“God’s passion, how can I trust him to help? His son Thomas is admiral and taking every Scots vessel he can lay his hands upon.” Tina picked up the sealed letter from Margaret Tudor. “Do you think I was wrong not to hand this over to the chamberlain?”
“No. You mark my words, the chancellor will be our next visitor.”
Tina’s eyes fell on the wax seal of the letter, and she saw that it had been affixed by a most careless hand. She knew she could flick it open with her thumbnail and reseal it again by holding it over a candle flame. Before her courage deserted her, she broke the small red seal and scanned the letter’s contents.
My Dearest Hal:
Fond felicitations from your devoted sister Margaret. The bearer of this letter, Lady Valentina Kennedy, would ask a favor of your most exalted and generous person. She is hand-fasted to Lord Ramsay Douglas, whom Lord Dacre has arrested because he suspects him of being the infamous Lord Vengeance. I know Douglas is not the man you seek, for even as I write this the Revenge is raiding along the opposite coast. Douglas is the most powerful clan in Scotland, as you well know, and I am pleased to tell you that I am on intimate terms with the heir to the earldom. I implore you to release your prisoner, for at some future date you may very well find yourself related to the man in question. As you have no doubt noticed, Lady Kennedy is a renowned beauty and will show her gratitude for your divine mercy in any way you command.
Chapter 32
Tina’s mouth fell open. The only possible way the English king could find himself related to Douglas was if Margaret married Angus’s son—which meant the King of Scotland would have to die! Were there secret plots afoot in which she was now embroiled? She clutched the letter, knowing she should not pass on such treasonable information, but when she weighed it against the possibility of saving Ram’s life, her duty to king and country paled in significance. She quickly read the letter to Ada, then melted the wax and resealed it.
“I saw the king at mass. He’s a giant of a man, with a ruddy face and beard. I didn’t like the look of him, but his clothes were absolutely magnificent,” Tina said.
“I’ve learned all there is to know about Hal Tudor from the servants. From everything I’ve heard, he has a pathological need to dominate everyone and everything,” Ada reported.
Tina thought of another. “Black Ram Douglas is the most dominant man I ever met.”
“Nay, Ram is dominant because he’s a natural leader. Henry Tudor dominates every meal, every conversation, every person in the room with him. He dominates his ministers and the clergy. Up until lately, he has been sexually repressed, trapped in a loveless marriage to a religieuse, older than himself. It is only this past year that he has dared to defy the Church and commit adultery. Now that his appetite has been whetted, he is constantly on the prowl. He loves to be thought of as bluff, but in reality he is a bully to women and servants. His temper tantrums are legendary, and everyone at court tries to appease him”
“The divine right of kings!” Tina said dryly.
“The consensus is unanimous—he thinks of himself as God,” Ada concluded.
Tina tucked the queen’s letter into her bodice. “Come, let’s go out into the park. If I see either Lord Howard or King Henry, I shall appeal to him. All Hallows isn’t until tomorrow, but the celebrations are already under way.”
They walked through the gardens, where the quince trees were laden down with fruit and the yew walks were cunningly designed for dalliance. They passed by the tennis courts, the bowling green, and the archery butts that would be overflowing with contestants by afternoon.
Ada said, “None dare win even a game with Henry, he is so childishly spoiled. Apparently the punishments he metes out are viciously cruel.”
Tina’s knees turned to water at the thought of having to deal with such a monster The words with which his sister Margaret had concluded her letter rose up alarmingly in Tina’s mind. “Lady Kennedy will show her gratitude for your divine mercy in any way you command” She pushed the words away and clung to the hope that Henry would be merciful without exacting payment from her.
Out in the great park among the striped pavilions, Tina suddenly exclaimed, “Gypsies! Oh, Ada—the Gypsies are here to entertain the court. They have a vast secret network. I wonder if I can learn if Heath will be here?” They walked past the caravans and the tethered horses looking for a familiar face. This was a far larger band than had ever gathered in Galloway Valley, and Tina realized most of them would be English Gypsies. A swarthy fellow leered at her. Instead of ignoring his insolence and tossing her head as she would have once done, she stopped and spoke to him. “Do you know a Gypsy called Heath? Heath Kennedy from Scotland?”
