As the Sparks Fly Upward (4 page)

“Did you get his name?” Walsingham demanded.

“Mr. Collins, he said.”

Instantly, Walsingham rose and, without another word, left the room. “That man frightens me sometimes,” Leicester said.

“We need men like that, Robin,” Elizabeth said. This was her pet name for Leicester.

“I know we need a network of spies, Your Majesty, but he is a rather daunting individual.”

“I know Sir Francis can be quite ruthless.”

“I would hate to have him as an enemy,” Burghley said sourly.

“He is invaluable,” Elizabeth shrugged. “Now, about the need for more ships. I'm not satisfied that we need more. They are very expensive.”

At once Burghley said, “We live on an island, ma'am. The sea protects us from our enemies. France and Spain would love to rule over this country, and they well know the only way they can do it is to come by sea.”

“Yes, and Spanish galleons are being built that are not made for commerce,” said Sir Francis Drake. He had a pleasant voice and did not look like the ruthless pirate that the Spanish dubbed him. “They are war ships,” Drake said. “We must be able to meet the challenge, Your Majesty, and it will come by sea. As for the expense, what would it cost if Spain took over our country?”

Elizabeth questioned Drake for some time, then the door opened and Walsingham returned, his face glowing with anger.

“What is it, Walsingham?” Elizabeth demanded.

“Evil tidings, Your Majesty.” Walsingham paused and narrowed his eyes. “Mary, Queen of Scots, has fled Scotland and landed on our coast.”

“Impossible!” Elizabeth cried. “That cannot be!”

“I fear it's true, Your Majesty. Collins has seen her with his own eyes.”

Leicester said at once, “She must not be allowed to remain! She will bring terrible disorder to us. You must send her away at once, Your Majesty.”

Elizabeth looked down at her hands, heavily bejeweled with rings, for some time, and everyone waited for her response. “Why did she leave Scotland, Walsingham? She is a queen. No one can lift his hand against the Lord's anointed.”

Every man in the room knew that Elizabeth was a firm believer in the divine right of kings. She believed, as her sister and her father had, that God put the ruler in place. And to strike at the monarch was to strike at God himself!

Walsingham answered at once, his voice hard. “She may be a queen, ma'am, but she is a dangerous one. You know her history. She married the French dauphin when she was sixteen. Then in 1561 she returned to Scotland and married her cousin Lord Henry Darnley. Then she fell in love with her secretary, who was killed by Darnley and his friends.”

Instantly, Elizabeth said, “That was Darnley's crime, not Mary's! She cannot be held responsible for what her husband did.”

“We all know, ma'am,” Walsingham said, “that she murdered her husband.” His eyes burned with anger and he spit out the words, “It was never proven, but it is common knowledge that she was behind Darnley's death. He died in an explosion, and then immediately Mary married an outlaw, the Earl of Both-well. The Scots put up with her ways for a long time, but now they have had enough.”

“But why did she come to England? There's nothing here for her,” Leicester said.

“There is a crown for her,” Walsingham said sternly, and his eyes went to the queen.

Elizabeth stared at Walsingham. “She could not have such a thought!”

“Your Majesty, you know better than any of us how Spain tried to gain your crown. Your sister married King Philip of Spain, and we all know it was not for love. Philip wanted to wear the crown of England, and Mary well knows this. My agents have brought me many reports on this business.” Walsingham gestured sharply with his long-fingered hand. His lips made a hard line as he said, “You have many enemies, Your Majesty. They want a Catholic on the throne of England, and Mary of Scots is a Catholic. There are groups all over Europe that would join together to pull you down and put Mary on your throne.”

Walsingham's words echoed in the stillness of the room, and finally Elizabeth said, “I do not believe it!”

“You refuse to believe it because you have a high regard for royalty, but Mary is unscrupulous. If you allow her to remain in England, she will draw every hot-headed Catholic to her cause. Danger lies not only on the continent but in all of England.”

“I fear Walsingham is right, my queen,” Burghley said heavily. “We cannot take the risk of allowing Mary to stay in England.”

The eyes of every man in the room went to Elizabeth, and as she arose her face was flushed with anger. “I cannot harm a fellow monarch!” She whirled and left the room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Walsingham struck the table with his fist. “The queen of Scots must not be allowed to stay in this country! She will stop at nothing to get the crown!”

“You are right, Walsingham,” Burghley nodded. “But Elizabeth is a stubborn woman and has an exalted idea about her fellow rulers. I fear it may not be possible to persuade her to cut her ties with Mary.” He turned to Leicester. “You have more influence
with her than any of us. You must persuade her to send Mary away.”

Leicester said, “I think we all know what she will say. She will say that no harm can come to her from another queen. However, I will do my best.” He dropped his head and muttered, “God help us if that female wolf is permitted to live among us!”

3

April 4, 1574

“I
'm twelve years old today—and yesterday I was eleven.”

Colin Winslow disturbed his parents and others as well by talking to himself. Perhaps it was because he was a lonely boy who did not fit into any of the family niches. He thought of how displeased his father had been to hear him talking to animals as if they were people. It had disturbed him so greatly that Colin had concealed his habit of conversing with animals and snakes and bugs and practically anything in nature. He still did this, but not while people were present.

