The Tudor Secret - C. W. Gortner [86]
She turned to the door, where she paused, her hand on the latch. “Be careful with Mary,” she said. “I love my sister, but she is not a trusting woman. Life has made her that way. She has always believed the worst of people, never the best. Some say it is the Spaniard in her. But I say it is our father.”
I met her eyes as she looked over her shoulder. “You will take Kate with you?” I said. “I want her safe, or as safe as we can be under the circumstances.”
“You have my word.” She pulled open the door. “Guard yourself against dragons, Brendan Prescott,” she added, and I heard a hint of wry mirth in her voice, “And whatever you do, steer clear of water. It obviously is not your element.”
I stood listening to her footsteps fade down the stairs. I knew I would not see her in the morning, for I must leave before dawn. But in the emptiness left by her departure, I finally understood why Robert Dudley would have betrayed his own family for her love.
Given the opportunity, Elizabeth just might do the same for him.
Chapter Twenty-three
“When did you say she’d arrive?” said Peregrine for what had to be the hundredth time.
“I didn’t.” I suppressed my own impatience as I peered through the ragged opening in the bushes, where I crouched with a crick in my back and my legs numb below the knee. The star-spattered sky displayed a sickle moon. A breeze rustled the woods behind us, where we’d tethered and muzzled the horses.
“She left her manor sometime yesterday. Seeing as she didn’t head to London, as she’d have been arrested by now, we can only hope she took this road. But she could be anywhere.”
At my side, smothered in a heavy blue wool cloak that matched the one he’d brought me, Peregrine scowled. “Bite off my head. I was only asking. If I’d known you’d be such a grouse, I’d have gone to Hatfield with Mistress Stafford and Urian.”
I forced out a chuckle. “Sorry. Camping in a trench at the side of a road isn’t my idea of fun, either. I’d rather be with Kate and Urian, as well.”
“I should think so. I saw how you looked at her. You love her, don’t you?”
The discordant blend of envy and longing in his voice gave me pause. He had been nothing if not resourceful, not to mention tenacious.
I now knew that while we’d crept into Edward’s chamber, Peregrine had slunk past several manned guards in order to reach the stables, where he then avoided the night watch to saddle, bridle, and lead three somnambulant horses, and a dog, out to the gate. There he had waited, feeding the beasts tidbits of those crabapples he seemed to grow in his pockets, keeping them quiet until Elizabeth, Kate, and Barnaby arrived. According to Kate, when they heard the pistol and saw the duke’s retainers racing out, Barnaby had to haul Peregrine onto Cinnabar. As soon as they reached the house, the boy demanded they turn back to search for me. He would have gone then and there, were it not for fear the duke had sent troops after them. As it was, Peregrine did not stop pacing the room where they hid. When Mistress Ashley and the men sent by Cecil arrived to spirit the princess away, he had exclaimed with relief that now he could go find me.
This same unwavering devotion had prompted his refusal to let me undertake my latest mission without him. He’d cited, not unreasonably, that as I had a penchant for tripping into disaster, it would be best if I had a friend. I had made the mistake, however, of treating him as he wanted me to, forgetting he was still a lad. Now, as I saw the trepidation in his eyes, I said, “Yes, I love her. But you will always have a place with us. I promise you.”
Peregrine kneaded his cloak. “You do?”
“I do.” I reached over to rustle his hair when I heard the rumble coming toward us.
We froze. I unsheathed my new dagger, having entrusted the sword to Kate rather than risk losing it again. Peregrine pulled out his knife.
The clangor of iron-shod hooves striking the road turned to muted thunder. I whispered, “Remember, we don’t show ourselves until we know for certain it’s her. The duke could have sent out a hundred decoys to