“Oh, I would not be surprised at that any day. Last week at Nonesuch the Queen and he were happy and flirtatious together; then one or other says the wrong thing; a great quarrel arises and Essex stalks off in a passion. When I left the Queen was agitated, touchy, would fly into anger at the least thing. When Essex returns, as maybe he will have done ore now, she will rant and curse at him like a fish-wife, but then will come the reconciliation, and just after the reconciliation is the time when she grants him new distinction.”
Sir Henry looked across the big room to where his beautiful wife was sitting before the fire plucking at her lute.
“The Queen gave orders that Christmas was to be spent at Whitehalclass="underline" the whole Court has been half packed and in a fret to be gone. Three times they have called the carrier in charge of the wagons to move the royal furniture and ward-robes, and three times she haye changed her mind. It will depend on Essex what sort of Christmas the Court will enjoy.”
“You spoke of the earl having good brains to guide him,” Mrs Killigrew said.
“Well, yes, I mean advisers, and the wisest of them are my two nephews, Anthony and Francis. Indeed, if he took more heed of their counsel, I think we should have more to fear.”
“We called at Gorhambury on the way down,” said Lady Jael Killigrew. “That mother of theirs!”
“There are many whispers about Francis’s morals,” said Sir Henry with a wry expression. “But Lady Bacon does not whisper, she roars. We were scarce in the house and the door shut on the servants when she burst out, ‘Fornicators and adulterers and perverts shall bring the wrath of God upon ‘eml Francis has no shamel Keeping that bloody Percy as coach companion and bed companion I And those wanton Welsh boys besides. Hell fire will fall upon him, mark my words
“And much more, so very much more,” added his wife. She plucked a note from the lute. “All day the old woman talks me a sermon on the corruptions of the court. As if I do not know ~ “
My father scratched a flea bite on his hand. “You’d have thought the Bacons would have stuck to their own instead of going in with Essex.”
“I have lived too long to believe that relationship or loyalty have any weight in the modern world,” Sir Henry said. “Brother is against brother, friend against friend. It is little for the son of a slain man to become the ardent supporter of the murderer, for husbands and wives to bear witness that will see the other to the block. There are only two motives which reign undisputed, advancement and survival.”
“You’re a thought cynical tonight,” my father said. “And I’ve no doubt you’re right … The Queen looked well, but she grows no younger. Whatever comes now, she is the last of the Tudor line.”
There was a short silence.
“And what follows? James of Scotland? Arabella Stewart? Philip of Spain?”
Sir Henry’s face took on its closed-up look. “The Queen is only 59. Who knows what changes a few years may bring?”
“I wish it would bring peace with Spain,” my father said. “You’d think that even Philip would see the war’s not paying either of us to continue.”
“There are always feelers out,” said Sir Henry, still cautious. “The peace party in both countries is growing.”
“Is it true that another Armada is building?” Dorothy Killigrew asked.
“Our spies say so.”
“Even more reason why we should come to a just agreement before it sets sail,” said my father. “The last one missed success by a narrower margin than is trumpeted abroad.”
A log rolled from the fire, and I moved quickly to push it back, then shrank back into the corner lest I should be noticed and sent away. The new flames cast a flickering light on Lady Jael’s white hands.
‘Yt’s always a mystery to me,” my father was saying, “how the Spanish soldiers have such superiority on land while we hold it at sea. Think you it was all Parma’s doing?”
“I am not so sure either will hold good that much longer,” said Sir Henry, “since each nation is learning, from the other.
“It is discipline, technique, leadership that tells. Often we’ve showed ourselves superior in courage but the organising has been inferior. But we’ve learned and are still learning.”
A servant Rose it was came in with a pottle of canary sack, which my stepmother preferred to the heavier wine the others were drinking. Sir Henry got up and knocked out his pipe and refilled it. I watched him fascinated; no one in our family yet smoked.
Lady Jael laughed. “What do you do with your life here, Dor’thy? At other times than feasts and festivals. Are you not so so quiet? So on a desert island?”
“I have my books,” said Mrs Killigrew. “And many tasks pleasant tasks in this house. There is no town near by, but this is a town, this house, the people who live here, within the palisades. It is just the same but in a smaller, more closer way, for everyone is known to us and we are known to everyone.”
“Well, I think it would not suit me for a long time, though I grant you it has more of the rest and the beauty than Lothbury, eh? Soon I should sigh for noises and laughter in the streets.”
My father grunted. “Ralegh said last time he was here why did we not build a town in the arm of the river. There’s ample space for docks and warehousing. I’ve thought of it myself since. It would give me pleasure if it cut the throat of Penryn.”
“On fine Sundays now,” said Lady Jael, “it is quite the height of the fashion after service at St Paul’s to climb up upon the roof and stroll for the air and the view.”
“Men do not build towns,” said Sir Henry, “towns grow where there is need for them. If Penryn were not there there might be reason for one to come into being at the mouth of the river. Not otherwise, I should have thought.”
“Yet I’m not sure,” said my father. “There is a Dartmouth, there is a Plymouth, there is an Exmouth … Why not a Falmouth? It would be profitable for us as a family, but I fancy it would need a greater outlay of money than I could ever gather. I will sound William sometime. He has the Queen’s ear.”
“You will get no help from William,” said Sir Henry, with that affectionate asperity with which he spoke of his brother. “William is knee deep in debt, though prospering withal. The Queen might lend an ear but she will certainly lend nothing else unless she sees hope of profit. Her funds at present are stretched to fortify her coasts, not to build new towns for the Spaniards to sack.”
My father drained his cup. “Our best hope is peace. And in the meantime … well Christmas is upon us! Sing us a song, Jael. It is the Eve tomorrow.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Many times since 1592 I have celebrated Christ’s birthday in happiness, in sorrow, and under the stark severity of the narrowest puritans, but this was the only one of its kind. My father shrugged off such minor problems as his evergrowing debts: money had come in and he spent it. Perhaps he remennbered the days of his own youth when life had been easy for the head of the house; perhaps he only remembered his early Christmasses with a child’s memory and tried to recapture something that had never been.
Lady Killigrew, my grandmother, had not been well while she was away, and spent much of Christmas in her room; this freed my father and perhaps all of us from some restraint.
On Christmas Eve Mrs Gertrude Arundell and Jack Arundell arrived from Trerice. Then came Digby Bonython and his sister Alice from Cardew, and a few minutes after them Hugh and Grace Boscawen from Tregothnan. Hugh was two months younger than I, but Grace was 24 and unmarried.
After dinner two of our cousins arrived from Fowey, Tresithney and Abel Treffry. Tresithney was 21 and Abel was 15. We waited then and that was all until dark. At six, when we were sitting down to supper Mr and Mrs Richard Carew came with their daughter Gertrude and her husband to be, young Jonathan Arundell of Tolverne. Sir Anthony and Lady Arundell had not come, nor Thomas, so it looked as if we were but part forgiven for my attack on him. I did not mind because in the party that arrived was Sue Farnaby …