On the Altar of England (Tudor Chronicles Book 4)

by Lesley Jepson

  ‘Banishment, Mistress? You think I will banish you, and your ….. husband? No, Mistress. Do not worry on that score. I do not intend to banish either of you.’

  ‘Oh, your Majesty, thank you, thank you. We will…….’ Bess broke off her thanks as Elizabeth spoke again.

  ‘You won’t be the first person to have their child in the Tower. Guards! Take her to her husband. He is also there.’

  The guards standing at the door came into the room on command of the Queen and took hold of Bess at either side of her. Bess went white with fear as she realised what Elizabeth had meant. Raleigh had been arrested and was in the tower. They were not to be forgiven, not to be together.

  Clutching her belly, Bess began to scream.

  Part Two

  Chapter 37

  ettice lay back on her pillows in her bedchamber and gazed surreptitiously at Robert, haloed by the sunlight pouring through the window behind him as he sat at the table breaking his fast. The sun shone through the fabric of his silk shirt, outlining the width of his shoulders and the muscles in his arms as he reached for some bread. She watched in fascination as his long fingers buttered a soft roll and then sliced a piece of cheese from the block. Feeling her eyes upon him, he looked up and grinned.

  ‘Good morning, my love.’

  ‘Hello, Robin,’ she beamed, giggling at being caught watching him, ‘Breakfast here, my love? Not at the barracks?’

  He smiled as he chewed and then sipped some ale.

  ‘I have meetings today with the Ambassadors, to discuss the blockade and how we might help the people of Antwerp, Lily. I thought a leisurely start to the day might make a pleasant change.’ She nodded in agreement and pushed herself up to a sitting position, looking quickly at Robert in surprise as he began to cough and chuckle at the same time.

  ‘You may wish to retrieve your nightgown, my love. Before anyone else comes into the room. Cissy brought me this tray and blushed even redder than usual when she saw your naked shoulders above the comforter and this pool of gossamer here.’ He pointed to the puddle of gleaming silk and Belgian lace dripping onto the floor from the end of the bedstead, and Lettice wrinkled her nose at him, sliding from the bed and walking unabashed to retrieve her nightshift.

  Robert caught her wrist with his hand and pulled her to him before she had chance to drop the garment over her head, and he buried his lips in the soft skin of her belly.

  ‘Oh, Lily. I love you so much.’ She buried her hand in his hair and closed her eyes as his breath whispered over her flesh, revelling in the physical demonstrations of his love as she always did. She chuckled low in her throat.

  ‘You proved that last evening Robin, at least twice. Let me clothe myself before anyone comes, my love. I can hear boots on the gallery.’ He released her reluctantly and she dropped her garment over her slender body, then swiftly grasped her burgundy velvet robe and fastened the frogging from breast to hip as quickly as she could before the bedroom door burst open and their son rushed into the room, closely followed by the laconic figure of Thomas.

  ‘Papa, Mama, look what Thomas has made for me,’ babbled young Robbie, brandishing a wooden sword and thrusting into thin air with his other hand held aloft.

  ‘It’s a swooord for me to practise with, and I shall fight Dickon and win, and then I shall fight Tom and win again, and then I might be good enough to win you, Papa.’

  Robert chuckled, ‘I am not the prize, my son. You will not win me, you will win a victory over me. The victory is the prize.’ He huffed a laugh as his attempt at teaching his son grammar went unheeded and Robbie attacked the bed curtains with renewed vigour.

  ‘You made the sword yourself, Thomas?’ Lettice sat at the table and smiled at the man still stood in the doorway, watching Robbie’s antics with gentle eyes.

  ‘Yes, my Lady,’ Thomas bowed briefly as he spoke, ‘It is only a simple construction, but I thought at three, the young Lord could wield a light wood.’ His mouth twitched at the corners though his beard.

  ‘I am the-ree, Mama, so Thomas thought I was old enough. Now I am the-ree I can fight Dickon.’

  ‘Three, poppet. Say it quickly, with no pause. Three.’

