by Jean Plaidy
“Robert,” he said.
“Robert!” I echoed. “That is a very favorite name of mine.”
He smiled up at me, and I said: “Who brought you to Kenilworth?”
“It was my mama,” he answered.
“And who is your mama?”
He looked at me in some amazement and said: “She is my mama.”
I smiled and patted his dark head about which the hair curled prettily.
I turned to one of my women. “Whose child is this, do you know?”
“His mother is Lady Sheffield,” was the answer.
“Indeed,” I said. I was remembering the Sheffield scandal. How long ago was it that I had heard the story about Robert's letter to her, followed by Sheffield's death? Those were uneasy thoughts. How old was the child? Not more than three years I would say. Then was it possible that he had been born after Sheffield's death?
Then… who was the father?
I kept the boy with me, but the conversation of a child of three can be somewhat inconsequential and though some of his answers were clear enough, one must wonder how much was fantasy.
“Would you like us to remove the child, Your Majesty?” asked one of the women.
“No, no, let him stay awhile. Will you find the Earl of Leicester and tell him that I would see him.”
It was not long before Robert was speeding across the grass.
The little boy gave a cry of joy and ran to him, falling against him and clutching his legs. Robert picked him up in his arms and the boy was laughing. Of course Robert had that charm which would attract even children, but it did seem to me that the boy and he were not strangers.
Robert said something to the child and looked about him. A woman came up and took the boy, who rather reluctantly allowed her to lead him away.
Robert came to me smiling and urbane, but was he just a little uneasy?
He took my hand and kissed it. “I trust Your Majesty continues to enjoy our presentation.”
“Extremely so, Robert. You excel in everything. The entertainment has never been surpassed. What a charming boy!”
“Yes. A pleasant child.”
“An exceptionally handsome one.”
“Did Your Majesty think so?”
“Did you not? He seemed to know you.”
“Oh yes, I have seen him before.”
“Whose son is he?”
“Lady Sheffield's.”
“An old friend of yours.”
“I have so many friends.”
“Not too many of those who have been involved in scandal, I hope.”
“Rumor? Scandal? Who can escape it?”
“Not some of us, Robert, I fear. So she is a guest of yours here at Kenilworth—this Lady Sheffield?”
“Yes—one of the Howards, Your Majesty will remember.”
“Wasn't there some mystery about her late husband's death?”
“Sheffield? Oh… not really. He died rather suddenly… dysentery, I think. It carried him off as it does so many. What thought Your Majesty of the bear?”
“A most unpleasant creature who deserved his fate.”
“If he has amused Your Majesty for a short while, he has served his purpose.”
“The little boy diverted me. I thought him a most delightful child.”
Robert was uneasy, eager to divert me in order to stop my insistence on talking of the child. I took a shot in the dark.
“He reminds me of someone.”
The shaft went home. Robert was very disturbed now. “He seemed to be fond of you, Robert,” I went on. “Oh, children's fondness is not to be relied on.”
“I suppose you seem very magnificent in that little one's eyes. He looked at you with something like adoration.”
“If only I could arouse such feelings in one other! Do you remember the boy who brought you flowers and carried words of hope from you to me when we were in the Tower together?”
“I remember it well. How different life is for us now! We should be grateful for what God has given us, Robert, and not hanker for more.”
“A man cannot help his dreams, Elizabeth.”
I said: “Remember that there is always hope.”
I saw the light leap into his eyes. I saw the fierce longing. He took my hand and kissed it and his eyes lifted to mine were full of adoration. This was how I liked to see Robert. That was how I wanted him always to be. Mine. The man who loved me throughout his life, whose love never swerved, he was always there, waiting, hoping that the word would be given which would make me his wife. Only Robert could fill that role for me; and he did it to perfection. I wanted it to remain thus and I was determined that it should; and no matter what he did outside that relationship I would accept—as long as it did not interfere with his devotion first to me.
All the same I was going to watch Lady Sheffield while I was here at Kenilworth.
I WAS, HOWEVER, not deeply concerned about Douglass Sheffield. It was Lettice Knollys whom I could not get out of my thoughts. That the woman was up to some mischief I had no doubt; and some instinct told me it was with Robert.
The Essexes' home was Chartley—not so very far from Kenilworth— and I had a desire to see what her family was like. She had four children, I knew, for when she had waited on me I had made her talk of them; and having an excellent memory for such details about the people who interested me, I remembered that there were two girls and two boys.
The day after the bear-baiting when I had seen the little boy, I went along to pay my daily visit to Mary Sidney. Although she preferred to stay at her home at Penshurst, Robert had prevailed upon her to come to Kenilworth. I would never command her to do what she did not want but I did add my pleas to Robert's and on this occasion she had agreed. Robert had arranged that she should have her separate apartments in the castle and she did not join in any of the festivities. As for myself I could never be grateful enough to her for ruining her beauty for my sake. She was a selfless woman, and always had been; and now lived chiefly for her family.
