“Farewell, my lord,” she responded as he departed her chamber.His love?There was Salim’s distant voice again, she thought, and shivered.
Chapter Ten
“Her Majesty, the queen,” Adali said, ushering Queen Anne into Jasmine’s dayroom.
Jasmine arose quickly from her chair by the fire and curtsied low. “You honor me, madame,” she said.
“Let me look at you, child,” the queen said, as the younger woman came forward. She took Jasmine’s face between her thumb and her forefinger, turning it first this way, and then that. “As I thought,” Queen Anne finally pronounced. “What a dreadful little fraud you are, my dear, but now you must cease your willfulness. I cannot help you if you will not help yourself. St.Denis has already begun to whine to the king that he has not enough time in which to court you. I have only just managed to prevent the king from doing something very foolish. You will have to let him dance attendance on you for the next few weeks, I’m afraid.”
“If only the king …” Jasmine began.
“I know, I know,” the queen soothed her. “If only my well-meaning Jamie had not interfered just as you and the earl of Glenkirk had come to a comfortable understanding. He’s quite in love with you, you know. You do love him, don’t you?”
Jasmine nodded.
“Let us sit down,” the queen said, and turning to Adali, she continued, “Do bring us something nice to drink, Adali, won’t you?”
Adali bowed. “Of course, Majesty.”
They sat together by the fire, and the queen spoke once again. “Both Steenie and I are in agreement. We are your allies in this matter, my dear. And now another element has been added to the brew. The earl of Bartram has suggested to His Majesty that custody of little Charles Frederick Stuart be assigned to him.”
“Who is he?” Jasmine asked.
“A protégé of Robert Cecil’s who has worked in His Majesty’s service for many years. He began his career in the reign of the late queen. He has recently lost favor with my husband thanks to the greed and the jealousy of Piers St.Denis and the foolishness of the countess of Bartram, who is obviously sillier than I am. He seems to believe if he can get the king to grant him the care and custody of our grandson, he will have been restored to our favor. Jamie, of course, has absolutely no intention of any such thing, but you know how softhearted he is. He cannot come right out and say no to poor Lord Stokes. While he will not return him to favor, and indeed will soon dispense with his services altogether, for the man has Puritan leanings; he is yet mindful of the many long and loyal years of service Richard Stokes has rendered the crown. He is seeking a kind way to retire him.
“In the meantime, however, Steenie and I thought we might use Lord Stokes ourselves in a rather clandestine manner, implying to St.Denis that the king is indeed considering transferring the guardianship of your son to Lord Stokes. The marquis will, of course, attempt to learn if it is true from the king, but Jamie will dither about until he has made up his mind how to rid himself of the earl of Bartram in a considerate manner. This will but add to the confusion. St.Denis will not have as much time to court you, which will relieve you of his company. Then, too, he will be desperately trying to decidewhich is more to his advantage: a rich wife or a powerful connection.” The queen’s laugh tinkled about the chamber, and she gratefully accepted a silver goblet of fruity wine from Adali. Sipping it, she declared, “You have the best cellar in London, my dear Jasmine! Well, what do you think of our little plot?”
Jasmine was not certain what she thought of the queen’s intrigue. She was silent a long moment. Then she said, “I think that you and George Villiers may underestimate the marquis. I think he could be dangerous in certain circumstances. For the moment all he has to contend with is James Leslie, and he has managed to send him away; but if he believes someone else might gain custody of my son …” Jasmine grew silent again, a single finger tapping thoughtfully upon the arm of her chair.
“St. Denis? Dangerous?” Her laughter tinkled once more. “Oh, no, my dear. Piers St.Denis is simply an ambitious young man seeking to better himself, very much like our dear Steenie. In the end you will choose Glenkirk, and we will give him another heiress to wife with our royal blessing. He will then return to his holding and never be heard of again.”
“He has suggested to me, madame, that he will remain at court after his marriage,” Jasmine told the queen. “I believe Your Majesty’s assessment of him to be correct in that he is ambitious. I think he is a man who desires power more than anything else.”
“Do you? How interesting,” the queen answered vaguely. She had said what she had come to say and, having emptied her mind, was now at a loss. She looked anxiously at Jasmine. “You will cooperate with us, my dear, won’t you? You will just slightly encourage St.Denis for a short time? Between us we can keep him quite confused.”
“If it pleases you, madame, of course I will cooperate, for I wish for only one thing, to be James Leslie’s wife,” Jasmine replied.
“Oh, good!” The queen quaffed down the remainder of her wine, and, rising, said, “I must go now, my dear. I am happy to see you looking so well, and I shall, of course, expect you at my masque on Saturday night at Whitehall.”
“Madame.” Jasmine had arisen, too. “The children will be here in a few days from Queen’s Malvern. I thought a good way of keeping St.Denis off guard was to introduce him to my little band of rebels.”
“How deliciously ingenious.” The queen chuckled. “I suspect that St.Denis will detest the competition of your offspring.”
“Aye,” Jasmine smiled. “He has already suggested that India and Henry are old enough to be fostered out. Of course, I told him I should not foster out my bairns to strangers.”
“Unnatural monster!” the queen pronounced. “Of course not! You know how I feel about fostering children out. You were absolutely correct to say so.” Then, kissing Jasmine’s cheeks, Queen Anne departed Greenwood House to return to the palace.
Jasmine’s next visitor was St.Denis, who once again came bearing a beribboned bouquet. She did what was expected of her. Burying her nose in the colorful flowers, she exclaimed over their lovely fragrance, thinking all the while that St.Denis lacked imagination. He always brought flowers but nothing else, which meant he was either without funds or mean-spirited. She suspected a combination of both.
“The queen has been to visit me,” she said brightly. “She came to see how I was and to invite me to her masque on Saturday evening. Will you escort me, my lord?” She gave him a smile.
“What will you wear?” he asked her excitedly. “We must match our costumes, of course!”
“I cannot have a decent costume made in so short a time, my lord,” Jasmine told him. “I shall wear a beautiful gown ofroyal blue silk instead. I shall leave the selection of a mask to carry to you, however. I want the most beautiful mask possible. We must outshine everyone else, eh, my lord?” She smiled again.
He could scarcely believe it. She was being most cooperative, and she was even asking him a small favor. “You shall have the finest mask in London,” he promised her. And when he had left her and returned to his own house, he told his brother. “I believe she is beginning to weaken in her resolve to hate me, Kipp. She was so amenable toward me today. The queen had just left her, and I think she may have advised Jasmine to seriously consider my suit. I thought the queen was Villiers’s ally, but perhaps I was mistaken. Who makes the best masks in London?”
“A fellow named Barrow, near St.James,” Kipp replied.
