Page 35 (1/2)

"You failed h the air Matthew tilted his head just before it struck The shoe continued past his ear, knocked a bejeweled armillary sphere off the table, and cas of the sphere spun around in their fixed orbits in impotent frustration

"I wanted Kelley, you fool Instead I got the emperor&039;s ambassador, who told me of your many indiscretions When he deht o&039;clock and the sun had barely risen" Elizabeth Tudor was suffering from a toothache, which didn&039;t improve her disposition She sucked in one cheek to cushion the infectedback into "

A blue-eyed beauty stepped forward and handed Her Majesty a cloth saturated with clove oil With Matthew seething next toElizabeth placed the cloth delicately between her cheek and gu around her ankles It was an optimistic hue for this cloudy day in May, as if she hoped to speed summer&039;s arrival The fourthfloor tower rooray river, land&039;s stor light did little to dispel heaviness of the room, which was resolutely s The carved initials on the ceiling-an intertwined H and A for Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn-indicated that the room had been decorated around the time of Elizabeth&039;s birth and seldom used since

"Perhaps we should hear Master Roydon out before you throw the inkwell," Williaested mildly Elizabeth&039;s arhty an, hoping to help "We did not seek your opinion, Mistress Roydon," the queen of England said sharply "Like too overnance or decorum If you wish to re sent back to Woodstock where you belong, you would be wise to take Mistress Throckmorton as your model She does not speak unless directed to do so"

Mistress Throck next to Matthew We had met him on the back stairs to the queen&039;s private chah Matthew dis us into the lion&039;s den

Bess&039;s lips compressed as she held back her amusement, but her eyes danced The fact that the queen&039;s attractive young ward and her dashing, saturnine pirate were intied to ensnare Sir Walter Raleigh, just as Matthew promised The man was utterly besotted

Walter&039;sstare, and the frank appraisal he gave her in return promised that the subject of her decorum would be addressed in a more private venue

"As you do not require Diana&039;s presence, perhaps you will let o home and take her rest as I requested," Matthew said evenly, though his eyes were as black and angry as the queen&039;s "She has been traveling for soe had intercepted us before we&039;d even set foot at the Blackfriars

"Rest! I have had nothing but sleepless nights since hearing of your adventures in Prague She will rest when I a in the path of the royal footwear When it veered towardcurveball, Matthew reached out and caught it Wordlessly he passed it to Raleigh, who tossed it to the groom already in possession of the queen&039;s shoe

"Master Roydon would be far more difficult to replace than that astronomical toy, Majesty" Cecil held out an embroidered cushion "Perhaps you would consider this if you are in need of further ahley!" the queen fumed She turned with fury on Matthew "Sebastian St Clair did not treat my father thus He would not have dared to provoke the Tudor lion"

Bess Throckolden head turned fro out the sun Cecil coughed gently at the young woman&039;s evident confusion

"Let us reminisce about your blessed father at some other time, e can devote proper attention to his memory Did you not have questions for Master Roydon?" The queen&039;s secretary looked at Matthew apologetically Which devil would you prefer? his expression seeht, William It is not in the nature of lions to dally with nificant creatures" The queen&039;s disdain soed to diminish Matthew to the size of a sh thein his jaw made me wonder how sincere his remorse really was-she took aa white-knuckled grip on the chair&039;s arled matters so badly" Her voiced turned plaintive "The emperor has alchemists aplenty He does not need mine"

Walter&039;s shoulders lowered a fraction, and Cecil s Matthew by his nickna

"Edward Kelley cannot be plucked from the emperor&039;s court like a stray weed, no row there," Matthew said "Rudolf values hihly"

"So Kelley has succeeded at last The philosopher&039;s stone is in his possession," Elizabeth said with a sharp intake of breath She clutched at the side of her face as the air hit her sore tooth

"No, he hasn&039;t succeeded-and that&039;s the heart of theas Kelley promises more than he is able to produce, Rudolf will never part with him The emperor behaves like an inexperienced youth rather than a seasoned monarch, fascinated by what he cannot have His Majesty loves the chase It fills his days and occupies his dreams," Matthew said impassively

The sodden fields and swollen rivers of Europe had put us at a considerable distance from Rudolf II, but there were moments when I could still feel his unwelcolances In spite of the May war in the hearth, I shivered

"The new French aold"

"Philippe de Mornay is no more trustworthy than your former ambassador-who, as I recall, attempted to assassinate you" Matthew&039;s tone was perfectly poised between obsequiousness and irritation Elizabeth did a double take

"Are you baiting me, Master Roydon?"

