wrinkled. ‘No. I work for his queen. Henrietta Maria.’
Benjamin sighed. ‘No matter. I will help you, Lisette, but not if I am to be blind. Tell me what bounty the strongbox holds.’
The Frenchwoman narrowed her eyes. ‘I will tell you. But if you betray me, Father, I will slice off your balls and feed them to my horse.’
Benjamin swallowed hard. ‘I do not doubt it.’
‘It is a ruby. A wondrous thing the queen will sell to one of the great monarchs of Europe. She will buy an army for the king with it.’
Benjamin pursed his lips. ‘What gem, no matter how wondrous, can be worth the price of an army?’
‘I know not, nor do I care to ask questions,’ Lisette replied. ‘I have my orders, and I will fulfil them or die in the attempt.’
Benjamin turned away suddenly. ‘Wait here a moment.’
Lisette thought of the strongbox as she watched Father Benjamin disappear into the antechamber at the rear of the small room. It did not contain only a ruby. The queen had spoken of other trinkets. A brooch, a small posy ring and an old letter were all kept within the locked walls of the box. None carried any particular monetary value, but they were all of sentimental worth to Henrietta. It seemed to Lisette that the queen wanted them back as much as she wanted the gem. It did not matter. She was charged with the box’s safe return, and that was enough.
‘Where are the others?’ Father Benjamin was saying as he emerged from the antechamber clutching a tightly bound scroll. ‘The queen would not have sent you alone.’
‘Dead,’ Lisette replied.
Father Benjamin’s copper eyes widened. He swallowed hard and scratched at the wisps of hair covering his shining pate. ‘You were discovered?’
‘Be at ease, Father,’ Lisette said, noticing his fingers tremble a touch. ‘There was a brawl in a tavern overlooking the Thames. Before we could intervene, Jerome had been knifed in the guts.’
Lisette told the priest how she and her other companion, Cedric, had hauled the injured man to see the nearestchirurgeon. While there, as the sawbones had poked and prodded at the writhing Jerome’s innards, they were approached by a soldier of the Westminster Trained Bands. He claimed to recognize the injured party; said he looked like one of the men who had guarded Whitehall Palace. One of the king’s men.
‘Jerome was skewered where he lay by that fucking militia bastard,’ Lisette said simply.
Benjamin’s mouth opened in horror, revealing small, yellowing teeth and long gums. ‘And Cedric?’ he managed to whisper. ‘I worked with him myself when I was sent to spy on Buckingham. He was a good man, Lisette.’
She nodded. ‘Aye. But being good does not keep you alive, Father. Cedric drew his blade in retaliation. Cut the Trained Band whoreson almost in two. But half a dozen of the soldier’s friends appeared. Cedric did not stand a chance.’
‘You escaped?’
‘No. Not really. They simply let me be.’ She shook her head at the memory.
Benjamin understood. ‘They did not take you for one of Cedric’s companions.’
‘Praise God. I played the bystander. The frightened woman. The bastards believed me.’
And then she was alone. It might have been easier to have taken ship back to her mistress in one piece, but Lisette Gaillard loved her queen, and would not give up without a fight.
‘I am sorry, my child,’ Benjamin said.
Lisette noticed the scroll Father Benjamin had retrieved from his antechamber. ‘What’s that?’
She followed Father Benjamin to a small table at the room’s centre, where the clergyman laid out the musty parchment. It was dark outside, and Lisette now noticed a flurry of snow shimmering in the moonlight as it fell, but the room’s guttering candles proved equal to the task of illuminating the varying shades of the map that she now studied.
‘My fair county, Lisette,’ Benjamin said, casting his bespectacled gaze across the intricate lines and minute text that detailed
Benjamin sighed. ‘No matter. I will help you, Lisette, but not if I am to be blind. Tell me what bounty the strongbox holds.’
The Frenchwoman narrowed her eyes. ‘I will tell you. But if you betray me, Father, I will slice off your balls and feed them to my horse.’
Benjamin swallowed hard. ‘I do not doubt it.’
‘It is a ruby. A wondrous thing the queen will sell to one of the great monarchs of Europe. She will buy an army for the king with it.’
Benjamin pursed his lips. ‘What gem, no matter how wondrous, can be worth the price of an army?’
‘I know not, nor do I care to ask questions,’ Lisette replied. ‘I have my orders, and I will fulfil them or die in the attempt.’
Benjamin turned away suddenly. ‘Wait here a moment.’
Lisette thought of the strongbox as she watched Father Benjamin disappear into the antechamber at the rear of the small room. It did not contain only a ruby. The queen had spoken of other trinkets. A brooch, a small posy ring and an old letter were all kept within the locked walls of the box. None carried any particular monetary value, but they were all of sentimental worth to Henrietta. It seemed to Lisette that the queen wanted them back as much as she wanted the gem. It did not matter. She was charged with the box’s safe return, and that was enough.
‘Where are the others?’ Father Benjamin was saying as he emerged from the antechamber clutching a tightly bound scroll. ‘The queen would not have sent you alone.’
‘Dead,’ Lisette replied.
Father Benjamin’s copper eyes widened. He swallowed hard and scratched at the wisps of hair covering his shining pate. ‘You were discovered?’
‘Be at ease, Father,’ Lisette said, noticing his fingers tremble a touch. ‘There was a brawl in a tavern overlooking the Thames. Before we could intervene, Jerome had been knifed in the guts.’
Lisette told the priest how she and her other companion, Cedric, had hauled the injured man to see the nearestchirurgeon. While there, as the sawbones had poked and prodded at the writhing Jerome’s innards, they were approached by a soldier of the Westminster Trained Bands. He claimed to recognize the injured party; said he looked like one of the men who had guarded Whitehall Palace. One of the king’s men.
‘Jerome was skewered where he lay by that fucking militia bastard,’ Lisette said simply.
Benjamin’s mouth opened in horror, revealing small, yellowing teeth and long gums. ‘And Cedric?’ he managed to whisper. ‘I worked with him myself when I was sent to spy on Buckingham. He was a good man, Lisette.’
She nodded. ‘Aye. But being good does not keep you alive, Father. Cedric drew his blade in retaliation. Cut the Trained Band whoreson almost in two. But half a dozen of the soldier’s friends appeared. Cedric did not stand a chance.’
‘You escaped?’
‘No. Not really. They simply let me be.’ She shook her head at the memory.
Benjamin understood. ‘They did not take you for one of Cedric’s companions.’
‘Praise God. I played the bystander. The frightened woman. The bastards believed me.’
And then she was alone. It might have been easier to have taken ship back to her mistress in one piece, but Lisette Gaillard loved her queen, and would not give up without a fight.
‘I am sorry, my child,’ Benjamin said.
Lisette noticed the scroll Father Benjamin had retrieved from his antechamber. ‘What’s that?’
She followed Father Benjamin to a small table at the room’s centre, where the clergyman laid out the musty parchment. It was dark outside, and Lisette now noticed a flurry of snow shimmering in the moonlight as it fell, but the room’s guttering candles proved equal to the task of illuminating the varying shades of the map that she now studied.
‘My fair county, Lisette,’ Benjamin said, casting his bespectacled gaze across the intricate lines and minute text that detailed
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