The man showed white teeth. “We recognize no borders —we are Romanies, not English or Scots.”
“Yes, yes, I know,” Tina said impatiently “Do you know Heath?”
He laughed. “Gypsies do not like to be questioned. Perhaps I know him, perhaps I do not.”
Tina stamped her foot. She knew he would be maddeningly noncommittal. Gypsies were a closed society, not dissimilar to a clan. Secrecy and loyalty were a necessary part of their survival. “Well, if you happen to run into him, tell him Flaming Tina is desperate to see him.”
The young Gypsy leered at her. “If your need is that great, lady, I could serve you in his stead. We need only go into the trees.”
“Ohh!” she gasped, daintily picking up her skirts and moving away from him with all speed. “What is the matter with men?” Tina demanded.
Ada shrugged. “Their pricks are the center of their universe, whether they be Gypsy or king.”
They passed a Gypsy girl putting her trained dogs through their paces, and Tina thought she looked familiar. She hesitated. In their brilliant red skirts and white peasant blouses, one resembled another. Suddenly she felt eyes boring into her back and whirled about to see a sly, familiar face with slanting eyes and pouting lips glaring at her.
Tina did not recall the girl’s name, but her heart lifted in spite of the look of raw hatred being cast her way She had seen the dark beauty whenever she had visited Heath. Tina walked over to the steps of her caravan. “My name is—”
“I know your name,” Zara snarled. “You are the Kennedy bitch.” The girl deliberately spat on the ground, and Tina’s cheeks flamed. She swallowed her pride. “Is Heath here?” she asked hopefully.
Zara shrugged “He was but he is gone.”
“When will he be back?” asked Tina.
The Gypsy girl looked as if she would like to plunge her knife into the redhead. Tina reached into her pocket and held out a gold coin. Zara eyed it and wet her lips. “He comes, he goes,” she said, reaching greedy fingers for the money.
Tina closed her fingers over the coin. “Why do you hate me?” she demanded.
The silence stretched between them as they glared at each other. Finally Zara shrugged. “I was the Ram’s woman before you.”
Valentina felt a stab of jealousy pierce her heart. It was obvious the sultry Gypsy girl felt a deep passion for the devil-eyed Douglas. Tina decided to take advantage of the girl’s emotions. “Ram has been taken prisoner. I believe he’s been brought to London. I need Heath to find out where he’s imprisoned.” Tina gave Zara the gold coin. “Will you help me?” she asked evenly.
Zara went pale, but she threw out another taunt. “Why should I care?”
Valentina abandoned her pride altogether. “You care. I know because I was his woman, and I care. I would do anything to help him, and so would you.”
“The women who share his bed will always awaken with a smile,” Zara taunted.
Tina shook her head. “There will be no more women. They are going to hang him.”
Zara’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “He was the first man to give me gold … He was the only man I allowed to remove my earrings.”
Tina saw she wore only one, then slowly Zara pulled up her skirt to display the saucy black curls between her legs.
Tina’s eyes widened as she saw the golden hoop that pierced the Gypsy’s mons. The lecherous whoremaster, let them hang him! Tina’s heart constricted so tightly, she thought it would bleed. Then an inner voice asked, What does it matter how many women have gone before? When one loved deeply, it was all or nothing. She knew she would do anything to save him, and she hoped in her heart that Zara felt the same way.
As Tina turned to leave, Zara asked boldly, “Will you help me meet the king?”
Tina thought wildly, I need someone to help me meet the king! She had enough sense, however, to fold her tongue behind her teeth. She nodded her promise to Zara and hoped it was convincing enough.
Ada urged, “They were setting food out under an awning on the lawn. Let’s get something to eat.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not hungry,” Tina replied.
“You must eat something—you don’t want to fall sick again.”
Tina shook her head. “Food would choke me. You must eat something, though. Come on, I could use a drink, perhaps.”
