Courtesan of the Saints

  Chapter 11

  'Please.' Cherry answered. 'Who are you? What are you?'

  'I use my own name,' he began, smiling at her. 'My family have estates in Wiltshire. My brother, Sir Thomas, is head of the family now, and I have two sisters. We are distant kin of the Earl of Shrewsbury.'

  'I am glad that is your name,' she said musingly. 'I like 'Miles', and would find it difficult to get used to another. You are a soldier?'

  'Yes. Much of what I told you was true, though I could not tell you I had fought for the King, I was born the year Charles the first came to the throne, and as soon as I was eighteen I joined my father and brother in the army. I fought until the King was imprisoned in forty-seven, but my father was killed at Marston Moor.'

  'And it was then you joined the Dutch?'

  'Yes. My brother retired to the estates, and compounded in order not to lose them, but I went abroad and fought with the Dutch for a time.'

  'Till Worcester?' she asked softly.

  'Aye. I joined Charles as he marched south through England, having managed to cross to England as soon as it was certain he was making the invasion. It was there I had the scar you were so concerned about,' he said, glancing up at her.

  'Yes, and when you were rescued by a lady, I seem to recall,' she retorted.

  He laughed. 'I must take you to meet Meg one day. She has a large and growing family, and her husband was my dear comrade in many battles.'

  'How did she rescue you? I am intrigued.'

  'I hid under her bed,' he answered, and laughed at the amused look in her eyes.

  'Not in it, sir? How unlike you not to take such an opportunity!'

  'She was in the midst of labour, or that was what the roundheads thought when they came searching the house. She gave a most convincing display, and they could scarce leave the room fast enough. There was an old midwife from the village in the plot, and she was regaling them with the most fearsome stories of what would happen if they did not depart immediately. The birth of a monster through the fright my lady was suffering was the least of them. I could scarce control my laughter.'

  Cherry laughed. 'You are fortunate in your lady friends,' she commented. 'How many more have protected you?'

  'None so effectively as Meg.'

  'And since then?'

  'I have been working for the King, travelling round, meeting people who might be willing to help him back to his throne.'

  'Why did you come to me?'

  'I needed to get to know some of the Parliament men, and Robert Peyton suggested I would meet such at your house,'

  'So I was right! You did try to discover secrets from me.'

  'Aye, to my shame. After I met you, I came to despise myself for treating you so, but my loyalty to the King came first. If it is any consolation, I learned nought from you!'

  'No. I was careful, and on my guard, for I suspected you. But I was so terrified I would say something, which is why I have been avoiding you!'

  He kissed the hand he was fondling.

  'What did you suspect me of?'

  'I was afraid you might be an agent of Thurloe's. They often try to discover who is reliable, and since so many Parliament men come here, they might well have been suspicious of me.'

  'But all the time you were working for us. How does that happen?'

  'I was brought up in Norfolk, which was strongly Parliamentarian. But I disliked the sobriety the Puritans demanded. Then, when I was but thirteen, I fell in love with a neighbour's son. Harry Villiers. We planned to marry. He was a few years older than I, and had a title, though he was not rich. I had a good dowry, we did not fear opposition. But Harry's family were Royalist, and my parents would not hear of the match. They had had an offer from a rich London merchant, and forced me into accepting him.'

  'I cannot imagine your being forced into ought you found distasteful,' he said, curious.

  'Can you not? I should mayhap have said tricked me. Harry was away, in the army, and they told me he had been killed. I was so overborne with grief I cared not what became of me, and agreed largely to escape from home. By the time I found that Harry was still alive, I had been hastily married off. I was but fourteen.'

  Miles slipped his arm round her waist, and she leaned for a moment against him before continuing.

  'Fortunately my husband did not bother me overmuch after the first few weeks, but they were horrible enough. He was an impatient man, and I was very young and inexperienced. When he found me unsatisfactory, he turned to other woman, for which I was heartily thankful.'

  'Did he illtreat you?'

  'What have you heard?' she said, looking down at him sombrely. 'I cannot believe you have not discussed me?'

  'Of course, a little. I heard he beat you badly.'

  'Yes, frequently, but that was his right. I dare say I was a great trial to him, for I would not do all he demanded. There were certain things he expected of me that I could not do.'

  She shuddered, and Miles held her close. After a while, she went on.

  'Once, I was so ill afterwards my brother came and threatened to kill him unless he left me alone. After that it was not so bad, and as he was away with the army, I did not have to suffer him for too much time. You can understand that when he was killed by the Royalists at Dunbar I was not sorry? It was something to be grateful for. I was rich, still young, only twenty, and best of all, free. My father had died, and my mother was married again, so there was no one to order me about. My brother realized what I had been through, and wished only that I should enjoy life. It was while I was in Norfolk in seclusion after the death of Weston that I met Harry again.'

