Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I Read online

  “Do not worry, Lady Agneta,” the princess soothed. “I shall be as a mother to Elin Ulfsdotter. She shall be in my constant care, as will all of my ladies, and I will return with her safely, and soon.”

  My mother, still beautiful, bowed her head, a tear trembling in the corner of her eye. “Thank you, my lady.”

  Princess Cecelia then left us to our parting sentiments while she went to bid farewell to her own family. Her new husband, the Margrave of Baden, waited for her on board, having no Swedish family to part from.

  My mother had already given me her gift earlier in the day, a golden locket necklace with a sketch of her on her wedding day, and a recent one of me, inside. Each of my sisters came to me in turn. Gertrude pressed a jar of dried lingonberries into my hand, then softly kissed my temple, as we sisters did out of affection. “Good-bye, dear sister,” she said. “I shall pray for you.”

  Brita came next and held out a new needle for my lacework. She kissed my temple and murmured her affection before stepping aside for Karin. My head snapped up as I saw that she wore one of my gowns, a favorite of rose pink.

  “You shan’t need it for a few months,” she said without remorse. I held my temper and my tongue in front of the others; my mother disapproved of outward displays of emotion, finding them lowbred. Karin, too, kissed my hairline and bade me a safe journey and a speedy return. I noticed, as I held her near, a faint aroma of the spiced scent of Philip’s wash water. I looked at her, alarmed. She had betrayed me, she had! I did not want to leave, and yet it was too late; Princess Cecelia was motioning us all toward the ship.

  It did not occur to me until later that Karin alone had offered no gift upon my departure excepting, perhaps, a Judas kiss.

  The ship wound its way through the fjords and into the open ocean. What should have been a journey of perhaps one unpleasant month turned into a nightmare of nearly ten. There was no ill weather that did not bedevil us, from ice storm to windy squall that threatened to scupper the ship nearly every week. The seas churned, gray trimmed with foamy white ribbons like an old man’s beard, and most days we kept to our cabins.

  When the seas were not unwelcoming, the Danes were. They proved to be the hellhounds we expected them to be, harrying us from one coast to the next and forcing us to travel over ice-sheathed land by horse-drawn sleigh to friendly noble homes before boarding ship again. If it weren’t for the loyalty I knew I owed my king, I might have wondered if he’d signaled our route to distract the Danes from his brother Johan, whom he loved, in Finland.

  “Why complain of cold when we are on our way to see the wonderful queen of England?” our princess cried in joy. Although I saw the irony in her warm pleasure while we numbed with frost, I was truly happy for her. For many years, since her brother Johan had visited England and returned to tell of its wonders, Cecelia had prepared herself for her own journey of diplomacy, mastering the language with only English merchants as teachers.

  Within a few months it was clear that Princess Cecelia was with child, and we all gave a portion of our foodstuffs so she and the babe would not suffer. “I have to look away when she is sick over the side of the ship,” Christina Abrahamsdotter confided in me. “My innards pain me for lack of food, and then I watch as my supper lurches from her stomach into the sea.”

  We began to run out of wood, too, with which to warm ourselves. Princess Cecelia sat shivering in a corner chair. “I need more coats!” She looked at us by turn and we reluctantly shed our warm outer clothing, and she took them one by one and layered them upon herself. From then on we ladies went about with our thinner inner garments. We often danced about in our light dresses to keep ourselves warm while the princess, now comfortable, sang English sea songs and English hymns. This did not endear any of us to royal service, but we were well trained enough to say nothing.

  It was also clear that Princess Cecelia had been turning her husband away from their marital bed. Master Preston sternly warned the ship hands from even looking upon us, but he was not of a rank to speak thus to the margrave. One night the margrave appeared in my cabin as Bridget was attending to the princess.

  “Hello, schön Elin,” he said, his German tight-toothed and proper. “I have been waiting for the right time for us to become better acquainted. You are the most beautiful girl at court.”

  I moved away from him, steadying my feet with the constant pitching of the ship. “I think we know one another well enough already, sir.”

