FLAME OF DESIRE (52 page)
Authors: Katherine Vickery
“But why?”
Richard shrugged his shoulders. “She lied to Seton all of these years to fan the flames of his hatred and make him a useful tool in her hands. It was an evil deed, but it worked well. And later when she came under the employ of Northumberland, they both could see how Seton’s hatred of my father, of my family, could be used well. All this time Seton’s hatred has been misdirected. It was not my father who shunned him, but the man whose foul deeds he acted upon who was his true enemy.”
“And what of this charge that you are a traitor?” Rafael asked, holding Tabitha close.
“Perricincle found two of Seton’s men, the very ones who held me prisoner. They were comrades in the wars and Perriwincle has persuaded them to tell the truth of the matter. It was Seton who was traitor and not I.”
Richard enfolded Heather into his arms. They had their entire lifetime to be together, many sunsets, many dawns, rain and sunshine. Love truly had conquered all.
EPILOGUE
November 1558
The bells of the nearby church pealed. The queen was dead, long live the new queen. Heather stood at the window of the manor in Norfolk, looking at the snow. It promised to be a hard winter this year; already it was unseasonably cold, with the frost in the early morn and the shivering, dazzling powder of white now touching the earth.
Had it really been four years since she had thought her life ended? It hardly seemed possible and yet it was. Four years.
But I am happy, she thought. I can withstand any storm now that Richard and I are together. They were married now, with two little ones in the cradle. First had come little Anne, named after Heather’s friend who had suffered martyrdom, and next had come the son Richard had so wanted—Edward, named for his uncle, who had also been a victim of others’ treachery. Walking from the window, Heather peered down at their sleeping faces. Anne had a head of black hair and blue eyes like her father, while Edward seemed to be the image of Rodrigo, with Heather’s gray eyes and red hair.
“My family,” she heard Richard say, and turning around welcomed him into her arms. Reaching down to touch the soft hair of their elder child, they said a prayer of thankfulness, remembering the events of the last years.
Undine had confessed that under Hugh Seton’s orders she had poisoned not only Edlyn but also Edward VI. There were others who had testified to Seton’s treachery and villainy, and at last Mary Tudor had seen the truth, turning
from
the man as surely as she had turned
to
him. Richard had been given back his lands and Hugh Seton condemned for his misdeeds. It was he who lost his life by hanging, and though Heather hated to see anyone suffer, when she remembered all that Seton had done because of his hatred, she had conceded that justice had been done after all. Matty had stepped forward to tell how kind Heather had always been to Edlyn, and Mary, who had once scorned Heather, had taken her once again to her bosom.
Again Heather heard the bells and felt a great sadness for the woman who had been queen. In many ways Mary had been a good queen. Her reign had begun with such hope but it had ended in disillusionment. Now she was gone. What would Elizabeth bring to England? Only time would tell. Heather wondered what would be written of Mary’s reign. Would only the evil be recorded for posterity? Would none remember Mary’s gentleness, her forgiveness in those early months? She had been by nature merciful until the rebellion which nearly took her life and caused so much heartache for everyone.
Heather felt Richard tighten his arms about her and looked into his eyes. “I was thinking about how happy Mary was to welcome Philip in that summer when we were pardoned and taken again to court. Remember?”
“How could I forget? The weather in England was dreadful, and when Philip landed I remember thinking that the pouring rain might be a bad omen somehow. Our new king was drenched to the bone as he reached Winchester. A tragic beginning to a sad marriage.”
“Poor Mary. She was not to be as lucky as I. There was none of the love in Philip’s eyes that you show to me. Queen or not, I pitied her.” If it was a marriage of convenience as far as the new king was concerned, one look at Mary’s face had proved that it was a matter of adoration for her. She had finally met her husband, a man from her mother’s beloved country and therefore so much more precious to her, a dream come true. Married at last after a lonely life of suffering.
