Assassin (16 page)
Authors: Lady Grace Cavendish
The Queen smiled. “I do believe I agree with you,” she said.
That cheered me up so much that I kissed her on the cheek. “So I do not have to marry?”
“No, Grace, not for now,” the Queen replied.
“Though in due course, perhaps you will wish to….”
In all the commotion, Masou had slipped into the room, too. “And if anyone does propose marriage to you now, it will surely be for love, not money,” he said. “Mayhap it is a blessing that you are no longer rich, Lady Grace!”
“Precisely,” said the Queen. “Well put, Masou.”
She smiled at us all, and it’s true what they say about the Queen, her smile
is
like magic. It makes you feel warm and safe.
She clasped my hand to hers. “Lady Grace, I owe you a great debt of gratitude for all your work these past few days,” she said. “Here you are, only a Maid of Honour and not yet of age. Yet, with the help of your good friends here, you have saved Sir Charles’s life, unearthed the wickedness of his brother, and discovered the poisoner of Sir Gerald. There are many men in my employ who have done far less and with less difficulty in their path. Be sure I shall make a good grant to you and find a more worthy guardian to take care of it.”
I nodded. “I could help you if there were any more mysteries at Court, too,” I whispered.
The Queen laughed. The she whispered back in my ear, “You shall be my first Lady Pursuivant. Let wrongdoers beware!”
I was thrilled! A pursuivant is someone who pursues wrongdoers for the Crown, though most pursuivants mainly pursue spies and assassins. It was all so exciting!
“But have a care, Grace,” warned the Queen with a tiny frown. “I still expect my Maid of Honour to behave as befits her blood. I will have no more wild trips down the river at night … unless
absolutely
necessary….”
“No, Your Majesty,” I said meekly.
Then she smiled again, and clasped me, and sent me to my chamber while Mrs. Bea made me a hot posset to help me sleep (which I haven’t drunk yet and it’s gone cold). Mary Shelton brought it for me and gave me some of her delicious almond bisket bread. I never realized before how kind she is. And even Lady Sarah is being less trying than usual. I feel very strange about being poor all of a sudden, but I had to stop again. It was Sir Charles and Dr. Cavendish come to visit me.
Sir Charles was looking, and smelling, much better—he was clean and had shaved and his black eye had ointment on it. “Lady Grace,” he said, “is it true what I hear of how Lord Worthy wasted your estates?”
I nodded a little dolefully. “But the Queen will help me and she said she would never send me away.”
“My dear Lady Greensleeves,” said Sir Charles, “were you aware that when there has been a murder, all the murderer’s money and property goes to the nearest relative of the victim?”
I nodded. Yes, I’d heard that. But why did that concern me?
“Well,” Sir Charles continued, “I am Sir Gerald’s heir. His father was my mother’s cousin. Which means that I shall inherit Lord Worthy’s estates.”
I stared. I was really too tired to follow this. “You?”
“Yes,” Sir Charles confirmed. “And Lord Worthy’s estates are, I am sure, worth more than yours ever were—despite his being a poor manager of his affairs. I, however, am not and I am already wealthy enough for my needs.” He took a deep breath. “I shall see my lawyer tomorrow and when all the necessary paperwork has been done, I shall make all I get from Lord Worthy over to you, in recompense for what Lord Worthy misused.”
“You will?” I gasped.
He nodded, looking very bright-eyed.
“But why?” I burst out.
Sir Charles smiled fondly at me. “My dear, I know you do not love me, yet for justice’s sake you saved my very life. How can I do other than see you do not lose by it?”
So there it is. Sir Charles Amesbury will give me Lord Worthy’s estates and even redeem what he can of my own lands. And he said he would petition the Queen to be my guardian and keep good care of them. So from being poor as a church mouse, I am rich again!
Maybe one day I
shall
marry—but it will be for love. My mother always said she loved my father and it was the best of marriages, though it was cut short.
For now? I remain Lady Grace Cavendish, Maid of Honour—and secret Lady Pursuivant! I know that my mother would be proud of that. And
I
cannot think of anything that could make me happier!
addled
— confused, muddled, spoiled
agrimony
— an herb
aiglet
— the metal tip of a lace on a garment, which you thread through holes
Allah
— the Muslim name for God
apothecary
— an Elizabethan chemist
aqua vitae
— brandy
Bedlam
— the major asylum for the insane in London during Elizabethan times—the name came from the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem
bezoar stone
— a hard, stonelike object from a goat’s stomach, used by Elizabethans (unsuccessfully) to cure poisoning
birch
— to beat (birch twigs were often used)
blackwork
— black embroidery on white linen
Board of Green Cloth
— the main administrative body for the Court. It dealt with an inquest if anyone died within one mile of the Queen’s person.
bodice
— the top part of a woman’s dress
borage
— an herb
Boy King
— King Edward VI, Elizabeth’s brother, who died young
brocade
— a rich, gold-embroidered fabric
bum
— bottom
bumroll
— a sausage-shaped piece of padding worn round the hips to make them look bigger
canions
— showy fabric leggings, a little like shorts, worn by men
casket
— a small decorative box
cinnabar
— a red compound of mercury and sulfur, used as red coloring for lips, cheeks, painting, etc.
