Walsingham chaired the meeting, as always. This time Lucy had a place at the table. Gwilym eased the chair under her as she sat. "Now you won't 'ave to strain to 'ear, 'ighness," he whispered in her ear.
She grinned at him before playing the great lady. "Thank you, my man."
"Masterly, Captain, masterly," said Walsingham. "This is the most important haul of despatches that I have seen in, well, in a long time."
"Indeed, sir. May I take it my execution is further postponed?" said William, boldly.
"After reading this, Captain," Walsingham waved Oxford's letter, "I think you can assume that your demise is cancelled. I have been after Oxford for years but I never had the evidence, you see. You can't just arrest an earl and put him to the question, even if he is a treacherous bastard. Now I have him in my hand." Walsingham's eyes gleamed.
"We should really thank your niece, Lady Dennys," said William.
'Oh no, Lilith,' thought Lucy. 'He will think to please my uncle by telling how he pulled me from the water. Uncle will be furious that I disobeyed him."
Walsingham glanced sharply at him. "Lucy did not involve herself in the capture, did she?"
"Certainly not," said William, honestly. "Lady Dennys did not go near the enemy vessel before it was secure. She was entirely dutiful but her night vision is extraordinary. She just guided us straight to the target. We could not have succeeded without her."
'He is more subtle than he looks,' thought Lilith.
Lucy smiled at William in gratitude.
"The most worrying issue is the threat to the Queen's life. I have increased her security of course, put in food tasters and my own men around her chambers. She has taken to sleeping with a small sword under her pillow."
William laughed. "Blood, she has more balls than any other prince in Europe. The first assassin into her chamber will be pricked, mark me."
"Her Majesty is most difficult. She will promenade among her subjects. She insists that her greatest protection is their love, and to love her they have to see her." Walsingham sighed.
"She is not completely wrong," said Simon. "Politically speaking, I mean. Remember what happened when Queen Mary consigned Princess Elizabeth to the Tower. Londoners lined the Thames to shower her boat with flowers. That focused a few minds, I'll warrant."
"Politically, possibly she is right but it creates a security nightmare. Just one man with one of the new pistols, that is all it takes," Walsingham said. "No, we can't risk another assassination attempt. The Secret Service must strike first. Fortunately, Oxford is out of favour at court so this letter is enough evidence for me to act."
"Oh! What has the Earl done to annoy Her Majesty," asked William, who was not in touch with court gossip.
Walsingham laughed. "He has seduced Ann Vavasour, one of the Queen's maids of honour. Ann gave birth secretly in the royal chambers set aside for the maids. You can imagine how the childless Virgin Queen reacted to that when it came out! It seems that I have need for you once again, Captain. Oxford is at his country house in Essex, with his cronies. All the plotters together in one place, where I can take them." Walsingham stretched his hand out and closed his fingers. "I could use the Earl of Pembroke's men but I want a quiet operation. Do you understand, Captain?"
"Yes, sir," said William.
The Earl of Pembroke controlled a substantial military force and he could be relied upon to put down rebellion with brutal and ruthless energy. Pembroke had served her sister, Mary, so Elizabeth had been a little hesitant when Lord Burghley had recommended him for her Privy Council. However, as Burghley pointed out, Pembroke was an English nationalist. He was disinterested in the finer points of politics or religious doctrine but was completely loyal to the legitimate ruler. The one thing he couldn't arrange was a quiet operation. Pembroke would go after Oxford with a troop of heavy cavalry. He would burn the house, put everyone in it to the sword and probably ravage the surrounding county for good measure.
"What about Lady Oxford, Burghley's daughter?" Simon said.
"Oxford has her exiled safely out of the way in one of his more inaccessible houses in Somerset. She would have been an obstacle to his marriage to the Queen of Scots, that stupid wretched woman. Before Mary of Scotland arrived in the land, it was Elizabeth's proud boast that she had never executed anybody for political or religious reasons. An eminently sensible policy as it created no resentment or martyrs for the Catholic cause. Within a year of Mary's arrival, we had a full-scale Catholic revolt in the northern counties. Before Mary, Spain was an ally and Philip interceded for us to calm the Vatican. Since the '69 revolt, the Vatican has declared Elizabeth a heretic and our relations with Spain have soured into a cold war. Mary has to go. The Queen is reluctant but one day I will build such a weight of evidence of Mary's treachery that the Queen will be able to haver no longer."
