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Authors: Jenny Barden
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those present, from Kit to Manteo, to Masters Harriot and White and the other men with them; she greeted them all one by one. Meanwhile Sir Walter sauntered over to the ladies, took Emme by the hand and welcomed her graciously. Then he stopped before Bess and gave her a flourishing bow. His look was intense as he met her eye, and she basked in his attention, turning herself like a flower to the sunshine of his gaze.
The Queen’s back was towards them. Sir Walter did not look away, and when Bess finally moved aside, Emme saw Sir Walter’s eyes continue to follow her. That he wanted her was clear, though probably no-else was aware of it. Sir Walter, the Queen’s favourite,had a yearning for another – and heaven help both him and Bess if ever that desire was given its head. Emme sensed a charge in the air like the tension before a thunderstorm. She glanced back at Kit but he was looking down at a map. No one was interested in her; she felt as if she was shrinking.
Sir Walter stepped closer to the Queen and lightly placed his hand upon her waist, guiding her to look at the map that Kit spread open over the table.
‘Come and share a dream with me,’ he murmured.
‘Of what?’ The Queen tipped her face to his.
‘Our Virginia.’ He bent in answering until their lips almost touched. ‘I dream of another England here.’ He gestured to the map and glided around the Queen as he spoke, all his movements drawing her to him and to the map beneath his graceful fingers. ‘I see this land settled for all time with English families bringing enlightenment to the gentle natives and acting as a beacon to the World: an England in the wilderness, but a wilderness that is an Eden. Can you see it too?’ His eyes shone with passion. ‘A Virginia to glorify your name evermore!’
The Queen gave a wry smile and tapped his chest with her fan. ‘That is a pretty dream, but alas it would seem that General Lane has woken from it. The natives are not so gentle and the Eden is hellish.’
‘Sweet Majesty, difficulties may have arisen here at Roanoke.’ He stabbed a finger on an island between the mainland of America and a long ribbon of land around what looked to Emme like a vast estuarine lake. ‘But we can learn from that and make a fresh start.’ He raised his finger before the Queen could object. ‘Thirty leagues to the north in the land of the Chesapeake,’ he said as he swept his hand over a large bay unmarked by any name, ‘the people are as friendlyas children and the region is like a garden.’ He gave a nod to Harriot and White. ‘As these intrepid men will testify – fruit, animals and fish abound. Our colonists could thrive there. I would like to see English farmers till the soil in this place, and English artisans build houses for English wives and children. I envisage a city founded in godliness, following the best principles of good governance, a city of peace and prosperity in which toil is rewarded and all are treated fairly.’
The Queen smiled and gave a small shake of her head. ‘You speak of Utopia; it cannot exist on this Earth.’
‘It can,’ Sir Walter countered. ‘We
can
build such a city with enough ships and provisions and good Englishfolk who share this vision. It might be costly but …’
‘The cost would be enormous, and have you not already invested a fortune?’
He looked pained for an instant as if checked by a blow. ‘I have,’ he said quietly with his head bowed and his fingers resting on the map below the English coat of arms, ‘for the honour of England and my sovereign.’
The Queen touched his hand gently and looked upon him with such tenderness that Emme felt a pang in the pit of her stomach.
‘We will always reward loyalty,’ the Queen said softly. ‘What traitors lose, faithful champions will gain. So let us suppose you have estates and revenues enough to ease the burden of embarking on this new enterprise, where will you find the colonists of the kind you have
The Queen’s back was towards them. Sir Walter did not look away, and when Bess finally moved aside, Emme saw Sir Walter’s eyes continue to follow her. That he wanted her was clear, though probably no-else was aware of it. Sir Walter, the Queen’s favourite,had a yearning for another – and heaven help both him and Bess if ever that desire was given its head. Emme sensed a charge in the air like the tension before a thunderstorm. She glanced back at Kit but he was looking down at a map. No one was interested in her; she felt as if she was shrinking.
Sir Walter stepped closer to the Queen and lightly placed his hand upon her waist, guiding her to look at the map that Kit spread open over the table.
‘Come and share a dream with me,’ he murmured.
‘Of what?’ The Queen tipped her face to his.
‘Our Virginia.’ He bent in answering until their lips almost touched. ‘I dream of another England here.’ He gestured to the map and glided around the Queen as he spoke, all his movements drawing her to him and to the map beneath his graceful fingers. ‘I see this land settled for all time with English families bringing enlightenment to the gentle natives and acting as a beacon to the World: an England in the wilderness, but a wilderness that is an Eden. Can you see it too?’ His eyes shone with passion. ‘A Virginia to glorify your name evermore!’
The Queen gave a wry smile and tapped his chest with her fan. ‘That is a pretty dream, but alas it would seem that General Lane has woken from it. The natives are not so gentle and the Eden is hellish.’
‘Sweet Majesty, difficulties may have arisen here at Roanoke.’ He stabbed a finger on an island between the mainland of America and a long ribbon of land around what looked to Emme like a vast estuarine lake. ‘But we can learn from that and make a fresh start.’ He raised his finger before the Queen could object. ‘Thirty leagues to the north in the land of the Chesapeake,’ he said as he swept his hand over a large bay unmarked by any name, ‘the people are as friendlyas children and the region is like a garden.’ He gave a nod to Harriot and White. ‘As these intrepid men will testify – fruit, animals and fish abound. Our colonists could thrive there. I would like to see English farmers till the soil in this place, and English artisans build houses for English wives and children. I envisage a city founded in godliness, following the best principles of good governance, a city of peace and prosperity in which toil is rewarded and all are treated fairly.’
The Queen smiled and gave a small shake of her head. ‘You speak of Utopia; it cannot exist on this Earth.’
‘It can,’ Sir Walter countered. ‘We
can
build such a city with enough ships and provisions and good Englishfolk who share this vision. It might be costly but …’
‘The cost would be enormous, and have you not already invested a fortune?’
He looked pained for an instant as if checked by a blow. ‘I have,’ he said quietly with his head bowed and his fingers resting on the map below the English coat of arms, ‘for the honour of England and my sovereign.’
The Queen touched his hand gently and looked upon him with such tenderness that Emme felt a pang in the pit of her stomach.
‘We will always reward loyalty,’ the Queen said softly. ‘What traitors lose, faithful champions will gain. So let us suppose you have estates and revenues enough to ease the burden of embarking on this new enterprise, where will you find the colonists of the kind you have
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