On the Altar of England (Tudor Chronicles Book 4)

by Lesley Jepson

  She observed the court carefully, seeing how close her daughter Nell was becoming with Philip Sidney, and she decided to speak to her sister-in-law Mary to see if they could make a match between them. She saw Ursula having rivals for her attention in Tom and Ed, and determined to have another, harsher word with her brother. Lettice knew he was only being amusing, and she was confident that Tom knew it too, but Ursula was in danger of having her head turned, and that she couldn’t countenance.

  Jane, she knew, was becoming closer and closer to Dickon, which would be a match that thrilled Lettice. She needed to write to her Aunt Meg and then have a word with her father, although she didn’t think there would be any difficulty. Ralph Sadler was one of her father’s oldest friends and she thought he would be pleased with the match; she felt her mother would have been championing their cause and she would uphold her mother’s wish.

  The days that there was no hunting were passed in leisurely pursuits. Robert arranged archery contests, jousts, displays of horsemanship and swordplay tournaments for the court to watch or take part in, according to their preference. Kit’s girls danced or played their lutes or recited poems, and every evening ended in a huge meal after which there was dancing. The Queen distributed prizes to the winners, graciously giving away favours that Robert provided as part of his duties. He was up at dawn every day, making sure everything was in place for the day’s entertainment, and he stayed within summoning range of the Queen for the whole day, every day. But the nights belonged to Lettice.

  Each night he stripped her of her shift, sometimes gently and almost reverently, trailing kisses down every inch of her body until she was begging him to make love to her. At others he tore the fabric in his eagerness to possess her body, and he took her to new heights with passion and enthusiasm and with stamina to spare. She couldn’t help but wonder if she would be again with child by the time the court returned to London, and the thought thrilled her.

  The only thing that clouded her thoughts was the time that Essex was spending in the company of the Queen, joining the growing circle of pretty young noblemen with whom the Queen chose to surround herself. That the Queen flirted and was flattered by the likes of Drake and de Vere and Raleigh and even Sidney didn’t bother Lettice at all. It was the task of the courtier to flatter the Monarch, and she knew from stories she had heard from her mother that it made little difference to the flattery if that monarch was male or female. Favour meant coin, and every courtier and hanger-on wanted some of the crown coin for themselves or their families.

  But most of the other courtiers in the inner circle of the Queen were grown men, who knew something of the world and how it worked. Lettice had been nineteen when she bore Essex, and she was ten years younger than the Queen. That Elizabeth was finding such delight in someone almost thirty years her junior caused uneasiness in Lettice’s mind; apart from anything else, Lettice wondered what they found to talk about. Essex was a reluctantly educated nobleman, and Elizabeth’s towering intelligence was legendary; it couldn’t be his mind that so fascinated the Queen, thought Lettice, it must be his wit. She couldn’t bear the thought it might be anything else.

  ***

  The final day of the court’s visit dawned bright and clear as the whole time had been. Lettice woke suddenly, surprised to find her husband still beside her as sunlight streamed through the casement window.

  ‘Robin.’ she beamed delightedly, as his hand stroked up her side and found her breast, swollen as always with milk, although he had done his best to relieve her of that burden the previous night. She sighed and squirmed in pleasure as he bent his dark head and kissed her awake.

  ‘Shouldn’t you be up and organising the entertainment?’ she whispered as he released her lips and kissed her throat. He made a growling noise and looked at her.

  ‘The only thing happening today is arranged for after the noon meal, and it is a ladies hunt. Everything is in hand,’ he trailed his lips down over her collar bone to her breast and touched her engorged nipple with his tongue, ‘and I can spend the morning with my wife.’ She shifted her position so he could slide over her body and begin again the dance of love, and she stretched beneath him in ecstasy, knowing that on the following morning they would have to part.

  Much later, when their breathing had returned to normal and she lay on her side, cradled in his arms, she looked up at him and twisted her mouth wryly.

