on her, nor she me, but she has done me a good turn just by being in England for the malcontents to rally about. The note Skye wrote was a brief one, greeting Lord Burghley and saying that the Countess of Lynmouth would like an audience with him before his departure for court. She would either go to him, or be pleased to entertain him at Lynmouth. Would he kindly return his answer with her groom.
Daisy returned with Wat Mason, who knelt in respectful greeting to his mistress. Skye sealed the message with her heavy gold signet ring, the O'Malley sea dragons pressing themselves into the hot green wax. Looking up, she handed the letter to Wat, and said, 'Take this to Lord Burghley, the Queen's Secretary of State and Lord Treasurer. He is at Sir Richard de Grenville's home. Deliver it into his hands only, and then wait for his reply. Do you understand me, Wat? You will give my message to no one but William Cecil himself.'
'Aye, m'lady, I understands.' Wat rose from his knees and hurried from the room.
And now, Skye thought, the game begins. To her surprise, however, she did not have to wait long. Wat was back at Lynmouth by day's end, bringing with him a reply from William Cecil. Eagerly Skye tore the message open and read. Then she smiled with satisfaction and relief. Cecil would come to her. He would arrive at Lynmouth in two days' time, and stay the night before returning to London. She wondered what he would want in return from her. His help would not come cheaply, but Padraic's inheritance and name must be saved.
'M'lady!' Daisy flew into the room. They're here!'
Skye looked up, startled and for a moment unable to think what Daisy could possibly mean. Then, before she could gather her thoughts, her small daughter, Willow, ran into the room.
'Mama!' Willow threw herself enthusiastically into Skye's arms.
Skye's arms closed about her daughter and she hugged her hungrily. 'Ah, my little love, how I have missed you,' she said, and suddenly she was weeping happy tears at the sight of Khalid's daughter, so very much like him with his amber-gold eyes fringed in long, thick dark lashes, and her black hair.
'Will you be here for my birthday, Mama?' Willow squirmed from Skye's arms and fixed her with a serious gaze.
'Is it April already?' Skye pretended to consider it.
'Oh, Mama! Of course it is April, and my birthday is in five more days! I shall be nine!'
'So you shall, Willow. I shall soon have to find a husband for you.'
'I shall find my own husband, thank you!' Willow replied pertly, and Skye was reminded of herself. Willow might look like her father, but she was her mother's daughter, too.
'You shall only marry the man you love, my darling,'' Skye promised her oldest daughter.
'You spoil her,' a familiar voice snapped, and Skye smiled over Willow's head at Dame Cecily, who was just entering the room.
'So do you,' she chuckled.
'I did not expect you in England,' Dame Cecily said, settling herself in a comfortable chair by the fireplace.
Skye sat in the chair facing the older woman and, taking Willow onto her lap, replied, 'I had to come. I have bad news. The old MacWilliam is dead and without an adult heir, my wee Padraic's inheritance is in danger. Lord Burghley is at de Grenville's, and will be here in two days' time to speak with me.'
Dame Cecily nodded. 'Does he know ofthe old man's death?'
'No one does,' Skye said. 'We buried him in secret, and my uncle Seamus is now in control of Burke Castle. I’ve come to present my petition to the Queen if Burghley will allow me back at court. If not, I don't know what I will do. Perhaps Dickon de Grenville will speak for me, and then when Robbie returns next month he can help me also.'
Dame Cecily sighed deeply. 'Dearest Skye,' she said. 'I will go to the Queen for you myself, if necessary.' Then she reached out and, taking Skye's slender hand in her plump one, said, 'I am so very sorry about Niall.' Her honest blue eyes filled with sympathetic tears.
Before Skye might answer her, however, Willow spoke up. 'Will you get me another father, Mama?' she asked. 'I never knew my real papa, but I did so like Geoffrey and Niall.'
