Frances’s silence signalled her agreement.
‘The irony is that I am in accord with this alliance,’ the prince continued. ‘Before she died, I promised my mother that I would marry a princess of the faith. She had in mind the infanta, but the duke destroyed that with his greed and scheming. Young though she is, the French King’s sister is praised for her piety. I have no doubt that my mother would have approved of the match. By God, I will not let that man destroy this marriage too.’ He banged his fist on the table next to him. ‘I should have acted against him before now – the Lord knows I have not lacked the opportunity. But always I have been drawn to caution – to watch and wait for him to damn himself and save me the trouble. I have been a fool. I—’ He broke off, his face flushed with fury.
‘You must not chastise yourself, Your Grace,’ Frances said. ‘Other men have shown less restraint – less wisdom, too – and all have fallen at his hands. I shared your hope that he would have destroyed himself by now. But the King is as much in his power as ever. Little wonder it is whispered the duke has bewitched him.’
‘Or that devil Lambe,’ Charles muttered. ‘You are too forgiving, Lady Tyringham. What you describe as restraint and wisdom would be deemed by most as indecision and cowardice. The people of this realm look to me as their future king. I must learn to act with greater resolve, as my late brother would have done.’
And plunged us into disaster. Frances tried to hide her disdain at the mention of Prince Henry. The younger brother whom he had teased so mercilessly had already shown more kingly qualities than James’s late heir ever had.
‘Buckingham will only act against my father if he believes the jewels are within his grasp,’ Charles continued. ‘I must find them before Châteauneuf’s agent does. I will send a trusted servant to Lady Ruthven. She knows they are mine by right, that my mother bequeathed them to me. I have never believed she stole the jewels but that she has been protecting them until such time as she judges it safe to return them to me.’
Frances considered this. ‘How can you be sure that your servant will gain admission to the Abbaye?’
‘I will send my mother’s ring as assurance.’ Charles spoke with conviction, but Frances saw the uncertainty in his eyes.
‘Lady Ruthven has evaded capture for more than five years now and has probably spent most of those at the Abbaye – nowhere else could offer her such sanctuary. Even if your mother’s ring is passed to her, it may not provide enough reassurance. Such a thing might easily have fallen into the wrong hands in such treacherous times.’
‘Then what am I to do? I can hardly go there myself. A prince attracts great notice wherever he is.’
Frances took a breath. ‘But I do not.’ Her eyes blazed into Charles’s. ‘Lady Ruthven knows and trusts me. The late Queen summoned me to attend her upon my first arriving at your father’s court many years ago. I helped her through a sickness that might have claimed her life. She was there when I visited Her Grace for the last time at Hampton Court. She knows that I am of the true faith.’
Although the prince’s brow was furrowed, his eyes were alight with hope. ‘You would be putting yourself at great risk, Lady Tyringham. Why would you do so to save the life of a king who has blighted your own?’
‘I would do this to honour the late Queen and Your Grace.’ And to destroy the Duke of Buckingham. The unspoken motive was the strongest, and she prayed that God would forgive her.
The prince clasped her hand. ‘Be assured that such a service will have its reward. I know that you and your husband have suffered ill fortune these past years, with the loss of Sir Thomas’s estates and no doubt more besides. It has pained me that I have been powerless to assist you. I persuaded my father to restore Tyringham Hall to your husband as a mark of his loyal service, but the duke discovered it and altered his mind – as he always does,’ he added bitterly. ‘Thereafter the King would hear no further word on the matter.’
Frances’s desire for revenge against Buckingham was sharpened by this revelation. He had all the petulance of an indulged child who would not rest until he had robbed his companions of their playthings, even though they were of little worth to him.
‘Everything I have is at my father’s hands, and for as long as Buckingham has him in thrall I could not grant Sir Thomas so much as a shilling. But the late Queen bequeathed those jewels to me alone. If you recover them, I will restore your fortune – your husband’s too – and more besides.’
Frances curtsied and kissed the prince’s hand. ‘Thank you, Your Grace. But you must know that I am not undertaking this enterprise for material reward.’
Charles inclined his head. ‘When I am king – which, pray God, may not be for many years yet – I will surround myself with those who have proven their loyalty . . . and their faith.’
Frances’s eyes shone. It was as if God had shown his hand at last. Tom had not died in vain. Neither had everything that she and her husband had suffered been for nothing. This prince, whose heart was as pure as his father’s was corrupted, would restore the kingdom to the Catholic fold.
‘It is imperative that the King is kept safe from Buckingham until you return, lest the duke should grow impatient and put his plan into place before he has the jewels. My father has talked of going to Theobalds when the winter has abated. I will persuade him to make the journey earlier – already he grows restless for fresh hunting ground so it will be easy enough. I will go with him, as will Sir Thomas, of course. Buckingham will be content to remain at Whitehall if he is promised full authority during my father’s absence.’
Frances knew the truth of this. The duke had missed the last few hunting expeditions for the same reason.
‘You will not go to France alone, Lady Tyringham. The man I had in mind for the enterprise will accompany you. He has served in the King’s army for many years. I would trust him with my life – as I trust him with yours.’ He hesitated. ‘This scheme must be known to the three of us alone. The more people who hear of it, the greater the risk that Buckingham or the marquis will discover it. I must ask that you keep it even from your own husband.’
Frances felt uneasy. She longed to tell Thomas of what she had overheard, seek his blessing for the hazardous venture in which she was now embroiled. She had learned to her cost how destructive secrets were between them. But she knew, too, that if she told him of their plan, he would not let her go. After a pause, she nodded.
‘Anyone would think you had never bade me farewell before.’ Thomas grinned as she clung to him again.
Frances did not reply, but pressed her cheek against his chest, breathing in the familiar scent.
‘We will return within a fortnight – three weeks, at most. His Majesty will not want to be parted from the duke for longer.’ Frances caught the bitterness in his last words.
‘I wish I could come with you.’ That at least was true. She had felt her resolve crumble since her meeting with the prince. The enormity of what she was undertaking had tormented her as she had lain awake that night, the prospect of returning to England with the jewels – and her life – intact seeming more distant with every passing hour. She had hardly slept for the two nights since then, and her nerves had been worn to shreds by the long hours of waiting for the King and his entourage to depart for Hertfordshire.