The Virgin's Spy (Tudor Legacy #2)(84)
It wasn’t as though she hadn’t asked herself that question in the dead of night. In a year she would be fifty. There was no question of more children. Why wouldn’t the twenty-seven-year-old Anjou hold out for a younger woman?
Because he was ambitious. And clever. He knew how to read royal currents and was as certain as he could be at this point that Anabel would never be contracted to France. If he could not wed the young princess and sire a future English king, then why not marry the reigning English queen?
Her councilors, if disapproving and shocked, were intelligent men who could follow that train of thought. They also knew her temper. So, cautiously, Burghley spoke for them all. “This is indeed news of some magnitude, Your Majesty. It is a possibility worth considering.”
She narrowed her eyes at his use of the word “possibility,” but Burghley knew how to smoothly navigate treacherous waters. “Perhaps we might leave that for future discussion and turn our thoughts to Lord Exeter’s reports on Spain.”
With a glare that told him she knew what he was doing, Elizabeth assented. At which point Walsingham took over the reports.
“As expected, King Philip took care to impress his English guests with the most beautiful parts of his homeland,” he said. “Madrid, Segovia, El Escorial…it was a tour designed to awe. With Spanish culture, Spanish hegemony, Spanish wealth. Their final stop was Seville, where Exeter and his family were treated to the wealthiest port city in Europe. They were allowed to explore at their leisure. No doubt the king expected them to be calculating the resources at his disposal, as well as the power of the churchmen behind him. Seville was the original site of the Inquisition. With gold from the New World and religious fanatics in the old, Spain has only to take the decision—”
“We have always known this,” Elizabeth interrupted sharply. “Our daughter is our greatest asset, for I cannot believe Philip will move against her future as long as it remains uncertain.”
“Agreed. Which is why, though some understanding is advisable as to her marriage, a commitment to a specific wedding date is not wise just now. Delay must be our tactic—delay and charm.”
Christopher Hatton joined in. “But Exeter seems confident that there is something military in the offing. From the ships and soldiers that were not seen where they might be expected. If not England itself—”
“Ireland,” Walsingham agreed. He just managed not to sound insufferably pleased at being right. “With the hundred Spanish troops reinforcing the Earl of Desmond, he has begun to strike out from Askeaton. Ormond is worried. There is expectation that Desmond’s forces will march to Cork and besiege Kinsale.”
“That’s enough,” Elizabeth commanded. “We cannot fight ghosts or fears. Bring me hard news from Ireland, Lord Walsingham, and then we can take decisions.”
She did not expect that hard news to come so quickly, nor to be so shocking. That very night, an hour after she’d retired to her bedchamber to read, her ladies informed her Walsingham had arrived, eager to see her.
Eager meant highly disturbed. “Send him in.” For a moment Elizabeth thought of Anabel, but dismissed her worry at once. If anything happened to her daughter, it would be Burghley who would come to her.
Walsingham’s face was always dark with worry, real or imagined, but she fancied when he entered that there was a rare disquiet added to it tonight. “What?” she asked.
“Word from Ireland.”
“If you tell me that Philip has landed troops in force, I may throw something,” she warned him.
“It is not the Spanish. It is young Lord Somerset.”
“Stephen Courtenay?” She sat up sharply. “What on earth do you mean? God help you, Walsingham, if he has come to harm in your service—”
“He is unharmed. And I am not certain that he is currently in my service.”
“Explain yourself.”
“Stephen Courtenay has been infiltrated into Clan Kavanaugh since May. We have had no useful information from him yet, but that is not unexpected. The plan was for him to take what time was necessary to gain the trust of the household.”
“But?”
“Oliver Dane is claiming that Stephen’s loyalties no longer lie with England. Dane was briefly held prisoner by Ailis Kavanaugh and her household. He escaped, but in doing so, Stephen’s secret was revealed. When Dane managed to get him free of the Kavanaughs as well, Stephen declined to remain. He returned to the Irish household, entirely of his own will, and it is possible he intends to march with the clan when next they fight against English troops.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“We can’t afford to let sentiment guide our decisions.”
“Stephen Courtenay would not turn against me. Whatever is going on, there is more to it.”
“I don’t care what his motives are. I care only about his experience being turned against England. Dane seems to believe the Kavanaughs will march against Blackcastle. He will not move first—he will let them come to him. But if they do, Dane will fight. No matter who is in the vanguard.”
Why could the Courtenays never be simple? Elizabeth wondered. Friends, that was all she needed. Loyalty and support no matter the difficulty. Instead, they twisted and turned and used their touchy honour as a reason to cause trouble.
“I suppose Dane wants armed support?”