This Heart of Mine (40 page)

“Can the viceroy be trusted to release Mother and Adam unharmed once we pay the ransom?” Robin asked.

“From what I could see of the viceroy, he’s a snake of the lowest order,” Murrough remarked, “but the Jesuits are honest enough as long as the ransom is paid.” Here Murrough allowed himself a small chuckle. “Mother’s piety is quite something to behold, Rob. I never knew she even possessed a rosary, and yet it is most visible on her person in Bombay, and she never misses an opportunity to finger it publicly. The viceroy’s chaplain is both enchanted and fascinated by both her and her beauty.”

“Is she all right, Murrough?”

“Aye, and quite in her element, too, little brother. I do believe she has been pining all these years for another high adventure, and none of us ever knew it. As for Adam, he’s ten years younger in appearance. They have lived the quiet life for Velvet’s sake, but I believe now that it was only for her that they gave up the sea.”

Robert Southwood smiled fondly for a moment, and then he was all business. “How much ransom are the Portuguese demanding?”

“Fortunately, they have no real idea of mother’s wealth,” Murrough replied. “They want two hundred and fifty thousand coins’ worth of pure gold in exchange for her, Adam, and their ship. They also don’t realize there were other vessels in our fleet, for only Mother’s ship and mine entered Bombay harbor. Our original destination was the mughal’s port of Cambay to the north, but we were blown off course by a storm and Mother’s ship was damaged slightly. We needed water, too. The others in the fleet stayed several miles off the coast with orders to remain there until they were given the signal that it was safe to come ashore. Mother has sent them on now under Robbie Small, who has friends among the East Indies sultans. They should be able to obtain their spices in the islands, and the trip will be worthwhile for us even if we were not able to accomplish the queen’s mission.”

“The queen did not expect to meet with success this time, but she and Mother felt it was worth a try at least. The important thing now is that we get Mother, Adam, and our ships back safely,” said Robin.

Murrough nodded, then asked, “What is this I hear of Velvet’s marriage? I thought the child was not to be wed until after her sixteenth birthday, which, if I recall aright, isn’t until this spring.”

“Lord Gordon suddenly found himself the only direct male in his family line due to the sudden death of both his father and younger brother. He found it necessary to come to England to claim Velvet a year early. Unfortunately, no one had bothered to remind Velvet that she had a betrothed husband. And Mother had been filling her head for years with tales of going to court.”

Murrough chuckled, imagining his little sister’s outrage, and his chuckles grew into delighted laughter as Robin continued the tale, particularly when he told of the four weddings the couple had had.

“Of course,” said Robin, gazing over at his wife who sat up in their bed, the coverlet to her chin, her blond curls peeking adorably from beneath her lace-edged nightcap with its silk ribbons, “had Velvet not come to court I should have never met my beloved Angel.”

She beamed at her husband.

“I would say then that you owe our willful little sister a great debt, Robin,” observed Murrough, and then he stood up. “I must get me to court now and tell the queen of what has happened. It is Whitehall at this time of year, isn’t it?”

“Aye, and, Murrough, return here afterwards, for I will not
keep this secret from our sisters. Both Willow and Velvet are here in London. Velvet in particular must know, for the queen, believing Mother would return this spring, ordered Alex to remain here until she came so that she and Adam might give their official blessing to the marriage. Now it will be at least twelve months or more depending on wind and tide, before we will see Mother and Adam; Alex will not want to stay in England for that long a time. He has been away from his lands almost a year and he will want to go home. The queen will understand that, but it will take some doing to convince Velvet of her duty. She far prefers life at court with all its divertissements and amusements to the thought of being a proper wife and mother.”

“She is very young, my lord,” Angel defended her friend. “You must not forget that her parents sheltered her so much that she knew little of life before she came to court last May. She is merely making up for lost time, and once she has had her fill of fun she will settle down and be an admirable mate for Alex. Besides, he loves her deeply.”

“No man is really content to wait for sons,” came Robin’s reply.

“You have waited,” Angel said calmly.

“You have assured me that it is a son you carry, madame,” teased Robin.

“And so it is,” she proclaimed, “yet you have three daughters already, my lord.” She turned to Murrough. “Now, my newly met brother, how long will you be in London?”

