Grasso, Patricia (39 page)

A knocking sounded on the door, but Keely paid it no heed. Richard had gone to the Tower, and that was the only thing that mattered now.

Lady Dawn opened the door and saw an adolescent boy standing there. "Yes?" she asked.

"May I speak with Lady Devereux?"

Lady Dawn flicked a glance at her daughter-in-law. "She's busy at the—"

"Who is it?" Keely asked.

" 'Tis I, Roger."

"Come in, Roger."

Lady Dawn stepped aside and allowed the boy entrance.

"I've come to say farewell," Roger said, standing in front of her.

"I shall miss you," Keely replied, making him blush. She rose from the chair and searched through her belongings for the coin pouches her husband had given her. Turning to Roger, she asked, "How many boys did you swindle?"

"I never—"

"How many?"

"Ten, but—"

Keely counted ten gold coins and offered them to him.

"I cannot accept your money, my lady."

"Consider it a loan," Keely said with a smile. "I'll be your silent partner in my husband's company."

Roger grinned and took the coins. "I'll keep my ears open and tell Burghley whatever I overhear."

"Thank you, Roger." Keely kissed the boy's cheek.

"Godspeed, my lady." Roger bowed formally and quit the chamber.

Christmas Day aged into night. Muted shades of lavender and deep indigo slashed across the horizon from east to west, until the Yule's full Oak Moon shone from the perfect setting of a black velvet sky. Woodsmoke from the Strand's great houses scented winter's crystalline air, and delicately fine mist rode the river and swirled up its banks onto the shore.

Ghostlike, two barges glided in silence down the Thames toward the Strand. Wrapped in a fur-lined cloak, Keely sat on the canopied barge. With her were May and June. The second barge carried Odo, Hew, and the earl's stallion. Even Black Pepper stood statue-still as if he sensed the tragedy unfolding around his master.

Earlier in the day, Lady Dawn had sent one of the Talbot couriers to inform the earl's parents of what had befallen their son and to advise his household staff to prepare for their lady's homecoming. Nearing Devereux House, Keely saw her brother Henry and Jennings, the earl's majordomo, waiting on the quay. Behind them on the lawns stood several servants.

When the two barges had docked, Jennings stepped forward and said, "Welcome home, my lady." The majordomo turned to her tiringwomen and ordered, "Make haste, girls. Prepare your mistress's chamber."

May and June lifted their skirts and sprinted toward the mansion.

Jennings glanced over his shoulder and nodded at the earl's footmen, who rushed forward to retrieve the countess's baggage from the barge. "Cook prepared a light supper for you," Jennings told Keely. "Shall I bring you a tray in your chamber?"

"No, serve me in the earl's study," she answered, then turned to her brother.

Henry kissed her cheek and escorted her off the quay so that Odo and Hew could safely disembark Black Pepper. "Hal and Louise sailed downriver to the Tower to bring Richard a few necessities," her brother informed her. "From there, they'll travel to Hampton Court to plead his case and help with the investigation." Keely nodded in relief.

"Little girl!" Odo called, drawing her attention as he led the horse away. "We'll put Black Pepper down for the night."

"And then ourselves," Hew added. "Send word if you need anything."

"Thank you, cousins. I'll see you in the morning."

Henry guided her toward the mansion, saying, "I will be staying with you at Devereux House while everyone is away."

" 'Tisn't necessary," Keely replied, "though I do appreciate your offer."

" 'Tis necessary," Henry insisted in a disgusted tone of voice. "In Morgana's absence, Ashemole has fixed her attention on me. The hag is a pain in the arse."

Keely stifled a giggle and asked, "How so, brother?"

"The crone's been nagging me about my immoral behavior," Henry answered. "I do believe she's been spying on me."

"Very well, brother. I shall be glad for your company," Keely said. "Care to sup with me?"

"I've already eaten," Henry replied, giving her a sheepish smile. "Besides, I have an important—"

"Tell me no more," Keely interrupted, wondering who the lucky maid was. "I'll see you on the morrow."