City Fathers
— the rulers of the City of London
close-stool
— a portable toilet comprising a seat with a hole in it on top of a box with a chamber pot inside
cloth of estate
— a kind of awning that went over the Queen’s chair to indicate that she was the monarch
cloth of silver/gold
— cloth woven from silk thread that had been wrapped in fine gold or silver wire
commoner
— anyone who did not hold the rank of gentleman or higher and therefore did not have a coat of arms
crayfish
— a shellfish a little like a lobster but smaller
damask
— a beautiful, self-patterned silk cloth woven in Flanders. It originally came from Damascus—hence the name.
daybooke
— a book in which you would record your sins each day so that you could pray about them. The idea of keeping a diary or journal grew out of this. Grace uses her daybooke as a journal.
djinni
— an Arabic word for a mischievous spirit—also known as a djinn or genie
doublet
— a close-fitting padded jacket worn by men
dugs
— breasts
eringo
— sea holly, a plant that grows by the sea. It was eaten pickled or candied and thought to have some medicinal properties as well as being a food.
false front
— a pretty piece of material sewn to the front of a plain petticoat so that it would show under the kirtle
farthingale
— a bell- or barrel-shaped petticoat held out with hoops of whalebone
Grace-and-Favour Chambers
— rooms provided to important courtiers by the Queen
Guise
— the House of Guise, which was the royal family of France
handfasted
— formally engaged to be married
harlot
— a prostitute
hose
— tight-fitting cloth trousers worn by men
hoyden
— a tomboy
Huguenots
— French Christians who followed the Protestant, rather than the Roman Catholic, Church
kirtle
— the skirt of an Elizabethan dress
kohl
— black eye makeup
Lady Dowager mother
— a widow who retains the title “Lady” even though her husband’s title has passed to his son and heir
Lady Hoby
— one of the Queen’s favorite Ladies-in-Waiting
Lady-in-Waiting
— one of the ladies who helped to look after the Queen and kept her company
laudanum
— an opium tincture in alcohol used to aid sleep
Lord Chamberlain
— the man in charge of security and entertainment at court
lye
— an ingredient in soap. It is strongly alkaline and was used for cleaning.
lying at
— sleeping at
lying-in chamber
— a room where a woman would give birth
madrigals
— beautiful part-songs, which were very fashionable
Maid of Honour
— a younger girl who helped to look after the Queen like a Lady-in-Waiting
manchet rolls
— whole wheat bread
marchpane subtlety
— a sculpture made out of marzipan and then colored
marmelada
— a very thick jammy sweet often made from quinces
marten
— fur from a marten, a small carnivorous animal
Mary Shelton
— one of Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honor (a Maid of Honor of this name really did exist; see below). Most Maids of Honor were not officially “Ladies” (like Lady Grace), but they had to be born of gentry.
mead
— an alcoholic drink made with honey
megrim
— a migraine headache
Mr. Rackmaster Norton
— the torturer
Papist
— a rude word for a Catholic
Paris Garden
— an Elizabethan leisure garden beside the Thames that featured all kinds of entertainments
partlet
— a very fine embroidered false top that covered just the shoulders and the upper chest
pate
— head
pattens
— wooden clogs worn to keep fine shoes out of the mud
penner
— a small leather case that would attach to a belt. It was used for holding quills, ink, knife, and any other equipment needed for writing.
pennyroyal mint
— an herb
plague
— a virulent disease that killed thousands
poignard
— an extremely sharp, long, thin blade sometimes used for dueling
posset
— a hot drink made from sweetened and spiced milk curdled with ale or wine
potherbs
— vegetables
Presence Chamber
— the room where Queen Elizabeth would receive people
Privy Garden
— Queen Elizabeth’s private garden
Privy Parlour
— Queen Elizabeth’s private parlor
pulses
— the beats of the heart
pursuivant
— a follower or attendant who pursues someone else
Queen’s Guard
— more commonly known as the Gentlemen Pensioners—young noblemen who guarded the Queen from physical attacks
religious wars
— conflicts arising from religious differences
sallet
— salad
scurvy
— an affliction brought on by lack of vitamin C in the diet
Secretary Cecil
— William Cecil, an administrator for the Queen (later made Lord Burghley)
Shaitan
— the Islamic word for Satan, though it means a trickster and a liar rather than the ultimate evil
shift
— a polite name for a smock
sippet
— a piece of bread, buttered and lightly grilled, from which meat was eaten. The sippet soaked up the meat juices.
smallpox
— a nasty, often fatal disease, whose pustules healed and left scars
smock
— a neck-to-ankles linen shirt worn by women
staging stable
— a stable where horses were kept temporarily when on the way to somewhere else
stays
— the boned, laced bodice worn around the body under the clothes. Victorians called the stays a corset.
stews
— public baths
Stone Gallery
— a passageway at the Palace of Whitehall that led to the Queen’s chambers
strumpet
— a prostitute
sucket
— a sweet
sugar plate
— sugar candy that could be molded like modeling clay, then dried and colored
sweetmeats
— sweets
tansy
— an herb
tides of the blood
— the Elizabethans believed that the blood flowed in tides in the body, like the sea.
Tilting Yard
— an area where knights in armor would joust or tilt (i.e., ride at each other on horseback with lances)
tincture
— a solution of a substance in alcohol
tinder box
— a small box containing some quick-burning tinder, a piece of flint, a piece of steel, and a candle for making fire and thus light
tiring woman
— a woman who helped a lady to dress
toothcloth
— a coarse cloth, often beautifully embroidered, used for rubbing teeth clean
truckle bed
— a small bed on wheels stored under the main bed
tumbler
— an acrobat
Verge of the Court
— anywhere within a mile of the Queen’s person
virginals
— an instrument, similar to a harpsichord, played by Queen Elizabeth
vomitus
— vomit (noun)
watch candle
— a night-light
watersteps
— steps leading down to the river Thames
wherry
— a Thames boat
white lead
— lead carbonate, used for white paint and makeup
Withdrawing Chamber
— the Queen’s private rooms