“Treasure which they have discovered?” I said.

“Treasure!” It was Jake beside me. “There’s gold in the world … it only has to be brought home.”

“Or filched from those who have already found it?”

Honey and Edward were looking at me in dismay. I didn’t care. I felt some tremendous surge sweeping over me. I had to fight these men, father and son, brigands and pirates both, for that was what they were; and when I talked to them I was excited, alive as I hadn’t been since I knew that I had lost Carey.

“By God,” said Sir Penn, “it would seem the lady is a friend of the Dons.”

“I have never seen one.”

“Swarthy devils. I’d cut the liver and lights out of ’em. I’d send ’em down to the deep sea bed, for ’tis where they belong to be. Don’t side with the Spaniards, child, or you’ll be going against what’s natural.”

“I was siding with no one,” I retorted, “I was saying that if they had found the treasure it was theirs just as if you had found it it would be yours.”

“Now don’t you bring schoolroom logic into this, me dear. Findings bain’t keepings when it comes to Spanish gold. Nay, there’s one place where treasure belongs to be and that’s in an English ship and we’re going to drive the Spaniards from the sea with might and main.”

“There are many of them and I believe they have made great discoveries.”

“There are many of them, true, and we are going to see that there are not so many, we are going to take their discoveries from them.”

“Why do you not make some yourself instead?”

“Instead! We shall make them, never fear; we shall make and take. Because I tell you this, little lady, the sea belongs to us and no poxy Don is going to take one fathom of it from us.”

Sir Penn sat back in his chair red-faced, almost angry with me. Mistress Crocombe looked a little afraid. I felt the color in my cheeks; Honey was signaling with her eyes for me to be silent.

Jake said: “The old Queen died in time. Our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth is of a different temper.”

“By God, yes,” cried Sir Penn. “We’ll defend her on sea and land. And if any poxy Don turns his snout toward these shores … by God, he’ll wish he never had.”

“We can guess what would have happened had Mary lived,” went on Jake. “We’d have had the Inquisition here.”

“We never would have. Thank God there are men of Cornwall and Devon who would have stood together and put a stop to that,” declared Sir Penn. “And God be praised we have a new Queen and she understands well that the people of this land will have nought of Papists. Mary burned our Protestant martyrs at the stake. And by God, I’d burn alive those Papists who would attempt to bring Popery back to England.”

Edward had turned pale. For a moment I thought he was going to protest. Honey was gazing at her husband, warning and imploring. Be careful! she was saying; and indeed he must be. I wondered what would happen if these fierce men knew that their host and hostess were members of that faith which they despised.

I heard myself say in a rather high-pitched voice: “My stepfather was one of those martyrs.”

The tension relaxed then. We had suffered such a death in the family; the implication was that we were of one belief.

Sir Penn lifted his glass and said: “To Our Sovereign Lady who has made her intentions clear.”

We could all drink to the Queen and we did so. Equanimity was restored.

We talked of the Coronation and the two men were ready to listen for a few minutes; and after that we went on to speak of local affairs, of the country and the prospects for hunting the deer; and an invitation was extended to us to visit Lyon Court.

It was late in the evening when the men left; and when I was in my room I found that I was wide awake and I sat at my turret window, knowing it was useless to try to sleep.

There was a knock on my door and Honey came in.

She was dressed in a long blue bedgown and her lovely hair was loose about her shoulders.

“So you’re not abed?” she said.

She sat down and looked at me.

“What did you think of them?”

“Crude,” I replied.

“They are far from London and the Court. They are different of course.”

“It’s not only their ill manners. They are arrogant.”

“They are men who command rough sailors. It would be necessary for them to show authority.”

“And intolerant,” I said. “How fierce the father was when he talked of the Spaniards. How foolish they are. As if there is not enough of the world for them all to have what they want.”

“People always want what other people have. It’s a law of nature.”

“Not of nature,” I said. “It’s a man-made custom, indulged in by the foolish.”

“The Captain was impressed by you, Catharine.”

“It is of no moment to me if he was.”

“He is a disturbing fellow … they both are.”

“The father looked as though he would carry you off under Edward’s nose.”

“Even he would not go as far as that.”

“I think he would go as far as it is possible to go—his son too. I wouldn’t trust either of them.”

“Well, they are our neighbors. Edward’s father said we must be neighborly and particularly with the Pennlyons, who are a power in these parts.”

“I hope we don’t see them again in a hurry.”

“It would surprise me if we did not. I have an idea that the Captain may come courting you, Catharine.”

I laughed derisively. “He would do well to stay away. Honey, you have arranged this.”

“Dear Catharine, do you want to mourn forever?”

“It is not what I want, Honey. It is what I must do.”

“If you married and had children you would forget Carey.”

“I never should.”

“Then what do you propose to do? Mourn all your life?”

“What I propose to do is ask you not to parade these country boors to inspect me. Please, Honey, no more of it.”

“You will change. It is just that you have not met the right one yet.”

“I certainly did not tonight. How could you imagine that such a man could arouse any desire in me but to get as far from him as possible?”

