The Winter Queen

Rosamund swept her gaze over the crowd, the chattering hoard who played cards at tables along the tapestry-lined walls, or just chatted, seemingly careless and idle. But their glances were bright and sharp, missing nothing.

‘How will I know who is who?’ she murmured.

Mistress Parry laughed. ‘Oh, believe me, Lady Rosamund—you will learn who is who soon enough.’

A man emerged from the next chamber, tall, lean and dark, clad in a brilliant peacock-blue satin doublet. He glanced at no one from his burning-black eyes, yet everyone quickly cleared a path for him as he stalked away.

‘And that is the first one you must know,’ Mistress Parry said. ‘The Earl of Leicester, as he has been since the autumn.’

‘Really?’ Rosamund glanced over her shoulder, but the dark figure had already vanished. So, that was the infamous Robert Dudley! The most powerful man at Court. ‘He did not seem very content.’

Mistress Parry sadly shook her head. ‘He is a fine gentleman indeed, Lady Rosamund, but there is much to trouble him of late.’

‘Truly?’ Rosamund said. She would have thought he would be over the strange death of his wife by now. But then, there were always ‘troubles’ on the horizon for those as lofty and ambitious as Robert Dudley. ‘Such as…?’

‘You will hear soon enough, I am sure,’ Mistress Parry said sternly. ‘Come along.’

Rosamund followed her from the crowded Privy Chamber, through a smaller room filled with fine musical instruments and then into a chamber obviously meant for dining. Fine carved tables and cushioned x-backed chairs were pushed to the dark linen-fold panelled walls along with plate-laden buffets. Rosamund glimpsed an enticing book-filled room, but she was led away from there through the sacred and silent Presence Chamber, into the Queen’s own bedchamber.

And her cold nerves, forgotten in the curiosities of treasures and Lord Leicester, returned in an icy rush. She clutched tightly to the edge of her fur-lined cloak, praying she would not faint or be sick.

The bedchamber was not large, and it was rather dim, as there was only one window, with heavy red-velvet draperies drawn back from the mullioned glass. A fire blazed in the stone grate, crackling warmly and casting a red-orange glow over the space.

The bed dominated the chamber. It was a carved edifice of different woods set in complex inlaid patterns sat up on a dais, piled high with velvet-and-satin quilts and bolsters. The black velvet and cloth-of-gold hangings were looped back and bound with thick gold cords. A dressing table set near the window sparkled with fine Venetian glass bottles and pots, a locked lacquered-cabinet behind it.

There were only a few chairs and cushions scattered about, occupied by ladies in black, white, gold and green gowns. They all read or sewed quietly, but they looked up eagerly at Rosamund’s appearance.

And beside the window, writing at a small desk, was a lady who could only be Queen Elizabeth herself. Now in her thirty-first year, the sixth year of her reign, she was unmistakable. Her red-gold hair, curled and pinned under a small red-velvet and pearl cap, gleamed like a sunset in the gloomy light. She looked much like her portraits, all pale skin and pointed chin, her mouth a small rosebud drawn down at the corners as she wrote. But paintings, cold and distant, could never capture the aura of sheer energy that hung all around her, like a bright, burning cloak. They could not depict the all-seeing light of her dark eyes.

The same dark eyes that smiled down from the portrait of Anne Boleyn, which hung just to the right of the bed.

Queen Elizabeth glanced up, her quill growing still in her hand. ‘This must be Lady Rosamund,’ she said, her voice soft and deep, unmistakably authoritative. ‘We have been expecting you.’

‘Your Grace,’ Rosamund said, curtsying deeply. Much to her relief, both her words and her salute were smooth and even, despite her suddenly dry throat. ‘My parents send their most reverent greetings. We are all most honoured to serve you.’

Elizabeth nodded, rising slowly from her desk. She wore a gown and loose robe of crimson and gold, the fur-trimmed neck gathered close and pinned against the cold day with a pearl brooch She came to hold out her beringed hand, and Rosamund saw that her long, white fingers bore ink stains.

Rosamund quickly kissed the offered hand, and was drawn to her feet. Much to her shock, Elizabeth held onto her arm, drawing her close. She smelled of clean lavender soap, of the flowery pomander at her waist and sugary suckets; Rosamund was suddenly even more deeply aware of her own travel-stained state.

