I went down to the great gate to bid the princess farewell. She was wearing her solemn black-and-white gown, the livery of the Protestant princess, since her way took her through London and the London citizens would turn out for her and cheer. She gave me a roguish wink as she put her boot in a stable lad’s cupped hands and let him throw her up into the saddle.

‘I wager you’d rather come with me,’ she said wickedly. ‘I don’t see you having a very merry Christmas here, Hannah.’

‘I will serve my mistress in good times and bad,’ I said steadily.

‘You’re sure your young man will wait for you?’ she teased me.

I shrugged my shoulders. ‘He says he will.’ I was not going to tell Elizabeth that watching Mary destroyed by her love for her husband was not a great incentive for me to marry. ‘I am promised to him when I can leave the queen.’

‘Well, you can come to me, at any time, if you wish,’ she said.

‘Thank you, Princess,’ I said and was surprised by my pleasure in her invitation, but nobody could resist Elizabeth’s charm. Even in the shadow of a darkened court Elizabeth was a sparkle of sunshine, her smile utterly undimmed by her sister’s loss.

‘Don’t leave it too late,’ she warned me with mock seriousness.

I went closer to her horse’s neck so that I could look up at her. ‘Too late?’

‘When I am queen they will all be rushing to serve me, you want to be at the head of that queue,’ she said frankly.

‘It could be years yet,’ I rejoined.

She shook her head, she was supremely confident on this crisp autumn morning. ‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ she said. ‘The queen is not a strong woman and she is not a happy woman. D’you think King Philip is going to come running home to her at the first opportunity, and make a son and heir on her? No. And in his absence I think my poor sister will just fade away of grief. And when that happens they will find me, studying my Bible, and I will say—’ She broke off for a moment. ‘What did my sister plan to say when they told her she was queen?’

I hesitated. I could remember very vividly her words in those optimistic days when Mary had promised she would be the virgin queen and restore the England of her mother to its true faith and happiness. ‘She was going to say: “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes”, but in the end they told her when we were on the run and she had to fight on her own for her throne, rather than be granted it.’

‘I say, that’s good,’ Elizabeth said with appreciation. ‘ “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes”. That’s excellent. I’ll say that. You’ll want to be with me when that happens, won’t you?’