  “But I do not, Elin,” he said. I could not even account his behavior to drunkenness, as he appeared to have all of his wits about him. He drew closer, and I grabbed hold of the feeble chair in the corner of our cabin to steady myself. As he advanced again, I feigned that I was losing my balance and pushed the chair in his direction, aiming a wooden leg for the part of him where he would feel the most pain.

  He doubled over and cried out.

  “I’m so sorry, my lord, I lost my balance,” I said. But I did not draw near to help him, and my voice was not falsely contrite. He left my cabin muttering and did not return again. I smiled when I thought upon it and Bridget did, too, when I told her.

  Winter warmed to spring, which then unfolded into summer. We became truly alarmed that my lady would give birth before we reached London, and there was not a married woman among us, much less a midwife. Cecelia had no such concerns. Her greatest joy was that her firstborn would be birthed in the land of the queen she’d so admired for her autonomy and freedom.

  One night in late summer we were happily informed that we were nearing Calais, from where they would send a message ahead that we were nearly to England. I sat that evening with Bridget; we had become as sisters during the journey and there was no thought too private for me to share with her.

  “I should have married Philip by now,” I said with regret, speaking aloud the relentless thought I’d pushed back a dozen times over the months past as I lay abed wondering what he and Karin were doing in Stockholm. “It is September. Autumn.”

  “Do not fret,” Bridget said. Her voice did not convey the confidence of her words.

  “Perhaps they will marry him to my younger sister in my stead, as Gustav Vasa did with Princess Cecelia’s first fiancé,” I worried.

  Bridget lowered her voice. “There will be no need to marry your sister to your fiancé, because your father did not find you willingly in bed with another man, drag you out by your hair, and unman the culprit.”

  I agreed, and we smiled bemusedly together in the pitching cabin. The king had a coin struck with Cecelia on one side and the virginal Susanna from Holy Writ on the other, circulating the idea of his daughter’s innocence every time the coin was used. I didn’t know if the coin had made it to Baden, but the margrave had not hesitated to take Cecelia as his bride.

  “There may be other reasons for Philip to desire to wed Karin,” I said, twisting the ring on my third finger, which had grown bony during our long journey. “We have been so very long gone.” She took my gown. She took my fiancé. In truth, he desired her before we’d even left. “And my dowry was not paid, which makes our engagement uncertain. Or void.” He’s always preferred her to me. Who would not?

  “ ’Tis nothing to think upon now,” Bridget said sensibly. “We are far from Stockholm, and near to England. We must act upon that which is here, and we do not know what lies just ahead.”

  “Are you unsettled by that?” I asked her.

  She, who was typically calm and self-assured, merely nodded but didn’t speak. I, too, was anxious and unsettled, though I didn’t understand exactly why.

  We were thin and weary and our teeth hurt in our heads, but we were here; within days England beckoned on the horizon, green and gold and holding out her arms to welcome us, I hoped, like Freya, the mythological Norse goddess of beauty and love.

  TWO

  September, October, and November: Year of Our Lord 1565

  Dover, England

  Bedford House, London

  The Palace of Whitehall, Lond
on

  November: Year of Our Lord 1565

  The Palace of Whitehall

  A small party awaited us, splendidly dressed and accompanied by the finest horseflesh I had ever seen. I was anxious to make a good impression on the English; I hoped that they liked us and would welcome the princess as a royal sister. The princess disembarked from the ship first, all health and cheer as one might expect after her fine diet and warm clothing. She and the margrave were shown the honor and welcome befitting their royal status. We ladies stood to the side so as to give the princess precedence, but it soon became clear that something was amiss.

  Christina Abrahamsdotter moved forward and then came back to tell Bridget and me, “A bee is harrying the princess.”

  The princess was deathly afraid of bees, having been stung by a small swarm of them as a child. Her husband must not have known this, as he stood to the side looking chagrined. The princess continued to bat the air around her and cry out in a most undignified manner. “Hilfe!” she shouted, her belly making it hard for her to move away. “Help!” she tried in English.