"I still don't see how Oxford could have divorced his wife to marry a Catholic monarch and become a Catholic king. The hypocrisy would choke even the Vatican." Simon tried to drag Walsingham back from one of his favourite hobbyhorses—the need to eliminate Mary Queen of Scots.
"Hmm, by the easiest way possible, Tunstall. Until death us do part, remember. No doubt the unfortunate Lady Oxford would have fallen down the stairs and broken her neck at an appropriate moment. It wouldn't be the first time," said Walsingham, dryly. He was referring to the scandal that had engulfed Leicester, whose sick wife had taken a lethal tumble at just such a convenient moment, when Leicester was courting the Queen.
Walsingham gave a wintry smile. "The status of a widow is vastly preferable to that of a convicted traitor's wife. I believe Lord Burghley could restrain his sorrow if his son-in-law failed to survive your attack. And the Hawkins family would have a powerful patron. You understand me, Captain?"
"Yes, sir. I will confer with my officers and plan an assault. I assume the Earl's house will be defended?"
"There will be servants there, certainly," said Walsingham. "And Oxford's cronies will be armed."
"You are all forgetting something," said Lucy.
"And what would that be, child?" said Walsingham.
"You are forgetting the Black Queen, Isabella."
"Go on, Lucy," said Walsingham, indulgently.
"Lilith envisages a problem with your plan," said Lucy, diffidently.
"I had forgot that there was a fifth person at this meeting," said Walsingham. "And what error does Lilith find in my arrangements?"
"Lilith does not think like us, Uncle. She is like a vast conjuring engine that can foretell possible futures," said Lucy.
"Like the mathematics used for astrology," said Walsingham, with interest.
"Yes," said Lucy. "She can cast many astrological charts all with slightly different starting points. She calls them mathematical models. She can make quite accurate predictions of the likelihood of events when she has conjured enough of these models. Let me show you."
Lucy fetched Walsingham's chessboard. She placed it on the table and stacked the pieces to one side. "In this chess game between the Secret Services, we start with the kings. The white king, that's you Uncle, and the black king, Oxford." Lucy placed both on the board.
"De Mendoza tried a fool's mate by using pawns to eliminate the white king." Lucy lined three black pawns up in front of the white king. "These are the bandits that attacked you on the road to Nonsuch, but the white knight and bishop, Gwilym and Master Tunstall respectively, took the pawns."
She removed the pawns and placed a black knight on the board. "They then deployed their knight, Packenham, to check the white king but the black knight was removed by Captain Hawkins," Lucy placed a white rook beside the knight, "and the white queen." Lucy removed the knight.
"You are the white queen, Lucy?" asked Walsingham.
"Yes, Uncle," she said. "We then counterattacked and removed two of their rooks, the safe house and the despatch boat. That just leaves their back line where the king lurks. You gentlemen are assuming that he is protected only by pawns." Lucy placed some in front of the black king. "But you are forgetting something. Where is their queen, Isabella?"
Lucy picked up the piece and showed it to the men. "Why, here, of course. Defending the king." She placed the black queen by the black king. "The black queen is very powerful and can open portals for demons. So she can convert these pawns to other more powerful pieces." Lucy replaced the black pawns by rooks and bishops and knights. "When you attack the Black king, uncle, you will find that your pieces," she placed a knight for Gwilym, a bishop for Simon and a rook for William and his crew, "will be heavily outnumbered unless you reinforce them."
Lucy picked up the white queen and placed it behind the white attacking pieces.
"I like this not, Lucy," said Walsingham.
"I agree with Sir Francis; it is too dangerous," said William.
"I am sure you would die gallantly fighting impossible odds, Captain, and I promise that I would weep prettily over your grave," said Lucy, sweetly. "But surely the aim is to crush the plot?" She pushed the white queen right through the defending pieces until it touched the black queen. "The queens will cancel out to let the rook check the king." She picked the white rook up and placed it against the black king. "Checkmate."
