‘Later.’
Chapter 2
ettice woke suddenly to a relentless tapping on the door, and she heard Thomas’ flat tones.
‘My Lady.’
‘One moment, Thomas,’ she answered, casting her eyes quickly round the room. She could see from the light seeping round the sumptuous drapes at the window that it was still early, and she felt the dent in the pillow where Robert’s head had rested the night before; it was still slightly warm.
Lettice pushed herself up into a seating position against the huge pillows, relieved that she had donned her gossamer thin nightgown after their lovemaking of the previous night. She reached across to the ottoman and took the beautifully embroidered Chinese silk shawl, a gift from Robert, to put over her shoulders. She drew it round herself right up to her throat and pulled the quilt up to meet it.
‘Come in, Thomas,’ she called, a smile in her voice. Lettice knew Thomas would be embarrassed to see her in the high tester bed, but also knew he wouldn’t have disturbed her without good reason.
Thomas entered and bowed his head, one hand on his dagger and a piece of parchment clutched in the other.
‘Forgive me, my Lady, but young Tom Sadler rode from his mother’s house with this note for you, and he said it was important.’ He held the paper towards her and she took it from him, worry creasing her brow.
Robert had told her that he had allowed Tom to stay at his parents’ house last night, on his way home to her. The house where she had grown up, raised alongside Ralph and Meg Sadler’s children while her parents served at court, wasn’t far away from Leicester House, their London home.
She knew Robert would have ridden that way on his journey back to court that morning. Tom, who was his favourite man at arms since Thomas had joined her service, would have joined him on the ride back to court. That Tom had ridden this way to bring a note to her made her stomach clench, and she felt the baby move restlessly within her.
Lettice took a deep breath and broke the simple seal on the parchment, scanning the lines written in her Aunt Meg’s loopy script. That the words were running into each other, and drips of ink had spattered from Meg’s pen showed her haste to write the note.
Sweetheart
Your mother has been taken ill, and is here with us at Sutton House. I think you should come, if you can, as soon as you can. The physician has seen her and advises haste. I am so sorry, sweetheart.
Aunt Meg
She gazed at Thomas, eyes filmed over with tears that she blinked quickly away.
‘Thomas, prepare the carriage to take me to Lady Sadler’s house immediately. Send Alice to me so that I might dress, and ask Cissy to bring me a tankard of milk and some bread and cheese.’ She stopped and swallowed hard, then turned again to the man towering over the bed, ‘My mother is ill, Thomas, and I must go to her. When you have taken me to Aunt Meg’s, could you get a message to Robin and let him know where I am?’
‘Of course, my Lady.’ Thomas bowed and turned on his heel, striding through the door in search of Lettice’s maid, scabbard slapping the top of his boots as he hastened to fulfil her requests.
Lettice closed her eyes briefly then pushed back the bedcovers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She knew she had to wait for her maid to help her dress, and she was aware that Robert would worry about her going out so close to her time. But her mother was ill. Her mother was never ill, and she knew that her Aunt Meg would not have summoned her except in the direst of circumstances.
She pushed down the dread she felt; she couldn’t think about that now. She had to dress and be the Countess of Leicester today, even though her heart was breaking with fear and sorrow. The door opened and in came Alice, carrying a clean shift and silk stockings.
‘The dark blue gown, I think, Alice. It is simple to wear, and it is roomy.’ Lettice glanced down at the bulk of her child shrouded still by her nightgown. ‘I need plenty of room in my gowns, Alice. And bring me the low blue slippers, not the heeled ones.’
Alice bobbed her curtsey and went to the armoire in the corner to bring her mistress the largest and most simple gown she had, although even that one was trimmed with fine lace at the neck and cuffs. The news that Lady Cat was ill had spread to the servants and they were all dismayed. Lady Cat was a force to be reckoned with, and none of them could imagine her unwell; even when she had delivered her children, she had been up and about within days. She must be ill indeed if she was being nursed by Lady Sadler.