  Perhaps the Englishmen were unaware of the bee and simply saw her batting the air. Perhaps her brother Erik’s reputation as an unbalanced man had preceded her. But they stood still, which I thought very unchivalrous indeed for a country that prided itself otherwise.

  I stepped forward impatiently, stood next to my lady, and when the bee hovered close, I clasped both hands around it. The margrave hurried his wife away just as the bee slipped its needle deep into the soft flesh of my palm. I said nothing, but grimaced. The other ladies ran to help Cecelia, as was proper. I unclasped my hand and let the bee fall away while my hand swelled in anger.

  As I turned I noticed a tall, elegant man standing next to me. By his dress, his manners, and his silver-marked horse, he was clearly the highest-ranked gentleman present.

  “Marquess of Northampton, my lady,” he said, bowing. He offered his arm, which I took with pleasure, drew me near, and to the astonishment of both English and Swedes, escorted me to the litters that awaited. Perhaps chivalry yet lived among the English.

  “Elin Ulfsdotter,” I said, using my Swedish patronym first, as a good daughter would. “Lady Elin von Snakenborg,” I concluded, because my heritage was noble and I was proud of that, too.

  He held my gaze, not overlong, but much longer than with any of the other ladies in waiting to whom he was introduced, and I blushed. Bridget smiled at me behind his back and, though weary from the journey, I felt it was a bright spot and a warm welcome and I smiled at her, and at him.

  The Marquess of Northampton, or Lord Northampton, was not only the highest-ranking man in our welcoming party but one of the highest-ranking men in all of England. Princess Cecelia soon found this out and made it her business to be most attentive to him as he journeyed with us to Bedford House in London, where we would stay. The queen had sent some of her own hangings and tapestry for our warmth and pleasure, and they were rich indeed. I enjoyed needlework and marveled at the tiny stitches that joined so tightly as to almost be painted.

  “Are you well?” A warm woman with a long brown gown came to me and made inquiries.

  “Yes, my lady,” I said.

  “Call upon me, Lady Sussex, or my husband, Lord Thomas, if you or the princess should need anything,” she said. I dipped a short curtsey and thanked her for her kindness. Aside from Lady Sussex, none of the other women had spoken to us at all, and when they did, they used loud, slow voices, though we assured them we understood English. It was disheartening, as we had come to offer warm friendship but found cool acceptance and reserve except for the Sussexes and our hosts, Lord and Lady Bedford. Within days, the queen herself came, from the Palace of Whitehall, one of her many royal residences.

  Princess Cecelia had dressed for the occasion in a black velvet robe with a mantle of black and silver; a costly gold crown graced her blonde head. She looked magnificent. We ladies wore crimson taffeta that shone in the candlelight and rustled quietly as we walked. Although she was regal, our princess had not been trained by my mother and therefore was not given to withholding her emotions. As Queen Elizabeth approached, Cecelia reached forward, full body notwithstanding, and gave her a long embrace. The queen seemed genuinely moved by it and indicated by word and motion that they should retire to Cecelia’s receiving chamber.

  I stood close enough to attend my lady when she required, but not near enough to overhear their conversation, which left me able to observe. The queen was splendid beyond what anyone had imagined—she smiled often, and when she did, there were tiny wrinkles upon the corners of her black eyes, like the splaying of a fine paintbrush. Her skin was poured silver—no, rather moonlight, because it was ethereal. And yet there was no question of the power that rested completely in her hands, sheathed by pretty gloves. At age thirty-two she was nearly thirteen years older than I, and seven years Princess Cecelia’s senior, but looked no older than Cecelia whatsoever.

  We were all taken with the queen, with the exception, perhaps, of the margrave; he had noticeably slipped away. He’d once been proposed as a suitor for Queen Elizabeth. I wondered, at this rich court, if he felt that he’d settled for less than he should have.

  “Do you find your quarters comfortable, Lady Elin?” A voice came up from behind me, and I saw that it was the marquess. His hair was silver but carefully groomed. He smelled faintly of pine; perhaps he scented his wash water with marjoram. All Swedish ladies learned to work with herbs so ’twas easy for me to recognize.