"I would never bait a lion-or even the lion&039;s cub," Mattheled Walter closed his eyes as if he couldn&039;t bear to witness the inevitable devastation "I was badly scarred after one such encounter and have no desire to er abide the sight of me"

There was a shocked silence, broken at last by an unladylike bellow of laughter Walter&039;s eyes popped open

"You got what you deserved, sneaking up on a youngthat sounded very htly, sure I was hearing things

"I shall keep that inlioness with a sharp pair of shears"

Walter and I were now as confused as Bess Only Matthew, Elizabeth, and Cecil see said-and as not

"Even then you were ave Matthew ain and not a woing, tired monarch once more "Leave us"

"YourM-majesty?" Bess stammered

"I wish to speak to Master Roydon privately I don&039;t suppose he will perht, so she may stay, too Wait for me in my privy chamber, Walter Take Bess with you We shall join you presently"

"But-" Bess protested She looked about nervously Staying near the queen was her job, and without protocol to guide her she was at sea

"You shall have to help me instead, Mistress Throckmorton" Cecil took several painful steps away from the queen, aided by his heavy stick As he passed by Matthew, Cecil gave him a hard look "We will leave Master Roydon to see to Her Majesty&039;s welfare"

When the queen waved the grooms out of the room, the three of us were left alone

"Jesu," Elizabeth said with a groan "My head feels like a rotten apple about to split Could you not have chosen a more opportune time to cause a diplomatic incident?"

"Let me examine you," Matthew requested

"You think to provide eon cannot, Master Roydon?" said the queen ary hope

"I believe I can spare you some pain, if God wills it"

"Even unto his death, " Elizabeth&039;s hands twitched against the folds of her skirt "He likened you to a tonic, whose benefits he had failed to appreciate"

"How so?" Matthew made no effort to hide his curiosity This was not a story he had heard before

"He said you could rid hih, like most physic, you could be difficult to s" Elizabeth shter, and then her sreat and terrible man-and a fool"

"All men are fools, Your Majesty," Matthew said swiftly

"No Let us speak plainly to each other again, as though I were not queen of England and you were not a wearh"

"Only if you lethis arms over his chest

"Once an invitation to share intimacies with me would have been sufficient inducement, and you would not have attached further conditions tomore than my teeth Very well, Master Roydon" She opened her h I was a few feet away, I could smell the decay Matthew took her head in his hands so that he could see the problem more clearly

"It is a miracle you have any teeth at all," he said sternly Elizabeth turned pink with irritation and struggled to reply "You ood reason to do so, as I will have confiscated your candied violets and sine That will leave you with nothingto suck on but a clove rub for your gums They are badly abscessed"

Matthe his finger along her teeth Several of theed He made a sound of displeasure

"You ive you a knowledge of physic and surgery It would have been wiser to heed the surgeon&039;s advice Now, hold still"

While I tried to regain land "Lizzie," Mattheithdrew his index finger, rubbed it against his own sharp eyetooth so that it drew a bead of blood, and returned it to Elizabeth&039;s h he was careful, the queen winced Then her shoulders lowered in relief

"&039;Ank &039;ewe," she ers

"Don&039;t thank me yet There won&039;t be a coh And the pain will return, I&039;ers away, and the queen felt around her one," she said gratefully Elizabeth gestured at the nearby chairs "I fear there is nothing left but to settle accounts Sit down and tellweeks at the ee to be invited to sit in the presence of any ruler, but I was doubly grateful for the chance to do so now The voyage had exacerbated the nornancy Matthew pulled out one of the chairs for me, and I lowered ainst the carving, using its knobs and bue Matthew&039;s hand auto to relieve the soreness Envy flashed across the queen&039;s features

"You are in pain, too, Mistress Roydon?" the queen inquired solicitously She was being too nice When Rudolf treated a courtier like this, so sinister was usually afoot

"Yes, Your Majesty Alas, it is nothing peppermint water will solve," I said ruefully

"Nor will it smooth the emperor&039;s ruffled feathers His ambassador tells me that you have stolen one of Rudolf&039;s books"

"Which book?" Matthew asked "Rudolf has so many" As most vampires had not been acquainted with the state of innocence for so hollow

"We are not playing ga one by the name of Sebastian St Clair when he was at Henry&039;s court

"You are always playing games," he shot back "In this you are no different from the emperor, or Henry of France"

"Mistress Throck verses about the fickleness of power But I a save scorn and ridicule I was raised by hard schoolmasters," the queen retorted "Those around one I survived So do not give ain, what of the book?"

