Lady with A LUTE
THE STORY SO FAR: England 1570. Since a disastrous rebellion against the Protestant Queen Elizabeth, Roman Catholics in England aren’t free to practise their faith. Lizzy Goode and her father, an artist, are such people. When a Frenchman, Monsieur Durand, visits, he reveals a secret concerning a portrait Master Goode painted 10 years before, commissioned by the Catholic Queen, Mary of France, and completed in England. Neither the portrait nor the French gown used in it were returned to France. Lizzy’s shocked father accuses his assistant Edgar of betraying him, then collapses. An apothecary is called for, and a woman to help nurse him. Meanwhile, Lizzy, who has repeatedly challenged Edgar about his odd behaviour concerning the Frenchman’s visit, has found him irritatingly evasive. But when he tells her that if the portrait is discovered, Master Goode will be found guilty of treason, she’s determined to learn the full truth.
Mistress Cowper was like an angel bringing light and calmness into Master Goode’s bedchamber. She was round as a pudding, ruddy of cheek and had sparkling eyes. Lizzy was immediately at ease in her company and sure her father would be safe in those capable hands. She saw to it that there were refreshments at the ready, thanked Mistress Cowper and kissed her father’s cheek.
He was sleeping, but fitfully, as if whatever was troubling him was not so very far away, a spectre looming.
When the good lady advised her to rest, Lizzy promised she would, knowing in
