Mistress of the Sea by Jenny Barden Read Free Book Online

left as a hostage, held by the Spaniards, and after the attack on John Hawkins’s fleet, nothing’s been heard of Kit since.’
    Despite the heat from the fire, Ellyn felt suddenly cold. Will had lost his brother just as she had lost hers, and that must have been even worse for him than the death of Thom had been for her; at least she had known Thom’s fate. The torment for Will would still be continuing, made worse by uncertainty – he could not even grieve properly.
    She bit her lip.
    ‘But why was Kit taken hostage?’
    Nan stopped beating her sauce.
    ‘Surely you know what happened?’
    Ellyn cast her a beseeching look. She was familiar with the story of the defeat of John Hawkins, but she wanted to learn more about Kit’s loss and what Will had been through.
    Nan clicked her tongue.
    ‘They were near the land called Mexico that yields the Spaniards much gold, and John Hawkins had to repair his ships after they’d been blown off course, so he sailed into the nearest harbour. Then, the very next day, the Spanish treasure fleet arrived, and there were still storms raging which could have dashed it to pieces—’
    ‘A good thing, too,’ Lettie declared.
    ‘No, child.’ Nan wagged her finger. ‘That would have meant war.’ She eyed Ellyn sagely. ‘If the treasure fleet had been wrecked, then we would all have been in peril. Under truce, Master Hawkins and the Spanish Viceroy agreed to berth both fleets side-by-side. They swore not to attack the other, and as surety for that pledge, they each gave up twelve hostages.’
    Ellyn nodded eagerly, though she had heard nothing new. She did not want Nan to stop. She wanted more about Will and Kit.
    ‘Kit volunteered,’ Lettie trilled. ‘He stepped forward boldly after Will tried to hold him back. That’s what I’ve been told.’
    Nan cleared her throat, looking grave.
    ‘A few days later, the Spaniards reneged. They attacked without warning after sneaking an army onto their ships. General Hawkins was trapped. The Spanish fleet was twice the strength of his. Our Plymouth men fought bravely, but only two ships got away. Francis Drake commanded one, and Will escaped on the other, though the voyage back almost killed him.’
    ‘There was not enough food, even after half those aboard had been set ashore in the wilds,’ Lettie whispered, ‘left to take their chance in Mexico.’
    Nan shook her head.
    ‘Kit never returned.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘He had the face of an angel. Blond hair and blue eyes, just like Will’s, and with a sweetness of temper that was enough to melt your heart.’
    Lettie looked wide-eyed at Ellyn.
    ‘What if Will tries to find him?’ She stifled a sob. ‘We might never see Will again.’
    Ellyn turned from Lettie to Nan, and then reached out to them both.
    ‘Let us not be downhearted over what may never happen.’ She projected as much confidence into her words as she could muster, though it was with an effort that drained her. Was Will really about to leave? Just then she was acutely aware that she most wanted him to stay. She heard Lettie snuffle and patted her arm. ‘Activity best conquers melancholy and we have much to do. A dinner . . .’ She faltered. ‘A guest . . .’ She rose hastily and took a deep breath. ‘I shall attend upon my mother.’
    Moving back through the house, she thought of Will as she had seen him last, with his moonlit face and his damp-darkened hair. Then climbing the stairs, she thought of Kit, imagining the effect on Will of leaving him as he had. She clutched at the banister and pictured Kit being led away, and Will having to watch – the two of them forced apart – Will’s face, twisted in anguish, and Kit, just a boy. She looked across the stairwell and tried to think of something else: the dinner in prospect, what her mother might need. But the idea of the boy was still in her mind. He was like Will, only younger, and he looked like an angel.
    She wondered where he was.

4
    Threat
    ‘. . .