The Boleyn Deceit (37 page)

“The day I was poisoned, Robert asked Eleanor to fetch me to a private conversation with him. It was … well, it was very odd. He knows—or at least guesses well—about William’s intentions toward me. Robert warned me off, Elizabeth. He told me to walk away from William, or that someone might see to it that I had to.”

“Robert has superb political instincts,” Elizabeth said dismissively. “He’s only telling you what my uncle would like to say. No doubt Robert doesn’t want to see you hurt by less scrupulous men.”

“Are you certain that Robert is any more scrupulous?”

Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed unpleasantly. “What are you implying?”

“I spoke to Amy Dudley before Robert took her away.” Minuette hesitated, unsure exactly how much to tell Elizabeth. But her friend was not a fool.

“Women?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think I do not know that Robert has women, Minuette? It means nothing. All men have women. William had Eleanor, Dominic … well, he keeps his own counsel but I guarantee he’s had his women.”

Aimée kissing him passionately in a darkened corridor in France— “That’s not the point, Elizabeth. Not the pertinent point. Robert has had one particular woman. Amy met her, by accident, when Robert brought her to Kenilworth thinking the house was empty. Robert sent Amy away and kept this woman there for a month. ‘Playing house,’ as Amy put it. He didn’t even trouble to lie to his wife about it.”

Elizabeth’s face was set and furious. Probably as furious with Minuette as with Robert. Too bad. This she had to hear all the way through.

“It was Alyce de Clare. Amy described her perfectly—brown eyes, waist-length brown hair, impertinent face. And the month that Robert had this woman at Kenilworth is the same month Alyce was got with child.”

Elizabeth stared at her, and Minuette suddenly realized her friend wasn’t shocked. Hurt, yes. Betrayed and disappointed. But not shocked. “You’re saying Robert was behind the Penitent’s Confession.” It was not a question.

“I did not find it until after he showed up at Framlingham. He asked me where I thought it might be, he pressed me to think … and I told him precisely where to hide it by telling him where I was looking next. He knew, Elizabeth. I don’t know why, what possible motivation he could have had, but Robert is the one who used Alyce to spy and spread the rumours about your brother’s birth.”

“Robert is devoted to the Protestant cause. He would never have orchestrated a Catholic rebellion.”

“He wasn’t creating a Catholic rebellion. He was creating the
illusion
of one, in order to crush the Howards and the rest of the Catholics. But surely he was not in it alone.”

Elizabeth laughed bitterly. “His father. Yes, this has Northumberland’s brutal touch to it. Everyone knows he would do anything for his family … it appears Robert feels the same way.”

Minuette went to her friend and knelt so she could look into her eyes. “Are you all right?”

Elizabeth’s expression was bleak, but her eyes were dry and her voice, when she answered, dispassionate. “Perfectly all right. I only wish we didn’t have to wait the week or so it will take William to show up here in order to get this sorted. I am anxious to discover what Northumberland and his son will have to say from the confines of the Tower.”

Torn between wanting to spend every moment watching Dudley Castle—as though his attention alone would ensure Minuette and Elizabeth were kept safe—and needing to do something, Dominic’s desire for movement won out. His men could watch the castle as well as he could. Besides, he had to get to Robert Dudley before Robert could go to ground. And he didn’t want to face William without having at least one member of the Dudley family under arrest.

He left Harrington behind to be his eyes and ears and voice with the armed men under his command and took a dozen men with him to Kenilworth. It was a long day of riding made harder by slashing autumn rain, and, with the shortening days, they would have to wait until tomorrow to make the return ride to Dudley Castle. Which meant spending a night in the same room with Robert Dudley, for there was no chance he would let Robert out of his sight.

Kenilworth was calm when they arrived and Dominic
announced himself to a steward. The household looked a bit slapdash on the surface, and he suspected the servants were underpaid and lived more on promises of Robert’s connections than actual loyalty.

He was escorted into a solar paneled in dark wood and furnished pleasantly, where a woman rose to greet him. “Lord Exeter, it’s an honour. My husband didn’t tell me we’d be having guests.”

So this was Amy Dudley. Dominic’s immediate thought was to wonder what on earth had possessed Robert to marry her. She didn’t seem the sort of woman who would interest the quick-witted, devilishly clever, sarcastic-tongued Robert Dudley—which meant she didn’t appear to be anything like Elizabeth Tudor. Amy Dudley was rather short, dressed well if a bit showily in yellow brocade, with fair hair and penetrating eyes that seemed locked into a permanent suspicious gaze. Though he could hardly blame her for that. Any woman married to Robert Dudley who wasn’t suspicious was an idiot.

He bowed in greeting. “I had hoped to speak to your husband alone.”

He heard Robert clattering down the stairs through the open doorway and speaking even as he entered the solar. “What’s wrong, Courtenay? I know better than to think you’re here for a courtesy visit.”

Amy looked between them, and Dominic repeated, “It would be best if we spoke privately.”

“Why?” Amy asked. “Do you bring news from the princess?”

“Amy,” Robert said warningly.

“I do not,” Dominic answered. “This is a political matter.”

Was that fear in Amy’s eyes? In that instant, Dominic realized that she was more than just a jealous wife, touchy about her
honour and position. She was truly, desperately, in love with her husband.

“Go on, Amy,” Robert said. She went without protest, but shot one, troubled glance back at Dominic before closing the door.

“What’s going on, Courtenay?”

“I have a warrant for your arrest, signed by the king himself. My orders are to return you to London at once to answer the charges laid against you.”

“What charges are those?”

“They will be read out to you in London.”

“In the Tower, you mean.”

“Yes.”

“So you don’t mind arresting a man without knowing the details.”

“I know the details. I am not at liberty to speak of them.” He would not let Robert goad him into an argument. For all he knew, Amy Dudley was listening at the door.

