I speak very stoutly but I think she can hear the fear in my voice. The truth is that all of Norfolk and most of the east of England would turn out for the duke, whatever his cause, and all the north is solidly Papist and devoted to the Papist queen. But her beauty is impenetrable. I cannot tell what she is thinking as she smiles at me. “God forbid,” she murmurs devoutly.

“And Your Grace,” I say more gently, as if she were my daughter, without good advice, and misunderstanding the powers that are ranged against her. “You have to rely on the queen to restore you. If all goes well, the queen will overcome the Scots’ objections and return you to your throne. The agreement is all but made. You can marry the duke then. Why not reassure the queen of your loyalty now, and wait for her to send you back to Scotland? You are close to your restoration. Don’t put yourself at risk.”

She widens her eyes. “Do you really think she will send me back in safety?”

“I am sure of it,” I lie. Then I check myself. There is something about her dark, trusting gaze that makes me hesitate to lie. “I think so, and in any case, the nobles will demand it.”

“Even if I marry her cousin and make him king?”

“I believe so.”

“I can trust her?”

Of course not. “You can.”

“Despite my half brother’s treachery?”

I did not know she was getting news from Scotland, but I am not surprised.

“If the queen supports you, he cannot stand against you,” I say. “So you should write to her and promise your loyal friendship.”

“And does Secretary Cecil now want me returned to my throne in Scotland?” she pursues sweetly.

I feel awkward, and I know I look awkward. “The queen will decide,” I say weakly.

“I hope so,” she says. “For my sake, for all our sakes. Because, Bess, don’t you think, like your friend Robert Dudley, that she should have provided me with an army and sent me back to Scotland as soon as I arrived? Don’t you think she should have honored her promise to me at once? Don’t you think she should have defended a fellow monarch at once? A fellow queen?”