During our conversation on that day I asked her if she knew Chartley well.
“Not well,” she said. “I have visited it. It is a pleasant spot and the beautiful estate is set in the midst of some of the best scenery in Staffordshire.”
“It's Walter Devereux's place, I believe,” I said.
“Yes. It has been in the Devereux family since the days of Henry VI. Then Agnes de Ferrers, a daughter of the Earl of Derby, married into the Devereux family and took Chartley with her.”
“It is not very far from here. I thought we might stay there for a few days on our way back from Kenilworth.”
“The Earl of Essex is in Ireland, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, but the Countess is not. She is here at Kenilworth.”
“Your Majesty would not mind staying there in the absence of the Earl?”
“My dear Mary, I know my cousin Lettice, and I am sure she would be capable of doing the honors.”
“If that is what Your Majesty wishes…”
I nodded. “Your Philip seems in good spirits here at Kenilworth.”
“He is always happy to be with his Uncle Robert.”
I smiled tenderly. “It is heartwarming to see the affection between those two.”
“Robert looks upon him as a son. It is a pity…”
I looked up sharply. Gentle as I was with Mary, I would not have her reproach me.
“It may well be that Robert has a son…or even a daughter… somewhere.”
Mary was startled. “Your Majesty!”
“Oh, I daresay Robert has his adventures.”
“Your Majesty knows well that Robert cares for one… and one only.” Dear Mary! So loyal!
I sighed and said: “Your Philip is less sensitive now, I trust. We don't want him going about challenging noble earls to duels.”
“Your Majesty will understand that Oxford provoked him.”
“I know, I know. Mary, send for the Countess of Essex and tell her that I wish
to call at Chartley when I leave here. Tell her that your brother has suggested that our party stay at Chartley and that she is to leave at once.”
“Has he?”
No. But he will when I have spoken to him. She will need to make sure that the place is sweetened for our stay. Let her believe that the suggestion came from Robert. I will tell him and he will see you and work out the arrangements. Your Philip can accompany Lady Essex and help her since her husband is away. But I want Lady Essex to leave for Chartley tomorrow.”
Mary Sidney was surprised; but she was accustomed to my sudden and often unpredictable commands, and she knew better than to question them.
I kissed her tenderly and left her.
Now Lettice, I thought, your pleasant days at Kenilworth are cut short. I very much look forward to seeing you in the midst of your family at Chartley.
I WAS RIDING beside Robert at the head of the cavalcade and we were a mile or so from Chartley when we encountered Lettice, who had come with a party to greet us.
She looked very fresh and beautiful in a coat of mulberry velvet, a hat sporting a magnificent feather perched rather jauntily on her head. She was certainly a very fine-looking woman. I watched Robert furtively as she approached.
I could not find fault with her manners. She was effusive in her welcome, at the same time stressing the fact that I would find Chartley a somewhat humble residence after Kenilworth and my own royal palaces.
I said: “We have chosen to come, cousin, and I believe you have a way of concealing your possessions.”
I saw the wary look come into her eyes and I decided once more that she was a rather devious young woman.
I bade her ride on my left side; Robert was on my right; and so we came to Chartley. It was a charming little castle with a circular keep and two round towers; and as we rode through the park Lettice pointed out the cows which were smaller than normal and of a sand-white color with ears, muzzle and hoof tipped with black.
“They have been here at Chartley for generations,” Lettice told me, “and they are always that sand-white color. Well… not always. There are occasions when a black one is born, but very rarely. Then there is consternation at Chartley because it is supposed to mean the death of the head of the house is imminent.”
“I trust there will be no black cows born to your herd, cousin,” I said. “You must be anxious for your husband.”
“He is doing Your Majesty's work in Ireland and for that I applaud him,” she said demurely.
“You must miss him sadly.”
“Alas, Madam.”
“But you are a mother of four, I understand.”
“That is so.”
“I look forward to meeting the children. They must be a joy to you.” She admitted that they were.
Robert was silent during this conversation, but I could feel a tension in the air and should have liked to know the real meaning of it. With Douglass Sheffield I could feel sure, but in the case of Lettice it was different.
Philip Sidney was at Chartley to greet us. What a charming boy! But he did not quite qualify as one of my special men. I could not imagine that he could ever give me the blatant flattery which Oxford, Hatton, Heneage and the rest practiced with such outrageous ease. He had the good looks and the learning, but perhaps he was too learned—and he could never be anything but scrupulously honest, and that was no quality to make a good courtier. Although I respected it, it was not always comforting, and the older I grew, the more I welcomed such reassurance. My hair was growing thinner and must be padded out with false pieces; my face demanded more attention than it had in the past; my skin was still very clear, smooth and pale but must have very special attention. More than ever I needed people around me to tell me I was beautiful, because in my heart I knew I was not… especially when compared with people like the Countess of Essex, an undeniable beauty, and she had something else besides—a sensuality, an air of promise which I had noticed in some women, and which had an immediate appeal to the opposite sex, presumably, I reasoned, because it was obvious that there would be no delaying tactics, no unnecessary preliminaries before the goal was reached. No, Philip Sidney was not, nor ever could be, one of those handsome men I kept fluttering around me, whose duty it was to keep me assured that I was the most beautiful and desirable woman on Earth.
