Precious Bones (15 page)

Chapter 41

By the time we came back into the house Graham returned from his errand and was rubbing his hands in anticipation of a drink.  I said a quick goodnight and headed up to my room, leaving the men to it.  I wasn’t much of a drinker, and I needed time to think.  Three hours later I was still lying awake, staring at the canopy of my pretty bed in the darkness, trying to talk myself out of what I really wanted to do.  I heard Adrian come up about an hour ago, and knew exactly which room was his.  Another quarter of an hour passed before I finally lost the argument with myself and got out of bed.  I walked softly to the door and peered out into the hallway to make sure there was no one about.  I’m not sure who I was expecting to see, since the only people in the house were Graham and his housekeeper, who both had rooms on the third floor.  I strongly suspected their rooms had an adjoining door, but I kept that to myself. 

I tiptoed to Adrian’s room and knocked softly.  There was no answer, but I wasn
’t ready to give up.  I tried the door handle and found it unlocked.  I slipped inside and closed the door behind me.  Whiskey fumes hit me as soon as I entered the room, and I wondered if Adrian was in any condition to receive me, when I saw him sprawled on the huge bed -- sound asleep.  He was wearing loose pajama bottoms, and I could see the outline of his body clearly in the moonlight.  He was breathing evenly; his arm flung across the comforter which was bunched off to the side.  I told myself to just turn around and go back, but I found myself standing over Adrian and watching him sleep.  I reached out and caressed his face, whispering his name.  Adrian’s eyes fluttered open and he saw me.

“Cassandra, are you all right?”  His speech was a little slurred, but otherwise he seemed coherent.  I bent down and gently kissed
him, letting him know why I was there.  Adrian’s reaction was spontaneous.  He lifted me off the floor and flipped me onto my back, rolling on top of me and pinning down my wrists, his mouth coming down on mine, hungry and demanding.  I’d slept with Tristan for the past three years and had another boyfriend before him, but I’d never experienced the lightning bolt of desire that shot through my body.  I had no idea what came over me, but I reached down and pulled down Adrian’s pants, wrapping my legs around him, making my intentions clear.  He tore off my underwear and gave me what I came for.  I could feel his whiskey breath on my face, and I grabbed his hips, urging him on.  I wanted him to be rough with me, to match my frenzied need for him.  He understood, and pinned my wrists down again, thrusting hard and fast.  I think I literally felt the earth move as I lost all ability to think, matching Adrian’s rhythm until we both reached the heights of ecstasy.  As he rolled off me, we were both panting, my legs shaking as badly as my insides.  He covered his face with his hand, fully awake now.

“Cassandra, I
’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to...”  He trailed off not knowing exactly how to phrase it.

“Don’t be sorry.  It’s what I wanted.”  I felt no shame in admitting that to him
, and he gave me a teasing smile.  “Will you be expecting that every time or do you want to mix it up a little?”  I could already feel him growing hard again against my thigh as he bent down to kiss me.  “Why don’t you surprise me next time?”  He did.

Chapter 42

September
1586

When Constance woke up on the morning of September 3, she had no idea that life was about to change forever.  It was a glorious morning, with the sun shining through the shutters, and birds singing their hearts out in joyous tribute to the golden autumn day.  Connie felt a little queasy, but she dressed and went downstairs to break her fast.  Usually a slice of bread helped with the nausea and kept it at bay until luncheon.  Richard had already gone.  Walsingham had put him on a new inquiry having something to do with the fearsome Armada that the Spanish were assembling, and he had been working tirelessly trying to gather information about the quantity and types of vessels being amassed.

Connie was just finishing her breakfast with William, who was asking numerous questions about the Royal Navy, when a frenzied banging on the door brought her to her feet.  Agnes was already opening the door by the time Connie ran out o
f the kitchen to face her frantic sister.  Pippa was wild-eyed and incoherent, as she threw herself into Connie’s arms crying and babbling something about Richard.  Connie took her into Richard’s study and closed the door after asking Agnes to bring Pippa a cup of ale.  Pippa refused to sit, but paced the room like a caged animal, trying to speak between bouts of tears.  Agnes brought the ale and Connie forced Pippa to drink the entire cup, before taking her by the shoulders and forcing her to concentrate.  Pippa finally gathered her wits and told Connie the dreadful news.

“Oh, Connie, I was just coming downstairs this morning to break my fast when I heard Master Milton speaking to his wife.  He was most distressed
, and I stopped outside, not wanting to disturb them.  I wasn’t really listening until I overheard Anthony’s name, and then I put my ear to the door.   I know it was wrong, but I just had to know.  I had to.  The master said that a number of Walsingham’s men had shown up at Anthony’s house in Dethick early in the morning and dragged him from his bed.  They arrested him in the name of the Queen and charged him with God only knows what.  He has been taken to the Tower for questioning.  Oh, Connie, you know what that means, don’t you?  He will be beaten and tortured until they break him, just like they did with Lord Devon.  You must get Richard to set him free like he did with Tom.  He will, won’t he?”  Pippa was crying again, her hands covering her flushed face. 