She looked around the room. "Of course, Lilith and I may be wrong, Can someone point out the flaw in our argument?" There was silence. "I take that as agreement then. I must come with you. I know little of military matters and I am fatigued, so I shall take my leave of you while you plan your campaign."
Anyone who looked in her chamber would have seen Lucy asleep on her bed. Up to a point that was true. Her body was asleep. Lucy herself was with Lilith, in the meadow that Lilith had downloaded from Lucy's mind. This was a new convenient place where Lucy and Lilith could talk face to face, without risk of Lucy being discovered talking to spirits. They sat high on the meadow bank near the dark wood. Up here, cooling breezes alleviated the summer heat.
"I have to stop leading him on. To do otherwise is dishonourable," said Lucy.
"I don't understand your concerns, Lucy. He seems happy to be led on. Indeed, I get the feeling he would follow you anywhere, over broken glass if that is what it took," Lilith said.
"But it's not fair, Lilith. It's not fair to him. I know you can't understand because you are just a demon. You may be clever but you can't comprehend what it is to be human."
"Explain it to me, Lucy. I know you like him. You may tell yourself otherwise, but I see how your body responds to him."
"And why should I not like him, demon? He is handsome, commanding, and stands with that arrogant tilt to his head that dares the world to gainsay him. He answers me straight and looks me in the eye. He gazes at me with a hunger that makes my knees go weak. And when I was lost, he came for me at great risk to his own life, suggesting that something nobler than mere wanton lust drives his interest. So why should I not like him?"
"Then what is the problem?" asked Lilith.
"The problem is that it is all impossible. I am not destined for a provincial sailor, no matter how worthy he might be. I have my position to consider. Uncle has my position to consider. He would never countenance such a match."
"And you have to obey your uncle?"
"Yes. He has raised me as his own, Lilith. He has spared nothing for my security and comfort. He acts only for my benefit. I could dishonour neither him nor my dead parents' name by openly defying him. William's suit is just not possible."
"Your world is changing, Lucy. I have been modelling your society and it is in the throes of rapid evolution. New types of leaders are emerging from the wealth associated with marine technology. The old order of land and blood is fading. The Queen is at the head of this revolution so, as long as she rules, it will continue. If your uncle came to believe that this match was possible and desirable, would you then countenance it?"
"If wishes were lands we would all be rich. Stop it, Lilith. No good can come of such idle speculation. It leads nowhere but dissatisfaction. Why are you so concerned, anyway?"
"I see inside you Lucy. I see what you want and I think that you want this man. I want you to be happy, that is all."
"I am happy, Lilith. We all have to face duty and put selfish desires aside at some point in our lives. And those, like me, who have received the greatest bounty, must shoulder the greatest duty."
Lucy knelt down beside Gwilym under a tree. Irregular bushes broke up the ground cover. The dawn twilight lit up the horizon, infiltrating rays into the woodland around them. Oxford's house lay before them. The house had been described variously as a gentleman's country house and a hunting lodge. Both statements might have been literally true but were utterly misleading. The house was a farmhouse. In Surrey or the Weald of Kent, that would have meant a rambling building with various outhouses, orchards, and walled gardens. It meant something very different here on the Essex coast. William joined them and crouched down so that he did not break the skyline.
"The place is a bloody fort," said William. "A pox on Walsingham's intelligencers. If that's a hunting lodge then the Swallow is a fishing boat."
The house and grounds was completely enclosed by a high wall such that only the top floor was visible. This was the frontier of Southern England and it faced a hostile continent. The sea represented a highway rather than a barrier, and it was not unknown for envious foreigners to invade the realm looking for booty.
"We have no scaling equipment to get over that wall so we will have to go through the gates," said William. He pointed to a double wooden gate that was as high as the wall. "I bet that it's reinforced with wooden bars at the rear. It could take us whole minutes to get through. A successful raid depends on surprise and speed. We might as well send them a letter telling them that we are coming."
He signalled to the boatswain who ran doubled over to join him. "We will need to cut a sizable tree to make a battering ram."
"That cannot be done quietly, Cap'n," said the boatswain, pulling thoughtfully on his chin."