The Essex children were presented to me.
There was Penelope—another such as her mother; she must have been about fourteen but already sexually aware; then there was Dorothy, a charming girl, and after her Robert and Walter.
Young Robert attracted me immediately. Perhaps it was simply because he was another Robert and I had such a fondness for the name. I guessed he was about eight years old, and later his mother told me that he would be nine in November. He was alert; he was bold too; he came to me and touched the aglets on my gown to see if they came off. He raised his eyes to me and smiled rather mischievously, I thought; he told me that his dog had puppies and he would show them to me if I liked.
His mother reminded him that he must show more respect because I was the Queen. At which he took my hand and kissed it in a most courtly manner and raising his saucy eyes to mine, he said: “I like queens.”
Of course he won my heart. Many children did. I often thought that I should have liked children of my own if it were not for the undignified manner of getting them.
Penelope interested me too. She was going to be like her mother—very wayward, difficult to control. She had already formed a friendship with Philip Sidney, and there seemed to be quite an understanding between them.
I talked about them to Robert afterward. Perhaps a match could be arranged for them. “How would you like a member of your family to marry into that of Devereux?” I asked.
“It is a good family. I suppose it would depend on what Henry and Mary thought.”
“Oh come, Robert, they would be prepared to take the advice of their powerful brother.”
“I fancy Philip would have his own way.”
“Yes, indeed. One must be wary of those quiet ones. They have wills of their own, I believe, and I have a fancy that if your handsome nephew wanted to marry Penelope Devereux, he would do so.”
“They are very young.”
“The girl, yes. Philip… not so young. How old is your nephew?”
“He must be twenty… twenty-one…”
“Ready for marriage, and Madam Penelope is fourteen … but a ripe fourteen, would you say?”
“I know little of that.”
I gave him a tap on the hand. “Now, Robert, all know that you are wise in these matters.”
“My attentions are so centered on one that I see little of others.”
It was the remark I wanted to hear, but while I listened and was gratified, my suspicions remained.
“I am very sorry for Lady Essex,” I said maliciously. “She must be a very lonely woman.”
“She appears to be happy in her family.”
“But the head of that family is missing. A woman such as Lady Essex needs to have a man beside her. Devereux is in Ireland. Perhaps he should be brought back or she join him there.”
“There are her children.”
“Children… and without a husband! If he stayed in Ireland that can be a problem. But if he were brought back…He does not appear to be making much of a success in Ireland. I have a fancy that Devereux is a man who would never make a success of anything … saving marriage, of course. Would you say he had made a success of that?”
Robert was clearly uneasy. He must be wondering if I had been listening to gossip.
However, he did seem quite indifferent to Lady Essex and devoted himself to the children. Robert was the sort of man they adored. It was that essential masculinity, that aura of power, that magnificence. His confident way with horses was endearing, for what child does not love horses? I found him once in the stables with young Robert Devereux, talking of horses, showing him tricks, giving him instructions in the art of manége which he himself h
ad mastered from the French. He was telling young Robert how, after the massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve, he had tried to fill his stables with grooms from households where the owners had been massacred.
“But,” he was saying, “these gentlemen have so high an opinion of themselves and demanded such fees for their services that I decided I could do better… and I could instruct my own Englishmen to do as good a job as they did.”
“Of course you could,” agreed young Robert. “Philip says you can do everything better than anyone else.”
“Philip is a loyal nephew.”
“And the French are wicked. Philip was there when the killing started. He told us about it. He was in the Ambassador's house and he heard the bells ringing and saw the people running into the streets. He said that night was a blot on the history of France which will never be forgotten. He said we must always respect the religious views of others.”
“Philip is a good and noble gentleman,” said my Robert with feeling.
They were then aware of me and the elder Robert came swiftly to my side and kissed my hand while the young one looked on.
“When I am grown up,” he said, “perhaps I shall be your Master of Horse.”
Little did I know then what an important part that boy would play in my life. I shall always remember him as the bright young boy he was during my stay at Chartley. I think I began to love him from that moment, which was surprising considering whose son he was.
But in that moment he was merely young Robert Devereux, one of the most enchanting children I had ever met.
I HAD TO ADMIT that the Countess of Essex had entertained us very graciously at Chartley. It was particularly laudable considering that she had the whole burden of the visit. There had been pleasant festivities in the great hall in the evenings, good hunting during the day; and the food was adequate, the ale of the desired quality, and above all the place sweet-smelling. The Countess had given instructions that the rushes be swept out every day. So many people failed to do that and I imagined their noses had become so accustomed to evil smells that they did not notice them. Dorothy Devereux told me that her mother had ordered that wormwood seed be mingled with the rushes for fleas could not live in wormwood.