  ‘I know you must go, Robin. I shall stay and close up the house before I return to London.’ He took her hand from its journey over his chest and kissed her fingers gently, one fingertip at a time which made her stomach clench and her breathing quicken again. Under her cheek she felt a low rumble of a chuckle begin at the effect of his kisses and she huffed a rueful laugh. ‘I shall return as quickly as I can, my love. Being with you like this has spoiled me, and I cannot live without you for long.’

  ‘Nor I you, sweet Lily. I shall leave you the Dudley guard to accompany you, and you will have Thomas and the squires. You will be quite safe, but …..’ he stopped abruptly and she levered herself up on her elbow to look at his face properly.

  ‘But? But what, Robin? What awful thing do you have to tell me that you must preface it with lovemaking and then a ‘but’?’ Lettice knew her voice was rising, and that emotion threatened to overwhelm her, yet she felt powerless to stop the tears.

  She never liked bombarding Robert with too much emotion; he had enough of that behaviour from the Queen. She endeavoured to be pleasant, welcoming and passionate in the time they were together, and had loved having time with him during the day while the court was with them. That she had been studiously ignored by the Queen since their unfortunate greeting hadn’t made an iota of difference to the pleasure she had taken at the chance to entertain her friends.

  ‘Hush, Lily. Do not upset yourself, my love.’ Robert gently stroked her cheek and kissed her temple and held her tightly until she had herself under control again. ‘It is nothing truly dreadful, I promise. But… the Queen has invited Essex to join our party as we return, so he and Kytt will not be with you on your journey; that is all, my love. Nothing terrible at all.’ He continued to hold her and nuzzle her hair gently as Lettice allowed herself to relax against him.

  In her mind she knew her son had his own way to make at court, and the Queen’s favour was something to be valued. And yet, she couldn’t shake off a vague feeling of disquiet, of dread.

  ***

  The court’s final day and evening at Kenilworth was packed with mirth and merriment. The ‘ladies hunt’ Robert had arranged meant that no horses were used; they could all be rested for the journey tomorrow. Hidden in the formal gardens, although not very well, were small animals for the ladies to find, all washed, clean and dressed in ruffs and ribbons. There were rabbits, piglets, baby goats and lambs all around for the ladies to capture with more silken leads and keep by their side for the afternoon.

  Some of the more enterprising gentlemen led, Lettice suspected, by Essex, had constructed a rudimentary ‘run’ comprising of lanes marked by lengths of rough timber. Piglets and rabbits were then removed from the ladies’ arms and raced, with the gentlemen wagering on the outcome and the ladies laughing as the animals ran in the opposite direction.

  The farewell supper was a sumptuous affair, with many courses of meat, poultry and game, interspersed with courses of fish and fruit. A cooked swan was brought in, re-dressed in its feathers with gold leaf on the beak and feet, and the wings wired at full stretch which brought applause from the diners. A small tree in a pot was brought in, with sugared plums hanging from its branches, and for the older members of the court, whose teeth weren’t reliable enough to bite fresh fruit, pots of syllabub were served, with soft fruits covered in sweetened cream and the edges of the cups sprinkled in diamond dust.

  Kit had promised to organise
another performance of ‘Stars in the Moonlight’, so Lettice could see her girls in the performance, and this was greeted with shouts of approval from the audience, before the musicians started to play music that the court could dance to. Lettice felt the visit had been an unqualified success, and although she would miss Robert when he left in the morning, she would have a little peace and quiet to close up the house and arrange her own return to London.

  Chapter 22

  et me speak to my mother first, Nell. You know how much she loves you. I can’t think of a reason why she won’t support me when I speak to Uncle Henry.’ Philip wound one of Nell’s copper curls around his fingers and kissed her lips gently. Nell swayed forward so he could kiss her properly and his arms went round her slender waist. Dipping his head, he kissed her passionately then pulled away. He was very aware of her youth and innocence, and didn’t want to compromise her reputation without a promise from their families that they would be married.

  Nell pouted as he broke the kiss, and he laughed at the look of disappointment on her face. ‘Soon, my love. We will gain permission and then our kisses can be never-ending.’ Nell took a shuddering breath and then beamed excitedly at him.