“Yesterday I was eleven, but today I am twelve years old.” Colin mulled over the sentence as he made his way through the thickness of the forest. It was an environment he knew very well, for he spent as much time there as he could. Even now, as he moved quickly down a path that wavered to the east and terminated at the small river that irrigated much of the Winslows' farm, his eyes moved from side to side, missing nothing. He noticed a female hedgehog and her small offspring. Colin stopped and remained absolutely still. He had learned by experience that if one wants to get to know the creatures of the forest, he must turn himself into something else. He always pretended he was a tree standing in a windless spot. Though he did not move his
head, his eyes tracked the progress of the hedgehog and her offspring as she came toward him. She bumped into the toe of his shoe, then backed up and tried to push it aside. Finally deciding it was useless, she made a detour around his feet. Turning his head slowly, Colin watched the pair as they disappeared into the thickness of the ground cover.

It was late in the afternoon, and Colin had finished his chores in time to come out for a special errand. Glancing up, he saw dark clouds moving swiftly in from the west. “That cloud looks like a dragon.” He smiled. He had an ability to create a world inside his head and to see things others could not see, at least in the dark woods. Turning quickly, he made his way through the thickets. Tim Hemley, the chief hunter for the Winslow family, had taught Colin many useful facts about the animals that lived their lives out around the woods of the castle. Hemley had become a fountain of knowledge for Colin, and even now the boy could hear the man's voice in his head.
You always watch now when you're in the wood, Master Colin. Never stop lookin'. Look up and down; always keep your head a-swivelin'. You hear me now? If you don't, you'll miss it all.

Indeed, Colin missed little as he made his way to Diamond River. The name seemed odd to Colin, who had looked for diamonds in the water but had never found one.

Reaching the edge of the stream, he was still thinking how strange it was that even though he was only a year older than he was yesterday, he felt no different.
I wonder if I'll feel different when I'm thirteen?
He sat down at the edge of the river and watched carefully. The surface of the water at times did sparkle like diamonds, but right now it was cloudy. He heard the sound of the current as it broke over the rocks at his feet. The song of a bird caught his attention. He watched as the bird, which had a snowy white breast and a brown ladder back, sailed overhead and made a whistling noise. Colin made up his mind to ask Tim Henley what kind of bird it was.

Finally he opened up a small canvas bag he had fastened to his waist and removed a cord and a hook. He tied the hook carefully at one end and fished through the bag until he found a chunk of meat and impaled it on the hook. Then, pulling the cord to its full length and holding on to the free end, he threw it out as hard as he could. A weight of lead he had tied to it sank it at once, and Colin sat back and remained perfectly still. He saw a heron pausing almost out of sight around the bend of the river. He watched as the heron's bill went down like a sword and came out with a silver fish. The bird tossed the fish in the air and caught it headfirst. Colin could see it go down the bird's throat, and the sight pleased him. A school of silvery minnows darted by. He was interested in their movements because they moved as one creature. When they turned, every one of them turned. “I wonder how they all know how to turn at the same time, since they can't talk and they can't smell.”

Time passed, and he thought back to the time when Adam had shoved him in this very stream. He remembered it clearly. Colin not only remembered things vividly, he never seemed to forget a thing. Then, Colin thought of how greatly he had disappointed his parents, and the thought troubled him. He had never had any interest in fighting, weapons, or hunting, and those were the things that pleased his father. Adam loved them all, and at the age of fourteen, he was almost the equal of grown men with weapons that his father had tutored him in. “I must be doing something wrong.” Colin's voice broke the silence of the forest. “I want to please Father and Mother but I just don't seem to know how”—hearing, a sound he turned and saw John Nixon, a neighboring farmer, approach, dragging a sack tied to a rope.

“Hello, John. What's in your sack?”

“Biggest turtle I ever seen,” John exclaimed. “I caught him, but I don't want him. Thought I'd take him home and find somebody who likes to eat turtles.”

“My parents love turtle soup,” Colin said at once.

“Why, you just take him, Master Colin.”

Instantly, Colin ran and took the rope, saying, “Thank you, John. I'll tell my parents it's your gift.”

“Well, hope they likes 'im.” John turned and moved quickly down the path, and Colin at once began to drag the heavy sack. It was so heavy he had to stop and rest several times. He decided not to follow the faint trail in the wood, for the awkward carcass would catch in the roots and the saplings. Instead he set out on the worn path that followed the river. The woods were thick even along the path. He released the line from where he had tied it to his belt. Finally he came to a well-worn passageway that ran east. He hesitated, then glanced down a path that ran behind a gnarled yew tree. He looked at the small dwelling that occupied the center of a cleared space. Carefully he approached, moving from tree to tree until he was within twenty feet of the house.

A harsh voice broke the stillness of the day. “Who are you? Come forward if ye have business.” Colin started and whirled to see a woman standing beside the cabin, almost hidden by a small hedge. He was not a fearful boy, but he had to resist the impulse to turn and run away. He had a strong streak of pride that would not let him do such a thing. “I'm—I'm Colin Winslow.”

“Do you know who I be?”

“Yes, you're Meg Caradoc.”

The woman had dark eyes deeply set in the midst of a face tanned by the sun, causing it to have almost the texture of leather. Her whole face was sharp and she was not old, as Colin had heard. People called her an old woman, but her worn clothing revealed a body that was still strong.

“You're a Winslow, are you? Well, come here, boy.” When he hesitated, she laughed harshly. “You think I'm going to turn you into a frog?”

Actually, Colin had considered something of that nature. As
he stood in front of her, he remembered that many had warned about this woman being dangerous. Still, her features were not cruel as he had imagined. Her hair was dark, with a single silver streak.

“What are you doin' here, boy?”

“I—I'm on my way home,” he stammered.

“What were you doing in these woods?”

“I've been to the river.”

“Did you catch anything?”

“I didn't, but a friend of mine caught the biggest turtle I ever saw.” His eyes were sparkling as he said this.