“How did you convince Cecil to free me?” she asked her three rescuers.
“You mean Niall didn’t tell you?” demanded Robbie.
“I imagine he’d other things on his mind,” murmured de Marisco.
“Well, how did you do it?” she repeated, and they told her.
“You mean you sacrificed your share of the Santa Maria Madre de Cristos for me, Adam? Your share was what you ‘found’ on board the Gazelle?” she asked when they had finished. “I’ll make it up to you! I swear it!”
“You’re free, Skye, and that’s all any of us cared about,” he protested, embarrassed.
“I included your emeralds, the ones you took for yourself. They were added to the Gazelle’s treasure,” said Niall calmly.
“You took my emeralds?”
They all waited for the explosion. But Skye began to laugh. “By God,” she said, “I’ve beaten Elizabeth Tudor well and true, and in a manner I never expected to.”
“What do you mean, Skye?” asked Robert Small.
“Why, Robbie, the Queen has gained nothing except some gold, and a few cold stones, but I have the true treasure. I have the three of you. Niall, my beloved husband, and my friend Adam, and my dearest Robbie. Until Bess Tudor has a husband and loyal friends like mine, she has nothing of value at all. I pity her.”
They stared wonderingly at her, realizing that Skye really did pity the Queen whom she had bested. The three men felt a burning sting behind their eyes, and each blinked rapidly, unashamed.
Skye gazed at each of them long and lovingly, and her smile was as bright as the morning. “Gentlemen! I’m for home!” she cried. And wheeling her horse about, Skye O’Malley galloped off in the late-April sunshine, and down the road to Devon.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
IN 1979, WITH THREE BOOKS PUBLISHED OR ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED, two of them fictionalized histories of real women, I decided to write a novel based on Grace O’Malley, the renowned pirate queen of Connaught. However, the more I researched, the more I discovered that Grace—while heroic in nature—was actually considered rude, crude, and generally lacking in the more genteel characteristics of a historical romance heroine. Of course the histories of that time were written mostly by churchmen, or by men educated by the church. A strong, independent woman like Grace would hardly be approved of. Still there just wasn’t quite enough to Grace for me to write an entire novel about her. She left Ireland only once, when she had a sea battle with Barbary pirates in the Bay of Biscay, off of Portugal.
At first I was disappointed because the particular era in which Grace lived was extremely rich with exciting history. But I wasn’t ready to give up on it, so Grace’s fictional “cousin,” Skye O’Malley, came into being. Skye was not a woman to hang about, merely trolling off the coast of Ireland for prizes. She traveled far and wide, including to exotic north Africa, and later came into contact with England’s queen, the great Elizabeth Tudor, through Skye’s third husband, Geoffrey Southwood, the earl of Lynmouth, who was known as the “angel earl” because he was so handsome.
Due to her steely nature and magnificent cunning, Elizabeth I is frankly one of my favorite historical characters. I love writing about her. A child when her mother was beheaded, Elizabeth was sent away from her father in both disgrace and disfavor, while a host of enemies conspired against her. Nevertheless, the savvy and determined young woman survived to become England’s queen and, in my story, to meet Skye O’Malley.
In my imaginings, Elizabeth and Skye become worthy opponents. At first admiring and respectful of each other, these two friends transform into impassioned enemies. The two strong and fascinating women have many a battle in this novel: though they shared some basic characteristics, they were fundamentally very different. Skye’s passions were for her family, who were all very close and loving, and her power came from the wealth she built through her shipping empire—which in turn allowed her to spar with England’s queen. Elizabeth’s power, however, came from her sovereignty. I remain utterly intrigued by the court of Elizabeth, especially by Lord Burghley, who was so very clever and masterful at leading his royal mistress away from her destructive emotions, and by Robert Dudley, who was in my opinion a proper villain with kingly ambitions of his own.
Like most historians, I have put my own particular spin on the time period. The places and the people in this book are based upon my own thorough research, and my hope was to breathe life into this fascinating era. So thank you for your time, dear reader. I do hope you enjoyed Skye O’Malley’s story, and the glimpse into a time when pirates roamed the seas, magnificent and formidable royalty ruled the land, and passions (I am quite sure) ran high as some of the most powerful personalities in history collided.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BERTRICE SMALL is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2006 Career Achievement Award for Historical Romance from Romantic Times Book Reviews. In keeping with her profession, she lives in the oldest English-speaking town in the state of New York, founded in 1640. Her light-filled studio includes the paintings of her favorite cover artist, Elaine Duillo, and a large library. Because she believes in happy endings, Bertrice Small has been married to the same man, her hero, George, for forty-four years. They have a son, Thomas; a daughter-in-law, Megan; and four wonderful grandchildren. Longtime readers will be happy to know that Nicki the cockatiel flourishes, along with his fellow housemates: Pookie, the long-haired greige-and-white cat; Finnegan, the long-haired bad black kitty; and Sylvester, the black-and-white tuxedo who is the self-appointed bed cat.
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