‘We are very glad you have come to our Court, Lady Rosamund,’ the Queen said, studying her closely. ‘We have recently, sadly, lost some of our ladies, and the Christmas season is upon us. We hope you have come eager to help us celebrate.’

Celebrating had been the last thing on Rosamund’s mind of late. But now, faced with the Queen’s steady gaze, she surely would have agreed to anything.

‘Of course, Your Grace,’ she said. ‘I always enjoy the Christmas festivities at Ramsay Castle.’

‘I am glad to hear it,’ the Queen said. ‘My dear Kat Ashley is not in good health, and she seems to live more and more in old memories of late. I want to remind her of the joyful holidays of her youth.’

‘I hope to be of some service, Your Grace.’

‘I am sure you shall.’ The Queen finally released Rosamund’s arm, returning to her desk. ‘Tell me, Lady Rosamund, do you wish to marry? You are very pretty indeed, and young. Have you come to my Court to seek a handsome husband?’

Rosamund heard a quick, sharp intake of breath from one of the ladies, and the room suddenly seemed to go suddenly still and tense. She thought of Richard, of his handsome blue eyes, his futile promises. ‘Nay, Your Grace,’ she answered truthfully. ‘I have not come here to seek a husband.’

‘I am most gladdened to hear it,’ Queen Elizabeth said, folding her graceful hands atop her papers. ‘The married state has its uses, but I do not like to lose my ladies to its clutches. I must have their utmost loyalty and honesty, or there will be consequences—as my wilful cousin Katherine learned.’

Rosamund swallowed hard, remembering the gossip about Katherine Grey, which had even reached Ramsay Castle—married in secret to Lord Hertford, sent to the Tower to bear his child. Rosamund certainly did not want to end up like her!

‘I wish only to serve Your Grace,’ Rosamund said.

‘And so you shall, starting this evening,’ the Queen said. ‘We are having a feast in honour of the Swedish delegation, and you shall be in our train.’

A feast? Already? Rosamund curtsied again. ‘Of course, Your Grace.’

Elizabeth at last released Rosamund from the force of her dark gaze, turning back to her writing. ‘Then you must rest until then. Mistress Percy, one of the other maids of honour, will show you to your quarters.’

A lady broke away from the group by the fireplace, a small, pretty, pert-looking brunette in white silk and a black-velvet sleeveless robe.

Rosamund curtsied one last time to the Queen and said, ‘Thank you, Your Grace, for your great kindness.’

Elizabeth waved her away, and she followed the other girl back into the Presence Chamber.

‘I am Anne Percy,’ she said, linking arms with Rosamund as if they had known each other for months rather than minutes.

Rosamund had no sisters, nor even any close female friends; Ramsay Castle was too isolated for such things. She wasn’t sure what to make of Mistress Percy’s easygoing manner or her open smile, but it was nice to feel she was not quite alone at Court.

‘And I am Rosamund Ramsay,’ she answered, not certain what else to say.

Anne laughed, steering Rosamund around a group of young men who hovered near the doorway. One of them smiled and winked at Anne, but she pointedly turned her head away from him.

‘I know,’ Anne said as they emerged from the Queen’s apartments into the corridor again. ‘We have been talking of nothing but you for days!’

‘Talking of me?’ Rosamund said in astonishment. ‘But I have never been to Court before. And, even if I had, I would look terribly dull next to all the exciting things that happen here.’

Anne gave an unladylike snort. ‘Exciting? Oh, Lady Rosamund, surely you jest? Our days are long indeed, and always much of a sameness. We have been talking of you because we have not seen a new face among the ladies in months and months. We have been counting on you to bring us fresh tales of gossip!’

‘Gossip?’ Rosamund said, laughing. She thought of the long, sweet days at Ramsay Castle, hours whiled away in sewing, reading, playing the lute—devising foolish ways to meet Richard. ‘I fear I have very little of that. No matter what you say, I would vow life in the country is far duller than here at Court. At least you do see people every day, even if they are always the same people.’

‘True enough. At my brother’s estate, I sometimes had to talk to the sheep just to hear my own voice!’ Anne giggled, an infectiously merry sound that made Rosamund want to giggle too.

‘Since I know so little of Court doings, you must tell me all I need to know,’ Rosamund said. ‘Maybe then the tales will seem fresh again.’