  ‘Theree,’ grinned Robbie, ‘I am theree. And when I am four, I shall have a dagger at my back and be a Sassin. Thomas says when you are a Sassin, you have to wear a dagger at your back, because your swooord isn’t enough.’ He stopped suddenly and blinked at Robert. ‘You’re not a Sassin, Papa. You wear a swooord and then your dagger at your side, so you can’t be a Sassin.’

  ‘Indeed I cannot, my son. And I’m sure that Thomas will teach you how to wield a sword and a blade like a gentleman should, so you have no need to become an assassin.’ Robert’s mouth twitched in amusement at his son’s interest in swordsmanship, and Lettice smothered her own desire to laugh.

  ‘Would you like some bread and cheese, Robbie?’ she asked, holding out a piece of bread to the boy, whose eyes brightened at the sight of food. He held out his sword to Thomas, and bowed respectfully as Thomas took the wooden blade from him. Then he trotted over to the table on his sturdy little legs and jumped onto the window seat beside his father.

  ‘It pleases me that you show respect to your weapon, my Lord,’ said Robert to his son, nodding to Thomas as he did so and receiving a nod in return. Robbie, cheeks bulging with bread and cheese, nodded his own head vigorously, chewing furiously so he could reply. He swallowed and Lettice poured him a cup of milk from the jug on the tray.

  ‘Of course, Papa. You have to look after your weapons, so they look after you. When I am bigger, when I am five,’ he spread the fingers of his hand, ‘I shall have a real blade and Thomas is going to teach me to oil it so it will always be loose in my scabbard and ready to use. To protect you, Mama.’ Robbie took his cup of milk and swallowed it all, quickly and noisily, then wiped his mouth with his hand, wrinkling his nose at the sigh he heard from Lettice.

  ‘Sorry, Mama. I should use my kerchief, shouldn’t I?’ Lettice nodded, mouth twitching in a giggle she dared not release. Robbie jumped down from the window and hugged Robert’s knees briefly, then put his arms up for an embrace from Lettice. She gathered him to her, breathing in his little boy smell joyfully before kissing his cheek and reluctantly setting him down. He pulled his jerkin down sharply and turned to Thomas.

  ‘Come, Thomas. We shall spar, and then I shall look at horses and tell you which one I shall ride.’ He turned to his parents, who were each smothering smiles, ‘I shall see you later, Mama,’ he bowed slightly, ‘and I shall see you when you come home from the barracks, Papa.’ He bowed again and then, forgetting his suddenly assumed dignity, scampered out of the room, swiftly followed by Thomas.

  Lettice and Robert both gave into their suppressed laughter, chuckling helplessly together.

  ‘An assassin, Robin? Why would he want to be an assassin?’ Lettice wiped her eyes with a silk kerchief and put some cheese in her mouth. Robert shook his head.

  ‘I have no idea, Lily. He must have overheard some of the lads talking about daggers and blades, to learn that nugget of wisdom.’ He laughed again, ‘But he certainly knows some words for a three year old.’

  Lettice smiled, ‘We all talk to him endlessly, Robin. Jane and Ursula and I, and his nurses and the boys. And Thomas, of course. He is a naturally bright and sunny child, and people enjoy talking to him.’

  Robert stood and took her hand, kissing the palm and then holding it to his face gently. ‘Like his bright and sunny mother, my love. Whom I enjoy talking to most of all,’ he bent and kissed her lips, ‘but I shall have to leave for my meeting.’ Her face fell theatrically and he put his finger under her chin, tilting her face up and kissing the end of her nose, ‘But I shall be back for supper. Chick
en, if you wouldn’t mind, Lily. And could you find some of the milk thistle your Aunt Meg sent?’

  Lettice nodded eagerly then frowned, ‘Is your digestion troubling you again, Robin?’

  ‘It is nothing, my love. Probably dyspepsia from dealing with all these Ambassadors and their demands, and being anxious about the payments for the soldiery being late again. Lady Meg’s remedy will put things right, so I can spar with my son.’ He burst into laughter as he remembered his son’s words, and dropped a quick kiss on her lips before he grabbed his hat and dagger from the chest by the door.