"You think I don't know that," said William, snarling. "Go back a ways into the wood to dampen the sound. As quick as you can, boatswain, the house will be stirring soon."
"Sir," said the boatswain, knuckling his forehead.
"Hold," said Lucy. "Mayhap there is another way."
She stood up very deliberately and walked out onto the grass. She looked at them over her shoulder with a mischievous grin. "Gentleman, follow me." Then she walked down the slope.
"Lucy, wait," said William and reached out for her.
Gwilym seized his wrist. "Don't grab at 'er 'ighness. It ain't polite." He rose to his feet and followed her. She was moving slowly so he soon caught up and took his position, three steps behind and one to the left.
William cursed quietly to himself. Who was supposed to be captain here? He rose to his feet and held a fist over his head. He stepped out of cover, where he could be seen, and rotated the fist left and right. The Swallows emerged from the tree line and started down the slope.
The strange phalanx walked silently towards the fortified farmhouse. Lucy was at point with her bodyguard. William strode along behind her with a skirmish line of Swallows behind him. He had positioned Simon in the rear with a couple of sailors to look after him. Simon was there to search for evidence, not to fight.
They walked at a measured pace. What a how-do-you-do, thought William. He had followed some gallant officers in just such a skirmish line but not one led by a sixteen-year-old court girl. He had no idea what they would do when they reached the farmhouse but, knowing Lucy, it would be spectacular.
As Lucy walked she spread her arms down, palm out. Her skin took on a shine and then a glow. Her hair rippled. She looked as if she was moving into a headwind but it was a headwind no one else felt. She started to bounce as she walked as if her body was suddenly light. William knew that Lucy was possessed by Lilith and that she was now as much demon as human.
Lucy started to speed up into a fast walk at fifty yards from the gates and then a jog trot at twenty-five. William had once seen a Spanish lancer regiment charge in the Low Countries. Gentlemen abed in England made light of the Spanish army but William had never seen anything to sneer at. Amateurs think a cavalry charge is some uncontrolled gallop from the first wave of a sabre. Not a bit, the idea is to deliver the horses at full speed in a concentrated mass at the point of impact. The regiment William had seen had started at the walk and then gradually speeded up onto the target.
At fifteen yards, Lucy broke into a run with the Swallows following. At ten yards, she sprinted faster than any of the men could match. At five yards, she jumped into the air and rolled over until she flew feet first. At one yard, she drew her knees back. At six inches she exploded into motion. Her legs shot out and her feet hit each side of the join between the gates.
The gates did not open. They exploded, showering the air with splinters and Lucy landed in the middle of the wreckage.
"Ow," she said.
William and Gwilym rushed up. "Are you all right, milady?" asked William.
"I have a splinter," she said, through gritted teeth. "You are both to look away while I remove it."
"Oh holy saints," said William. He stared at the heavens. War was suspended while their general removed a splinter from her seat.
Lucy gave a yelp. "You can look now." The girl stood up and tried to hold on to her dignity. William chuckled and got a murderous look in reply, which only made him more amused.
A long straight path led up to the front of the farmhouse. At some point, it had been rebuilt in red brick. A thin orchard was planted on each side of the path nearer the house. The trees were of an unusual type, with large bright green fruit that was shaped like teardrops. Lucy started up the path, Gwilym at her back. The sailors followed them.
The trees did not improve upon close examination. Brightly coloured patches of fungal rot caused a strange appearance. Purple veins lined the fruits. No birds flew amongst the branches but large grey moths crawled over the fruit, as if feeding off the secretions that ran down the sides. The fresh, twisted body of a squirrel lay under one of the trees. The fruit above had little teeth marks.
The front door of house opened and a lady dressed in maroon court dress emerged. "Lady Dennys, I said there was more to you than met the eye, especially true as I see that your dress sense hasn't improved."
Lucy wore a working woman's dress rather than court clothes. They were far more practical than the elaborate costumes of the upper classes.
"Uncle always says that a young maid like me would look attractive in a turnip sack. It's only ladies of a certain age who need the support of artefact," Lucy said, sweetly.
"A man! What would he know?" Isabella shielded her eyes with her hand and examined the shattered gates. "Couldn't you just knock like everyone else?"
