time came for her possessions to be moved from the palace after her death, her servants would discover that the jewels were missing and the hue and cry would be raised. I would flee the kingdom – making sure that I was seen boarding a ship bound for Calais – and let people come to the natural conclusion that I had stolen them. The Queen personally arranged my protection in France – she had many friends here,’ she added, her voice laced with pride. ‘I trusted her with my life – just as she trusted you with it many years before, Lady Tyringham.’
Frances nodded her acknowledgement.
‘Her Grace knew that her husband would send men to hunt me down, but that he would eventually relinquish the search. He has none of her steadfastness.’ Her lips pursed with disapproval. ‘I pledged to remain here until her son becomes king. Only then will I return and restore the jewels to him. Neither the Queen nor I had reckoned on his trying to recover them sooner.’
‘It is with good reason,’ Frances said, choosing her words carefully. ‘The King’s life depends upon it, Lady Ruthven.’ She saw the fleeting shock in the older woman’s eyes and pressed home her advantage. ‘There are those about His Majesty who are intent upon forging an alliance with France through a marriage between the prince and King Louis’s sister. They pretend to be acting to restore England to the Catholic faith, but their ambitions do not extend beyond their own aggrandisement, however it is attained.’
‘You mean the Duke of Buckingham, I presume. I am not as ignorant of worldly affairs as my sisters here.’
‘Yes, and he will stop at nothing to get what he desires. It seems the Marquis de Châteauneuf has promised him a share of the Queen’s jewels if he brings about this alliance. Only the King stands in his way – he is reluctant to see his son married to a Roman Catholic. But the duke has proven many times in the past that he will not suffer any impediment to his ambition.’
Lady Ruthven grew pale. ‘If what you say is true, Lady Tyringham, I cannot but think it is as the late Queen would have wished: her heretic husband removed from power and his kingdom restored to the true faith.’
‘But at what cost? England would be subject to the will of a greater tyrant than King James. Buckingham does the devil’s work, not God’s. It would not be long before he coveted the throne itself. And if the late Queen’s jewels fall into his hands, he will have the power to take it.’
‘There is no reason to suppose they will,’ Lady Ruthven persisted. ‘I have lived here unmolested by the marquis or his spies for five years. I am safe in God’s house.’
‘Not for much longer,’ Frances countered. ‘A trusted friend has received intelligence that the marquis’s agent will soon take you. Even if the jewels are not in your keeping, as you claim, he will wrest their whereabouts from you by whatever means.’
‘I will never tell,’ the older woman insisted, raising her chin in defiance, though her eyes betrayed her fear.
‘A person might confess to anything under torture – I have learned that to my cost,’ Frances said quietly, thinking back to that dark chamber in the Tower. ‘Can you take the risk?’ she added, holding her gaze. When the older woman made no reply, Frances decided to change tack. ‘Lady Ruthven, by restoring the jewels to Prince Charles now, you will still be honouring your promise to the late Queen. Even if the King is saved from Buckingham’s murderous schemes, he cannot draw breath for much longer. He is an old man and riddled with sickness. What difference will a few months make – less, perhaps?’
At length, the woman’s expression changed. ‘Very well,’ she said. ‘But I will recover the jewels myself, as I pledged.’
‘Are they far from here?’ Frances asked, remembering Lady Ruthven’s earlier remark and fearing that by the time she had them and returned to England it would be too late.
Her companion gave a slow smile. ‘They never left Hampton Court.’
Darkness had fallen by the time Frances stole out of the Abbaye du Saint-Benoit with Lady Ruthven, both shrouded in heavy cloaks. Felton was waiting with the horses close to the gatehouse, but hidden from view, as arranged. Frances had urged that they set out as soon as her conference with Lady Ruthven was at an end, but he had