'I have gold,' Willow said wisely. 'I am a great heiress, and I possess a great deal of gold. I will have no lack of suitors for my hand once I am at court.'
Shocked, Skye could only gape at her daughter, but she quickly recovered and said, 'I hope that you will marry for love as well as a great name, Willow.'
'Love,' Willow replied with the certainty that only a ten-year-old could possess, 'can be extremely hurtful. I should prefer a far more businesslike arrangement.'
'You had best seek love, my daughter,' Skye remarked. 'Once you marry your great wealth will belong to your husband, and if he does not love you but another, you will find you have made a very bad bargain. You could easily end up with nothing.'
'I shall retain my own wealth as you have, Mother,' was the cool reply.
'That is not usually the way of things in marriage, Willow. Had the men I married not loved me they would have never agreed to my demands. Best you seek love among the great names, my daughter.' Then she laughed lightly. 'At ten you are much too young to be discussing marriage. At least wait until I return to wed, Willow.'
'She must not come to court this year, Mother,' Robin said worriedly. 'The Queen's maids of honor are always fair game for the lechers. She is much too young!'
'Look who speaks of youth,' Willow scoffed. 'Her Majesty's youngest page; he who is three years younger than I am; he whom they call the Cherub!'
“He who has been at court two years, and knows more than you do, Mistress Ignorance!' came back the quick reply.
'Enough!' Skye ordered her quarreling offspring.
'Robin is right,' Murrough put in, and Willow sent her older brother a furious look.
'I know he is,' Skye said. 'Willow is not going to court until she is at least thirteen.'
'You will leave tonight?' Murrough asked.
'Yes,' Skye answered him. 'Osman says that time is most important, and to linger here would only hurt poor Nicolas more. He is, as you may imagine, quite heartbroken.'
“You do not believe you will be returning to Beaumont de Jaspre, do you, Mother.'
'No, Murrough, I do not. I keep saying
'What of the wicked Turk who sought to make you his wife?' Willow asked a bit fearfully. She had heard the story of Skye's flight many times, and until now it had been a romantic fairy tale in which her beautiful mother was the enchanted princess. This, however, was reality, and Willow was afraid for Skye.
'He is in Istanbul, my love,' Skye reassured her. 'He cannot hurt me. Poor Jamil was never my match.' Skye stood up from the bench. 'Come, my loves. It is already late, and I must make other arrangements before I leave.' She looked at her two Burke children, who lay sleeping in the grass with their nurse. 'Be sure the bairns are well cared for,' she implored her elder children, and they nodded their promise.
When she arrived at her apartments Daisy was already packing for her. 'You'll not be needing all these fancy clothes you've got,' said the ever-practical Daisy. 'I’ve the thought you won't want to stick out like a red silk banner, m'lady, and so I am packing only those outlandish garments you brought with you from Algiers years back. I hope that there's enough, for most of them are in England at Lynmouth.'
'If my stay is lengthy,' Skye said, 'I can have more made, but I expect that these few will do.'
'Is it really true that Lord Burke is alive, m'lady?' Daisy's eyes were wide.
'So Osman's messenger has said.'
'Can you really trust this Osman?' Daisy was suspicious.
Skye laughed. 'Yes, he is trustworthy, Daisy.'
'What does a tiring woman wear in Algiers, m'lady? I have to know what to take for myself.'
'You cannot come, Daisy,' Skye said.
'Not come?' Daisy was scandalized. 'Who will take care of you, I should like to know, if I don't come with you?!'
'It is far too dangerous, Daisy. If I have to leave Algiers in a hurry the way I did last time, I should prefer not to have to worry about anyone else. It is easier if I am alone. Besides, I want you to remain and wait for Dame Cecily. She will be returning with Bran Kelly any day now. When they arrive you are to marry Captain Kelly, as you have planned. Pere Henri tells me that you have completed your instruction, and are ready to become a good Catholic wife. I will not have you and Bran wait any longer on my account.
'If I am not back by midsummer you and Dame Cecily will have to return with the children to England. You will go overland, and I am going to ask Bran Kelly to accompany you. The Burke children are to go on to Ireland. Robin will go back to court, Murrough to Oxford, and Willow home to Devon. You are also to go with the Smalls. I shall station Bran Kelly with you in Bideford until I return. God's bones, I’ve much to do before we sail!'
While Daisy finished the packing Skye went to the small writing table in her anteroom and quickly began to write several letters. One went to Lord Burghley explaining the entire situation. She could not, she wrote, remain in Beaumont de Jaspre under such dubious circumstances. She was leaving immediately for Algiers to seek the truth of the matter. Their original bargain, she reminded Cecil, involved her marriage to Fabron de Beaumont. She had kept her part of the bargain, and she expected Elizabeth Tudor to keep her part. If Lord Burke was indeed alive, they would be returning to England before they went on to Ireland, and they would come to court to tell the Queen their adventures. If, on the other hand, Lord Burke was indeed dead and this but a flight of fancy, she would return to Beaumont de Jaspre to wed with Nicolas St. Adrian, and thus continue to serve the Crown. In view of her continued loyalty, Skye wrote, would Lord Burghley kindly arrange for her second son, Murrough O’Flaherty, to enter Merton College at Oxford in the Michaelmas term? It was his desire to study at this time, and not return as a page with the Countess of Lincoln's household. She closed assuring the Crown of her constant devotion, and tendering her good wishes for the Queen's upcoming birthday in September.
Skye's second letter was sent to her uncle, the old Bishop of Connaught. In it she outlined all that had happened, her own plans, and her plans for the children. She begged him to watch over all of her offspring in the event she did not return. She then outlined what she wanted done with the O'Malley shipping interests, and how she wanted her children's wealth disbursed, and the children raised. She knew how much this letter was going to pain Seamus O'Malley, but she also knew the dangers involved in her trip to Algiers, and she wanted those she loved cared for in the event she should not return. This letter she closed by asking for her uncle's prayers.
A letter was also sent to her stepmother, Anne, and one to her brother, Michael, the guardian of her eldest son, Ewan; a final missive went to the Countess of Lincoln, thanking her for her care of Murrough these last few years, and explaining his desire to go on to Oxford rather than remain with the court. At last she was finished, and as she arose from the writing table she felt as if a chapter in her life were closing. She wondered what the next chapter would bring her.
Back in her bedchamber, Skye saw through the windows that the day was almost gone. Upon the bed were laid out her seagoing clothes, the double-legged skirt, the silk shirt, the hose and the undergarments. By the bed stood her high boots. Daisy, however, was nowhere in sight. With a sad sigh Skye began to pull off her own garments, not even bothering to pick them up as they fell to the floor. She stood only in her chemise when the door between her