  'He had not remained unwed?' Miles said, mentally recalling Sir Henry's rich wife and large family.

  'No, and in many ways I was relieved, for he would most like have pressed me to marry him, and I had no wish for it. With him, for I did not love him any longer, or with anyone, for I wished to remain free.'

  'How did he take your marriage?'

  'Methinks he was glad, though he had been angry when he first heard about it. But soon he was offered an heiress, and he did not remember me long.'

  She giggled suddenly. 'I do not think I could have put up with being left in the country, treated as a brood mare! Harry seems to have forgot our childhood love, for he is always so proud to tell me how many children his Emma has borne him! I think he might have displayed more tact, and at least pretended he did not care for her!'

  'But you do not care for him?'

  'No, not one slight remnant of feeling remains, and I realized that when we met again, though I had often, before, thought nostalgically of him and wished life had fallen out differently. Now, of course, I am glad, and can forget the bad time.'

  'How did you meet?'

  'Mayhap you heard of the Norfolk rising? In the winter after Dunbar. It was centred on Downham, where a new fencing school was opened as cover for meetings. Then men began to attend hunting parties wearing swords. Really,' she laughed abruptly, 'these men have no more idea of how to conspire than children! They seemed to feel it was all a game!'

  'I would exclude myself, naturally,' Miles laughed at her. 'But it is too true, unfortunately.'

  'Oh, yes, I can tell that for you it is no game, it is all most serious, you never derive any pleasure out of it!'

  He gently bit her fingers, and laughingly she rapped his head with her other hand. When he attempted to pull her down to the floor with him, she protested.

  'No, no. I must finish telling you! Behave!'

  'Well, finish, woman, and do not give way to your natural disgust at the inferiority of these men. You will learn I am different!'

  Ignoring this provoking remark, she continued.

  'The plotters met towards the end of November, but there were less than two hundred of them, and they were defeated without even fighting. Their moves had been known, and Rich with the county militia dispersed them. It was pathetic!'

  'Was Sir Henry involved?'

  'Yes. He was for
tunate because he escaped. About a quarter of them were taken prisoner, and half of those executed. If Harry had been taken he would have been executed, for he was one of the leaders, from what he told me. But he escaped, and came to me. I was staying at my old home, in supposed seclusion after my husband's death ten weeks or so before, and Harry did not dare to go home to his wife, for they were watching for him. He could not reach the coast, and he knew our house had an old priest hole, for we had often explored it when we were very young children. I hid him there, and managed to distract the party that came to search.' She paused, staring silently before her. 'That was the beginning of it all.'

  'Tell me,' he said quietly, holding her hand firmly.

  'It was Dick Ashford who came with a few men. He made it plain he admired me, and since he was so determined to search the place minutely, and the old hiding place was not very well concealed, I had to distract him. He sent the men away, and that was that. When he left, he had not searched the house.'

  'You were willing to do that for Sir Henry, whom you did not love?'

  'I could not see him taken and killed. I had once loved him, and besides, he had a wife, and babes depending on him.'

  'Even so, he was fortunate, and you were courageous.'

  Cherry laughed. 'Do not pity me too greatly! Dick is a handsome man, and I found it not so distasteful as I had expected. After all, the only other man I had known was my husband, and he was - brutal!'

  'Not many women would have been so generous!'

  'But I was baptised Charity! It was about time I began to live up to the hopes my parents had for me!'

  'I doubt they had such hopes,' Miles laughed.

  Cherry shrugged. 'It was then the idea of helping the King came to me. Dick had been most talkative, and I had, without intending to, discovered much. He was most anxious to see me again and I agreed, saying that once my mourning was over I intended to return to London. I told him sufficient to make him sorry for me, and realized he was not one of the killjoy Puritans. I could use him to get to know the other Parliament men, and learn much. The only difficulty was that I knew no one to pass on any information I obtained.'

  'That was where Sir Henry came in?'

  'Yes. I had discovered where they meant to search next, and I was able to tell him, and save some of the other men, but of course he guessed how I had obtained the information. I told him my plans, and he at first tried to dissuade me.'

  'I am glad of that, at least. It shows some proper feeling in him.'

  'But I would not be dissuaded. In the end he said he had himself been approached to act as a means of collecting information in London. He was hesitating, but I managed to persuade him to do the job, and I think he did not wish to appear to be outdone by a woman. So I had my source of information, and my method of passing it on.'

