Филиппа Карр: Daughters of England

If only I knew! Was it better to know the worst, or go on in suspense, hoping, hoping? And as time passed those hopes became more unlikely of being fulfilled.

There was a gloom on us all. Luke's death had sobered us.

"How I wish we could have news of Kirk," said James. "This is dreadful for Christobel ... and at such a time."

Sebastian was gentle and tender. He really seemed to care. He was more serious than I had ever seen him before.

My thoughts were for Kirk. I pictured him lying dead on that battlefield ... perhaps so badly wounded as to be unrecognizable. Where was he? My mind went back to that time when we had hidden him in the Devil's Tower. He had been in acute danger then.

"Oh, God," I prayed. "Let me know where he is."

If he were dead I should never know the details. There were so many dead. It was just by chance that Tom Ricks had happened to be near Luke when he had died. But no one had any news of Kirk.

I wondered after whether my prayers were answered, or was it because Kirk and I were so close that there was some communication of the mind between us. But I could not stop the memories of that other occasion from returning to my mind. It seemed—or so I thought afterwards—that something, some secret force, was urging me to go to the Devil's Tower.

It was two days after the Battle of Sedgemoor that I went.

It was a hot afternoon. There was no wind and stillness was everywhere. I went through the trees and there it was ... grim, forbidding, haunted.

I felt a certain excitement. I felt that Kirk was close and where could he be but in the Tower? He was a fugitive, as so many were, and where else would he think to hide himself but in the place he knew so well, because he had been there before?

It may sound ridiculous, but I knew I was going to find Kirk in this place.

I pushed open the heavy door. I went up the spiral staircase. I made my way to that room which I had visited so often during that other time, when Titus Oates's men were in the neighborhood.

I pushed open the heavy door.

Kirk was standing there, sword drawn, waiting.

"Kate!" he cried.

I heard the sword clatter on the stone floor, and I was in his arms.

"Oh, Kate," he said. "I hoped you'd come."

"It's a miracle. I knew I'd find you here. I knew it, I knew.''

"I wanted it to be you so much ... I heard the steps on the stairs, and I was afraid it was someone else."

"Kirk, Kirk. What has happened?"

"You know we lost?"

I nodded.

"We had no chance against them. It was all in vain."

"Tell me, please, quickly. How long have you been here?"

"Since the battle ended."

"That is two days. You're hungry."

"One doesn't notice it so much."

"I shall get some food for you. Oh, Kirk, it's wonderful that you are alive. I feared that you ... like poor Luke ..."

I told him about Luke and he was very somber.

"Tom Ricks came to tell me. They have captured him. He is now in jail."

"Poor Tom."

"Kirk, we've got to think. You will have to stay here until it is safe for you to leave. We shall look after you as we did before. I must get food for you quickly."

"Take care, Kate. The King's men will be vengeful."

"Oh, why did you do this?"

"I believe we shall never have a peaceful country under James."

"But it was all fruitless."

"I thought it might not be."

"This is not the time to discuss that. We have to think of what we shall do. Christobel and James will help, and Sebastian. We can trust them. No one else will know. We shall do it just as we did before. It was successful then, and will be so again. Oh, Kirk, Kirk. Thank God you are still alive. Now I will go. I shall ride over to Christobel. I'll get food from her and James. That is safest. I dare say James will come over without her."

I left him then. I went back to the stables and saddled up my horse, then rode over to Featherston. They were amazed to see me, and when they heard that Kirk was alive they were overjoyed. Of course James would take food over right away, then we must all plan very carefully.

"I think," said James, "that he is in as great danger as he ever was with Titus Oates."

He went over to the Devil's Tower immediately, while I stayed with Christobel.

She was very emotional. She loved her brother dearly, and the last days had been deeply unhappy ones for her.

"Oh, Kate," she said. "Why did he do it? It was bad enough for Luke. But Kirk! He is usually so reasonable."

"He thought that England would never be happy with James and a change of Kings was what we needed. I think he is probably right. I remember Father's saying that he had heard King Charles had remarked that James would not hold the crown for more than four years at most. You see, Kirk had the idea that it was better to change immediately ... even for Monmouth."

"He made the wrong judgment, that was all. But he is alive and we will look after him, won't we, Kate?"

"We will," I said fervently.

I sat with her until James returned. He said that Kirk would have to stay in the Devil's Tower for a while, until the situation cleared. They would not go on searching for the Monmouth rebels, as they called them, for long, James was sure. We would keep Kirk safe until then.

Early next morning, Christobel's son was born.

Who has not heard of cruel Judge Jeffreys and his Bloody Assizes? They were upon us. He came to Winchester, to Dorchester and to Taunton, to pass sentence on those who had dared fight against the King, and left a trail of misery behind him.

When we heard that Tom Ricks had been whipped through the streets on his way to the hangman's noose we were stricken with horror. This was a man we had known, a bright, laughter-loving man who had enjoyed living. That he should come to such an end filled me with an angry melancholy.

This man, who had been sent to judge what were called the enemies of the King, was cruel in the extreme: he was also dishonest, far more of a criminal than those whom he was judging.

We heard, and we knew it was true for there was proof of his actions, that it was possible, if one could offer a big enough bribe, to save a loved one, and the evil judge was growing rich from his assizes. One of the most shocking stories of his conduct was being talked of, and from what I had heard of the man already I was ready to believe it.

A young girl, whose father had been sentenced, went to the judge and begged for her father's life. She was young and comely, and the wicked man made a bargain with her that, in return for her favors, he would spare her father's life. The girl was ready to submit to anything that would save her beloved parent and agreed. When she had made her sacrifice, the cruel man apparently thought it rather amusing to lead her to his window, where he showed her her father hanging on a gibbet.

That was Judge Jeffreys, the wicked, notoriously cruel judge, who had been given the task of bringing men to justice.

All over the West Country men were being sent to the scaffold. They hung on gibbets throughout the country at many a crossroads. The axemen were busy, heads adorned many a bridge and some men were quartered and parts of their bodies displayed in prominent places as a warning to others.

Men and women were given to people in favor at court to be sold into slavery; even more were transported to the plantations.

Sorrowing relatives were everywhere. There was smoldering hatred for Jeffreys and his Bloody Assizes.

And this was the man into whose hands Kirkwell would fall if he were captured.

Christobel, James and I were determined to do everything in our power to prevent that. Sebastian, too, no less. He was more serious than I had ever known him.

My father returned to Rosslyn Manor.

He talked to me about the situation.