The earl's study was exactly as Keely remembered. Near the windows on one side of the room stood a desk made from sturdy English oak. Rows of books lined two walls from floor to ceiling, and the fourth wall sported the hearth where an inviting fire crackled. The two chairs where the earl and she had once sat together still perched before the hearth.

Keely sighed deeply, sadly. How empty the study seemed without her husband's commanding presence.

How would she get along without having him near? More important, how could she win his freedom? She'd been banished to Devereux House, while the murderer hid within the crowded halls of Hampton Court.

Wandering across the chamber, Keely sat down at the desk. She placed the palms of her hands on its smooth flat surface and felt her husband's presence.

Sweet memories of Richard crowded around Keely. She recalled the day he massaged her feet and then stole a kiss—her very first. Again, she saw him kneeling in her father's hall and proposing marriage before an audience of a hundred ducal retainers.

Two fat teardrops rolled down her cheeks, but Keely brushed them away with her fingertips. Weeping would not help her husband, she told herself. What Richard needed was the Goddess's protection, and she would ask for that at dawn.

Keely rose from the desk and made herself comfortable in the chair in front of the hearth. The babe wearied her. Closing her eyes, Keely listened to the servants moving around quietly as they readied the table for her supper.

"My lady?" Jennings whispered, standing beside the chair. "Supper is served."

Keely opened her eyes and nodded, then let him escort her to the table. "Thank you, Mr. Jennings," she said, dismissing him, but the majordomo hovered near in the event she required anything else.

Fine linen covered the table. On top of the linen sat a bowl of split pea soup with beans and onions, a platter of roasted chicken with pine nuts, and a small dish of pureed quinces.

"There's only one place setting," Keely said, glancing at the majordomo.

"Yes, my lady. You sup alone."

"The earl may return to us at any moment," Keely said with a wobbly smile. "We must always set a place for him."

"Of course, my lady. Forgive me." Jennings hurried away to fetch a plate that he knew might remain unused for many months.

Keely dropped her gaze to the bouquet of flowers the majordomo had set on the table in an effort to cheer her. A sob of emotion caught in her throat as she stared at the blue love-in-a-mist blossoms. Losing control of herself, Keely surrendered to the tears she'd been fighting all day.

"Do not weep, my lady," Jennings said when he returned with the earl's place setting. "The queen depends on his lordship. I'm positive he will soon be returned to us."

" 'Tis winter," Keely said, accepting his offered handkerchief. "From where did these love-in-a-mist come?"

"The earl commissioned London's most talented seamstress to fashion them out of silk." Jennings smiled. " 'Tis uncanny how real they appear."

"Yes," Keely agreed, her husband's thoughtfulness touching her heart.

After she'd eaten, Keely dismissed Jennings and wandered across the study to the windows. She stared up at the full Oak Moon and conjured her husband's image in her mind's eye.

Oh, what must Richard be suffering, locked away in the saddest place on earth! Was his cell warm enough to prevent illness? Would his jailers feed him well? And what about candles? Could they be so cruel as to shut him away without light?

The full Oak Moon that looked down upon Keely's anxious expression also shone several miles downriver. East of London proper rose the Tower's pepper-pot turrets and forbidding gray walls.

With worry etched across his handsome features, Richard stood at a second-floor window inside Beauchamp Tower and gazed up at the full moon. His wife should be safely ensconced at Devereux House by now, he told himself. She would be well protected there, no matter how long the queen detained him.

A noise sounded behind him. Richard glanced over his shoulder at the three men descending the spiral stairs that led to the third story.

"Your bed is ready, my lord," the first yeoman said. "Complete with fur coverlet and all."

"A fire's blazing in the hearth," the second man added. "I've left an ample supply of kindling, but I'll deliver more in the morning."

"Thank you, good fellows." Richard handed both men a coin as they left. His gaze slid to the Tower constable. "And you, Kingston, must earn your coins," Richard said with a lazy smile.

"I eagerly await the opportunity," Kingston replied, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

The door swung open, admitting the chaplain royal. The minister carried a silver tray laden with roasted chicken, bread, cheese, and a jug of Scots whisky.

Setting the small feast on the table, the chaplain said over his shoulder, "Your mother is a saint, Basildon. She's loaned us her favorite cook to serve you in your confinement."

