sight of Beth’s shaking shoulders as she bent her head to her embroidery.
‘Beth Knollys, do something useful for once, girl, and get some wine for his Lordship.’ Elizabeth’s voice was sharp with irritation.
Beth jumped to her feet and almost ran to the wine table, pouring two goblets and hurrying back to the dais. She handed one to her brother-in-law with a slight curtsey and a smile, then curtseyed lower and offered the other to Elizabeth. The Queen waved the proffered goblet away with a disdainful gesture but Walter Raleigh bowed and said quietly, ‘May I, Majesty? Talking is thirsty work.’
Elizabeth tilted her head and smiled at Raleigh, then looked sharply at Beth.
‘Well, girl? Hand Master Raleigh the wine.’
Beth flushed and held the cup towards Raleigh, who curled his finger round the stem and around Beth’s fingers, keeping his eyes on her and holding her gaze.
‘Thank you, Mistress Knollys. It will taste all the sweeter for being brought by you.’
Beth looked at Raleigh, eyes round with wonder, then sank into a deep curtsey, eyes lowered as she breathed, ‘You are most welcome, my Lord.’ She scurried back to her seat without looking up, and bent her head to her stitching, trying to calm her breathing and control the flush creeping up her cheek.
Elizabeth made herself comfortable in her vast chair and nodded at Raleigh to continue his tale of the New World. Robert stood at the side, hand on the back of the Queen�
�s seat, listening with interest as he met Kit’s eyes and gave her a wink.
***
Robert leant against the wall, sipping his wine while watching the servants clear away the banquet and listening to the musicians tune their instruments ready for the dancing to follow. He felt a slender arm slip through his and he looked down in surprise.
‘Kit! You startled me.’
‘You seemed lost in thought, brother. Are you not preparing to lead the Queen in the first dance?’
Robert gestured to the dais, where Raleigh was leading Elizabeth, clad in an enormous hooped gown of silver tissue, embroidered with roses and encrusted with pearls and diamonds, down to begin the dance.
‘Not I, Kit. She prefers younger legs than mine these days.’ He smiled wryly and took another sip of wine.
‘He is a novelty, Rob. She will listen to his stories and flattery, accept his gifts, then when he returns to the sea, she will want you back at her side. She is only trying to make you jealous by paying attention to a younger man.’
Robert snorted a laugh. ‘Then she will be disappointed, Kit. I am far from jealous.’
‘And she knows that inside Rob, but it doesn’t prevent her from trying. You know how the game is played. We have played it for long enough.’ He looked down at the tiny figure of his sister and squeezed her fingers gently.
‘I do know, Kit. I know we all wait for favour, and we are unable to live a normal life while we do.’ His voice contained a trace of regret that his sister recognised but refused to acknowledge. She answered him with more than a little impatience in her tone.
‘This is our life, Rob. The life our father chose for us; that we choose to maintain.’ They watched the dance for a while in silence as the Queen laughed at the whispers Raleigh poured into her ear, carefully glancing around as she did so, then laughing harder when she caught Robert’s eye.
‘She still loves you, Rob.’ Robert made a wry face and put his half-finished goblet of wine on the tray of a passing servant.
On the Altar of England (Tudor Chronicles Book 4) Page 3