'I don't think I shall ever marry again, my love,' Skye said. 'Four husbands are quite enough for your mama, and I think I have all the children I shall ever need. You have not yet seen your new brother, Padraic. He is a fine little boy, just like Niall. Will you come home to Ireland with me this summer, and see him?'
Willow nodded sleepily, for it had been a long day for her. Skye nodded to Daisy, who came forward saying, 'Come along, Mistress Willow, and I shall give you a good supper of toasted cheese and sweet Devon cider. Then I shall tuck you into your own bed.' Willow climbed from her mother's lap and, taking Daisy's hand, departed the room.
'Have you heard from Robbie?' Skye asked Dame Cecily.
'Aye. His advance ship put into Plymouth just last week. The Portuguese may think that they have a monopoly on the Spice Islands, but Robbie has his friends, too. The holds of his fleet are bulging with cloves, nutmegs, peppercorns, and cinnamon. He also told me to tell you that he has some particularly nice gemstones for you.'
'We'll make another small fortune with this trip,' Skye remarked. 'Even after the Queen's share we will have a fat profit.' She smiled almost grimly. 'It's all I have left, Dame Cecily. The children, and making a fortune.'
'You will love again, my dear.'
'Not this time,' Skye said. 'If I can insinuate myself back into the Queen's good graces I shall not need a man to protect me.'
'Remember, Skye, that it was the Queen who caused you to need a husband's protection the last time,' Dame Cecily reminded Skye.
'But the Queen knows that should she do to me again what she did last time, I shall revenge myself on her once more as I did before. Even if she couldn't prove that it was me pirating her ships, she knew.'
'Make no hasty decisions now, my child,' Dame Cecily chided. 'Wait until you have spoken with Lord Burghley. He may be the Queen's man, but he is a fair man for all of it.'
'Aye,' Skye replied. 'He is an honorable man.'
She kept that thought in her mind as she prepared the castle for Lord Burghley's brief visit. With its young lord away at court, and herself on her estates in Ireland, Lynmouth had been like a sleeping prince. Its mistress back, however, the servants polished and scrubbed, dusted and swept every corner of the castle. Great porcelain bowls of spring flowers began to appear in the main hall, and in the bedrooms herb-scented sheets and comforters appeared on the beds. When William Cecil and Sir Richard de Grenville and their train arrived two afternoons later they rode slowly up the raked gravel drive, admiring the well-manicured green lawns and brightly colored gardens around the castle. The moat round Lynmouth had been filled in in Geoffrey's father's time.
Skye greeted her guests in the Great Hall, noting as she came forward that all the men in the party were most admiring of her. She had chosen to wear a black velvet gown, its very low neckline exposing her creamy chest and the soft swelling of her small breasts. Her neck wisk, a standing, fan-shaped wire collar, was of silver lace, as were the ribbons on her leg-of-mutton sleeves and her underskirt. About her neck was a necklace of silver and Persian blue lapis. Her dark and luxuriant hair was tucked beneath a fetching little silver lace cap.
Curtseying prettily, she said, 'Welcome, my lords! Welcome to Lynmouth!'
'Christ's bones, Skye,' Sir Richard de Grenville said, 'you don't look any older than when we first met, and I hear you've finally given the old MacWilliam his long-awaited heir.' He kissed her loudly on both cheeks, and then sobered 'I was sorry to hear about Niall,' he finished awkwardly.
'It was a bad end to a good man,' William Cecil observed. 'Good day to you, madam. I am happy to see you once more in England.'
'If I am in England then I cannot be fomenting rebellion in Ireland,' Skye chuckled devilishly.
The Queen's man gave a dry bark of a laugh. 'As always, Lady Burke, we understand each other,' he said. 'Now how may I be of service to you?'
'May we speak in private, sir?'
He nodded.
'Dickon,' she said to de Grenville. 'Will you lead your gentlemen into the hall and avail yourselves of the refreshments my servants have laid out? I know it has been a dusty ride for you all.' She turned again to William Cecil. 'I have some rare Burgundy in my library, my lord.' He followed her from the Great Hall and down a corridor
