Queen Without a Crown (32 page)

I said: ‘The work I do – did – for Elizabeth and Cecil always seems to end in someone’s death.’

‘If someone doesn’t do it for them, the deaths could be theirs. Cecil is your friend. And Elizabeth is both your queen and your sister.’

‘I know. But I have done enough. Others can take the work on now.’

‘That Papal Bull hasn’t been issued yet,’ said Hugh thoughtfully. ‘Do you think it will be?’

‘Yes. I had a letter from Cecil yesterday. He has eyes and ears in Rome, as he seems to have everywhere. It will be issued at any moment. It will certainly cause trouble,’ I said grimly.

I stood looking at Mark’s letter but no longer seeing it. The air was warm, the garden lush, but the thought of what might happen when Pope Pius the Fifth issued the decree – which would present hundreds of respectable people with the choice between treason and damnation – sent a chill through my veins.

‘I am not going to become entangled with the business, this time, though,’ I said. ‘Nor ever again. I have served my turn, Hugh. I’ll go hunting no more. My days as a huntress are over.’

‘You are sure?’

‘I am sure.’ Then I said: ‘I am happy to settle for a quiet life. Let us finish our walk round the garden. And then, shall we sit on the terrace and have a game of chess?’

THE ROBSART MYSTERY

THE DOUBLET AFFAIR

QUEEN’S RANSOM

TO RUIN A QUEEN

QUEEN OF AMBITION

A PAWN FOR THE QUEEN

THE FUGITIVE QUEEN

THE SIREN QUEEN