  ‘The journey back to London will be long, my Lord.’ She bounced on her toes and smiled again, looking down shyly.

  ‘I’m sure we will find a chance for many talks on the ride, lovely Nell. And that will make the time pass more quickly. At least from here we will only have overnight stays on our way home.’

  ‘And you will speak to Aunt Mary at the first opportunity? Truly, you will?’ Philip took hold of her hand and pressed it first to his lips and then to his heart.

  ‘Truly, my love. I give you my word.’ He kissed her again gently and then let her go back to her duties while he went to see if his mother could spare him a few minutes in the middle of supervising the maids as they packed.

  ***

  ‘Dear God, Mother! You cannot be serious.’ Philip paced the room angrily, seemingly at a loss what to do that didn’t involve breaking something.

  ‘Calm down dearest. I’m sorry, but the negotiations have already been completed and your father has accepted the dowry.’ Lady Mary Sidney gazed sadly at the angry face of her son.

  ‘Why wasn’t I consulted, Mother? Why have you let me think, all these years, that I would be able to choose my own bride, when all the time, you and Father have been plotting…..’ Lady Mary held up her hand to silence her son.

  ‘We haven’t been plotting, Philip. But you know, my son, that we don’t have very much wealth. The only way the family is going to rise any further, and have a solid basis to grow, is if we marry into money. That means you marrying into money.’ She shook her head in sympathy as he kicked the corner of the mantelpiece in frustration.

  ‘But you love Nell, Mother. She is beautiful and clever and refined and from a good family.’ His voice was becoming plaintive as he recited Nell’s attributes and realised that the one he couldn’t enumerate was ‘wealthy’.

  He knew Nell was the eldest daughter of a deceased father. She had a title of her own, but little in the way of wealth; the wealth of the estate, apart from sums set aside for her and her sister’s dowry, would go to Essex when he attained his majority. Nell had no father to continue to put gold in the family’s purse.

  ‘I do, my son. I love her like my own daughter. She is everything you have said, and more. She is kind and funny and loyal, everything one could hope for in a daughter. But she has no money of her own. Your father and I thought long and hard about your bride, Philip, I promise you we did. You haven’t shown the slightest preference for any particular girl up to now, so….’

  ‘I hadn’t met Nell then. Not properly at least, now she is grown.’ He threw himself irritably into a chair and put his head in his hands. ‘Mother, what am I going to tell her?’

  ‘You haven’t,… er…., you haven’t behaved dishonourably towards her, have you?’ Lady Mary’s voice was tight. Philip looked up at his mother and narrowed his eyes.

  ‘No, Mother. I most certainly haven’t. Nell is someone whom I have ….had …chosen for my wife. I wouldn’t dishonour her.’

  ‘Thank God for that, then,’ said Lady Mary briskly, ‘she has a good marriage before her, and I wouldn’t have wanted to put that in jeopardy.’ Philip looked at his mother sharply.

  ‘You mean Uncle Henry has already chosen her husband? And she doesn’t know?’ Lady Mary nodded silently. ‘Do you know who he has chosen?’ Lady Mary nodded again and Philip widened his eyes and tilted his head for her to answer his question.

  ‘Sir Robert Riche,’ she whispered as she watched her son sit up with a gesture of futile irritation.

  ‘God’s blood, Mother. I thought my being condemned to marry Walsingham’s daughter was bad enough, but to force my lovely Nell into that bastard’s bed is beyond bearing!’

  Tears filled Lady Mary’s eyes as she heard the emotion crack her son’s voice, and she watched silently as he leaped up and strode out of the chamber, slamming the door after him.

  ***

  Nell tapped softly at the door of her mother’s presence chamber and then slid carefully round the heavy door. She knew that at this time in the morning, her mother would probably be feeding her baby brother, but if he was asleep she didn’t want to wake him. Lettice looked up from the huge chair and smiled at her daughter.

  ‘Good morning, poppet. I didn’t think to see you so early.’ She gazed down at the dark head of her son, eyes closed and milky mouth busy as he fed.

