Chapter 20
“He awoke not long ago,” Hannah said as we climbed the stairs to Stephen Daniels’s room. “He ate nearly half a capon, drank a full pot of ale, and went back to sleep. I checked and changed his bandages. Considering all he’s been through he’s healthy enough.”
I found Stephen as Hannah described him: asleep, but far less pale than when we’d left. I slipped out without waking him.
“With luck he’ll be able to walk in the morning,” I said. “We should see to Elizabeth. I’ll bring her to the kitchen.”
I found Elizabeth in her chamber playing with a little family of poppets, calling one Martha, one Hannah, and one Ma. They were joined by a smaller one I’d had made using a lock of Elizabeth’s own hair. A lone figure wearing men’s clothes—Will, I supposed—sat by himself off to the side. I entered the room and sat on the edge of her bed.
“Elizabeth, I must speak to you,” I said.
She looked up from her game and smiled with such warmth I thought it could banish the winter from all of England. She rose from the floor and crawled into my lap.
“Did Martha tell you why the man is sleeping in the other chamber?” I asked.
“Hannah told me he was your cousin, suffering from a fever,” she said. “But I went in and kissed his forehead, he seemed cool not hot. Is he better?” The image of this beautiful girl kissing a man like Stephen Daniels to check for fever—just as I did with her—brought a smile to my face, and I held her tight.
“His name is Mr. Daniels, and he is getting better,” I said. “But there are some things we did not tell you.”
Elizabeth furrowed her brow but let me continue.
“Mr. Daniels led Will out of the gaol,” I said.
“Like Moses and the Israelites,” Elizabeth cried. She leaped from my arms, unable to remain still in the face of such good news. I’d been telling her of Israelites and Egyptians, and she sought parallels in the world around her.
“Aye,” I said. “And now he is hiding. Tree is with him.”
“Will they be home soon, then?” she asked. “I should like to see them both. I miss them.”
“It is not quite so easy,” I replied, and took her back into my arms. “Tomorrow, if he is well enough, Mr. Daniels is going to take you to them.”
“What about you and Martha?” she asked. Concern darkened her delicate features. She had already lost one mother, and she would be a fool not to worry about losing another.
“We are going to stay here for a time,” I replied. “In a few days, though, we will all go for a journey.”
“All of us?” Elizabeth asked, smiling brightly.
“All of us,” I said. “But first, Martha needs you in the kitchen. There are some things we must do before you go. First we must put you in your shift.”
“Why?” she asked.
“If we are going to send you to Will and Tree, you are going to need a disguise,” I explained.
“What disguise?” she asked. “My shift is no disguise.”
“No,” I agreed. “We are going to cut your hair and dress you as a boy.”
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. “What? My hair? A boy! No, never!” She struggled to escape my embrace, but I would not let her go.
“You must,” I said. “It is the only way for everyone to be safe. Think of it: You will be like a spy.”
Dressing as a spy pleased Elizabeth far more than dressing as a boy. “A spy? For the King?” Her face had become serious, and I could see she considered the task of the utmost importance.
“Aye, for the King,” I replied.
Elizabeth nodded, and we went to the kitchen where Martha waited with the scissors. It took over an hour, but by the time she had finished, Elizabeth seemed an entirely different child. She was no less beautiful, of course, but if we put her in Tree’s clothes and a heavy cloak she easily would pass as a boy.
At least that was my prayer.
* * *
The next morning I woke early and looked in on Stephen. He still slept, but his breathing was strong and even. Helen had been right—he would be a hard man to kill. Martha and I were in the dining hall when we heard heavy footsteps above and knew that Stephen was up and about. We found him standing in his chamber, a blanket wrapped around him.
“My clothes,” he said when we entered.
“Burned to ashes.” Martha laughed. “They were so bloody, there was no saving them. And if the constables had found them when they came, all would have been lost.”
“The constables were here? What happened to Ezra, Will, and the boy?”
“They are safe,” I said, “and so are you. We told the constables you had a fever, and they kept their distance.”