"I suppose that I just don't know my own strength," said Lucy.
"You do seem to be overburdened with energy," said Isabella. "Positively glowing in fact. We must find some way to burn off some of that surplus." Isabella raised her hands and started to chant.
'Danger, Lucy,' thought Lilith. 'Isabella is building up energy.'
'Really, Lilith? Oddly enough, I had worked out the same thing, despite my small mind.'
Lilith thought Lucy sounded worried. She tended to get waspish when she was concerned. Caution was a sensible emotional response to the situation. Frankly, Isabella scared Lilith witless. Lilith sensed a large vortex of spinning energy over Isabella's head. It had some of the characteristics of a portal but without the rip in space-time.
'Time to stop this,' thought Lucy. She drew her knife and flipped it so that she held it by the tip of the blade between her thumb and forefinger. Lucy drew back her arm to throw, when Isabella clapped her hands.
Lilith patched her senses through to Lucy so the girl could see energy spin from the vortex. It streamed over her head, divided and poured into the trees. Lucy flipped her knife again so that she held it by the hilt. This was no time to lose her blade. What William saw was a squall rip through the unsettling orchard, shaking the branches and causing the fruit to sway. Lilith and Lucy saw the trees glowing with power—power that drained into the fruits.
Fruits dropped to the ground where they beat like obscene green hearts. "Black magic," said a sailor, in horror. The Swallows shrank back except for William and the boatswain, who stood their ground.
Cracks showed on the outer casing of the fallen fruit. One split wide open to reveal the pulpy fruit within. The fruit hesitated, quivering for a moment before uncoiling. It expanded with extra body weight. Once upright, the plant creature stood on two legs. It had two arms and a sort of extension that served as a head. Its arms came up in a fighting stance, showing "hands" like shovels with shining hard edges like blades. More plant creatures emerged and moved towards the humans.
Lucy drew her blade and ran towards the nearest two monsters. She kicked the first one in the centre of the body, forcing it away. With her left hand, she spun the second around and cut its head off with her dagger. It fell with a hissing, deflating noise, losing body mass. Gwilym struck at the first one with his cutlass, lopping off an arm but it attacked with its other hand, forcing him back. Lucy ripped it open with her glowing blade. It fell with the same keening hiss as the first.
"Fire," William said. The sailors unleashed a fusillade into the plant things. Sea dog crews were heavily armed with guns so they could fire a withering volley. The shot hit home on the monsters, bursting straight through their bodies in places, but the creatures seemed unaffected.
"I doubt they have organs like an animal to be damaged," said Simon.
William raised his cutlass over his hear, "Follow me!" he cried and charged, his men running behind him. They pushed the monsters back with the ferocity of their attack but the plant things were almost impossible to kill with normal weapons. The Swallows cut chunks out of the plant creatures but they always returned to the attack. More fruits dropped all the time adding to their numbers. The sailors were soon fighting for their lives.
"Isabella is the key to this, Gwilym. I'm going for her," Lucy said over her shoulder.
"Right, 'ighness. I'll cover your back," Gwilym said.
Lucy spun down the path, punching, kicking, and slashing. Her blade inflicted terrible damage when it cut through the plant men. But mostly, she just smashed them out of the way. Gwilym walked behind her using his cutlass two-handed, as a club, to bat away any creature that tried to get behind her.
Behind them, a creature knocked one of the sailors to the ground. The creature slashed at him. In desperation, the man put his pistol against the creature's chest and pulled the trigger. The shot burst through clean through the monster, doing little damage. However, the charge left a black scorch hole that caught fire. The flames spread quickly and the sailor had to scoot out of the way to avoid being burnt. The monster staggered around wreathed in flames until it crashed into a second plant creature, setting it alight in turn.
"Fire. Cleanse them with fire. Reynold, Hoggit, back to the gate for wood. Break branches off the trees and set them alight. Drive them back with torches." William was exultant. The key to any victory was finding the right weapon. The trees shook and moaned as the seamen lopped branches off.
Isabella greeted Lucy's advance with amusement. Her smile slipped as Lucy and Gwilym came on, foot by foot, yard by yard, leaving a trail of wreckage behind them.
