'No-'
'You know. Do not lie to me. And they have promised me they will tell all about jenny, and then I ... we ... will know the truth, and we can finally find peace.'
'You cannot trust them. She is lying,' Will said forcefully. 'She knows nothing. Jenny ... Jenny is dead.' He couldn't bring himself to believe it even as the words left his mouth.
'Is she?' Malantha said. 'Would you not like to know the truth once and for all, like your friend here?'
'Not in this manner. Your manipulation will not work.'
Standing behind Grace, a touch of the true Malantha showed in her features; she did not believe him.
Grace kneaded her hands uneasily. 'I cannot bear not knowing any more. I will do anything they ask of me to discover the truth. Anything. And the only way to stop me is to kill me.'
CHAPTER 38
here was no escape. Will hung out of his cell window at the top of the tower, but the walls were sheer. Even if he found a rope of sufficient length, the tower was in clear view of the army of guards swarming around the palace far below. Don Alanzo had been correct: El Escorial was the most secure building in all of the Spanish empire, a true fortress, the perfect prison.
From his window, he had a vista that at any other time would have been reserved for visiting dignitaries or European royals, across the desolate waste surrounding El Escorial towards the lush green near Madrid. His cell was filled with the finest furniture and works of art from across the empire. The irony was not lost on him.
Grace's appearance had deeply disturbed him, but his concerns were interrupted by the key in the lock. The door swung open to reveal several guards-he was never left alone with any less than five-the captain stepping in to bark, 'Kneel, English dog, in the presence of the king.'
'I kneel only before those who are worthy of my respect,' Will stated. The guards threw him to the floor, pikes pressed against the back of his neck so that he could not raise his head.
From his reduced perspective, he watched a pair of black velvet slippers walk slowly into the chamber and stand before him, and only then was he allowed to look up. Dressed all in black with his hands clasped tightly behind his back, Philip was an ascetic figure, but Will saw in his eyes a gentleness not normally evident in monarchs.
'An English spy.' He looked Will up and down with disdain. 'And not just any spy. They tell me you are England's greatest spy, William Swyfte. Is that correct?'
'We are all burdened by our reputations,' Will replied, 'but mine provides me with a parade of entertainment while yours, I am sure, does not.'
Philip ignored the gibe. 'Tell me, what is the point of a spy when everyone knows his name?'
'You are not the first to ask that question.'
'Does not your whole business involve secrets, duplicity, deceit, and shadows?'
'And you think I am not involved in such things?'
Philip nodded condescendingly. 'I understand. What you see is not always what is. You are not England's greatest spy, for if you were you would not be here.'
'I would rather be perceived as victorious than great.'
'You shall be neither. Your execution is forthcoming-'
'After my torture.'
Philip winced and looked away as if he had glimpsed something distasteful. 'And your country's days are numbered,' he continued regardless. 'The Armada is to sail soon.'
'Your Armada has floundered before.'
'Not this time,' Philip said sharply. In that instant, Will could see the strain the king was under: victory would cement Spain's reputation and empire for all time; defeat would deal a blow from which he might not recover. Realising he had revealed too much, Philip sniffed and said, 'I wished to see what kind of man England thought was the best it could offer in opposition to my plans. I am not impressed. If you are the best, this business is already concluded.'
Philip spun on his heel and marched to the door, coming to a slow halt when Will said, 'You pray to God, but a devil whispers in your ear.'
Uneasily, the king turned and fixed a warning eye on Will.
'Do her kisses ease your conscience?' Will pressed. 'Do her honeyed words cause blindness to the choices you make?'
'Beat him,' Philip said to the guards. 'Severely.'
'You fail to understand,' Will continued. 'You think you have taken me prisoner. But I am exactly where I wish to be.'
A shadow crossed Philip's face when he saw Will's expression and he hurried from the room.
CHAPTER 39
n the lee of a heap of ancient mine-workings on the edge of the spoiled land around El Escorial, Launceston, Carpenter, and Mayhew waited. Every now and then they scrambled over the blackened rocks to peer at the stone fortress through the yellowing grass and weeds. The sky was aflame with the end of the day, scarlet and gold and orange.
'Do you think Will still lives?' Mayhew had a feverish air that had only grown worse as they made their way to the plateau from the Madrid road. His knuckles were red and raw from where he had worried at them.
Balancing his throwing knife on the tip of his finger, Carpenter did all he could to show he really didn't care what the answer was. 'Perhaps,' he said.
'Then why should we risk our own lives on a maybe?' Mayhew added desperately.
'Because it is what we do.' Launceston studied the guards at the gates, and those patrolling around the walls. More came and went on the road winding around the small village that was now dwarfed by the sprawling complex. There was no visible way through the defences.
Mayhew rested his head on his knees with a resigned sigh. They were all exhausted after tracking the carriage that had brought Will from Seville to El Escorial. But his plan had worked so far. As they had agreed on the journey from Cadiz, sooner or later Will would allow the Enemy to take him so they would deliver him to Grace for his punishment, and they were to follow at a distance. Hidden by the storm, Launceston had kept watch on al- Rahman's shop, and had followed Will and his pursuers to the cathedral. He and the others were waiting when Will was brought out unconscious.
'He took a great risk. They could have killed him the moment they captured him,' Mayhew said.
'Will knows the Enemy well,' Launceston replied without taking his gaze off the palace. 'Simple death does not provide enough revenge for them. Pain in the heart and mind is their preferred response to an act against them, and they had already told him he would be brought to his friend, Grace, to watch her suffer at his own slow torture and death. They would not walk away from such an exquisite response.'
'Exquisite?' Mayhew repeated, unsettled.
'Swyfte is a gambler. Risks filled his plan, as they always have, and it is others who pay the price,' Carpenter