Richard sat down at the table with the constable and the minister. He reached for a drumstick, arched a copper brow at them, and asked, "Are we ready?"

The two men nodded eagerly.

Richard filled three mugs with whisky, then produced a deck of cards and a pair of dice. "Gentlemen, let the gambling begin."

Chapter 17

Once in a blue moon. Forever when lovers leap over the fire.

The Great Mother Goddess whispered those prophetic words to Keely. She would see her husband once when the blue moon rode high in the sky and forever when young lovers leaped together over the Beltane fire. According to Keely's calculations, the full Blue Moon would appear on the last day of March that year; and of course, the Beltane fires always blazed on the first day of May.

Once
on the last day of March, Keely thought, hope filling her beleaguered heart.
Forever
on the first day of May.

Those three months passed excruciatingly slowly.

Bitter January arrived with its frosted trees and sparkling icicles. Angry flocks of starlings gathered in the hagberry elm and complained about the tree's dearth of berries. Each afternoon, Keely strolled about her husband's garden. She sensed the unseen signs of life in the frozen world around her, the buds of her beloved oaks swelling even as she did. In the evenings, Keely wove Beltane baskets from splints of oak as January's full Wolf Moon waxed and waned.

Gradually, the hauntingly melancholy sunsets of January lengthened into February, with its receding blanket of snow. Candlemas came and went, as did the full Storm Moon. Dormant seeds, hidden within the earth, stirred anew with unseen life.

Nature delivered the clear blue skies of March, month of rebirth, hope, and the full Blue Moon. The full Seed Moon shone during March's first week. Migrating robins appeared during the month's third week and grazed in the still-brown grass while an amorous starling serenaded his lady with a courting song. Courageous crocus broke free of the thawing earth and opened their petals to the warmth of the waxing sun.

The last day of March dawned with radiant promise. Since the days of her morning sickness had passed, Keely rose from her bed as the sun streaked the eastern horizon with orange fingers of light. Excitement coursed through her body, and her life's blood sang the song of her beloved.

Keely knew with her Druid's instinct that the Goddess had spoken wisely. This was the day she would again see her husband:
once in a blue moon.

Keely pulled her boots on over her stockinged feet and wrapped herself in her fur-lined cloak. She collected her pouch of holy stones and golden sickle, then left her chamber.

The earl's household staff was just beginning to stir as

Keely escaped into the garden. Here the welcome harbingers of spring surrounded her, but Keely felt the watching eyes of well-intentioned spies—Odo and Hew.

Keely smiled inwardly. Odo, Hew, or Henry guarded her whenever she left the shelter of the house. At this early hour, Henry was probably sleeping beside his lady-of-the-moment. That left her cousins to guard her while she worshipped.

Keely crossed the garden to the sacred place where the birch, the yew, and the oak stood together like old friends. From her pouch, she chose nine stones: three black obsidians for defense against dark magic, three purple amethysts for breaking bad luck, and three red carnelians for general protection. With these holy stones, Keely created the sacred circle, leaving only the western periphery open. She entered from the west and closed it behind, saying, "All disturbing thoughts remain outside."

After removing the golden sickle from her pouch, Keely fused the invisible periphery shut and then walked to the center, the soul of the circle. She turned clockwise three times until she faced the east and the rising sun.

"The Old Ones are here, watching and waiting," Keely chanted into the morning's hushed air. "Stars speak through stones, and light shines through the thickest oak. One realm is heaven and earth."

Keely paused a long moment and touched the dragon pendant, lying hidden beneath her cloak. "By the power of Father Sun, the evil in my husband's life is done." She turned in a clockwise circle three times, chanting, "Spinning around, spinning around, spinning around. As I do, these words of magic be bound." Then, in a voice that carried throughout the garden, "May the Goddess bless Odo and Hew for rising so early each morn to protect me while I pray."

With that, Keely walked to the western periphery of the circle and broke the enchantment. After collecting her magic stones, she retraced her steps toward the mansion but called over her shoulder, "Thank you, cousins."

Odo and Hew stepped from their hiding place behind the hedgerow and followed her to the house. "How do you think she knew we were there?" Hew asked, scratching his head in puzzlement.