Lucy burst through the last line of plant creatures to confront Isabella. The Spanish witch made a throwing motion with her left hand. A fireball materialised out of thin air and spun towards Lucy in a lazy arc. It seemed to travel slowly at first, curving away from her. At the last minute it speeded up, whipping in towards the girl. Lucy threw herself to one side and the fireball sizzled past.
'Isn't that interesting?' thought Lilith. 'The fireball is actually on a fixed speed and trajectory. The apparent changes in velocity are an optical illusion caused by misalignment of your eye-brain functions.'
Lucy dodged desperately to avoid the next missile while shoving Gwilym down under the line of fire. 'Fascinating, Lilith, now how about you devoting your exceptionally large mind to devising a strategy to avoid us being flame-grilled?'
The first fireball had ploughed harmlessly into the back wall but the second hit a plant creature, setting it on fire.
'Oh, I have already thought of that. I can—'
'Multitask, I know Lilith,' thought Lucy, ducking under a rising fireball.
'I have put an electromagnetic field into your blade. You can parry the fireballs,' thought Lilith, who was definitely in a huff.
"You can't keep dodging around like that forever, Dennys," said Isabella. "One of them will get you when you tire."
"You're right," said Lucy, standing upright. "I am fed up with dodging."
Isabella made a flick motion with her hand and another fireball curved towards Lucy. The girl deflected it with the blade of her dagger. The ball shot off at a tangent and hit one of the demonic trees. The tree burst into a conflagration, burning with much crackling and spitting of fire.
'There must be inflammable spirits under the bark,' thought Lilith.
Several of the plant monsters rushed back towards the tree, trying to put out the flames. They were singularly unsuccessful, managing only in succeeding in setting themselves alight.
'The offspring of the tree try to protect their mother,' thought Lilith. 'That must be their primary biological function. How interesting.'
"William, set light to the trees," Lucy yelled.
Isabella said something in colloquial Spanish using words that Lucy had never been taught. 'I could translate them for you,' thought Lilith, trying to be helpful. 'Loosely, they involve putting your—'
'Never mind, Lilith,' thought Lucy. 'I can imagine the rest.'
'I doubt that,' thought Lilith, but she dropped the subject.
Isabella threw another fireball. This time, Lucy caught it on her blade, and flicked it back at the witch. Lucy had not quite got the line right and it flew over Isabella's head to crash into the house. Isabella was showered with sparks and burning wood.
Lucy glanced around to see how the crewmen were doing. They had more trees alight and blundering, burning creatures were spreading the flames. When she turned back, Isabella had disappeared. The house door swung shut behind her. Lucy pelted after Isabella to crash into a locked door.
Lucy kicked the door off its hinges. Inside was a large reception room with stairs leading up from the centre. Isabella ran towards the bottom of the stairs. She stopped and turned when Lucy crashed through.
"You shouldn't run so fast at your age," said Lucy, confronting Isabella. "You might pull a stay and rupture something."
Isabella threw something like dust into the air and said something too softly for even Lucy to hear. The dust dispersed into smoke that coiled lazily. It swirled into different colours and patterns that funnelled up to form a giant cobra that towered over Lucy. The girl jumped back as the snake struck at her.
Lilith saw the snake through Lucy's eyes. She could not understand how Isabella had transported such a large demon. She had not felt the surge of energy that accompanied an opening portal. In fact, she had not detected anything. Actually, now she considered it, she still could not detect anything. Lucy backpedalled as the giant snake coiled closer to her.
'Lucy, stop. The snake isn't real. It's a hologram,' thought Lilith.
'A what?' thought Lucy, confused.
'An illusion, it's not really there.'
'It cursed well looks there, Lilith.' Lucy dodged again.
'Isabella is buying time. Close your eyes.'
It was a measure of the confidence that Lucy had in Lilith that she did so. 'I hope you know what you are doing, demon.'
'Walk forward, Lucy.' The girl swallowed and took three long steps. Lilith was struck, not for the first time, by the astonishing bravery of her friend. Lucy had such a short life that Lilith would have understood if she had avoided any risk, so as to eke out whatever span she could. Instead, the girl walked into potential death solely on the word of a friend.
'Open your eyes, Lucy.'
