Page 41 of Traitors Gate

‘That might depend on which side of the fence you’re sitting,’ said William just as Beth came bustling into the room.

‘How was your day?’ asked William, even before she’d taken off her coat.

‘Exhausting,’ Beth replied as she joined them at the table and grabbed a large slice of pizza before adding, ‘Didn’t even have time for lunch.’

‘You can tell me all about it later,’ said William, giving Beth a wink, ‘but the twins are just about to read the opening chapter of their prize-winning essay.’

‘They haven’t won the prize yet,’ Beth reminded them.

‘Oh, ye of little faith,’ said William, as he poured her a glass of wine.

‘I’ve already heard it,’ piped up Jojo, ‘and it’s certain to win.’

‘Can’t wait,’ said Beth between mouthfuls.

Artemisia pushed her plate aside, bent down and extracted a couple of sheets of lined paper from her satchel and placed them on the table. She cleared her throat before she began.

‘Thomas Blood was born in Sarney, County Meath in 1617—’

‘Or possibly 1618,’ chipped in Peter. ‘We can’t be certain as there weren’t any birth certificates in those days.’

‘His father, Neptune,’ continued Artemisia, ‘owned a prosperous ironworks as well as a fair portion of land. He was also mentioned in published accounts asserious, honest and of no inferior credit.’

‘His son, Thomas,’ continued Peter, ‘left school at an early age to join the army and fight for the royalist cause in the Civil War. He became a lieutenant, then as the years passed styled himself as Captain Blood and later Major Blood, finally ending up as Colonel Blood.’

‘At some time in the 1650s,’ Artemisia said, taking over the story, ‘Blood abandoned the royalist cause and joined up with Oliver Cromwell, the newly appointed Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. We can’t be sure why he deserted his former comrades in favour of Cromwell but, over the next few years, he regularly switched sides whenever it suited his purpose.’

‘He sounds like one of your friends,’ said William, looking directly at Beth.

‘If only you knew the …’ began Beth, but she stopped mid-sentence.

‘Blood next turns up in Lancashire in 1651,’ continued Peter, ignoring his parents’ exchange, ‘and in 1654 he married a Miss Mary Holcroft, the daughter of Colonel Holcroft of Holcroft Hall, so he was what you might call today upwardly mobile.’

‘Can’t use those words,’ said Artemisia firmly. ‘Too modern.’

‘How about ambitious, and clearly moving up in the world?’ suggested Peter. Artemisia nodded, allowing Peter to continue.‘At some point in the 1650s, Blood returned to Ireland, possibly following the death of his father. He took over the ironworks and managing the estates that at the time yielded him around a hundred pounds a year, and he remained a respected citizen and a loyal supporter of Cromwell, which ensured that he prospered, acquiring further estates. He was even appointed a Justice of the Peace.

‘In fact,’ suggested Peter, ‘Blood may not have troubled us again if Cromwell hadn’t died in 1658, ushering in a period known as the Restoration, when in 1660 Charles II and the House of Stuart returned to the English throne. From that moment, Blood’s comfortable existence began to falter and, within a couple of years, his lands had been confiscated by the King’s representative, the Duke of Ormond, which resulted in him being deprived of his income. It is perhaps easy to understand why Blood once again decided to switch sides and become a rebel, which led to him being involved in a dastardly plot to take over Dublin Castle …’

‘Dastardly?’ said Artemisia. ‘Too melodramatic.’

Peter put a line through the word and replaced it with ‘outrageous’, ‘… and kidnap the Duke of Ormond, who he considered was the cause of all his troubles.’

‘Who can blame him,’ said Beth.

‘And that’s as far as we’ve got,’ said Artemisia, closing her notebook. ‘Miss Elton, our history teacher, told us we’ll have to do a lot more research before we can tell you the outcome of Blood’s raid on Dublin Castle.’

‘Well, I, for one, can’t wait to find out what happens to Colonel Blood when he raids Dublin Castle,’ said Beth as she began to clear away the plates.

‘And on that note,’ said William, looking across at the children, ‘I think it’s time for bed.’

Peter grabbed the last chocolate biscuit as his sister and Jojo got up from the table and left the room.

‘One quick question before I come back down,’ said William, before he reached the door. ‘Are you still the director of the Fitzmolean?’

‘I am,’ replied Beth. ‘But only thanks to Christina.’

‘Sounds every bit as unlikely as Colonel Blood attempting to take over Dublin Castle and capture the Duke of Ormond with a handful of rebels,’ said William, ‘and I have a feeling that book will also have several more chapters before the ending is revealed.’

---