Connie drew her sister to her and held her, stroking her hair and whispering soothing words. 
She didn’t think Richard could do anything, but she wouldn’t tell her sister that just yet.  She needed to calm her down first.   As Constance held Pippa close, she felt a sudden movement against her belly.  It was a weak kick, but a kick all the same.  Connie looked down, confused.  Pippa’s gown was unfashionably high-waisted and she was still wearing her cloak, but now that Constance was looking at it directly, she could see that her belly was swollen and high.  The truth hit her like a bucket of cold water and she held Pippa away from herself, looking her full in the face. 

“Pippa, are you with child?”

Pippa burst into hysterics once again and buried her face in Connie’s shoulder, nodding vigorously.

“Oh, my dear.  What are we going to do?”  Connie stroked Pippa’s head in an effort to sooth
e her, her own tears running freely down her cheeks.  Even if Babington was released unharmed, the situation was dire.  His wife was alive and well, and Pippa was at least five months gone.  She would not be able to hide the pregnancy much longer. 

“Go home
to Carter Lane, my darling.  I will speak to Richard as soon as he comes back and I will come to see you.  Do not say anything to Tom or Jane about the child.  Just try to rest and stay calm.  Not all is lost.”  Constance knew that she was lying through her teeth, but she had no choice.  Phillipa had to calm down, and stay out of sight until she could speak with Richard.  He would know what to do.  He always did.  Connie summoned John and asked him to take Pippa to Carter Lane, giving him a note to take to the master.  Richard would come home as soon as he heard, and they would work out a plan.  Maybe they could send Pippa to Richard’s sister, Charlotte, until the child was born.  Richard always spoke very kindly of her, and said she was an understanding and sympathetic woman.

Constance tried to stay calm, but by the time Richard finally came home, she was almost as hysterical as Pippa.  His mouth was set in a grim line and he motioned her into the study and closed the door before finally speaking.

“Anthony Babington has been arrested, along with thirteen other conspirators on the charge of plotting to murder the Queen.  I was not part of the investigation, but I know that they have enough evidence to convict them all, and possibly even Mary Stuart herself.  This might be the thing that finally gets the Queen to sign Mary’s death warrant.  If Phillipa’s association with Babington comes to light, we will all be in danger.  She needs to leave London as quickly as possible before they begin to suspect her of any wrongdoing.” 

“Richard, Pippa is with child.”  Richard did not look very surprised. 

“That is all the more reason.  I will write her a letter of introduction to my sister and we will send her up north.  She might escape notice there, and stay until the child is born.  Charlotte can help arrange for a quiet adoption.  Pippa must not keep the child.  It would be her undoing.”

“She will be devastated.  She is only sixteen and she loves him,
” Connie said quietly.

“I know,
sweeting, but there is no choice.  Any association with Babington can mean death for us all.  Walsingham means to question Milton very soon.  Pippa must not go back there.”

“I understand.  I must go to her.  She is waiting for news.” 

“Shall I come with you?”

“I think it’s best if I go
by myself.”

Richard looked gr
ay as he walked Connie to the door.  “Have John wait for you and come back as soon as you can.” 

“I will.”  She kissed Richard and ran out the door. 

Chapter
43

When Jane opened the door to Constance, she looked so pale and frightened that Connie just wrapped her arms around the girl trying to offer whatever comfort she could.   Tom was in the parlor looking as ashen as his wife, with Pippa reclining on the sofa, her hands on her swollen belly.  Connie sat down by Pippa and took her hand.

“Dearest, Anthony Babington has been taken to the Tower on a charge of plotting to murder the Queen.  I am afraid there is abundant proof and there is nothing Richard can do to help him.  Only God can help him now.”

“It isn’t true,” retorted Pippa stubbornly.  “He is innocent.  It’s all lies.  They are trying to implicate him because he is a Catholic.”

“Pippa, there are numerous letters in his own hand stating his dark purpose.  There is no mistake.  You must think of yourself and your child now.  Richard would have you go
north to his sister.  She will take you in and care for you until the child is born.”

“And then what?” 
asked Pippa suspiciously.

“Then we will see.  It’s too soon to think about
all that at present.  Now we must keep you calm and healthy and get you away from here to where it is safe.”  Connie saw Tom’s stricken face as he realized the danger they were all in.

“I won’t go.  I won’t leave.  He needs me.  I will try to go see him tomorrow.”  Pippa looked around the room
defiantly daring them to oppose her.

“You will do no such thing,” said Tom quietly.  “You will not put us all in danger any more th
an you have already.  I will keep you under lock and key if I must.”

“You just try it, Thomas Thorne!”  Pippa yelled at him.