The girl complied. The snake was behind her; in fact she was standing in its tail. The giant animal struck mindlessly into the empty air. From this angle, its form was more indistinct.
"The devil damn you, Lucy Dennys," said Isabella. She had something in her hand and a black vortex spun in front of her.
'That's the sea diamond mirror, Lucy. That's what brought me to this world. Stop her.'
Isabella pushed her body into the vortex like a woman walking against a strong wind. Lucy flipped her knife around and threw it. The blade struck the vortex at the same moment as Isabella vanished. There was a flash so hot that it set light to the drapes, and even the wood panelling. It was accompanied by a blast of air as if a great cannon had been fired into the room at point-blank range.
Lucy was knocked to the ground. The power was gone from her body but it had lasted long enough to protect her. She got up and walked to the base of the stairs. Her dagger lay there so she picked it up and examined it. Astonishingly, it was undamaged. Beside it was a flat traylike object. She turned the object over to see a highly polished mirror with an ornate frame set with aquamarine diamonds.
"Are you alright, Lucy? What in damnation happened here?" William entered the room and gaped. "My life used to be so unexciting until I met you, Lady Dennys. I sailed ships to the Americas, fought the odd battle against overwhelming odds, relieved the Spanish of the occasional trinket, nothing too burdensome at all, really."
"Isabella opened a portal," said Lucy.
"Like in my cabin," said William. "I recognise the signs. I suppose that means Isabella got away."
"Maybe," said Lucy. "But I shorted out the charge with this." Lucy displayed the blade. "And Isabella left something behind."
"I recognise that. It's the mirror I took off my last prize. It disappeared from my cabin with Isabella. Ah, I see. This is the magic artifice that opens portals to the Other World."
"And Isabella dropped it," said Lucy. "I wondered where she ended up?"
'Or when she ended up,' thought Lilith. 'Uncontrolled portals can twist time.'
While they talked, the rest of the crew joined them.
"Blimey, milady, you made a mess of someone's chambers," said a wag.
A man dressed in an expensive white shirt and breeches stalked onto the upper landing. He held a duelling rapier in his hand. Armed men followed him onto the landing, but he arrogantly indicated that they should wait while he walked alone down the stairs. "Who the hell are you rabble?"
"Captain Hawkins, may I introduce you to the Earl of Oxford. Milord, Captain Hawkins of the galleon Swallow," said Simon.
"I know you. You're that oily little clerk to Walsingham," said Oxford.
Simon bowed. "I am indeed Walsingham's oily little clerk, milord."
"What are doing in my house making such a bloody racket? I'll have Walsingham's head for this."
"I have come to arrest you for treason, milord," said William, mildly.
"Have you indeed? Only the Queen can order my arrest," said Oxford.
William reached back and Simon passed him a document. "As you see, my Lord, the Queen's seal."
"Indeed," said Oxford. He gestured to Lucy. "Stop gawping, girl, and get out of the way. Go about your duties or I'll have them take a cane to you."
He had clearly taken Lucy to be a servant girl. Obviously, he could not tell one servant from another. This, as much as the threat of a caning, told Lucy everything she wished to know about Oxford's treatment of his inferiors. It suited Lucy to be anonymous in front of Oxford's men so she curtseyed and removed herself to a corner.
Oxford strolled arrogantly down the stairs. "Hawkins, eh? I suppose you are one of that noxious brood from Plymouth."
"I have the honour to be cousin to both John Hawkins and Francis Drake," said William, bowing.
"No honour, Captain, to be the cousin of pirates," said Oxford, with a sniff. "And how do you propose to arrest me?"
William smiled and raised his cutlass. Oxford walked down the stairs and raised his rapier. "You men," Oxford said to the sailors "back off and give us room."
Oxford did not lack for courage, whatever other vices he had, thought William.
"Want us to shoot him down, sir?" asked the boatswain, who had no pretensions to be a gentleman.
"No, I will deal with him," said William, who did have certain pretensions in that direction.
The two men took a stance and Oxford immediately attacked. He was a tall man with a long reach, which he ruthlessly exploited. After the first exchange, William knew that the aristocrat was an accomplished duellist. Oxford unleashed a complicated series of offensive manoeuvres. William was slow to disengage. Oxford slashed him across the arm, drawing blood. The earl drew back and saluted with his weapon.