‘Ah, now that I can do,’ Anne said. ‘A maid of honour’s duties are few enough, as you will find. We walk with the Queen in the gardens, we go with her to church and stand in her train as she greets foreign envoys. We sew and read with her—and try to duck when she is in a fearsome mood and throws a shoe at us.’

‘Nay?’ Rosamund gasped.

Anne nodded solemnly. ‘Ask Mary Howard where she got that dent in her forehead—and she is even the daughter of the Queen’s great-uncle! But that is only on very bad days. Most of the time she just ignores us.’

‘Then if our duties are so few what do we do with our time?’

‘We watch, of course. And learn.’ Anne paused in the curve of a bow window along the gallery. Below them was an elegant expanse of garden; neat, gravel walkways wound between square beds outlined in low box-hedges. The fountains were still, frozen over in the winter weather, the flowers and greenery slumbering under a light mantel of silvery frost and snow.

But there was no lack of colour and life. Yet more people flowed along the walkways, twining like a colorful snake in pairs and groups, their velvets and furs taking the place of the flowers.

Rosamund recognised Leicester’s peacock-blue doublet, his black hair shining in the grey light. He stood among a cluster of other men, all more sombrely clad than he, and even from that distance Rosamund could still sense the anger etched on his handsome, swarthy face.

‘We have no fewer than three important delegations with us for this Christmas season,’ Anne said. ‘And they all loathe each other. It provides us with much amusement, watching them vie for Her Grace’s attention.’ She lowered her voice to a confiding whisper. ‘They will probably try to persuade you to plead their cause to the Queen.’

‘Do you mean bribes?’ Rosamund whispered back.

‘Oh, aye.’ Anne held out her wrist to display a fine pearl bracelet. ‘But be very careful which faction you choose to have your dealings with, Lady Rosamund.’

‘And what are my choices?’

‘Well, over there you see the Austrians.’ Anne gestured towards one end of the garden, where a cluster of men clad in plain black and gray hovered like a murder of crows. ‘They are here to present the case for their candidate for the Queen’s hand—Archduke Charles. Truly, they are like the new Spanish, since King Philip has given up at last and married his French princess. No one takes them seriously, except themselves. And they are very serious indeed.’

‘How very dreary,’ Rosamund said. ‘Who else?’

‘Over there we have the Scots,’ Anne said, turning to another group. They did not wear primitive plaids, as Rosamund would have half-hoped, but very fashionable silks in tones of jewel-bright purple, green and gold. But then, they did serve a very fashionable queen indeed. Perhaps Queen Mary made them wear French styles.

‘That is their leader, Sir James Melville, and his assistant, Secretary Maitland. And Maitland’s cousin, Master Macintosh,’ Anne continued. ‘They are the tall ones there, with the red hair. They certainly seem more lighthearted than the Austrians. They dance and play cards every night, and Her Grace seems fond of them. But I would not be too open and honest around them.’

‘Why is that? Why are they here? Surely they can have no marriages to propose?’

‘On the contrary. The Queen of Scots is most concerned with her own marriage prospects.’

Rosamund stared down at the Scotsmen in the garden. ‘She seeks an English match? After being married to the King of France?’

‘Perhaps. But not the one Queen Elizabeth would have her make.’

‘What do you mean?’

Anne leaned closer, her voice such a soft whisper Rosamund could hardly make it out. ‘Queen Elizabeth desires Queen Mary to take Robert Dudley as her consort. They say that is why she made him an earl last autumn.’

‘Nay!’ Rosamund gasped. ‘But I thought the Queen herself…?’

Anne nodded. ‘So do we all. It is passing strange. I’m sure Melville thinks so as well, which is why he bides his time here rather than hurrying back to Queen Mary to press such an offer.’

‘So, that is why the Earl stalks about like a thundercloud?’

‘Indeed.’

‘But then who is the third delegation? How do they fit into these schemes?’

Anne laughed delightedly; every hint of the seriousness she’d showed when discussing the Austrians and the Scots vanished. ‘Now, they are a very different matter, the Swedes.’

‘The Swedes?’

‘They are here to present again the suit of their own master, King Eric,’ Anne said. ‘It seems he is in great need of a powerful wife’s assistance, with war looming with both Denmark and Russia, and possibly France, and his own brother scheming against him.’

‘He doesn’t sound like a very attractive marital prospect,’ Rosamund said doubtfully.

‘Oh, not at all! That is why he was already rejected a few years ago. I’m sure Her Grace has no intention of accepting him—or not much.’