Robert rubbed his hands through his hair, obviously thinking. “Well then, I suppose I’d best pack for London.”

“My men will do that for you. You are not to leave my sight. Which means, I’m afraid, you will not be going directly to London.”

“Why not?”

Could it be Robert had not known of his father’s plans for Elizabeth? Impossible to tell. Dominic would wager Robert’s feelings for Elizabeth—however complicated by politics and ambition—were genuine, and it was hard to credit a man in love with an act that threatened her safety.

“I came here from Dudley Castle, where I was sent to arrest your father.”

“I suppose he didn’t accept that easily.”

“He didn’t accept it at all. Your father is holding hostages: Elizabeth and Minuette. He has said he will bargain for their release, but only directly with William. So you and I are returning to Dudley Castle to talk some sense into your father. If, that is, you are concerned with Elizabeth’s situation.”

Robert had gone very still, and Dominic was as sure as he could be that it was the stillness of shock. So one—minor—point in his favour. “What the hell is he thinking?”

“Your brother, Guildford, has been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. I imagine your father is thinking of bargaining for his life. He should know better.” And not only because Guildford was already dead. Dominic took a step, forcing Robert to face him directly. “If you do not want a summary conviction of your own, you will come to Dudley Castle and help us get the women out of there without harm.”

A most unusual expression crossed Robert’s face. He looked as though he were about to protest something Dominic had said. But then a ghost of his usual mocking grin replaced the more serious look. “The women, yes. I’ll wager my father has no idea that Elizabeth is not the truest prize. Detaining his sister will rouse William’s ego, no doubt—but it’s Minuette he will kill to protect.”

“If she is so much as scratched—” Dominic could not go on calmly.

“Elizabeth will see to it she isn’t,” Robert said dismissively. “Frankly, Courtenay, I’m not so worried about the women as I am about my father. He has badly underestimated his hostages. It’s much more likely that Elizabeth will find a way to gut him than that he will be able to use her to his own advantage. And because he is my father—” His lips twisted. “I would rather he
not be gutted, so yes—I will ride with you to Dudley Castle and do my best to talk sense into him.”

“You’ll be in my custody,” Dominic warned.

“I understand. When all this is over, there are any number of questions that need answers. I’ll gladly spill my knowledge once we’re in London.”

Under arrest, under threat of torture and charges of treason, and still Robert made Dominic feel that he was the one pulling all the strings. Would he never get a handle on the enigma of this man?

D
OMINIC AND
R
OBERT
were still five miles from Dudley Castle when they were met by Harrington, riding alone and clearly relieved to see Dominic.

“Damn it,” Dominic said softly, and spurred ahead to talk without being overheard. “What’s happened?”

“Northumberland had troops in hold to the northwest. They swept down as soon as you had ridden out yesterday and pushed us back. No fighting, but they’re standing their ground around the castle.”

“How many?”

“Three thousand, give or take. They’re setting up camp in a ring around the base of the motte.”

Damn, damn, and damn. He should have anticipated this. Not that it would have changed his decisions—he’d needed to go after Robert, and his fifty men would have been outnumbered and forced to withdraw whether he were in command or not.

“You’ve sent more riders to the king? He’ll need to muster troops.”

“I did.”

“Then let’s make an encampment of our own and wait.” Which he hated with every bone in his soldier’s body.

Fortunately, the wait was nowhere near as long as he’d anticipated. Before they’d been in their small, makeshift camp an hour—Robert in a tent alone, with four men guarding it—he heard the sound of hooves drumming the earth at the same moment his outer scout shouted, “Riders! Bearing the royal standard!”

Dominic was prepared to disbelieve it, although he was on his feet and running to the scout. Though the last of the day’s light was nearly gone, within seconds he spotted the standard for himself—crimson and azure, lions and lilies—and wondered how the hell William had gotten here so fast.

William swung down from his horse before it had stopped moving and jerked his head to Dominic to walk. He wore a brigandine of leather, riveted to small sections of plate inside, to protect his torso. Clearly he had known he was riding into openly hostile territory. Dominic followed him away from the chaos of what looked to be at least four hundred mounted men until they could speak without shouting.

“Situation?” William demanded.

“Robert Dudley is under arrest and held under guard in the camp. He had left Dudley Castle before I arrived; I arrested him at Kenilworth. William, you should know—”

“Northumberland has the women,” he cut in grimly. “I know.”

“How?”

“John Dee got himself away from Dudley Castle as soon as they appeared and came to warn me. Not two hours later I had another warning. You met that man my sister picked up in France—Walsingham?”

Dominic nodded. William continued, “He was at Hatfield when Elizabeth left. He was already suspicious, and then Minuette’s maid came to him and confessed their destination. I’m glad she at least has the sense God granted her.”

It was unclear whether he meant Minuette or Carrie, but it was manifestly clear that William was furious with his sister. “They’re untouched, Will,” Dominic said. “I saw Minuette less than forty-eight hours ago. She swore Elizabeth is perfectly all right. Northumberland threatens, but he would never harm women.”

“Do you think so?” William looked at him with a flat but dangerous expression, a gleam in his blue eyes that made Dominic wary. “I have a man in the Tower who has confessed to daubing monkshood on Minuette’s pendant. This man is from Northumberland’s household.”

Dominic went still, and realized that despite his wish for vengeance, he had not wanted it to be Northumberland. He rather liked Robert Dudley.

“What does Northumberland ask?” William continued.

“To speak to you. He was unwilling to bargain with me.”

“Bargain?” William gave a shout of not at all humourous laughter. “Oh, I’ll bargain. Come to London so I can have his head, or wait for me to raze his castle—and his family—to the ground. That’s the bargain he’ll get from me.”