“Pity her? I suppose. And yet it is difficult for me to forget what she did. The burnings.” Heather felt Richard’s muscles tighten and remembered how tortured he had been. Two hundred and eighty-three had been burned in less than four years, and while he had been able to save many lives he still felt that on this matter he had been a failure. Some of the reformed faith had fled into exile, but many had stayed and died, those of humble origins as well as scholars and people of renown. What had prompted the renewed vigor of the burning of heretics? Was it because the queen thought herself with child and wanted the dynasty secured? Or was it her zeal after restoring the pope once again as head of the English church? Would they ever really know for certain? And now Elizabeth was queen.
Heather picked up her son in her arms. Poor Mary, to have been denied this blessing, the wonder of motherhood. She had died childless, leaving England in the hands of the sister she had resented.
“Heather, let me hold my grandson,” Blythe said softly, coming up behind them and taking the baby. The change in her mother was staggering. No longer meek and mild, she spoke her mind freely and was even known to disagree openly with Thomas upon occasion. As for Thomas, he was no more the overbearing and miserly man. Fearful lest he lose Blythe’s love, he now treated her like the Queen of England herself. Nothing was too good for her. Where there had been only two servants, now there was a household staff of ten, as befitted their prosperity, he had said.
“He is going to be another Rodrigo,” Blythe murmured, looking at the baby. “A charming man who will steal many hearts, eh, Richard?” She cradled the baby close to her breast as if remembering another baby a time long ago.
Heather wondered if her mother ever regretted her decision to stay with Thomas and decided she had not. She was happy now and told Heather often that she would never have been happy in Spain even with Rodrigo. Perhaps she might have been happy in her youth, but she had made her home in England and was no longer an adventurer, but a settled matron. Rodrigo had returned to Spain, saddened by the fate which had torn him from the arms of the woman he loved, but happy to have found his daughter at last.
As if reading her daughter’s mind, Blythe whispered, “I still love Rodrigo. He is your father and will always be the love of my youth, but I made the right choice. I am content.”
“As am I,” Heather said softly, looking into the eyes of her husband. She felt an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness. She had everything she had ever hoped and dreamed of. If only the new queen would not tear her husband from her arms and bring him far away to the court. “Richard…” He silenced her words with a kiss. Even after four years of marriage his very touch caused her heart to stir.
At last he pulled away and she was shaken by the passion she read in his eyes. “I know what you are thinking, my love. That Elizabeth will bid me to come to court. But have no fear on that score. I have served one queen faithfully and now it is my time to live my life in peace. No longer will I be the queen’s rebel. My heart is here and will always be.” The bells rang again and she knew in her heart that all would be well.
AUTHOR BIO
Katherine Vickery is the pseudonym used by the mother/daughter writing team of Marcia Vickery Hockett and Kathy Kramer. Additional pseudonyms are Kathryn Kramer and Kathryn Hockett. These prolific authors have written a total of 40 historical romance novels which have been translated into German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Japanese and Hebrew. They have won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award several years in a row.
A current project is formatting all 40 book into the ebook format. To date 32 have been completed including:
Notorious, Lady Rogue, Midsummer Night’s Desire, Desire’s Deception, Highland Bride, Pirate Bride, Love’s Blazing Ecstasy, Desire’s Masquerade, Desire’s Disguise, and Flame From the Sea
(Kathryn Kramer);
Desire of the Heart, Arrow to the Heart, Flame Across the Highlands,
(Katherine Vickery
); Gentle Warrior, Outrageous, Indigo Sea, Highland Destiny, Masquerade, Sweet Savage Surrender, River of Desire
(Hockett), The Pendants of Ragnar series:
Outcast, Conqueror, Explorer
; and the Women of the West series:
Outlaw Seduction, Cherokee’s Caress, Renegade Lady and The Legend’s Lady
(Hockett)--now available in ebook format for the Kindle.
Flame of Desire
received the Romantic Times – Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Tudor Historical Romance.
Indigo Sea
(Hockett) is the sequel and continues the saga of the Morgan family—Anne and Edward. History has always been of interest to Kathryn and is reflected in both her writing and her collection of 3,000 historically costumed dolls. Kathy and Marcia have done extensive genealogy for the Vickery, MacQuarie and Hockett families and a few characters are based upon these ancestors. Kathryn makes her home in Boulder, Colorado—the location of the magnificent Flatirons Mountains.
Table of Contents
PART TWO: The Pain and the Passion