***
The door of Sutton House was opened by the maid, behind whom was a slender girl clad in a dark russet gown, who held her hands out to Lettice, tears brimming in her gentle hazel eyes.
‘Letty, I am so pleased to see you.’
‘I came in all haste, Jane. Your mother’s note was brief but urgent.’ Lettice removed her dark green woollen cloak and her embroidered gloves, handing them to the maid and taking Jane’s hands.
‘Are they upstairs, poppet?’ Jane nodded silently and turned to follow Lettice up the huge curved staircase. When they reached the top, Jane led the way to a room at the front of the house. Quietly she opened the door and moved aside so Lettice could enter. Inside, Lettice could see a large bed hung with cream brocade curtains that were embroidered with bright blue kingfishers. Drapes with the same pattern dressed the large windows, with seat cushions in matching fabric. Haloed by the sun peeking through the windows, Lettice saw her Aunt Meg rise from her seat by the head of the bed and turn towards her, holding out her hand.
‘Your mother is awake, sweetheart,’ Meg’s soft voice seemed to fill the room, ‘come and sit by her for a while.’ Meg stood aside and moved her grey skirts so Lettice could lower her bulk into the chair. Lettice pressed her lips together briefly, then schooled her lovely features into a bright smile and turned her dark eyes to her mother’s blue ones. Cat smiled gently from the depth of the pillows and took hold of Lettice’s hand.
‘I am so glad you were able to come, my lovely,’ Cat whispered, her normally brisk tone taking on a breathless quality. She closed her eyes and waited a while, then took another breath, ‘Tommy and Hal came to see me early this morning, and Lord Robert is going to bring Beth, Maisie and Bella with Dickon and the Qu…’ she stopped speaking and let her breath out with a sigh, squeezing Lettice’s fingers in her own.
‘The Queen is coming here?’ asked Lettice hesitantly.
Cat clasped her fingers again, ‘If she will, my lovely.’
Lettice suppressed a snort, and whispered, ‘She certainly ought, Mother. You have worn yourself out in her service. If you hadn’t hurried back after your last poor babe, when you were ill yourself, you wouldn’t be here like this.’ Lettice tried to keep her tone even so she didn’t upset her mother, and Meg moved behind the chair to rub Lettice’s back soothingly.
‘Ssssh, my lovely. It is of no matter now.’ Cat tried to smile at her daughter, who was shocked to see the shadows clouding her mother’s normally bright blue eyes.
‘Father will take it hard not to be with you while you are ill. You must try and get well again before he returns.’ Lettice lifted her mother’s hand, surprisingly thin in Lettice’s firm grasp, and kissed the back. Cat stretched her fingers and stroked Lettice’s cheek, shaking her head slightly.
‘Your father and Franc are in the North, my lovely, with the Scots Queen, and Ed is still at sea with Drake. You will have to comfort them for me.’
‘But mother, you …….’ Lettice’s words trailed away as Cat shook her head again.
‘Hush, my lovely. The doctors cannot stop the bleeding this time.’ Cat breathed in again, as if her lungs couldn’t contain enough air to allow her to finish her thought.
‘I have bled slowly since
I delivered my poor dead babe, and it is getting worse. They cannot help me now, so I must say goodbye to all of you.’
Tears began to course down Lettice’s pale face, and she could hear muffled sobs from Jane by the door and her Aunt Meg taking deep shuddering breaths at her shoulder. She swallowed hard on a sob so she could hear her mother’s fading, breathless voice.
‘I know you have been jealous of my service to the Princess in the past, but know that I have always been so very proud of you, my lovely. Proud of the beautiful, gracious woman you have become. I am so pleased you have Lord Robert to take care of you and your babe,’ Cat paused slightly to catch her breath and Meg bent to hold a cup of small ale to her lips before she could speak again.
‘He loves you so much. Anyone who sees him by your side can’t help but see his devotion. I’m glad for it, my lovely. A man who loves you above all else is one to treasure,’ Cat sipped again at the cup Meg held and looked at Lettice, ‘That is the real reason the Queen won’t let you come to court, you know. She couldn’t bear to see his devotion to you. If she doesn’t see it, then she can pretend nothing has changed. But everyone else sees, my lovely.’