‘Then why does she keep his delegation here?’

‘Why, see for yourself!’ Anne pointed as a new group entered the garden through one of the stone archways. They were a handsome gathering indeed, tall and golden, well-muscled in their fine doublets and fur-lined short cloaks, laughing and as powerful as Norse gods entering Valhalla.

And, right in their midst, was the most handsome and intriguing of all—the mysterious Anton, he of the amazing feats on the ice.

He carried his skates slung over his shoulder, shining silver against the black velvet and leather of his doublet. A flat, black velvet cap covered his inky-dark hair, but his radiant smile gleamed in the grey day.

The striking red-haired lady from the pond held onto his arm, staring up at him with a rapt expression on her sharp-featured face, as if her very breath depended on his next word.

Rosamund feared she knew very well how that woman felt. Her own breath was tight in her throat, and her face felt warm despite the chill of the window glass.

Think of Richard, she urged herself, closing her eyes tightly. Yet even as she tried to remember Richard’s summer kisses, the way his arms had felt around her as he pulled her close, all she could see was a man spinning across the winter ice.

‘That is why the Queen keeps them here,’ Anne said. ‘They have proved a great ornament to the Court—almost worth the trouble.’

Rosamund opened her eyes. Anton was still there, whispering in the lady’s ear as she covered her mouth with her gloved hand, no doubt hiding a peal of flirtatious laughter.

‘Trouble?’ she murmured. Oh, aye; she could see where he would be a great deal of trouble, especially to a Court full of bored ladies.

‘The Swedes and the Austrians detest each other,’ Anne said cheerfully. ‘The Queen has had to strictly forbid duels. And I am sure the Scots are involved somehow, though I have not yet devised how.’

‘Oh.’ Rosamund nodded, rather confused. She certainly did have a great deal to learn about Court life! Translating Greek manuscripts was simple compared to the complexities of alliances.

‘That dark one there—Anton Gustavson, his name is,’ Anne said, gesturing to the handsome Anton. ‘He is only half-Swedish, they say. His mother was English. He has come to England not only on behalf of King Eric but on his own errand. His grandfather has left him an estate in Suffolk, a most profitable manor, and he wants to claim it. But he is in dispute with a cousin over the property.’

Rosamund watched as Anton laughed with the lady, the two of them strolling the walkways as if they hadn’t a care in the world. ‘I can scarce imagine a man like that in dispute with anyone. Surely he could charm the very birds of the trees into his hand?’

Anne gave her a sharp glance. ‘You have met Master Gustavson, then?’

Rosamund shook her head. ‘That is merely what I observe from watching him now.’

‘Oh, you must be wary of such observations! Here at Court, appearances are always deceiving. One never shows one’s true nature; it is the only way to survive.’

‘Indeed? And must I be wary of you, too, Mistress Percy?’

‘Of course,’ Anne said happily. ‘My family, you see, is an old and wealthy one, but also stubbornly Catholic. I am here only on sufferance, because my aunt is friends with the Queen. But I will tell you this, Lady Rosamund—I am always an honest source of delicious gossip for my friends.’

Rosamund laughed. ‘Tell me this, then, Mistress Honesty—who is that lady with Master Gustavson? Does he seek an English wife to go along with that new estate?’

Anne peered out of the window again. ‘If he does, he has made a great mistake with that one. That is Lettice Devereaux, Countess of Essex—the Queen’s cousin. Her husband the earl is away fighting the wild Irish, but it does not stop her making merry at Court.’ She tugged at Rosamund’s arm, drawing her away from the window and its enticing view. ‘Come, let me show you our chamber. I will have much more gossip to share before the feast tonight.’

The feast in honour of those same quarrelling delegations, Rosamund remembered as she followed Anne along the corridor. It certainly should be a most interesting evening.

Perhaps if she wrote to Richard about it he would write to her in return? If he ever received the letter, that was. He was a country gentleman, not much interested in labyrinthine Court affairs, but he did enjoy a fine jest. It was one of the things she had liked about him. That was if she still wanted to hear from him, which she was not at all sure of.

Anne led Rosamund back to one of the quieter, narrower halls. It was dark here, as there were no windows, and the torches in their sconces were not yet lit. The painted cloths that hung along the walls swayed as they passed. Rosamund thought surely the intrigues of Court were already affecting her, for she imagined all the schemes that could be whispered of in such a spot.