“He is handsome, powerful, rich … at least I imagine so. You could look far before you found a more suitable parti.”

“There speaks the smug matron. Honey, I shall go home to the Abbey if you make any more attempts to find me a husband.”

“I promise not to.”

“I suppose Mother suggested that you should.”

“She grieves for you, Catharine.”

“I know she does. And it is no fault of hers, bless her dear heart. Oh, let us not speak of my miseries. Shall we indeed be obliged to visit this Lyon Court? They would seem to be obsessed by their connection with that animal.”

“They have taken the figure of the lion as their insignia. They say there is a lion on all their ships. They are an amazing family. They have come to great power in the second and third generation. I heard that Sir Penn’s father was a humble fisherman plying his trade from a little Cornish fishing village. Then he made several boats and sent men out to fish for him; and he had more and more boats and became a sort of king of his village. He crossed the Tamar and set up business here. Sir Penn grew up as the crown prince, as it were, and he acquired more ships and gave up the calling of fishermen and went out into the world. He was given his knighthood by Henry VIII, who himself loved ships and foresaw that adventurers like the Pennlyons could bring good to England.”

I yawned.

“You are tired?” said Honey.

“Tired of these Pennlyons.”

“I doubt it will not be long before they are at sea, the son at least.”

“It will be a pleasure not to see him.”

Honey stood up and then she gave the real reason for her visit.

“You gathered they are fanatical in their religious beliefs.”

“I did, and what astonished me was that they should have any.”

“We shall have to be careful. It would not be wise for them to know that we celebrate the Mass in this house.”

“I am so weary of these conflicts,” I assured her. “You can rely on me to say nothing of the matter.”

“It would seem,” said Honey, “that there is a movement from the True Religion.”

“Which is the true?” I said angrily. “You say the road to Rome is the right one because Edward believes that and it was necessary for you to before you married him. We know that members of our own family take the Protestant view. Who is right?”

“Of course Edward is right … we are right.”

“In matters of religion it seems all people believe they are right and all who disagree with them wrong. For this very reason I refuse to side with either.”

“Then you are without religion.”

“I think I can be a better Christian by not hating those who disagree with me. I do not care for doctrines, Honey. They bring too much suffering. I will go along with neither. I’m tired now, and in no mood for a theological discussion tonight.”

She rose.

“All I beg of you, Catharine, is be careful.”

“You may trust me.”

She kissed me lightly on the cheek and went out; and I thought how fortunate she was with her adoring husband, her startling beauty and her certainty that she had found the True Faith.

But my thoughts were almost immediately back with our visitors. I looked out across the sea and there was his ship at anchor; soon I thought, I shall be at this window watching it sail away. And I pictured him on the deck, shouting orders, legs astride, defying anyone to disobey him; I saw him with a cutlass in his hand boarding a Spanish ship; I saw the blood run from the cutlass; I heard his triumphant laugh; and I saw him with the golden coins in his hands, letting them run through his fingers while his eyes gleamed as covetously as they had when they had rested on me.

I shook myself. I went to bed and was vaguely irritated because I could not get the man out of my mind.

I awoke. My room was full of moonlight. I was not sure how long I had been asleep. I lay very still listening to the sounds of the countryside—the sudden rustle of leaves; the hooting of an owl. Why had I who usually slept so soundly awakened in this way? Had something startled me?

I closed my eyes preparing to drift back into sleep when I heard the clock in the tower strike three. It was an unusual clock and all callers at the house went out into the courtyard to look at it. It was adorned with the figure of a man who resembled the late King Henry VIII, father of our Sovereign; he struck a bell to give the hour. It was quite a curio here—although at home we had one or two unusual clocks.

Three o’clock. I rose and put on my fur-edged wrap. I went to the window and looked out. My gaze went at once to the Rampant Lion, but it did not stay there, for farther out to sea was a magnificent sight, such a ship as I had never seen before. She towered above the water. She was majestic. I knew little of ships except what I had learned since coming here; but I did not notice that the forecastle instead of projecting over the bows rose straight up from the jutting forepeak.

I had never seen such a stately ship. Beside her the Rampant Lion looked small and insignificant.

I sat for some time watching this beautiful ship, and as I did so I saw a bobbing light on her and then on the water a dark speck. It disappeared and then appeared again. It was coming nearer. I watched. It was a small boat which was being rowed to the shore.

I looked at the Rampant Lion again. I thought: I wish he could see this fine ship. I wish he could compare his precious Lion with that one.

I saw quite clearly the little boat bobbing about on the water. Then it disappeared and I could see it no more; I looked in vain for it. The great ship remained and I watched and waited, but nothing more happened.

I heard the clock in the courtyard strike four and I realized that I was cold.

The ship was still there, but there was no sign of the little boat. I went back to my bed; I could not get my feet warm. I did at last and then I slept. It was late when I awoke. I remembered at once and went to the window. There was no sign of the ship or the little boat. The Rampant Lion was riding the waters proudly because there was no majestic stranger ship to dwarf her.

What a ship it had been! I had never seen the like before; and when I looked out across the water I asked myself: Did I truly see that glorious ship, or did I imagine it?