  ‘Buckle it at your waist, my good Lord Robert,’ said Lettice in a lofty tone from her seat in the window, ‘we don’t want the Ambassador to think you are a Sassin.’ Lettice heard his guffaw of laughter all along the corridor as he left and she rose to ring the bell for Alice to help her dress.

  ***

  The days at the Governor’s mansion in The Hague passed for Lettice very much as her life in London had done, although having Robert with her every evening never lost its novelty.

  The politics surrounding the English assisting the Dutch Republic in their struggle against Spanish occupation was difficult for her to comprehend, and she was sure Robert kept much to himself. That the Treaty of Nonesuch had sent them there she knew, and that the Duke of Parma was currently besieging Antwerp was one of the things Robert had gone to discuss. She knew he was trying to establish a foothold for England in the Low Countries, but she also knew his soldiers waited for payment by the English crown. Regardless of their lack of coin, they fought bravely for Robert in skirmishes between the Dutch Republic and the Catholic League, which was funded and supported by Philip of Spain.

  As she stitched in her salon, accompanied by Jane and Ursula, she heard hard boots clattering along the gallery from the courtyard. Setting her sewing aside, she gazed eagerly at the door as it was thrust open after a brief rap.

  ‘Kytt! Whatever are you doing here?’ Lettice was amazed to see the fair young man, grown even taller since she had last seen him. He swept his hat off and bowed low.

  ‘Countess, it pleases me that we have come, and I bring you news of your family.’ He reached inside his doublet and brought out a thick packet of letters, handing them to Lettice with a flourish as he quickly crossed the room.

  ‘But why you, Kytt? Is Essex with you?’ Lettice dimpled at him in excitement at the letters and looked beyond him towards the gallery.

  ‘My Lord Essex has stayed at the barracks, but Lord Robert bade me bring these to you with all haste, my Lady. He asked me to tell you they will both soon be back for supper.’ Kytt grinned at her excitement as she nodded at his words and looked through the letters, handing one to Jane and one to Ursula, keeping the others for herself.

  ‘Jane, go along to Cook and tell her we will be three more for supper at our table, please pet, and to roast a side of beef to go with the pork and the chicken.’ Lettice glanced at Kytt as he drew a swift breath and held up her hand, ‘No, Sir Kytt. You will eat with us. We are quite informal here, and Dickon and Tom and Thomas and everyone else will be there too.’

  Kytt again sketched a bow, saying, ‘If it pleases you then my Lady, it will be an honour. Might I speak with my uncle while you read your correspondence, my Lady?’

  Lettice grasped his hand and squeezed it in gratitude. ‘Of course, Kytt. What am I thinking? Go and see your uncle, and let him know you and Essex will need accommodation for however long you might be with us.’ He bowed again and left the room as Lettice watched him before she excitedly broke the seal on the letter from Nell.

  Dearest Mama

  It will not surprise you to learn that I am again with child. At least it will keep Riche from my bed for several months, and this time I hope for a daughter that I might love more easily than I can my sons. Henry and Charles are both growing, and Henry is walking well now, although his speech is slow. Aunt Meg tells me not to worry. I fear I cannot worry about anything anymore. I don’t have the energy.

  The Court is much as it ever is. The Queen meets secretly with Burleigh and Walsingham, then speaks openly with the Parliament, but no-one knows what the truth is.

  She still shows me particular favour, and Thea too. I am pleased Essex has come to deliver these to you, to give us some respite from his rivalries and truculence at Court. Grandfather is beside himself dealing with his black moods, and there seems to have been some trouble between Essex and young Rob over a girl. They both still delight the Queen, but she shows enough sense to keep them as separate as possible. I tell you Mama, it is exhausting.

  I hope you and Papa are still safely away from the fighting. I could not bear what happened to Philip happen to Papa, and I pray you are safe. Essex and Kytt are hoping to see some action, as is Charles Mountjoy who has accompanied them. He seems pleasant, very like Kytt in that he is even tempered and agreeable. Another to soothe the unpredictable temper of Essex.