Suddenly there was a commotion outside the house and Jane hurried across to the window and looked down.
‘Mother, it is the Queen’s carriage, and Lord Robert with the girls and Dickon,’ Jane whispered breathlessly. Lettice rose from the chair and bent to kiss her mother.
‘I shall go into another room, Mother. I would not have you upset.’ Lettice blinked back her tears and pushed down her own sorrow as Cat reached up to press her lips to Lettice’s hand and then lay back on the pillows, trying to catch her breath.
‘Send the children in first and I shall speak with them before I see the Princess,’ she breathed before closing her eyes.
‘Come, sweetheart,’ Meg’s soft voice pierced the swirl of sorrow in Lettice’s mind, ‘let me take you into the room beyond and I will have Jennie bring you something to drink. Lord Robert can come to you there while the Queen speaks to your mother.’
Lettice allowed herself to be led through the door in the corner of the room, finding herself in the rooms that comprised the nursery. The enormous doll’s house that had entertained both her sisters and her daughters was still at the far end of the room, and high on the shelves, she knew, were boxes of painted toy soldiers, books, art materials and everything else generations of children had loved.
She sat down in the large chair by the hearth and gave in to the sorrow that was heavy in her heart, knowing that Jane would bring Robert to her when he had a moment.
Chapter 3
ettice wiped her eyes with her silk kerchief as she heard the nursery door open and the sound of muffled weeping. Her three sisters who were still in service to the Queen moved slowly into the room, clad incongruously in their jewel-bright court finery, faces buried in kerchiefs of their own.
‘Oh, Letty,’ cried her sister Mary, the oldest of the three as she moved swiftly across the room and enveloped Lettice in a tight embrace. Lettice squeezed back as best she could from her position in the deeply upholstered chair.
‘Maisie, it is lovely to see you.’ Mary, known as Maisie to her family, snuffled into her kerchief as the other two girls came to Lettice for comfort. ‘And you, Beth, and Bella, you are grown so much I hardly knew you.’
Lettice looked at her sisters, sitting on stools near her feet and softly weeping. Maisie’s blue eyes were awash with tears, and her apple cheeked prettiness was marred by swollen eyes and a crumpled mouth. Elizabeth, slender and elegant with dark eyes and dark copper hair held a kerchief to still her own lips as tears fell unheeded down her cheeks. The youngest was Anne, whom everyone called Bella as a tribute to her dark beauty, and she perched on the arm of Lettice’s chair and sobbed into her sister’s neck.
‘Girls, we must try not to give in to our sorrow,’ Lettice tried to swallow her own grief and set an example for her siblings, ‘because you will have to return to court soon. You wouldn’t want to appear swollen-faced and awash with tears in front of the others, would you?’
‘But Letty, Mother is so ill,’ sobbed Bella. ‘What will we do if she ….. if she doesn’t recover?’
‘Mother would want you to carry on, poppet. She would want you to swallow your tears and straighten your spine and remember who you are.’ Lettice knew she spoke the truth, but also knew how hard it would be to carry on without the fierce presence of her mother in all their lives.
‘We had to leave so the Queen could speak to her, Letty,’ Beth whispered between gulping sobs, ‘but I hope we can go back in afterwards.’
‘I’m sure we shall, sweetheart. After she has seen the Queen.’
A sharp rap came at the door, which opened to reveal Thomas who nodded at the sobbing girls and bowed to Lettice.
‘My Lady, Lord Robert is escorting the Queen to her carriage and he wondered if you would want to return to your mother.’
Lettice stood surprisingly quickly for her size and swept towards the door which Thomas held for her, the girls following in her wake. Thomas looked down at Lettice and lowered his voice so only she could hear.
‘His Lordship was sorry not to see you, my Lady. The Queen insisted he remain with her. He says he will see you later.’
