The Hands of Time (19 page)

Our days in London were full of activity
,
and I was glad of the
respite
.  Finlay took me everywhere I wanted to go
,
and we
’
d been invited to dine with some
friends
of his who were happy to receive us while we were in
town
.  The
soirees
were nowhere near as grand as the
b
all at the Weston Estate, but they were very extravagant
nonetheless
,
with endless courses at dinner
,
and either card games or some kind of e
ntertainment to follow.  We did
n
’
t get back to our room until nearly dawn
,
and I was dead on my feet, collapsing into bed and pushing Finn’s eager hands away as I sunk into
a
deep sleep.

We celebrated Finn’s
twenty-fifth
birthday by hiring a barge and cruising down the river with his friends
;
a lavish luncheon laid out on deck
,
and romantic tunes being coaxed out of a lute by a pimply youth hired to entertain us.  Once I became
accustomed
to the motion of the deck beneath my feet
,
and the whiff of rotten fish
emanating
off the river, I began to enjoy myself
,
but refused to drink any alcohol to the amusement of our
companions
.  Pregnant women in the
seventeenth century
drank nothing but wine and ale
,
and still seemed to produce healthy offspring, but I
wasn’t taking any chances.  I was nervous enough as is
,
not having a doctor or even a midwife to look after me.  I tried not to think
of
what would happen when my time came
,
and I had to deliver the baby without the expertise of a doctor
,
or the benefit of drugs or state of the art equipment.  What if there were complications and I needed a
C-section
?  What would happen to me and my baby?  Would we be left to die or would Finn have to make a choice and try to save one of us?  I put the thought firmly out of my mind.  I had at least another six months to go
,
and worrying about it would accomplish nothing. 

My thoughts turned to my own birthday.  It was fast approaching on October 1
st
,
and I felt a dull pain in my
heart
every time I thought of my parents and Lou.  They would mourn me on that day, not realizing that not only was I alive and well, but married with a baby on the way.  How happy my parents
would
have been to know that my longing for a child had finally been fulfilled
,
and they would become grandparents in the
s
pring.  I sighed
,
wiping a tear from my cheek
,
as the carriage gave a lurch and began to move again
as
a filthy, soaking
,
Finn muttering curses
,
got back inside and pulled out a flask
,
taking a healthy swallow and then another. 

“We might still make it back tonight.  Are you up for it,
s
weetheart?  I am longing for home and my own bed, not to mention a very hot bath.”  The thought of our clean, soft bed
,
made me nod my head in agreement.

“I
’
ll be all right.  Press on.  A bath sounds like
heaven
right about now.”

“Especially a bath for two,” said Finn
,
giving me a suggestive grin and taking another swallow of brandy.    I couldn’t help laughing.  His hunger for me never waned and I loved him for it.

Chapter
3
2

Finlay watched out of the shadows as the three men entered the tavern at
fifteen
-
minute intervals.  The “Kettle of Fish” was a
rough
place located near the docks of Plymouth
,
and catering mostly to sailors who had just come into port. 
The last man came out of a
brothel a few doors down where the girls were well past their prime and glad to take any customer
who
had coin.  They
could not
afford to be picky anymore.  It was a choice between life
and
a lonely death on the streets
,
either from hunger or
disease
.  Finn could hear snatches of song as the door opened and closed once again to admit more patrons. 

He still wasn’t sure he wanted to go in.  He had been watching the place for an hour
,
and his doubts had the better of him.  What these men were proposing was regicide and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be a part of that.  They made a lot of grand speeches about oppression and religious freedom, but
murder
was murder
,
and he
did not
think the Lord would approve of men killing a Catholic
m
onarch, or any
m
onarch for that matter.  He understood the men’s fury, could feel their need for change, but was this really the best way to accomplish that?  It was a good question.  How else would they get James to listen?  What other way was there to bring change about
,
in a country where people like him had been suppressed for nearly a hundred
years?
  There was no revolution without sacrifice and blood
,
and if it had to be the blood of a
k
ing, maybe that’s what was
required.  He would go in and hear what these men would have him do.

Finn left his hiding spot and entered the tavern.  The air was thick with smoke and the stink of unwashed bodies.  It was close to midnight, the sailors well into the
ir
cups, rowdy and belligerent.  Some were singing loudly, urging others to join in
,
and the place was chaotic and crowded, which is exactly what the men needed as
a
cover for their meeting. 
A
buxom
barmaid grabbed his arm, but he gave her a smile and pulled his arm away.  He wasn’t interested. 
Finn pushed his way through the throng and made his way toward the back
where the meeting was to take place
.  He wanted to be sober and alert if he was to commit to risking his life and the well
-
being of his family. 