  I shall write again when I have more news, and I am sure Aunt Meg and Aunt Kit will have sent notes too. I miss you, Mama, and I look forward to you coming home.

  Nell

  Lettice drew her brows together anxiously at the tone of her daughter’s letter, and broke the seal on the one from Meg, hoping to hear more news from a different viewpoint.

  Sweetheart

  You must excuse my writing and spelling, as I am unused to writing letters. Ralph writes most of them for me, but he is at Court so much recently, I do not like to ask.

  Nell’s boys are both well and happy, and I am thrilled to have babies in my Nursery again. She and their father come to see them regularly, and Riche is always very proprietary when he sees them, although both are far too young for the tutors he is suggesting. Nell is kind to them, and takes an interest but sweetheart, it seems like they belong to someone else, and she is being polite. When I remember how you and your dear Mother were, rushing from Court whenever you could and playing hilarious games on the floor, heedless of your gowns, Nell seems quite remote. Perhaps if she has a daughter this time, she will be different.

  I long to see you and your darling boy again soon. I hope the conflict will have a swift resolution and you may return home. I am sure Robbie will have a positive influence on Nell’s boys and having someone to copy might hasten Henry’s speech.

  My garden blooms well and I have found another plant that yields a softening sap, so I may start trying to make a different type of salve from that. The administration of the Lancastrian duchy is a double-edged sword, sweetheart. It might bring a goodly income, but takes up much of Ralph’s time, as does finding yet another suitable lodging for the Scots Queen. He is having her moved to Sheffield Castle under the orders of Walsingham.

  I am well and busy, with only aching knees to testify to my great age. I play with the children from a chair now – no more floors for me, I’m afraid. Take care of yourselves. I have sent Jane a separate note, but send her love in this too, and to Tom and Ursula. I hope their marriage is proving a happy one. Much affection to you all.

  Aunt Meg

  Lettice smiled at the loopy writing, and the care with which Meg had obviously taken with the letter. That her daughter was remote with her children caused Lettice’s heart to break; even at her most unhappy with Walter, her children had always brought her joy. It both saddened and worried her that Nell wasn’t able to separate her love for her children from the distaste she felt towards their father. For the first time since they had been in the Netherlands, Lettice longed to return to London. She picked up the final letter bearing her name and realised it was from Kit.

  Darling Letty

  I miss you and Rob so much. Harry is constantly up and down the Great North Road, escorting the Scots Queen from one house owned by Shrewsbury to another, then he comes hom
e in a bad temper and I avoid him for a few days. Thank goodness I have my girls, but I miss you for the distraction of a gossip in which I do not have to guard my words.

  Harry has confided to me that he is in negotiation for a bride for Essex, and I wanted you to know before we tell anyone else, so you might prepare yourself. I cannot guess what Essex might feel, but it is an advantageous match in the monetary sense, so that will find favour with him, I’m sure. The difficult thing will be Nell, because Harry has arranged the match between Walsingham’s daughter Frances Sidney and Essex. I have no idea how she will feel about Philip’s widow being her sister-in-law, but it is a good match on paper. That Essex will find himself a lover more to his choosing is inevitable, but perhaps marriage will steady him a little?

  I will tell you, although I think the situation is resolved now Essex has come to you, that he and young Rob were brief rivals for the affection of Eliza Southwell, Lady Cathy’s granddaughter. Between you and me, I think Essex went out of his way to pursue Eliza, knowing her interests were with Rob, but there can be no happy outcome there either, owing to Rob’s illegitimacy. I am sure Lady Cathy will want a wealthy heir for her beloved Howard girl. They are both young; they will find other people.

  The Queen is proving as intractable as ever, with the problems in the Netherlands, the reports from Spain and trouble rising again in Ireland. Without Rob to calm her, Burleigh and Walsingham are finding her difficult in Parliament, Harry tells me. I cannot think it will be long before she calls him home, and as much as Burleigh dislikes him, Rob is often the only one who knows how to deal with her obstinacy and her headstrong ideas.

  In the hope I see you very soon, I send affection to all, a kiss for my brother and a huge hug for your beautiful boy, my dearest friend.

  Kit

  Chapter 38