  “Very, Lord Northampton,” I said, comfortable and safe in his presence, honored to have been singled out by him. “Lord Bedford and his wife have made us exceedingly welcome, and I know my mistress is overjoyed to meet yours after these many years.”

  “The queen shared how pleased she is to have Princess Cecelia, and her entire retinue, here,” Lord Northampton said. “Come, will you accompany me at a walk in the garden? The countess has an exceptionally lovely autumn display.”

  I looked at my mistress, who nodded her permission, and I gladly slipped away. As I did, I noticed Bridget smiling in my direction, but the other ladies in waiting, and quite a few of the English ladies, frowned. I tucked my hand into Lord Northampton’s proffered elbow and tried to ignore them. As we walked through the gardens, I asked him how long he had known the queen.

  “Nearly all her life,” he said. “My sister Kateryn was the sixth and final wife of Her Majesty’s father, King Henry, whom I also served.” I tried to hide a smile, but Lord Northampton caught it and smiled with me. “I see that you know of our king,” he said.

  “Somewhat,” I answered with a teasing smile. I wasn’t going to cast the first stone on behalf of Sweden’s royal family, with its own checkered past.

  “I next served the queen’s brother Edward, when he was king, as Lord Chamberlain and Master of the Hawks. When the queen’s sister, Mary, took the throne, my wife and I were convicted of treason. I was imprisoned in the Tower and sentenced to death, though, as you see, the order was not carried out.”

  I laughed. “And it’s a good thing that it was not. Please, continue!”

  “Soon came the glorious day Her Majesty became queen. She was returning from the Tower of London when she spied my pitiable self locked up behind one small window. She stopped her palfrey, called out to me, and asked after my health. Her Grace had been especially close to my sister Kateryn and remembered that, and me, when she came into her power. She freed me and restored my titles, to my everlasting thanks and gratitude.”

  I smiled, and a cool autumn breeze rustled through the trees, coaxing some of their burlap cupules to the ground. It reminded me, with a pang, of my home, where beech grew freely. “I find it difficult to believe that you were ever pitiable. And what of your wife, Lord Northampton?” I asked. “Was she pardoned, too?”

  “Oh, yes,” he answered. “She was a great friend of the Queen’s Majesty as well. Sadly, she died April past after a long illness.”

  �
�I’m sorry,” I said. He seemed like a good man who had sorrow etched on his handsome face, and I felt moved with the desire to lift his countenance if I could.

  “And so am I,” he answered. “But that is not talk for a comely lady on a beautiful day. Tell me of Sweden. Is it wild? Are there yet Danes harrying every port?” he teased.

  “Indeed there are,” I replied. “They are a pestilence.”

  At that he laughed, as I’d intended, which pleased me, and said the English cared little for Danes as well. We sat in the garden and talked of Sweden and of my family, and I spoke to him in French as well, which I had also been tutored in, as our king and his brother Duke Johan had had French tutors along with Latin.

  As darkness fell he indicated to me that we should return to the house, as Princess Cecelia would be wondering after me. “I should like to teach you Italian sometime,” he said. “If you’d like.”

  “I’d like that very much,” I said, thinking that this was my first happy day in well over a year. “If I see you again.”

  “You shall,” he said. “I can promise you that.”

  • • •

  The very next day the princess began her pains; we ladies rushed to assist, and I prepared a mixture of lady’s bedstraw and applied it to a linen. I held it next to her nose, and as she breathed in, her pain became more tolerable and she quieted enough to calmly deliver of a son, Edward Fortunatus. The name Edward had been chosen for Queen Elizabeth’s brother, the former king, and Fortunatus because he had made it safely through many perils on the journey to England. My duty done, I stood back, pleased, but noted with confusion the querying look the English midwife directed toward me. Was she upset that I had stepped in to help my lady? Surely that was my place. Feeling awkward, I withdrew to my own room.