Catesby opened the door of the private room a crack before allowing Finlay to enter.  He nodded a silent greeting and took a seat on the wooden bench.  Guy Fawkes sat across from him, smiling.  He was always smiling.  His shrewd dark eyes were narrow and shifty
,
his wide mouth framed by a thin
moustache
and a pointy goatee
, which
reminded Finn of the players he had seen in London, phony and theatrical.  However, the man was willing to risk his life to carry out this plan
,
and he trusted his reputation.  The other two men, Catesby and Wintour were dour and driven.  They we
were not
interested in small talk, just his
commitment
to the cause. 

“What
would
you have me do, gentlemen?” Finn asked, facing them across the table.

“Do your ships have
gun ports
, Master Whitfield?”  Wintour asked
,
never taking his eyes of
f
Finn.

“They do.”

“Th
e
n you have access to
gunpowder
.”  Catesby seemed pleased by this and went on.  “We need to acquire a large amount of
gunpowder
for our purpose.  How many kegs could you
appropriate
without arousing suspicion?”

“What do you mean to do with it?”  Finn wasn’t making any promises until he was clear on what the plot entailed
,
and what exactly his part in it would be other than supplying gunpowder.

“We mean to find premises to let
,
as near to Parliament as possible.  We hope to secure the cellar right beneath it, it fact.  One of our men is already in negotiations with the proprietor of the building.  We will deliver the kegs a few at a time, so as not to arouse suspicion
,
and store the powder until November 5
th
when Parliament open
s
for
its next session.  King James will be there to open the Parliament and make a speech, at which time, Guy here
,
will light the fuses and run for his life, blowing up the building and everyone in it.  Master Fawkes, as I am sure you are
aware
, is a retired soldier
,
and is well acquainted with explosives and charges.”  Fawkes nodded his head in acknowledgement, taking a sip of his ale
as if drinking to his own talents
.

“You are proposing murder of hundreds.  Surely there must be a less violent way to make our point.”

“Master Whitfield, if you have a better suggestion we would dearly love to hear it.  What can we do,
in your
opinion, which
would bring about change in this country without shedding blood?  James is not about to listen to
reason.  He is too concerned with his own agenda
,
and we are not on it.  The
M
embers of Parliament are all in favor of suppressing Catholics and denying them basic freedoms.  When was the last time you have even attended Mass?  The priests are hiding like rats in their holes, coming out only when summoned
,
and scurrying back inside as soon as they have performed a baptism or a marriage ceremony.  Countless men go to their death without the basic comfort of getting last rites,
buried
in Protestant cemeteries, not free even in death.  Now, how do you propose avoiding bloodshed to rectify this?”

Finlay had to admit that Catesby had a point.  Nothing, short of drastic action
,
would ever bring about change.  After years of persecuting Catholics
,
and denying them the freedom to worship openly
,
things were not bound to change.  Many people had held the hope that once Queen Bess died and James took the throne, being a Catholic himself, the plight of Catholics would end.  James would allow Catholic churches to reopen
,
and bring the
priests
out of hiding, but to the great
disappointment
of his supporters
,
that did not happen.  James was just as bad as Elizabeth.  No freedoms were granted
,
and all known priests were sent out of the country.  The chokehold did not loosen
,
and if
left
as is, nothing would ever change in the
foreseeable
future.

“I can provide two kegs of powder.  Anything more would be noticed
and questioned
.”

“Very good, Master Whitfield.  We will advise you where to deliver these kegs and when.”

“What do I do after I have delivered the gunpowder?”  Finlay needed to be clear as to exactly how high the risk was. 

Wintour gave him a dour look, annoyed by his questions.  “After the powder has been delivered to the designated location, you will leave London immediately, getting as far away from the scene as possible.  We are trying to make a point and teach this country a lesson, becoming martyrs is not part of the plan. 
Now, would you like a drink to celebrate our agreement?”

For once Finlay did not want a drink.  He felt sick to his stomach, but he accepted a cup of ale and raised it in salute, draining it along with the other men.
  The plan sounded reasonable enough
,
and there was plenty of time to make his escape, but his hand shook as he put the pewter mug back down on the table.  There were too many people involved
,
and the more people, the higher the risk. 

Chapter 3
3

Bridget came to us in the middle of October.  Alec just brought her one day from Plymouth
,
explaining that she would take Betty’s place when the girl finally married Toby at the end of the month.  With Nell gone, Toby’s parents needed help on the farm
,
and Betty would be moving out of the castle to live with her husband and his family.  I would miss the girl.  She was sweet and helpful, if not overly bright.