“There will be no necessity for that,” said de Vilela, who was present, smiling, “for the ships of my master, the King of Spain, will sweep the sea clear of the English.”
It was the month of May, and the earth was arraying herself once again in her garments of green, when we weighed out from the harbour of Clare Island.
At first, the weather being unsettled, we made but slow progress; however, on the night of the second day of our voyage a fair wind sprang up, and on the fourth day we were in the Shannon, going up with the tide, under a blue sky warm with the promise of summer. Casting anchor between the Island of Aughinish and the mainland for the night, I went ashore to see if I could hear any tidings of Desmond, or if anything was known of the expected ships from Spain.
The sight of the three galleys had drawn a number of the peasants to the bank of the river, and, when I had dispelled their fears of us, I found that they were willing enough to talk. Howbeit, they could tell us nothing of Desmond, nor had they any word of the Spanish ships.
When I had repeated this to my mistress on my return, she asked me to go next day to Askeaton, and to inform the Earl, if he were there at his fortress, that she was on her way to him, but if he were absent to ascertain where he was. Accordingly I proceeded in The Cross of Blood to the bay into which flows the stream on which the castle stands, and arrived at my destination.
As I was already well known at Askeaton I was admitted within the gate without demur, and almost the first man I met was Fitzgerald, who greeted me with much warmth. But I had not conversed with him long before I perceived that he did not seem to be in his accustomed spirits, and when I told him that my mistress, Eva O’Malley, Richard Burke, and de Vilela were no great distance away, he appeared to be somewhat distressed.
“Is Garrett Desmond here?” I asked, and the usually frank expression of his face was instantly clouded over.
“He is expected back at the castle to-morrow,” he replied. Then as I looked hard at him, waiting to hear more, he broke out—
“Desmond went to Limerick yesterday in attendance on the President of Munster.”
“The President of Munster!” I exclaimed. Then I stopped in the courtyard, put my hand on his arm, and gazing earnestly at him, asked, “What is the meaning of this?”