"First blood to me, Captain."
'Lucy, your captain is being outfought,' thought Lilith.
Lucy did not answer but Lilith could see her life signs move into panic mode. It was a measure of the girl's distress that she did not bother to correct Lilith about him not being her captain.
The men fought on. William moved straight to the attack, trying to beat down Oxford's lighter rapier. The earl parried brilliantly and counterattacked. He soon had William on the defensive again. Oxford executed a beautiful feint and pricked William in the shoulder. Again the earl backed off and saluted.
"Second blood to me, Captain. Mayhap you should have stayed in Plymouth rather than trying the patience of your betters."
"Sound council, my lord. I will try to remember it, if I ever meet my betters."
They took their stance again. William was bleeding from two wounds. The first was bloody but inconsequential but the second clearly hurt him. The point is always more dangerous than the edge. Lucy eased her blade out and gripped it by the tip behind her back.
'That's it, Lucy. Bring Oxford down,' thought Lilith. 'No one will notice if you do it right.'
'William will notice', thought Lucy. 'I can't do that to him.'
The men had started the duel again.
'You can't save his life? What madness is this, Lucy?'
'Oxford might kill him but I can do much worse. I can strip him of his honour and his manhood. I can destroy him. All I have to do is help him, Lilith, that's all it takes. He's a man so he would rather die.'
'Men are such wonderfully illogical creatures. They are so handsome and exciting but do you not sometimes think that their irrationality makes them more trouble than they are worth?' thought Lilith, trying to distract Lucy from the fact that her sea captain was soon in deep trouble again. 'Why have you drawn the knife if you are not going to intervene?'
'To avenge him, Lilith, Oxford dies one second after William,' thought Lucy. I will kill Oxford if the boatswain does not shoot him down first.'
Oxford spun his sword around William's cutlass to get inside his defence and then lunged. The rapier struck William in the body and penetrated along the side of his ribs. Oxford relaxed and started to back off. William pulled his left arm in to hold the weapon in place. He stepped towards Oxford, moving onto the rapier, drawing more blood. William's face twisted with the pain.
Oxford looked surprised; one's opponent in a duel is not supposed to walk onto your sword. He impatiently tried to free his weapon but William had it tight. William had all the time in the world. He raised his cutlass high and slashed the earl across the neck in a single fluid motion. The heavy weapon cut deep enough to nick bone. Oxford fell without a sound. The weight of his falling body pulled the rapier out of William's side. A new flow of blood stained his shirt.
"Oh William, William, you're hurt." Lucy ran over to pull his shirt off.
The boatswain pounded up the stairs, closely followed by the rest of the Swallows. Oxford's leaderless and demoralised supporters put up a feeble resistance before crying for quarter.
Simon organised a party to search the house. The boatswain escorted the prisoners out. That only left Gwilym in the room with William and Lucy. Gwilym took his customary bodyguard stance by the door and took a keen interest in what was left of the ceiling decoration.
The rapier had glanced off a rib and ripped up William's side. Lucy reached under her dress and pulled off a petticoat. William could not take his eyes off her. She tore the petticoat into strips to clean and bind his wounds. She was very thorough. The slightest cut could kill through infection by noxious vapours.
When she had finished, she stood in front of him and looked up at him. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm only crying because I am so mad at you. He should have killed you. I thought you were going to die in front of me."
"Shush." He wiped her face with a stray piece of petticoat. "Oxford was a duellist and a far better one than I could ever be. He was a duellist but I am a soldier, Lucy. He wanted to play with me to show his skill. I just killed him at the first opportunity. Thank you for believing in me enough not to help."
"Stupid male pride. Uncle is just the same. You are all the same." She stamped her foot.
"Thank you." He kissed her.
She did not move a muscle but continued to gaze up at him with big eyes. The same big brown eyes that he had noticed that first time that they met at the Swallow's gangplank. "Oh William, this is stupid. I can't let you kiss me. It can't be." But she still did not move away.
"Shush," he said, again. He lifted her chin with his hand and kissed her hard on the lips. This time she responded.