The food tables were laden with the harvest’s bounty. Ada helped herself to a meat pasty and a fruit pie, while Tina took a cup of spiced cider. Laughter and men’s deep voices filled the air as a crowd of courtiers surged toward the food. When the crowd parted to allow the king access to the table, Tina saw that one of the men he spoke with was Lord Howard. She caught only a glimpse, for there were at least thirty men milling about the king. Before she could push into the throng, other men and women too were drawn to the presence of His Majesty like steel filings to a magnet. Tina and Ada were jostled aside without ceremony until it seemed that every person at Greenwich had business with Henry Tudor.
“If we get separated, you follow Howard and tell him I must see him, and I’ll follow the king.” Almost before the words were out of her mouth, the crowd surged toward the park and she could no longer see Ada.
Tina followed the crowd, which grew larger and noisier with every yard it progressed. The king’s destination was the bowling green. A few fortunate courtiers were selected to give him a match, and the rest fell back about the perimeter of the green to cheer him on and watch him win.
Tina drew the eyes and the hands of the men about her. There was a decided dearth of beauties at court. She felt a hand on her bottom and turned angrily to face the man who touched her so intimately.
“By heaven, the front side is even more attractive than the back side,” drawled a fair-haired young man with a long face.
She gave him a ringing slap. “How dare you touch me in public?” she demanded. A sudden hush fell upon the crowd, and Tina realized they had an audience.
“Would you prefer to be private, sweetheart?” he asked with a leer, not in the least deterred by the slap, and the crowd roared with coarse laughter. King Henry looked over to see what amused his courtiers. When he saw the young woman with the flaming hair who had caught his attention at mass that morning, he said to his partner, Lord Howard, “Find out who the little wench is with your son Edmund. I would have intercourse with her,” he punned.
Howard laughed at the witty sally, but by the time he glanced across the bowling green, the young woman in question had moved on. Tina moved back to the edge of the spectators. She would have to wait until the king finished his bowls, then she would again take up the chase. Her eyes strayed to the women of the court. She could hardly tell one from another, for they copied each other’s fashions slavishly. None of them looked very young, and all of them were full-figured or matronly. Perhaps it was the clothes they wore that made them look like ships in full sail. The gowns were heavy and full, with large leg-o-mutton sleeves and frilled underskirts. They all seemed to be wearing matching headdresses that were embroidered and bejeweled in exquisite patterns but could never match the beauty of a woman’s crowning glory.
She stood upon a bench to look over the heads of the crowd and saw that the king had finished his game. He took a woman’s arm in a familiar manner and walked from the bowling green with her. The court trailed after, and Tina picked up her skirts and followed the courtiers. As it reached the gardens, the crowd thinned. Some went indoors, others to the awning where the food was laid out.
At last Tina’s efforts were rewarded by a glimpse of the king and the woman he escorted disappearing behind a yew hedge. She hurried after. Lord Howard, Earl of Surrey, caught up with his third son, Edmund. “Back at the bowling green the king saw you speak to a young woman. He seemed most anxious to meet her.”
“Prettiest piece I’ve seen at court in a twelvemonth,” said Edmund. “Unfortunately, I know not the lady’s name, and I wouldn’t share it with Henry if I did.”
“Don’t be a fool, Edmund—what’s a woman between friends?”
“You’ve dined with him often enough. You know how he consumes everything in sight with that voracious appetite of his. ‘Tis becoming the same with women. Elizabeth Blount allowed him a taste—now he devours her daily.”
“Good lord, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, I think I’ve just seen Lady Valentina Kennedy. What the devil can she be doing here at Henry’s court, unless the queen sent her?” he shrewdly guessed.
“Where?” Edmund asked.
“She’s easy enough to spot, she has the most glorious hair, the color of flame.”
“That’s the one I spoke with. There she goes, following the king into the maze.”
“Oh, my God! Henry wants to meet her, but not I assure you under the circumstances I am visualizing.”