“With our parents gone, I am your master and guardian until you are wed, if you should ever be lucky enough to find a man in your soiled condition.  I will decide what happens and do what’s best for the family.  You will go to Richard’s sister and stay there until it’s safe to return.”

Tom looked furious, his fists clenched at his side and his mouth set in grim determination.  Connie did not envy him his position at the moment and wished she could do something to ease the tension in the room.

“Pip, Anthony would want you to think of the baby.  He would want you to keep it safe and give it a good life.  That is the best thing you can do for him right now.  He needs to know that you are safe.”

Pippa looked as if she was about to capitulate, but then she raised her chin in
defiance once again.  “I will not leave this house until I know his fate.  I might not be able to see him, but I will be here for him as long as he might need me.”  With that she stormed off upstairs and slammed the door.

“God help us,” said Tom after her departing back. 

Chapter
44

As the golden days of summer gave way to the misty mornings of fall, the tension mounted in the Thorne household.  Connie visited every day, with John in the role of protector, to keep Pippa company and help Jane keep their sister from escaping.  Tom had forbidden her to leave the house, for fear that she would go to the Tower demanding to see her lover, putting them all in mortal danger.  Pippa was by turns hysterical, silent, or full of rage.  She hardly ate anything, and she looked pale and gaunt just sitting on the settee by the window all day looking out at the world that was now denied her.

Connie was fairly sure by now that she was
also with child, but she took no pleasure in the knowledge.  She could not rejoice in her pregnancy in front of Pippa, who would most likely never see her child again after it was born; and live out the rest of her days with the knowledge that somewhere out there, was the product of her love for the unfortunate Anthony Babington.  Connie suspected that Jane was with child as well judging by her frequent bouts of nausea and vomiting.  Poor Tom, faced with three pregnant women, looked like he would have preferred to be in the Tower himself, but he tried to stay calm and reassure the women that everything would turn out well. 

Richard frequently came by toward the evening to collect Connie and bring the latest news, but he did not know much more th
an the average person on the street.  Walsingham froze him out of the investigation due to his association with the Thornes, and Richard knew that he had been seen talking to Babington, although it had nothing to do with the plot to kill the Queen.  They came home every night to an anxious Agnes, who feared for her own safety and the safety of John and William.  She had enjoyed a nice, comfortable life until Richard became involved with Constance and she was resentful and difficult to deal with. 

As the details of the plot began to emerge, all of England was crying out for the blood of the conspirators
, and they were charged with high treason and sentenced to a traitor’s death.  It was rumoredthat Anthony Babington had offered the Quee
n
£
1,000 for his pardon, but the offer was rejected immediately.  When Pippa heard the news, she swooned, knowing full well what the execution would entail.  Tom hoped that once Babington was dead, Pippa would finally consent to go to Charlotte, and they could all breathe a sigh of relief, if only for a little while.

  Pippa’s troubles were far from over. 
The execution was scheduled for September 20
th
and Tom forbade anyone to attend.  Pippa was begging him to let her go, to offer whatever comfort she could to Anthony in his final hour, but Tom was adamant.  She was to stay at home with Jane and Constance, under lock and key if need be.

The day of the execution dawned misty and gr
ay and Pippa was unusually quiet as she came down to break her fast.  She couldn’t eat a bite and just sat at the table staring into space.  Her fingers kept pleating the fabric of her skirt and her hair escaped from her cap, unbrushed and unwashed.  John brought Connie over early in the morning to help Jane on this difficult day.  He would stay all day in case he was needed, and Connie knew Agnes was less than pleased.  On this day, she couldn’t be bothered with Agnes’ feelings when she had to watch her sister die piece by piece on the inside.  Pippa sat on the settee with her hands on her bulging stomach just staring at the gentle rain tapping against the window panes.  She didn’t say a word; just sat and stared.

The execution was scheduled for the morning and might not be over for some time.  A traitor’s death took time, if the crowd was lucky.  The first seven plotters would be marched from their cells in the Tower
, and tied to wooden sledges that would be dragged by horses through the streets of London; with people looking on and shouting insults and curses. Some even brought rotten fruit and vegetables to hurl at the procession.  A special scaffold had been constructed in St. Giles Field, near Holborn, where they would be hanged, drawn, and quartered by a master executioner. 

Everyone knew what a traitor’s death meant
, and it was a spectacle not to be missed.  The condemned would be hanged by the neck until they were almost dead, then cut down and brought around until they were conscious enough to face the next step.   They would be emasculated and disemboweled, with their entrails thrown on the fire in front of them to fill their nostrils with the stench of their burning organs.  A good executioner made sure that the victims were still alive and conscious to “enjoy” all the stages of the execution; until they were finally beheaded to the riotous shouts of the bloodthirsty onlookers.  Their bodies were then hacked into pieces, and displayed on spikes at various important places in the city to discourage other would-be traitors from following through with their treasonous plans.