"We don&039;t have it," I interjected

Matthew looked at me in shock

"The book is not in our possession At present" It was doubtless already at the Hart and Crown, safely tucked into Matthew&039;s attic archive I&039;d passed the book to Gallowglass, wrapped in protective oilskin and leather, when the royal barge had pulled alongside us on our way up the Thames

"Well, well" Elizabeth&039;sher blackened teeth "You surprise me And your husband too, it see but surprises, Your Majesty Or so I am told" No matter how many times Matthew referred to her as Lizzie or she called him Sebastian, I was careful to address her forrip of some illusion, then How do you account for it?"

"There is nothing remarkable about that," Matthew said with a snort "I fear theRudolf Even now his brother Matthias plots his downfall and positions hier rule"

"No wonder the eer to keep Kelley The philosopher&039;s stone will cure him and make the issue of his successor moot" The queen&039;s expression soured "He will live on forever, without fear"

"Come, Lizzie You know better than that Kelley cannot make the stone He cannot save you or anyone else Even queens and emperors must one day die"

"We are friends, Sebastian, but do not forget yourself" Elizabeth&039;s eyes glittered

"When you were seven and asked me if your father planned to kill his neife, I told you the truth I was honest with you then, and I will be honest with you noeveryour youth back, Lizzie, or resurrect those you have lost," Matthew said i?" Elizabeth slowly studied hiray hairs on you You look exactly as you did fifty years ago at Hampton Court when I tookme to use my blood to make you a wearh, Your Majesty, the answerin hulish succession by placing a creature on the throne" Matthew&039;s expression was forbidding

"And would that be your answer if Rudolf

"Yes It would lead to chaos-and worse" The prospect was chilling "Your real like a spoiled child denied a treat That is all"

"Even now his uncle, Philip of Spain, is building ships He plans another invasion!"

"And it will co," Matthew promised

"You sound very sure"

"I aarded each other across the table When at last Elizabeth was satisfied, she looked aith a sigh

"Very well You don&039;t have the emperor&039;s book, and I do not have Kelley or the stone We ive the e to sweeten his mood"

"What about this?" I drewon er, it contained my most treasured possessions-the silken cords that Goody Alsop had given lass Jack had found in the sands of the Elbe and taken for a jewel, a fragment of precious bezoar stone for Susanna to use in her medicines, Matthew&039;s salaon hanging froiven to me by the Holy Roman Emperor I placed the last on the table between the queen and entle dragon "What did you give to Rudolf that he would bestow this upon you?"

"It is as Matthew said, Your Majesty The eht win my affections It did not," I said with a shake of my head

"Perhaps Rudolf cannot bear to have others know that he let soested

"Do you mean your wife or this jewel?"

"My wife," Matthew said shortly

"The jewel ive the necklace to me," Elizabeth mused, "but you took it upon yourself to carry it here for its greater safety"

"Diana&039;s Gerreed with a wry sht have been doing so only to better iine hoould look on you"

"Oh, I doubt that," Elizabeth said drily

"If the eland, he would have wished to give it to her with appropriate cereive the aested

"There&039;s a pretty solution It will satisfy no one, of course, but it will giveto cut their teeth on until soes" Elizabeth tapped the table pensively "But there&039;s still the matter of this book"

"Would you believe me if I told you it wasn&039;t important?" Matthew asked

Elizabeth shook her head "No"

"I thought not What of the opposite-that the future may depend upon it?" Matthew asked

"That is even more far-fetched But since I have no desire for Rudolf or any of his kin to hold the future in their grasp, I will leave theit to you-should it ever coain, of course"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said, relieved that the matter had been resolved with relatively few lies