The Angel’s Mark (Nicholas Shelby) by Perry S.W

Author:Perry, S.W. [Perry, S.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical mystery, Watch
Publisher: Corvus

The court has spent Christmas at Greenwich Palace. The Cecils, father and son, wait on the broad water-front terrace for the barge that will carry them upriver to their house at Covent Garden. The drizzle has turned the land, the sky and the river into a world of unpolished pewter.

‘I’m not sorry to have seen the back of that year, Robert,’ Burghley tells his son as he pulls his cloak closer to keep out the damp. His age and failing health have made dealing with Elizabeth’s ever-growing cantankerousness a trial he can do without. ‘I suppose we may thank our Saviour for keeping the Spanish too busy with their meddling in the Low Countries to send a fleet against us again. And Ireland is relatively quiet for once. I will pray long and hard for God’s help to endure whatever this new year has planned for us.’

‘My prayers are simple, Father, and brief,’ says Robert. ‘No plague. No plots.’

‘Ah, the simplicity of youthful hopes,’ Burghley says with a wry smile. ‘Perhaps I should consider casting off some of the burden the queen expects me to carry. I might even seek her leave to retire to Theobalds – hand it all to those who still have the vigour.’

Vigour. Never is Robert Cecil more conscious of his crooked back and his twisted legs than when his father tries not to mention them. Through gritted teeth he says, ‘You’d miss it, Father – the thrill of the battle. It’s in your blood. And there’s still work to be done.’

‘There’s always work in England for a queen’s servant, Robert.’

‘Do I not work, Father? She knows how hard, yet there is not even a knighthood in sight. I am Burghley’s son, yet I am unrecognized.’

‘It will come, Robert. Be patient. Perhaps this year.’

‘Does she not understand the extent of the labour? How long does she think it will take us to smoke the last of the Bishop of Rome’s vermin out of their priest-holes?’

Burghley favours his son with a wise but quizzical frown. ‘Does any one of these vermin have a name, perchance?’

‘Aye, John Lumley.’ Robert chews the name like a sour fruit. ‘Perhaps if I make a present of Nonsuch to the queen, she’ll be a little more appreciative of my efforts on her behalf.’

‘Well, we both know how much she likes presents. But remember, greed is a mortal sin,’ warns old Burghley with just the hint of a chuckle. His own piety has not prevented him making a fortune out of serving Elizabeth.

‘Her father built Nonsuch. It was her favourite house when she was a child. Imagine how grateful she’ll be when a Cecil gives it back to her.’

‘And you expect John Lumley simply to hand you the keys?’

‘I live in the hope; but I also plan.’

‘And what of Lumley himself? What do you intend for him?’

‘Cast down for the papist traitor we both know him to be.’ The Burghley barge, a gilded Venetian wonder festooned with silk cushions and curtains, glides up to a flight of stone steps.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.