‘That is the Privy Council Chamber,’ Anne whispered, indicating a half-open door. The room was empty, but Rosamund glimpsed a long table lined with straight-backed chairs. ‘We maids never go in there.’

‘Don’t you ever wonder what happens there?’ Rosamund whispered in return. ‘What is said?’

‘Of course! But Her Grace does not ask our opinion on matters of state. Though she does ask us for news of Court doings, which is much the same thing.’

She tugged on Rosamund’s arm again, leading her into what could only be the chamber of the maids of honour. A long, narrow, rectangular space, it was lined with three beds on each side. They were certainly not as large and grand as the Queen’s own sleeping space. The beds were made of dark, uncarved wood, but they were spread with warm, green velvet-and-wool quilts and hung with heavy, gold-embroidered green curtains. A large clothes chest and a washstand stood by each bed, and the rest of the room was filled with dressing tables and looking glasses.

It was a peaceful enough space now, but Rosamund could imagine the cacophony when six ladies were in residence.

Her maid Jane was at one of the beds on the far end, unpacking Rosamund’s trunks; she clucked and fussed over the creased garments. The satins, velvets, brocades and furs her parents had provided were all piled up in a gleaming heap.

‘Oh, wonderful!’ Anne exclaimed. ‘You are in the bed beside mine. We can whisper at night. It has been so quiet since Eleanor Mortimer left.’

‘What happened to her?’ Rosamund asked, picking up a sable muff that had fallen from the pile of finery.

‘The usual thing, I fear. She became pregnant and had to leave Court in disgrace. She is quite fortunate she didn’t end up in the Tower, like poor Katherine Grey!’ Anne perched on the edge of her own bed, swinging her feet in their satin shoes. ‘Did you mean it when you told the Queen you were not here to find a husband?’

‘Of a certes,’ Rosamund said, thinking again of Richard. Of the letters from him she had never received. One man to worry about at a time was enough.

‘That is very good. You must keep saying that—and meaning it. Marriage without the Queen’s permission brings such great trouble. Oh, Rosamund! You should wear that petticoat tonight, it is vastly pretty…’

Chapter Three

‘She wants you, Anton,’ Johan Ulfson said. He was laughing, yet his tone was tinged with unmistakable envy.

Anton watched Lady Essex stroll slowly away along the garden pathway, her dark-red hair a beacon in the winter day. She peeked back over her shoulder, then swept off with her friends, their laughter drifting back on the cold wind.

He had to laugh, too. The young countess was alluring indeed, with her sparkling eyes, teasing smiles and her claims of vast loneliness with her husband away in Ireland. He could even enjoy the flirtation, the distraction from the hard tasks he carried here at the English Queen’s Court. But he saw it—and Lettice Deveraux—for what they were.

And now he could hardly see the countess’s red hair and lush figure. A vision of silver and ivory, of wide blue eyes, kept overtaking his thoughts. Who was she, that beautiful winter-fairy? Why had she run away so fast, vanishing into the mist and snow before he could talk to her?

How could he ever find her again?

‘You are blind when it comes to a pretty face,’ he told Johan, but he could just as well be talking of himself. ‘The countess has other game in her sights. I am merely a pawn for her.’

He inclined his head towards Lord Leicester, who stood across the garden amid a cluster of his supporters. Everyone at this Court seemed entirely unable to move singly; they had to rove about in packs, like the white wolves of Sweden.

Lady Essex might have her sights firmly on him, but Leicester had his on a far greater prize. It would be amusing to see which of them prevailed.

If Anton would be here to see the end-game at all. He might be settling into his own English estate, the birthright that should have been his mother’s. Or he might be back in Stockholm, walking the perilous tightrope at the court of an increasingly erratic king and his rebellious, ambitious brother. Either way, he had to fulfill his mission now or face unpleasant consequences.

Lady Essex was a distraction, aye, but one he could easily manage. When she was away, he thought not of her. That winter-fairy, though…

Perhaps it was a good thing he did not know who she was, or where to find her. He sensed that she would be one distraction not so easily put away.

‘Pawn or no, Anton, you should take what she offers,’ Johan said. ‘Our days are dull enough here without such amusements as we can find.’

‘Ja,’ Nils Vernerson added, his own stare sweeping over the occupants of the frost-fringed gardens. ‘The Queen will never accept King Eric. She merely plays with us for her amusement.’