  ‘I wanted to see you privately before we left, Mother. I know you will be at least two more weeks before you get back to London and I have something I want to tell you.’ Nell twisted her fingers together in excitement, and her eyes shone.

  ‘Sit down then, pet, and tell me all about it. You are right, I will be a few weeks closing this huge place before I return. You look so thrilled, I’m sure your news won’t keep that long.’ Nell nodded and sat in the companion chair, watching her mother as she swapped sides with the baby and winced briefly.

  ‘Does it hurt?’ Nell’s forehead furrowed slightly, and Lettice laughed.

  ‘Not after you are used to it, no. But sometimes he gets a little enthusiastic and doesn’t manage to get his mouth in the right place first time. Then it pinches a little until he settles. But it is such a lovely feeling, my pet, it is worth a little discomfort.’

  Nell watched for a while as the baby snuffled and grunted his satisfaction. Then she looked up at her mother’s sparkling eyes, waiting patiently until she was ready to share her news.

  ‘Philip Sidney wants to marry me, Mother.’ Nell’s voice was high in her excitement, and she beamed at her mother until she noticed her mother wasn’t returning her smile.

  ‘What’s the matter? You like Philip. You told me you did, and Papa likes him too, he’s a great friend I know.’ Nell’s stomach had started to squirm; she knew something wasn’t right. ‘And I love him, Mother. I love him so much.’ The excitement at her news was evaporating and her voice had lowered to a desperate pleading whisper.

  ‘Oh, poppet,’ Lettice sighed, ‘I am so sorry. I had no idea, and your Aunt Mary has confided to me that they have arranged a match for Philip.’

  ‘They can’t have. He hasn’t said anything, and he wouldn’t have …. If he had known he was betrothed, he wouldn’t have promised me …..’ Her voice trailed away and Lettice looked at her sharply.

  ‘Nell, tell me the truth.’ Nell looked up from her fingers at her mother’s severe tone. ‘Have you … have you been intimate with one another? I need to know.’

  ‘No, Mother! No, we haven’t. Philip wouldn’t!’

  ‘He is a man, my pet. He would, if you le
t him. That he hasn’t speaks volumes to the regard he has for you, that he hasn’t yet asked.’ Lettice softened her tone towards her daughter, whose stricken face told its own story.

  ‘He has gone to speak to his mother. And then he is going to speak to our Uncle Henry. He wanted to speak to Papa, but I told him it was Uncle Henry whom my father had charged with my betrothal and dowry.’ Her throat was closing and her voice was breaking with unshed tears. She could see the sympathy in her mother’s eyes and the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that her Uncle Henry would say ‘No’, regardless of Philip’s own betrothal. Nell took her kerchief from the pocket of her emerald silk gown, relieved that she didn’t have to wait on the Queen today, then looked at her mother.

  ‘Uncle Henry has found someone who wants to marry me, hasn’t he?’ Nell’s tone was bleakly distant, even to her own ears. She felt almost disembodied, as if listening to someone else’s conversation.

  ‘He has, poppet. Someone with real wealth, someone who can support you and your future children in a grand estate. Someone who wants to marry into one of the oldest, most respected families in England. It is a good match for you, honestly.’

  ‘Who?’ Nell’s voice was a thread.

  ‘Robert Riche. Baron Riche’s heir.’

  Nell looked incredulously at her mother, tears brimming over her lashes and falling unheeded down her cheeks. She tried to take a breath and couldn’t. She couldn’t see, and she couldn’t breathe; she wondered vaguely if this was what drowning felt like. Perhaps she would drown in her own sorrow and die before she married anyone. Nell swallowed and finally dragged a breath, finding a small voice from somewhere.

  ‘Mother, I can’t possibly marry him. He is only marrying me because of my title, my family. I don’t know him, and from what I have seen, he is so ……’ She couldn’t finish her sentence and she brought her kerchief to her lips in an attempt to stop the scream that was building at the back of her throat. Lettice gazed across the baby’s head at her daughter and sadly shook her head.