the embers of the fire. He sucked on it deeply, then blew out a long plume of smoke. Frances had loved the earthy smell ever since she had been a girl and had watched, mesmerised, as her father had prepared the tobacco, rubbing it between his fingers before pressing it down into his pipe. Five years had passed since his death but she missed him keenly. She knew she always would.
‘I have petitioned His Majesty to release me from this place so that I might undertake an expedition in his name,’ Sir Walter began. ‘For several years now he has been obsessed with the idea of finding El Dorado.’
‘The City of Gold?’ Frances could not keep the scorn from her voice. She had heard many outlandish tales about the mythical kingdom from returning adventurers, eager to entice their patrons into funding a fresh voyage. Raleigh himself had undertaken one during the closing years of Elizabeth’s reign, journeying to the furthermost edge of Africa with the promise of bountiful riches echoing in his ears. His fleet had returned laden with nothing more than some brightly coloured silks and caskets of exotic spices. Her mother had told of the Queen’s fury. But it had not deterred Raleigh from launching another expedition the following year, with no more success.
‘Surely you do not still believe that it exists,’ Frances said, incredulous.
Sir Walter’s mouth twitched. ‘The beliefs of a humble subject are of no consequence next to those of a king. If His Grace desires it, then I shall set sail as soon as a fleet can be assembled.’
Frances regarded him closely. ‘You plan to escape by this means?’
Raleigh clicked his tongue and affected a wounded expression. ‘You think me so faithless a subject, my lady? No, I will be true to my word. King James is plagued by fear that his rival the King of Spain will reach the city first. I have therefore pledged to intercept Philip’s fleet before it leaves the port at Cádiz.’
‘Intercept . . . or join it, perhaps,’ Frances wondered.
Raleigh did not answer at first, but his eyes glistened with triumph. ‘Your mind is as sharp as ever, my dear,’ he said eventually. ‘The expedition to El Dorado will indeed be a joint venture between King Philip and me. The gold that we find there will enable us to assemble the mightiest fleet in history. King James’s navy will be as child’s boats fashioned from parchment. We will blow it away – thus,’ he said, puffing out one of the candles on the fireplace.
‘Nobody has yet succeeded in finding the City of Gold,’ Frances pointed out. ‘You yourself failed more than twenty years ago.’
Sir Walter’s smile did not waver. ‘Ah, but I discovered enough to convince me of its existence. I will not fail a third time. And with its riches, King Philip and I will set James’s son Charles upon the throne.’
Frances thought of the pale-faced young man whom she had seen at the feast three weeks before. Though he was his father’s heir, she could not imagine him ever growing in strength enough to wield power over the kingdom. But perhaps therein lay his appeal for Philip: the boy would be little more than a puppet, just as his elder sister Elizabeth would have been if the Powder Treason had succeeded. ‘What has this to do with me?’ she persisted, her voice edged with impatience.
‘At present, the King’s mistrust of me is proving stronger than his desire for riches. I require those who wield influence to speak on my behalf.’
Frances looked doubtful. ‘You cannot think that I enjoy such influence. Even when I served his daughter, I was powerless to sway his opinions.’
Sir Walter sucked at his pipe. ‘Ah, but the same is not true of your husband, I think.’
‘I will not involve Thomas in this,’ she snapped. ‘I returned to court to help him, not plunge him into even greater danger.’ She stopped, angry with herself for having said that much.
Raleigh’s eyes searched hers, but he did not press her to explain. ‘Any man would rejoice to have such a faithful wife,’ he said, without a trace of irony. ‘But Sir Thomas is not the only man who has the King’s ear. I have heard much of young Villiers.’
Frances sniffed. ‘You cannot hope for assistance from that quarter. Sir George serves only himself.’
Raleigh blew out another long plume of smoke. ‘Then I must find a way to persuade him that he stands to gain from the