“Madam!” Cecil was shocked. “This is not like you.”
“Dammit, Cecil, we know she is guilty!”
“Wesuspect, my lady Elizabeth.” He had not spoken to her so familiarly, so gently, since she had become Queen. “We only suspect, and since theSanta Maria Madre de Cristoswas taken, no other ships have been pirated despite the fact that this is the busiest season for shipping.”
The Queen remained adamant. “I want her in the Tower,” she said. “Perhaps, if we frighten her, we can force her to confess. I need that gold, Cecil! My creditors press me.”
Cecil sighed. If Lady Burke had hated Elizabeth before, she would hate her far more very soon. The Irish were so damned emotional! Offending both the O’Malleys and the Burkes could rouse all of Connaught, starting a conflagration that might spread through Ireland. We don’t need a war in Ireland now, Cecil thought wearily. “What of Lord Burke?” he asked.
“He is to remain in Devon,” said Elizabeth. “He is forbidden to come to London or to go to Ireland. Let him look after that she-wolf’s whelps.”
“The Countess has many admirers, madam. They will not be happy to see her imprisoned unjustly, and the talk could be detrimental to Your Majesty.”
“Then do it secretly, Cecil. Send de Grenville. Since he lost me my ship, let him see if he can redeem himself by delivering theCountess safely and secretly to the Tower. Tell the governor there is to be no official record of the lady. If no one knows she is in London, and her husband is confined to Devon, then there will be no Court gossip.”
“I do not approve of this, madam,” Cecil tried one more time.
“But you will obey me nevertheless, my lord,” returned Elizabeth.
He nodded. “You are my Queen, and you’ve always learned from your mistakes. I expect you will in this instance, too.” He couldn’t resist making his opinion clear.
The Queen’s head shot up. Cecil’s face was impassive, but was there a hint of a twinkle in his eyes?
The late Devon summer offered promise of a bountiful harvest. Along the roadside late wild roses and Michaelmas daisies fought a territorial war. The haying had long since been done, and the grain lay stacked in the fields. The apple trees were heavy with fruit, some early varieties ready for picking, the later ones not quite ripe. The apple presses would soon be busy turning out Devon’s famous cider.
Into this peaceful setting rode Richard de Grenville, a troupe of the Queen’s own at his back. Dickon was troubled, even horrified, and under orders he did not understand. He had been incredulous when Cecil gave him those orders.
“I know that you like wine, my lord,” said Cecil, “and you’ve been known to be loose-lipped when in your cups.” Here de Grenville flushed guiltily. “It would be most unwise to babble this news, for the Queen wishes total secrecy.” De Grenville had nodded.
Richard de Grenville and his men clattered over the drawbridge and into the courtyard of Lynmouth Castle. He dismounted and made his way into the castle, where he was informed that Lord and Lady Burke were in the small family hall. Arriving there, Dickon stood for a moment, unobserved, looking at Skye and her family. Then his heart contracted. Skye moved, and he could see that she was with child. She sat with Lord Burke. His arm was loosely about her expanded waist, his big hand gently caressing the living mound of her belly. She lay her head back against his shoulder and smiled up at him, a smile of such incredible sweetness that de Grenville thought he would weep. Well, he couldn’t stand there forever. He cleared his throat and stepped noisily into the room.
“Dickon!” she cried. “It’s good to see you!”
Robin and Willow ran to greet him.
“Madam,” Dickon said coldly, without preamble. “I arrest you in the name of the Queen.”
The glad greeting died away. Slowly Niall Burke got to his feet. Though his voice was calm, he could not mask his anger. “If this is a jest, de Grenville, it’s a poor one. My wife can stand no shocks at present.”
“It is no jest, my lord.”
“The charges, sir?”
“I have not been given a list of charges, my lord. My orders are to escort Lady Burke to London as quickly as possible.”
“And when you arrive in London …?”
“The Tower, my lord,” said de Grenville softly.
Skye cried out, and the children clustered about her knees, frightened.
“I will not allow you to remove my wife in her condition. She carries the MacWilliam’s heir.”
“Unless you are prepared to battle the Queen’s guards, my lord, I intend taking her today.”
Niall wore no weapon, but he towered over de Grenville. “Over my dead body, Englishman!”
De Grenville drew his sword and Skye shrieked, “My lords! No!” She got awkwardly to her feet. “Dickon, for pity’s sake, what is this all about?”
