Quest of the Highlander (Crowns & Kilts #5) - Cynthia Wright Page 0,93
moment he was back with Nora in the tiny room at Duart Castle, as she beheld his drawing for the first time: “This is us, isn’t it?”
It might be, he realized, a gift that said farewell more eloquently than any words she could have written…
Chapter 26
Whitehall Palace, London
August 1541
“I’d forgotten how terrible the summers can be here in London,” Nora remarked, glancing toward Master Jan Mostinck. He was in charge of all of King Henry VIII’s royal tapestries, and she knew he had hoped to escape the city when the monarch began his Northern Progress at the end of June. Instead, a fever had held him back during the court’s departure, and now it was too late. Trapped in London, he frequently showed his displeasure to those like Nora, who had stayed behind.
Mostinck walked over to stand behind Nora at her loom, where she was repairing a small, frayed tapestry that depicted the Royal Arms of Tudor England.
“It is one of the worst summers I have ever known. So hot! All of London stinks like the open sewers.” He pointed a long, reddened finger at one of the heraldic lions. “Do you see the torn stitch here, on the beast’s eye? I thought I could depend upon you, Widow Lovejoy, to do careful work!”
Nora wanted to tell him that this drudgery was an insult to her very real gifts. When she arrived with Cicely at the Great Wardrobe at Whitehall Palace in late June, Nora had been greeted respectfully by Mostinck and readily given a position among the men who labored in his workrooms. The Flemish tapisier remembered Nora’s father, and when he saw the small, exquisite tapestry she had brought to illustrate her abilities, he had seemed genuinely impressed.
Encouraged about the future, Nora had settled into a small house that the Duke and Duchess of Aylesbury had purchased for Throgmorton’s now-deceased parents. Of course, it would take time to ascend to a high position among the Great Wardrobe’s weavers, but once she convinced Master Mostinck of her talent and determination to work hard, surely Nora would reach her goals. Yet, as the weeks passed, London became stiflingly warm and Nora’s size increased. Her lower back began to ache as she sat weaving for hours at Whitehall, and her longing for Lennox became a shadow over her heart. At least her swollen belly was still hidden under her gown. No one knew her secret yet, except those few of her own choosing.
“I regret that I didn’t see that stitch,” she told Master Mostinck in an even tone. Then, looking up from the loom, Nora summoned her courage and asked, “Sir, have you by chance heard whether the queen is interested in purchasing my tapestry?”
“Tapestry?” he repeated absently.
“Yes, the small one of a maiden with a harp and roses. I’ve been told it is an especially exquisite arras.” Nora wanted to remind him that it had been his idea to take it and show it to Her Majesty himself, but she sensed that his temper was already stretched thin.
The Fleming stroked his short beard. “Ah, yes. I did show it to Her Majesty, but she didn’t care for the lady’s expression.”
“I see.” Nora’s heart sank. She had been counting on the sale of the tapestry to fund her quest for independence, but clearly she would have to search for a new buyer. “In that case, I would ask that you return it to me.”
He turned away, distracted. “I’ll do that when I have a moment to look for the thing.”
Nora rose and followed him. “I must request that you search for it now,” she pressed. “It is my only possession of value.”
They went to a large chest filled with small hangings, many of them waiting to be repaired. Master Mostinck rummaged inside before pulling out Nora’s tapestry. “You are very assertive for a female! Did your good father, William Brodie, have no reservations about you coming to London alone?”
“I have told you, sir. In the short time after Father and I went to Stirling, I was married and then widowed. I had to consider my future. I have always wanted to become a master weaver for the royal court, but that wasn’t possible in Scotland, where the tapestry collection is so much smaller.” She took a breath. “I knew, as a widow, I could aspire to a higher position with the Great Wardrobe than I could in Scotland, with only my father to recommend me.”