the Bloody Tower that night, shortly before Raleigh had been sent to his death. He hardly needed the services of his mother’s seer, Dr Lambe: his spies were everywhere.
Before they turned into the narrow passageway that led to the Thames, Frances saw something move in the doorway of a large house. She stopped abruptly, heart hammering. But then she saw a girl curled up on the steps. She was about George’s age, Frances judged. The child’s eyes stared up at her from the gloom and she held out her hand in supplication. Frances pressed a coin into it. But they must hurry. Despite her assurances to the earl, there was little time.
The riverside was in darkness, with just a solitary brazier glowing dimly on the landing stage ahead. Their breath misted in the chill air as they stood peering across the dark water. None of the mansions on the southern bank were visible, and Frances envied those who slept peacefully within. As they drew closer to the wooden platform, she smelt the sharp tang of tobacco and soon afterwards heard the low murmur of voices. Two men turned at the sound of their footsteps.
Lord Rutland tried to sound calm as he asked them to take him to St Paul’s. Frances saw the boatmen’s eyes flick from him to the boy in his arms. She pulled her hood further over her head and kept her eyes downcast. One nodded and led them towards his boat. As they climbed in, Frances took care to keep her face turned away. Neither she nor Lord Rutland spoke, and the only sound was of the steady, rhythmic creak of the oars as they sliced through the dark waters.
The journey seemed to take an age. Frances glanced up at the sky, fearing it was lightening. Her eyes were growing accustomed to the darkness, that was all. She glanced at the boy, who was asleep, as peaceful as an angel. It would have been better for him to stay in the warmth of Whitefriars for several more days before the long journey back to Belvoir, but the risk was too great. We can find hidden treasure. Though she knew better than to believe in his tricks and illusions, she felt as if Dr Lambe’s eyes were following her.
At last, she saw the dark outline of St Paul’s tower ahead. She motioned to Lord Rutland, who followed her gaze. A few minutes later, they had drawn level with the landing stage. Frances stepped out, then helped her companion and his son.
‘Wait for me here,’ she said to the boatman, ignoring his curious stare as she handed him a small purse. Glancing around, she led Lord Rutland and his son towards the crossroads that lay on the northern side of the cathedral. Every step seemed to echo in the silent streets as they hastened along, Frances’s eyes darting left and right. But she kept them fixed ahead as they passed St Paul’s churchyard, where some of the Powder Treason plotters had met their grisly ends. She must not think of that now.
To her relief, as Paternoster Row opened out into a large square, she could see several carriages, each lit by a lantern. A coachman jumped down from the one closest to them and doffed his cap. Frances handed him the coffer she had been carrying and he held open the door so that Lord Rutland could climb in. Frances watched as he laid the sleeping boy on the seat opposite his own. It would be three days at least before they reached Belvoir – more, perhaps, if the snow continued to thaw and the roads turned to mud. But they would be clear of the city’s walls by daybreak and, God willing, the danger would recede with each passing mile.
As she made to step down from the carriage, Lord Rutland clasped her hand and pressed it to his lips. ‘God go with you,’ he whispered, his eyes alight with fear.
‘And with you.’
She watched as the coachman climbed onto his seat and, with a sharp tug on the reins, urged the horses forward. The clatter of their hoofs sounded in her ears as she hastened back towards the river.
The boatman was still standing on the landing stage when she arrived – she had smelt his tobacco as she approached. Peering into the shadows to reassure herself that she had not been observed, she climbed into the small vessel and drew her cloak around her as the man began to