The courtiers trailing after Henry had discreetly gone their own way when they saw the king take Elizabeth Blount into the maze. Tina was so intent upon catching up with the king that she did not realize she had entered the labyrinth of a maze until she was inside. Boxwood hedged her in on all sides, and she became slightly disoriented because she had never before been inside a network of shrubs designed to confuse one’s direction. She turned a full circle on the path, found an opening, and went through it.
She found herself in a square space that held a sundial. Her fingers trailed over the words inscribed upon its bronze surface: I measure only the sunny hours. A small sob caught in her throat. How many sunny hours had she wasted when she could have been enjoying Ram’s love? Now perhaps all they both had left were dark hours. She passed through another opening, heard voices, and moved forward toward them. Suddenly, almost in front of her she heard an impatient voice demand, “Up with your skirts, Bessie. Why are we suddenly coy?”
“Please, sire, can we not go some otherwhere than here? In my bedchamber you could remove your clothes and be comfortable.” The woman’s voice begged, yet her tone sounded hopeless.
“Nonsense, Bessie! I can’t undress and dress every time I have need of a woman. What the devil do you think they designed the codpiece for?”
Tina put her hand over her mouth and shrank down against the bushes, trying to conceal her presence. Henry Tudor was about to satisfy his lust not four feet in front of her through the boxwood hedge. She could see two pairs of shoes facing each other. One pair were a woman’s slippers embroidered with flowers. The other pair were enormous, square-toed and bejeweled. Suddenly the slippers were turned in the other direction. “Lean over the bench, Bessie, and hike your damned skirts! Don’t think to play the cocktease with me!”
There followed such a rustling of garments, followed by grunts and gasps and strange mewling cries of a female in distress, that Valentina was thoroughly shocked and disgusted at the manner in which the amorous king handled a woman. He mounted her from behind exactly as a bull would a cow, standing in the field!
The woman gave a muffled shriek and began to cry. “No need to cry, Bessie, love. I know I’m big, and sometimes I hurt, but that’s a small price to pay for the great honor I do you.”
“Your jewels have scratched and cut my bottom cheeks, sire.”
Henry laughed. “Ah, so they have…. I’ve branded you right well, Bessie. What’s a little pain, compared to such huge pleasure? Stop your sniveling
and help me fasten this damned codpiece.”
As the feet began to move, Tina pushed her way through the middle of the hedge where there was no opening, to avoid being discovered. She heard Henry say, “Make yourself available after the hunt,” but the lady’s reply was too faint for Tina to hear. After waiting a full quarter of an hour, Tina found her way out of the maze and vowed never to enter another as long as she lived. Her high hopes of the morning were evaporating. She returned to her chambers hoping to find Ada there, but instead she found a page waiting with a message from the chancellor It asked that she summon him the moment she returned. Tina sent the little page off to locate him and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait. Suddenly she gasped in fright as a dark figure swung open her casement window and stepped inside. “Heath! Omigod, Heath—you near frightened me half to death!”
“Sweetheart, what the devil are you doing in England?” he demanded, not pleased at all by her presence.
She flung herself into his arms. “Oh God, everything is in such a mess! Davie betrayed Black Ram Douglas to Lord Dacre. They were waiting for him aboard the Revenge. The English king put a price on his head.”
“The vicious little whoreson! He always did make me puke! If they bring Ram to London, they’ll probably lodge him in the White Tower.” He did not add that the scaffolds were just behind, on Tower Hill.
“The king himself sent a protest, and the Earl of Angus gave me letters from Queen Margaret to her brother saying they have the wrong man, but I haven’t been able to get near the king yet.”
“Lord Howard, the Earl of Surrey, is probably the most influential man at court at the moment. Does he know you, Tina?”
“Yes, he once tried to seduce me.” She lifted her shoulder in a helpless shrug.
“Old lecher! He can certainly find out where Ram is. Speak with him. Seduce him into letting you visit your husband. I’m sure he has enough authority to arrange it for you. If he asks more than you are willing to give, tell him your brother is here with you to protect your virtue.”