Murrough considered. “The ship has to be revictualed before I can return to India and the ransom collected from the goldsmiths. I must have a complete change of crew, for the men with me have been at sea two years now and need more shore time than I can give them. But I must be gone within two weeks, else I will not be able to make the Indian Ocean crossing as the winds will be against me. There is a certain time when one can come easily around the horn of Africa and travel northeast across the Indian Ocean to Bombay; and there is a certain time when one can travel back. At all other times the winds are unfavorable.”

“We will expect you for the evening meal then,” said Angel, “and I hope you’ll make this your home ashore while you’re in London. It would please me greatly.”

Murrough moved to the bedside and, taking Angel’s hand, kissed it graciously. “Thank you,” he said simply, and then with a nod to his brother he was gone from the apartment.

Murrough O’Flaherty was supplied with a fresh mount and
rode for Whitehall where he found Lord Burghley, and through his good offices was admitted to Elizabeth Tudor’s presence almost immediately. Bowing first, he then knelt before the queen.

“Rise, Captain O’Flaherty,” she said, “and tell us your news.” She seated herself in a high-back chair and waited.

Murrough outlined what had happened, and the queen’s face darkened with outrage.

William Cecil, standing by her side, grew grim, but remained silent until the captain had ended his tale. Then he said, “There can be no question of our allowing so much gold out of England.”

“The decision is not yours, m’lord,” snapped Murrough. “It is O’Malley gold, not English gold. It has been earned by us, and it is ours to do with as we wish. I might say to you that had we not agreed to do the queen this service my mother and stepfather would not at this moment be in such a position, and there would be no need for us to use our gold for ransom. This venture has cost England not a penny piece, but it has cost us dearly.” Murrough’s fair face was flushed above his dark beard.

“Madame,” responded Burghley, “I must protest Captain O’Flaherty’s logic. That gold could be used against us in future wars by the papists!”

“Bah!” Murrough countered furiously. “Half of it will go directly into the viceroy’s own pockets, and the rest the Jesuits will use to continue their campaign of conversion amongst the natives. The Portuguese government will never see one gold piece. Were Lisbon aware of our presence in Bombay, they would have seen us all executed and our ships confiscated. They want only one thing, total control over the East Indian trade.”

“He is right,” said the queen. “Lisbon knows nothing of their viceroy’s activities.”

“Then let us protest to them!”

“No, my lord,” Elizabeth chided Burghley. “They must not be made aware of our presence in what they consider their private pond. This mission has failed, but there will be others, and eventually we will succeed. One day the riches of the Indies will be ours. Now, however, our paramount wish is to get Lord and Lady de Marisco safely home to England.” She turned to Murrough and smiled. “I only wish that we could help with the ransom, Captain O’Flaherty, but the expenses in defeating Spain’s mighty Armada last summer were great, and it will be several years before our treasury recovers.”

“I rejoice with you, madame, in beating King Philip’s might,” Murrough said, “and I fully understand your position. You have all of England to consider. You need not worry though, for we will be able to manage the ransom demanded ourselves.”

The queen smiled and held out her hand for him to kiss, which he did. “Then go with God, Murrough O’Flaherty,” she said, “and return home safely with your mother and her husband. You have both our permission and our blessing.”

“Thank you, madame,” was his reply, and Murrough bowed and backed his way out of the queen’s chamber.

“Two hundred and fifty thousand coins’ worth of pure gold!” exclaimed Lord Burghley disgustedly when the door had shut behind the captain. “Do you know what we could do with that money, madame?”

“She is my friend,” said Elizabeth Tudor quietly.

“That Irish bitch?” exploded William Cecil. “How many times has she defied you, and fought you, madame?”

“Aye, William,” the queen said calmly, “she has indeed defied me and fought me over the years, but never, my lord,
never
has Skye O’Malley betrayed me. Not once, and ’tis certainly more than I can say for my own conduct with regards to her.”

“You are England’s queen, madame, and your conduct as such has always been above reproach,” came his answer.

