Mary smiled at her. “Please, Mary is fine.” She moved briskly about the chamber, opening an armoire, hanging Katherine’s cloak on a wall peg, throwing back the heavy down coverlets on the four-poster bed. Katherine stared out of the window, which looked out over the rolling Essex countryside and a pretty bubbling stream. There sheep grazed and lambs played.
Her gaze returned to Liam’s mother, who now regarded her as well. “Liam said to care for you as I would care for him,” Mary remarked.
It felt so good to be accepted like this by this woman. “You are being more than generous. Thank you,” Katherine said, moved. But her thoughts remained on Liam. “Do you see Liam often?”
“No, I do not.” Mary’s smile faded. “He lives such a difficult life. It is not always safe for him to be in England. Now more so than ever. But we correspond. And he is a good son; he comes when he can.”
Katherine stared at Mary, whose voice was full of love when she spoke of Liam. Katherine was glad, fiercely so.She had wondered if his mother cared for him. Some women would hate the child they had been forced to bear by a savage rapist. But not this woman. “You do not mind, that I am here?” Katherine had to ask.
“You are Liam’s wife. The mother of his son. The woman he loves. No, I do not mind.”
Katherine stared at Mary. Liam had never told her that he loved her, yet Katherine believed now that he did. But believing just wasn’t enough. “Did Liam tell you…that?”
Mary appeared amused. “Katherine, all that he has said to me over the years would fill up a book. Since my son first saw you, he has been in love with you.”
Katherine was frozen. “Perhaps he loves me now. I hope so. But he did not love me before—when we lived together upon his island. He betrayed me. He acted as if he loved me, but he was aiding my father’s enemy, FitzMaurice.” Although Katherine had forgiven Liam, there was a lingering sadness at the memory of his past treachery.
Mary no longer smiled. “There were many burnings here in Essex, Katherine. During Bloody Mary’s reign, we lived in terror of being accused and imprisoned and burned alive ourselves. We all witnessed the burnings. I did not want Liam to watch such torture, such bestiality, he was so young—but the priests insisted that he watch, too.”
Katherine was sickened by the thought of any child seeing people burned alive, but especially Liam. “What are you trying to tell me?”
“FitzMaurice is not just a Catholic, as you are. He is amadman. He burns those who dispute his faith, just as Bloody Mary’s people did. Liam would never support him. He took vows in order to marry you—but he wouldneversupport FitzMaurice.”
Katherine whispered, “But he did.”
Mary snorted. “My son is terribly clever. His plan was then what it is now. To raise FitzMaurice up only to bring him down. Even now, he has told me that there are factions at court eager to restore your father to Desmond, when the time comes to replace FitzMaurice.”
Katherine gripped the table. Trying to understand and dizzy with the impending realization.
“Life is naught but politics, my dear,” Mary said firmly. “I lived at court for many years; I know it firsthand. Men come and go. Positions of power are filled and emptied and filled yet again. Liam has vowed to capture FitzMaurice. Someone will have to take that man’s place.”
Katherine stared speechlessly.
“FitzMaurice became too strong and too successful in his rebellion, Katherine. Everyone now realizes that it would be far better that your father be in power in Desmond.”
Katherine cried out. How clear Liam’s actions were now. She should have trusted him.Oh God. But she had not. How clever, how bold, how remarkable Liam was!
Katherine clung to the table. “’Tis bold and daring beyond belief,” she whispered hoarsely. “But why? Why would he do this? Why would he commit treason in order to restore my father to Desmond? I would understand if this game began but recently, after we were wed. But he admitted to me on Earic Island that he began his liaison with FitzMaurice much earlier, immediately after he captured me on the French ship that took me and Juliet from Cherbourg when we left the nunnery. Liam had only just laid eyes upon me when he became allied with FitzMaurice.”
Mary’s gaze was sharp. “Tell me, my dear. Why would a powerful and rich man like Liam seize a small, politically insignificant French trader, one with an apparently worthless cargo?”
“I do not know.”
Mary smiled again. “Because the cargo was only worthless to the world, Katherine, it was hardly worthless to him. To Liam, it was priceless.”
Still Katherine did not understand.
“My dear, you were on that ship—and my son wanted you.”
Katherine knew that Mary was mistaken. For Liam had not even known of her existence then. And suddenly she wondered,or had he?
36
January, 1573
Liam stood upon the forecastle, holding the spyglass to one eye, training it across the frothing Atlantic Ocean. He knew they sailed just hours ahead of another deadly winter storm. But he would not turn around just yet and seek the safety of a protected harbor. Not until he had determined the identity of the vessel his watch had espied many hours since, a vessel clearly bound for the south of Ireland.
Liam had spent the past three months blockading the island, preventing any supplies from reaching FitzMaurice. Two weeks earlier reports had reached him that the rebels were a ragged, starving lot, hiding in the ravaged mountains of Kerry. Periodically they swooped down upon the locals, raiding for what little food they could find, uncaring that those they took from would starve as well—uncaring that those they took from were also Irishmen, women and children, the long-suffering, innocent victims of this heartbreaking war.