Lettice placed her hand on the arm of her manservant as he escorted her down the corridor and her eyes widened as she saw a flash of dark blue silk twitch round the corner of the gallery out of sight. She heard two sets of footsteps descending the grand staircase, and recognised her husband’s tread as well as the lighter steps of a woman. She knew the Queen had only just left her mother’s bedside.
***
‘You will ride in the carriage with me, Lord Robert.’ Elizabeth met Robert’s eyes with her own dark ones and he bowed over her hand.
‘Of course, Majesty. Allow me to direct young Tom and I will be with you immediately.’ Robert helped Elizabeth, dressed simply in a dark blue silk gown with her hair covered in a sapphire-encrusted net, settle herself in the carriage and turned to speak to Tom Sadler.
Tom, who had been appointed Robert’s manservant since his marriage, was deep in conversation with his brothers Ned and Henry in the stable yard. All turned as Robert approached and he gave the reins of his horse to Tom.
‘Her Majesty requires me to ride in the carriage with her, Tom. Ride my stallion back, would you, and see to his stabling when you get there.’ Tom nodded solemnly, as he too was upset by the demise of his mother’s friend.
Tom mounted Robert’s powerful black stallion, keeping the reins of his own horse secure to lead back to the palace, and Robert took his place in the carriage opposite the Queen, then knocked to inform the coachman he may depart.
‘I don’t know how I shall manage without her, Robbie.’ Elizabeth began biting her lower lip in distress. Robert looked across in sympathy, realising how distraught Elizabeth must be to use that name. The name she had called him when they were young and in love; she hadn’t called him that since his marriage to Lettice.
‘Majesty, try not to distress yourself.’ Robert tried to keep his voice soothingly gentle, but still maintain the formality that had sprung up between them. Hearing him call her ‘Majesty’ made Elizabeth release her lip from her teeth and wipe the tears from her lower lashes with the wisp of silk she twisted in her fingers.
‘Cat has been with me since I was eight, and of all the people at court, I knew I could trust her implicitly. In whom shall I place that trust now?’
Robert met her gaze and tipped his head slightly as he replied, ‘Your cousin Henry’s daughter, Lady Cat’s niece? She would be ideal to take over the duties, Majesty. My sisters Kit and Mary are also completely loyal. You have many you can trust.’
‘Not like Cat.’
‘No, your Grace. Lady Cat is irreplaceable, for so many reasons. But Henry’s daughter Cathy is of your family, and she has married her cousin Charles Howard, so her loyalty could not be questioned.’
‘Another Catherine Howard!’ exclaimed Elizabeth with a snort. ‘Not an auspicious name, my Lord.’
Robert smiled wryly, ‘No, Majesty, that is why everyone calls her Cathy. And my sister Kit has Cathy’s young granddaughter Eliza as one of the maids of honour.’
‘The next generation of Howard girls then. Kit does such a good job with the younger maids. Cat’s three daughters are beautifully trained by your sister.’
Robert nodded in agreement. His sister Kit Hastings, herself childless, had a strong opinion about the education of girls, and took many of them under her wing to train as maids of honour to the Queen. She took great pains to make sure they could read and write in both English and Latin, and that they could sew and play the lute for the entertainment of the whole court. That they were accomplished and could therefore make a good marriage was very important to her, and all her girls, both past and present, loved her dearly.
Since the death of his brothers, Kit was the sibling to whom Robert was closest, and she also happened to be Lettice’s best friend. She treated Lettice with love and loyalty, and Robert with a sisterly disdain that made him smile. He determined to ask her to find the best of her charges to serve the Queen and perhaps distract her from her sorrow.
‘I don’t know how I am going to break the news to Sir Francis.’ Robert heard Elizabeth’s voice crack as she swallowed her sobs.
‘I have sent for him and their son to return from Yorkshire, Majesty. They will be here soon.’
‘But not in time, I’d hazard, my Lord. Not in time.’
On the Altar of England (Tudor Chronicles Book 4) Page 2