“Aye,” the queen agreed, “but there are few people other than yourself, my dear
Spirit
, whose conduct and code of morals is steady and never-changing. Skye O’Malley is one of those people. She did not have to put either herself or her ships in jeopardy in order to gain a toehold in India for England, but when I asked her to she agreed to try.”

“She would have gained greatly by it,” Lord Burghley said sourly.

“But there was the greater chance that she would lose, William, and indeed she has. This venture has cost her dearly, but it shall not cost her her life or the life of her husband. I will speak no more on it!”

William Cecil, Lord Burghley, clamped his lips shut. Ever since Dudley’s death the queen had grown sentimental, and at the damndest times. He would wager that Lady de Marisco, left to her own clever devices, would escape quite handily from the Portuguese, and without the loss of all that gold to England’s economy. Skye O’Malley wasn’t a woman to sit idle.

Murrough O’Flaherty, making his way back to his brother’s home, would have agreed with the queen’s closest confidant. Ever since his youngest sibling’s birth his mother had been content to remain at home, which was totally unlike her. Murrough admired Skye, and now that Velvet was married and settled he expected to see Skye take complete charge of the O’Malley empire again.

“Murrough!” Willow hurried toward him with outstretched arms.

“Murrough!”

Jesu! Was that exquisite beauty really Velvet? The two women hugged him warmly and planted wet kisses on his ruddy cheeks. A burst of contentment ran through him, and he hugged them back, one arm around a supple waist and the other around one less supple, but comfortable. “Damn me if you’re not a pretty pair of pigeons to come home to, my darlings!”

“Have you been home yet to Joan and the children?” his elder sister demanded.

“Nay, Willow, I came directly to London, for I have news of Mother and Adam.”

“Are they long behind you?” Willow demanded. “We did not expect them until spring.”

Robin appeared at the top of the main staircase. “Come up,” he said, “and Murrough shall give you the news at once.”

Realizing that his brother didn’t want him to speak until they were all together, Murrough mounted the stairs with his two sisters. Entering Robin’s library, he saw his brother-in-law, James Edwardes, the Earl of Alcester, and another man who Robin quickly introduced as Velvet’s husband, Alex Gordon, the Earl of BrocCairn. Alex’s handclasp was firm and his gaze unwavering. Murrough liked the look of him.

“Now tell us your news!” Velvet demanded impatiently as she settled herself in a chair by the fire.

“Aye,” said Willow, for once echoing her younger sister. “Tell us of Mother and Adam. Were they well when you last left them? And what of Uncle Robbie?”

Calmly, Murrough explained the situation as he had left it, and was relieved to see that neither of his sisters fell into a swoon.

“How long before you leave?” Willow asked bluntly when he had finished. “Two weeks at the most,” was his reply.

“How long is the passage to India?” Velvet was more to the point.

“Several months, depending upon the winds.”

She nodded. “Robin should have at least one child and another started by the time Mama and Papa get back.”

“And what of us?” demanded Alex.

“ ’Twill be as God wills it, my lord,” said Velvet airily, and he scowled.

“Is the money a problem?” Robin asked. “Did the queen offer to aid us any?”

Murrough laughed. “The queen apologized for her purse, which she claims is empty from the expense of the Armada victory. Lord Burghley tried to prevent our ransoming Mother and Adam on the excuse that the loss of our monies to the Portuguese dons could hurt the English economy. The queen refused his reasoning and wished me Godspeed. Don’t fear, Rob. We can well afford the gold though I hate to see it go to the viceroy.”

“No one must know,” said Robin.

“Of course,” agreed Murrough.

“Why?” questioned Velvet.

“If word got out as to the amount of gold our ships are carrying, we would be a prime target for pirates. There are many miles of water between London and Bombay. We must travel in a small fleet, in a tight formation, without hailing any other vessel before we reach our destination. We’ll be transporting several thousand pounds of gold in five ships. Even one of those ships would be a tempting prize. That, Velvet, is why no one must know.”

“In that case I can only hope no one saw you at Whitehall,” remarked Willow.

Murrough laughed. “Only the queen and Lord Burghley. ’Twas too early in the morning for the high and mighty to be up and about. Besides, the fact that I am back is no reason for anyone to be suspicious. It looks like I simply came ahead.”