When he reached the bishop’s palace, the guards recognized him and let him in.
“Where is Edmund Beaufort?” he asked.
“In the privy chamber,” one of the guards answered.
“I know my way,” Jamie said and hurried past them. Edmund stood to greet him. After one look at Jamie’s face, he dismissed the men who were with him. As soon as they were alone, Edmund asked, “Have you news of Lady Linnet? We expected her to seek sanctuary, not disappear.”
“She is in dire danger,” Jamie said. “There is no time to explain, but I must know how to enter the secret passage in Westminster Palace. No matter what your uncle told me, I believe he knows how to gain entry to it. I pray to God he shared the secret with you.”
While Jamie spoke, Edmund poured two cups of wine from a silver pitcher on the table.
“Even if I could admit to having such knowledge,” Edmund said as he handed one of the cups to Jamie, “you cannot expect me to tell you.”
Red wine splattered across the table and against the wall as Jamie knocked the proffered cup from Edmund’s hand.
“Did you not hear me? She is in danger!” he shouted. “Pomeroy and a cabal of witches have her in the bowels of the palace. If you know how to enter the passageway, for God’s sake, tell me!”
Edmund’s rapid blinking was the only sign he was taken aback by this extraordinary news. “If someone has taken her there, then a member of the royal family has shared the palace secrets,” Edmund said. “I promise you it was not a Beaufort.”
“I suspect Gloucester told his mistress, and that Eleanor told Pomeroy,” Jamie said. “These are devil-worshippers, Edmund. I must get to her without delay.”
Edmund blew out a breath. “If Eleanor is involved in some way, it would be… unfortunate… if either I or my uncle’s men were the ones to discover her. With the tension between Gloucester and my uncle, matters could quickly get out of control.”
At the moment, Jamie did not care if all of England went down in flames.
Edmund paused, then said, “What I’m asking is, if I get you into the secret passageway, will that be sufficient help?”
“Just get me in, Edmund. That is all I ask,” Jamie said. “Now we must go.”
When they stopped for Martin on their way to West-minster, Master Woodley informed Jamie that his squire had never returned to Linnet’s house.
Where in the hell was Martin? He should have returned hours ago. It wasn’t like the lad to disappear. As soon as Jamie rescued Linnet, he would have to go looking for his squire.
Damn and blast, he needed a lookout.
Jamie looked down from his horse at the elderly clerk. Clearly, God was testing him—making him prove his worth by giving him such unlikely tools to work with. He held his arm out to Master Woodley and hoisted him up behind his saddle.
They rode on to Westminster. In the distance, Jamie heard the chimes of Westminster Abbey ringing for matins.
It was midnight.
At the sound of a loud commotion outside the doorway, the chanting came to an abrupt halt. Linnet fell back to the ground, hope thrumming through every vein.Somehow Jamie has learned of my capture and has come to save me. Please, God!
Several of the witches ran out in the direction of the noise. From her place on the floor, Linnet watched the doorway through half-closed eyes, her every muscle strained with tension. Over the thunder of her heartbeat, she heard sounds of a scuffle outside, followed by shouting.
A short time later, a new witch in a dog’s pelt entered. The others came in behind him, holding someone in their midst. Linnet was so startled to see who it was that she nearly shouted his name aloud.
“Who is this intruder?” a woman in a goat’s hide asked.
“I know him.” Pomeroy’s commanding voice was cold with anger. “How, pray tell, did Sir James’s squire find the river entrance to the passage?”
“He must have followed me.”
Linnet recognized the voice as Alderman Arnold’s, though he wore the dog’s pelt, rather than his usual colorful attire. “Sir James paid me a visit earlier and must have left his squire to keep an eye on my house.”
“You fool!” Pomeroy said. “Where is Sir James? Did you lead him to us as well?”
Linnet prayed with all her might that Jamie would charge through the doorway behind them.