  'I wonder how you persuaded him?' Miles said musingly.

  Cherry tweaked his ear. 'Not how you imagine! Harry would no sooner think of going to bed with me than he would join the New Model Army! He is a faithful husband!'

  'And so you began this life?'

  'Yes. I had many acquaintances, and was rich enough to entertain lavishly. I knew Dick would protect me against accusations of the Puritans, and dared to give parties. My friends were so pleased to come they soon gained a reputation, and many more people began to attend. Dick brought his friends, and I was able to discover a great deal about Army matters from him. Then I came to know John Taunton, and he is as indiscreet as Dick, but as he works for Thurloe, he is most useful. I have been able to give warning of many arrests in that way.'

  'And you thought I was worth trying?' he asked.

  'No. At least, I did not know who or what you were, and I confess I tried to find out. But I had asked you to stay because I could not help myself! Please believe that!'

  'My dearest one! I too felt the same.'

  'I did not discover aught, and thought in fact you were trying to use me, or trap me. I tried to stop seeing you, but I could not. These last few times, I have so longed to ask you to stay with me, instead of John, but he was providing me with vital information about Gerard and I dared not lose the opportunity with things so desperate!'

  'My poor beloved! Have you not hated having to use your body in this way?'

  'Not until I met you. I had been sold to my husband, and in truth it seemed but the same. At least it was more pleasant! But after I knew you, I hated every minute of it!'

  'Then you do love me, my dearest one?'

  She looked down at him, her face serious. 'I do. I did not understand at first why my life, which had seemed so satisfactory with my work so important, should suddenly become tawdry. When first I saw you you reminded me of Harry, though you are not alike in features. I did not understand why, until I realized he was the only man I have ever loved, and you inspired the same feeling in me, though,' she hastened to add, 'with you it is so very much stronger.'

  'Cherry, my dearest, I love you so. Let me take you to Flanders and you can wait for me there.'

  She looked at him in surprise. 'To Flanders? Why? Do you intend to leave England?'

  'No, I have work still to do. But you are endangered, you must leave.'

  'I am not in danger, I am certain. I discovered Harry and Gerard and some others were to be arrested, but there is nought to connect me with Harry. I always wear those dreadful clothes when I go to him, and would seem some inferior maid servant.'

  'It is no disguise. I recognized you once before, and followed you, for I could not think what my charmingly elegant hostess did in such clothes. Then, of course, I did not know Sir Henry, otherwise we might have been spared much pain and suspicion of one another.'

  'I still do not think I have aught to fear, and besides, I have Dick and John as protectors, they would not allow me to be taken.'

  'They might not be able to prevent it.'

  'I am in no danger, truly,' she insisted.

  'What of the men who were trying to arrest you this morning?'

  'They were merely taking anyone who approached Harry's house. We were almost at the door, and there are scarcely any other doors in that courtyard. They must have been stopping everyone on suspicion. Especially at that hour. I am certain they did not know who I was. I knew none of them.'

  'I do not like it,' he persisted.

  'But I still have work to do.'

  'No!' he said vehemently.

  'What do you mean?'

  'I will not have you sell yourself to men in such a fashion.'

  'I do not like it,' she said gently. 'I never have, though it has not been as bad as my marriage was. I should not have said I hated it. You must hate many of the things you are forced to do. But it is a weapon I can use, and it is still there for use. Would you have me desert the King's cause merely because I have met you and fallen in love with you? You have not suggested giving up your work, in fact you say you cannot.'

  'This is different,' he said firmly. 'I am going to marry you, and I will not have my wife used so!'

  'You have forgotten something,' she said quietly.

  It was his turn to look surprised. 'What do you mean?'

  'You have not asked me to marry you, and you cannot force me to do so.'

  He stared at her in dismay. 'My love! You are not going to refuse?'

  She rubbed her eyes, a gesture of weariness that smote him with compassion for her.

  'I should not ask you! My beloved, you are tired, you have been awake all night, and it is mid morning now. You need to sleep.'

  He stood up, and pulled her out of the chair.

  'When you have slept, we will talk further. Would you like me to go away and return later this evening?'

  She smiled at him. 'I love you so dearly,' she whispered. 'Stay with me. I feel so wonderfully safe in your arms.'

  He lifted her and carried her through to the bedroom, and there gently helped her out of her gown. She sighed with pleasure as the cool sheets touched her body, and soon he slipped in beside her, and crad
led her to him. Already she was almost asleep, and roused herself to murmur his name. He looked down at her and determined fiercely that she would never belong to any other man in the future. Then he too, exhausted by the events of the night, slept.